Fitzroy Crossing, Geikie Gorge & Cape Leveque

Fitzroy Crossing is in the heart of the Kimberley, set on the banks of the mighty Fitzroy River, not the longest in Australia but the one with largest volume of water (in the wet season) that can rise up to 26m! The town has been settled since the 1880s and has a large Aboriginal population. It is the gateway to Geikie Gorge and a regular stopping off for “grey nomads” and other travellers along the Great Northern Highway, as the nearest towns are Halls Creek (291km) and Derby (260km).

Geikie Gorge

is another superb example of the Devonian Reef, sculptured by the fearsome flow of the Fitzroy River during each wet season over millions of years.

Cape Leveque is at the tip of the Dampier Peninsula, 220km north of Broome, accessed by more than 90km of un-sealed sandy road, only suitable for 4WDs.

Having experienced the tropical rain at Fitzroy Crossing on our first evening, we woke to a dry morning and were able to have breakfast on our balcony overlooking the Fitzroy River, albeit with minimum water compared with the wet season.

Our River Studio on stilts was luxury and exclusive accommodation, set apart from the motel rooms and the campsite at Fitzroy River Lodge.

During the day we purchased supplies from the local IGA for a barbie on our balcony that evening and drove 18km to Geikie Gorge NP for a one hour boat trip on the river, with highly knowledgeable guide Harry who described the formation of the gorge and picked out birdlife, sunbathing crocs and playful wallabies on the sunny bank. Amusing sign in the NP car park: SLASHING TODAY.

The following day, we left at 8am to drive 400km back to Broome, with not a cloud in the sky all day and little traffic. The landscape changes subtly with slight rises or falls in the altitude and the area is festooned with termite mounds, mostly small. There are a few magnificent boab trees too, none more impressive than this: 

This was a sign at the Willare Roadhouse where we stopped for coffee:

Back in Broome, we stayed at the Moonlight Bay Studios, with a superb swimming pool, close to Roebuck Bay and met Gene & Julian for a very sociable evening of fish & chips washed down with a few glasses of wine.

Saturday morning and another cloudless sky, breakfast at the famous Matso’s, shopping in the town for our 3 day trip to Cape Leveque and check over our newly exchanged Avis car, including reducing the tire air pressures for the sand surface road. The journey took a little over 3 hours, including a stop at the beautiful Sacred Heart church in Beagle Bay, an Aboriginal community. The church is decorated extensively inside with sea shells.

We stayed at Kooljaman, the Bardi Aboriginal name for the land at the tip of the Dampier Peninsula. Two surrounding indigenous communities of Djarindin and One Arm Point own Kooljaman, which has been established for over 20 years and has a wide variety of accommodation. Ours was a well-equipped log cabin,

with en-suite, that would sleep 5, with fridge/freezer and hot water (solar powered),

modern barbie, large table outside etc and less than 100m from the Eastern swimming beach.  
The options for eating are varied too, so we had our own barbie first night, ate in the fine dining restaurant the next night (the Irish chef had worked in Michelin star restaurants in Europe and designed an incredible menu with lots of local ingredients picked during the wet season, such as riberry fruit).

The third night we opted for a delicious pizza cooked fresh in an oven in the grounds overlooking the western beach and sea – very romantic.

We had flown over Cape Leveque a week earlier on our way to the Horizontal Falls, so it was exciting to be there on the ground and discover the glorious beauty of the place, colours of the sea, sand, sky and rocks

 

and the chance to see humpback whales migrating through the Buccaneer Archipelago to their breeding grounds 200km north. There are local trips worth doing to One Arm Point (an Aboriginal community) and Cygnet Bay (a working pearl farm), so we drove to both on our third day and were rewarded with fabulous views of Kings Sound and

mangrove trees on the beach!

At Kooljaman, we met a friendly, interesting and well-travelled couple from Perth, called Wayne and Leonie, and were discussing politics, travel and sport looking out west to sea and spotted a dolphin doing its graceful dives and then were delighted to witness a whale exhibiting its full tail dive. The following day we were lucky enough to see 4 whales playing and diving out at sea.

By 9 each night everyone is in their cabins, tents etc and most lights are off, which means adjusting sleep times to wake up early, soon after sunrise before 7am and a swim in the sea before breakfast!

Kooljaman is the epitome of remote but with modern facilities although no tv or internet, so for the first time on the trip we have been cut off from the news for 3 days (except for knowing that England lost the Lord’s test to Pakistan, Stenson won the Open golf and GB beat Serbia in the Davis Cup, all received by text). Previously, we have been more than conscious of dramatic World news, waking up 3 consecutive mornings to the UK’s new Prime Minister, the unspeakable horror of the Nice attack and an attempted coup in Turkey. It reminds you when on holiday that life continues regardless!