To the south east of the parking and
camping rea is
the entrance to the
gorge and the series of water holes. Allow 2.5 hours minimum for the return walk. Wear strong shoes and take water with you.
The 18 km into DQB is a tight track twisting through the bush and over rocky scarps and washaways. The road had suffered from abuse by the cyclones of a couple of years back so there were many deep ruts and washed out rocky sections. The scenery is magnificent though and the camels, On reaching the DQB
camp area, the track splits and one branch leads off a km or so across the valley to a
cave perched up on the
hill. There is a large, permanent pool rright at the mouth of the
gorge and very near the
camp area. Once past this stretch of water you have a walk of over 1.5 km across the rocky creek floor jumping from boulder to
rock until you get to the first of the series of pool that forms the DQB. Once reached the only way forward is to swim each
rock hole in turn. This we did being the foolhardy and fearless adventurers we were. The first pool was long and deep and shockingly cold. We managed to traverse it and clamber out the other side. The second was shallower and a fair bit Walmer. The third, you had to push the ice aside. It was deep, shadowed and friggin freezing. To make matters worse, the far side exit had to be gained up a sheer wall and drop off of a couple of metres. Believe me the cold water spurred you on. Above this there was another pool of equal size but a bit more survivable temperature. We spent 10 minutes or so lying on the warm rocks to get the circulation back before heading back.
The
gorge itself whilst not particularly high, like many of those in the
Kimberley, was spectacular none the less. It’s rough red walls looked like they’d been hewn by some cataclysmic explosion rather than erosion. The ghost gums lining the creeks also added a contrast to the deep reds and blue of the sky. In total there are eight pools, the last being long and sandy bottomed. From here you enter a pound like feature with the creek running away to the west. Fantastic walk and swim. Mick O. Dec 07.