Derby is a small place with the world’s biggest tides a notable feature – up to 12m! Its port was surrounded by mudflats when we visited. The GRR, which starts at Derby was bitumen for the first 100km or so enroute to Windjana Gorge.

  • Boab near Derby used for prisoners

This was a beautiful gorge accessed by a narrow cave passageway to give a real sense of drama to this gorge famed for its significant numbers of freshwater crocodiles. We saw several groups resting on the banks from small juveniles through to larger adults, perhaps 2m in length. They were on sandbanks and the opposite creek bank and seem quite shy. The gorge is dramatic being a former coral reef, now limestone thrust up from the plain. The reef apparently continues over 1000km and it is the formation for both Geikie Gorge and Tunnel Creek to the south, extending into the ocean before returning to the land further north.  Its sides are dramatic, the drop-off at the edge of a coral reef where it stops and plummets to the ocean floor level. The NP is fairly small, presumably a sliver negotiated from a pastoral lease. 

  • Windjana Gorge entry
  • Sunset
  • Black cliffs

Tunnel Creek NP was our next stop, an outing from Windjana, to walk through a 750m long cave wearing a head torch and swimmers. There is one spot in the middle where a rockfall has made an opening to the sky above. The gorge was the passage from one side of the King Leopold Range to the other at this point. You had to swim at one section to make a creek crossing whereas the rest of the trip was walking in pitch black and wading or walking. There were other people who went in at the same time as us plus a couple returning when we went in, so clearly it wasn’t a one-way trip. Anyway, it was quite out there. Fortunately we had a waterproof bag with us so we could put our gear in there and off we set. It truly was a unique experience. We saw a pair of crocodile eyes reflecting in the head torches close to the end too. I thought it was bat eyes as they seemed a bit above the water level. However, the waterway was quite wide at that point and yes it was a crocodile.

  • Tunnel Creek exit
  • Rockfall in middle

I had seen a picture of a freshwater crocodile bite from the display at Windjana and they are a different category to interactions with saltwater crocodiles. However, I swam very quickly (achieving an impressive stroke rate) on the return trip for the narrow passage where swimming was required.

  • Bite article
  • Far side of Tunnel Creek

Our next stop was Bell Gorge, with its big campground 10km from the NP, Silent Grove. It was very busy (and not silent) and an early start in the morning meant a fairly peaceful outing to the gorge. There were hordes of children carrying noodles on the short walk out when we left. It’s a very popular swimming spot in a ‘gorgeous’ setting.