Manning Gorge from Top of Waterfall
After breakfast I wandered down to the river. I walked past the German couple who were sitting outside their Campervan, drinking coffee and watching the tour party decamp. They exchanged good natured banter with some of the tour party and offered encouragement to the bewildered. The German guy looked across at me and grinned. I asked him if he had ever heard of Benny Hill. He laughed and agreed that the Benny Hill music would have been appropriate for last night’s performance.
We set off for the Manning Gorge waterfall which required a trip across the river in the little Pull-Yourself Ferry:
After reaching the other side without capsizing, we followed the rough path for 45 minutes, effectively the path cuts across the inside of the river bend between the waterfall and the campground. We were joined by Rachel, a Police officer from Kununurra. She was having a few days off and was heading along the Gibb River Road as far as Windjana Gorge before heading down to Fitzroy Crossing then on to Broome for the “Staircase to the Moon” which is when the Moon sinks low over the Indian Ocean and the reflected light on the sea gives the impression of a staircase. Rachel told us that the road from Drysdale to Mitchell Falls was really easy (recently graded) so we decided there and then that we would go to Drysdale and give the falls a go.
The walk to the Manning Gorge waterfall was well worth the effort. We immediately jumped into the deep pool and swam underneath the falls.
Olliver Swimming to the Waterfall
Rachel, the children and I climbed to the top of the waterfall to have a look down the gorge, Oliver and Rachel discussing the finer points of IPod games as we went. Above the waterfall the river flows through several clear, shallow, pools. We got a good view down the gorge and could see where the river curves towards the campground. We could also see some guys jumping from the side of the waterfall into the pool below. Emily’s face lit up!
We descended to the jumping point and I asked the guys if it was deep enough, it certainly looked deep – from our vantage point we couldn’t see the bottom even through the water was crystal clear. The guys confirmed that it was extremely deep, they had been snorkelling there and could not see the bottom even when they duck-dived. I jumped in then it was Emily’s turn:
After a snack and drinks we headed back to the camp ground for lunch. We had a lazy afternoon then went down to the river for a swim. Oliver took on the role of Ferryman and pulled people across from bank to bank, he didn’t charge anything though (I must have a word with him).
Rachel joined us after dinner for a beer and we put the world to rights.