From El Questro, we had planned to continue on to the Bungle Bungles. However there had just been a fire out there, and that along with the heat, and the corrugated roads we kept hearing about (many people turning back due to corrugations) made us think twice. Emma Gorge was also out of the question due to fires. Time to head to the coast!! Broome’s still a bit far, so we got up early, packed down, and drove 730 kilometers to Fitzroy Crossing. Took us about 8 hours to get there.
The Fitzroy River Lodge was a welcome relief once we got there. Nice, big caravan park with lots of greenery and wallabies bouncing around. (Great showers too)!
We had one full day to explore Fitzroy Crossing. We firstly checked out the old river crossing. Obviously closed for a reason!
Next we checked out Geike Gorge, and did the River Walk which led us downstream to the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers. This junction is called the Sandbar and there were people swimming there. By this stage it was nearing 40° and was getting way to hot to be outdoors so we went to Mangkaja Arts. The artists here are a meeting of desert and river cultures. Different art again to what we’ve seen along the way. Glad we went there, as they told us about the Garnduwa Festival starting that night!!
After a swim to cool down, we got some fish and chips and headed for the local oval for the festival. The official part of the festival was just getting underway, with the organizer talking about some of the Stolen Generation who were sitting on chairs at the front of the makeshift stage. Next they performed a smoking ceremony to clean the oval, the players, and all who had passed away since the last festival. The elders asked all the spectators and visitors to walk through the smoke, and shake hands with everyone. Then it was time for a game of footy.
We also met Jimmy, a lovely guy from Perth, who was on a trip to photograph mammals, in particular, quolls. He was happy because he’d managed to photograph quite a few of them. He’d made the trip now, as its expected that within 2 wet-seasons time, the cane toads would have made their migration to the area, and thus begin their devastation to local wildlife. In particular quolls and monitor lizards are greatly affected, and some species are completely wiped out.