First full day at El Questro so we picked one of the best gorge walks it has to offer as our destination for today. Finally a walk that had a challenge in it rather than a simple trail walk rated difficult that by our standards was dead easy and probably the same for everybody but the elderly with a walking frame?

We were up and wide awake at daybreak as is the norm around here (5 something AM) and we arrived at the gorge car park at 8AM to start the walk. The car park was all burnt and still smoldering with the dunny just a burnt out steel frame. The vehicle track in had an interesting water crossing average 1/2M deep (on a sign) and quite long as well also lots of deeper sand on the track in places. The walk was up a narrow gorge that kept getting narrower as you went in. At the half way point you have to scramble up a large boulder, sounds easy but you have to do it from chest deep water in Sharon’s case, belly button deep for me. You only have to wade a short distance but it got deep quickly and getting your bag and yourself up onto the rock is interesting. A lot of people turn around here. The rest of the trail was Ok just a bit rougher than the first half.

About half way across, water was above door seals.

The toilet is a bit airy after the fire!

Some boudler hopping in the gorge

Shoe girl at the rock edge!

About three quarters of the way in you walk up a small waterfall to add some more interest to the trail. There was a tour group of about 10 or so in front of us and nobody behind us. We arrived at a smaller but pleasing blue pool with a waterfall cascading into it at the other end with only a few of the tour group left in the water. We gobbled up some food to replenish the energy levels after our 3.4Km hike to here.

We were soon stripped off and in the water with the small fish in the pool and I quickly headed over to the water fall to get a nice back massage from the falling water. The tour group left and we had the place to ourselves for and hour or so before anybody else came along. Time for a skinny dip! I bet not many people can lay claim to that here? The fish sure scattered as I dived in!

The only one I could show on a family channel!

Double gorge selfie (bathers on)

All alone up here, very rare!

We got cool in the pool as it doesn’t get much sun but is still quite warm, way warmer than Emma gorge yesterday. We eventualy packed up and headed out. Met quite a few people on the way out coming in. At the half way point we had warmed up so after getting the gear off the rock and across the wade and on the other side we stripped off again and had another refreshing dip before completing the walk to a nice cold lunch waiting for us in the Waeco. We both liked this walk it had what we were looking for up here.

Sherpa Col after getting off the big rock

Talking to the tour group their big 4WD truck had two flat tyres and a small fire yesterday! They get one season out of them before replacing them. They do a trip every two weeks along the Gibb during the season. They are camped here some where tonight and doing Emma Gorge this afternoon. We drove around and checked things out a bit in the arvo and retired to a bevie or two at camp Mopoke before our dinner tonight. Very hazy here today with ash in the air from a fire somewhere close. There are so many different birds around the river at our campsite it is great sitting here looking at the river and all the goings on around us and the lack of others around us is great. We did have one guy and his family come down our drive today with some bullshit story about taking a wrong turn, surely he could have come up with something better than that, I told him to piss off! He probably got the same response from others he tried. The driveway into our campsite would be several hundred meters long and drops down towards the river. He must have been looking for an un-occupied private camp I suspect to get to the river?

Saturday night is a big BBQ night at El Questro. We went up early and had a shower. Strange things at the amenities, they have these new swish looking toilet / shower cubicals outside and lots of people lined up to use them but inside the old shower block there was no one, plenty cubicals available? We treated ourselves to a great meal out, local fresh Barramundi, all sorts of meat, chicken and salads plus plenty of deserts. Back at camp Mopoke feeling very bloated. The entertainment was a bit too country for my liking. Speaking of famous people you see we sat on the next table across from Lane Beachly and Kirk Pengilly. Some stupid woman had to go over and sit next to them blabbing on while they were trying to eat their tea. They were very polite but you could see they wanted to eat in peace!