We always wanted to see El Questro and Emma Gorge near the Kununurra/Wyndham end of the Gibb River Road in WA. When we were in the area in 2004 the road was closed by unseasonal rain, and in 2005 the resort was severely damaged by a cyclone and didn’t re-open for nearly a year.

This time, guess what, it rained again! Part of the road was closed and it was difficult to obtain accurate road information, but we had heard of a day tour from Kununurra run by El Questro Wilderness Park and made a booking.

THE TOUR

Pete, one of El Questro’s top rangers, collected us from our favourite caravan park in Kununurra, Kona Waters Holiday Park, at 7am. The road was pretty chopped up by rain, with potholes and corrugations, and there was some water over the road as well. We were glad we had not taken our Ford Territory.

This tour is aimed at caravanners who do not wish to take their own vehicle and risk damage, and during the drive up, we discovered that all the guests in the group of 18 were caravanners.

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EMMA GORGE

Our first stop was at Emma Gorge where we had the option of seeing the resort and using the facilities including the swimming pool, or doing the walk to Emma Gorge, with its permanent waterfall and large swimming hole. This walk is very rocky and difficult in places, and you should have a reasonable fitness level. Two of our group stayed behind and the rest made the 1.6km trek.

The walk follows the creek, with a couple of small crossings over rocks, but we found it relatively easy. Pete explained various plants and interesting places on the way up, including the massive damage done by the 2005 cyclone.

It took a little over half an hour to get to the Turquoise Pool swimming hole, with its spectacular deep blue water. A short walk later we entered the Emma Gorge pool and falls area. This is a magic place. The falls come from a permanent spring, so run all year. On the right side of the pool is a warm thermal spring, a great place to enter the water. A few of us chose to swim to and under the waterfall. Water dripped from the top of the escarpment in several places, and ferns grew up the sides of the steep cliffs.

We could have stayed here for hours, but we had to get back to the open-air restaurant at Emma Gorge for a late morning tea, and then it was on to Zebedee Springs.

ZEBEDEE SPRINGS

These thermal springs on the way in to El Questro are open to the public only at certain hours and are closed to casual visitors at 12 noon. We arrived then to have the whole place to ourselves – one big advantage of the tour. The walk is only 750m and quite easy, through shady pandanus and Livistona palms.

There are several small pools, each a different temperature ranging from 28ºC to 32ºC. The permanent spring is fed from a fault line deep below. We had plenty of time to just relax in the warm water before changing and getting back on the bus for the short drive to El Questro township.

The road crosses two river fords, about 30cm deep when we crossed. A 4WD coming towards us slid about a bit on the slippery, rocky base.

EL QUESTRO LUNCH

It was now shortly after 1pm, and Pete had advised the Steakhouse Restaurant of our impending arrival. There was almost no delay before lunch was served. Wine, other alcoholic drinks, apple, pineapple or orange juice were complimentary, and the lunch was grilled barramundi and steak, with potato cakes and salad. This certainly filled us up. The restaurant had a magnificent setting right on the banks of the Pentecost River, with lush green grass leading down to the clear river.

By this stage our group thought they had already received excellent value for money, but the best was yet to come.

CHAMBERLAIN GORGE CRUISE

After a short break to visit the shop and look around the township, we boarded the bus again for the river cruise through Chamberlain Gorge. On the way, we had a view of the famous homestead, which many people would remember seeing in TV ads and travel programs.

This exclusive resort has rooms averaging $2000 per night with a minimum stay of two nights, and sits out over the Chamberlain River, hundreds of metres below. Here is where the rich and famous stay– certainly not the Allsops!

At this stage it was interesting to note that we had preferential bookings: several campers who wanted to do the cruise missed out as the boat was full. After boarding the boat we motored slowly up the quiet, tranquil gorge.

It reminded us of Katherine Gorge with its high steep walls, mostly red and orange in colour. We saw several ospreys, fairy wrens and many other varieties of birds, as well as black-footed rock wallabies.

As we turned for the return trip, the boat was met by huge barramundi, rifle fish, large black bream and several other species. The rangers, Kat and Sarah, gave us bread to feed the rifle fish, who delighted us by spitting in our faces! It was amazing how far these fish could spit water, and how accurate they were in knocking bits of bread out of our fingers.

THE FINALE

The quiet journey back on the boat was special. White wine and fruit juice were served, accompanied by a huge fruit platter. As the sun set on the gorge, we returned to the landing, then back on the bus for the short trip back to El Questro. We were just in time to buy ice creams and more souvenirs before the shop closed, and then we were driven back along the Gibb River Road to our caravan parks, arriving in Kununurra around 6.30pm. We were enthralled to see Kona’s huge resident olive python lying on the warm roadway as we exited the bus.

This is a great value trip, and the whole day consists of a series of highlights. We can really recommend it.

The full-day guided tour from Kununurra takes about 12 hours and costs $230/$110 per adult/child. There are many other tour options in and around El Questro. For more information, contact the El Questro Station Township on (08) 9169 1777 or visit www.elquestro.com.au/tours

By Tony and Denyse Allsop, as featured in Caravan World issue 465, May 2009.