#windjana

Dit oranje getinte weekend gaat Marsrover Curiosity op de rood getinte planeet onderzoeken of binnenkort een nieuwe boorsessie gaat plaatsvinden. De rover bevindt zich momenteel in het gebied genaamd “the Kimberley” en daar is een zandstenen rots aangetroffen, die Windjana wordt genoemd en die mogelijk de locatie voor zo’n boring gaat worden. Hierboven zie je die rots, zoals gefotografeerd op 23 april j.l. met de Mastcam van Curiosity. Als de rots inderdaad de plek wordt waarin geboord gaat worden is het de derde rots waarin dat gebeurd en de eerste die geen rots van gesedimenteerde klei of modder is. Die eerdere boringen vonden vier kilometer verderop plaats in het gebied genaamd Yellowknife Bay. Op 11 april werd de Curiosity van bovenaf gefotografeerd door NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Curiosity is het blauw-witte vlekje met de zwarte schaduw, de plaats van Windjana is met rood aangegeven.

Door het boren in zandsteen en vervolgens analyseren van het gruis willen de wetenschappers onderzoeken hoe zand onder invloed van water veranderde in zandsteen. Dit weekend gaat men met camera’s en röntgen spectrometers aan de slag om te kijken of Windjana geschikt is als boorlocatie. Eh… over Mars en water gesproken: onlangs heeft een groep onderzoekers onder leiding van Andreas Johnsson (Universiteit van Göthenburg) een krater ontdekt op het zuidelijk halfrond van Mars, die duidelijk sporen laat zien waar water moet hebben gestroomd. De ouderdom van de krater is slechts 200.000 jaar, dus het water dat daar gestroomd moet hebben is van recentere datum! Bron: NASA/JPL + Eurekalert.

I stocked up on food the day before I departed for on the Gibb. The initial food list I made to get me to the other side totalled 20kgs. After finding out that the roadhouse halfway across the Gibb stocked grocery items I reduced my list to about 15kg worth. It was a massive amount and I wasn’t sure how I would all fit on the bike. In the late afternoon a touring cyclist appeared in the caravan park and parked his bike a few sites down from mine. He came over and introduced himself as Pascal. He had just spent two weeks riding the Gibb from Kununurra. He checked out my bike whilst I asked him questions about his experience. Another cyclist soon appeared. He was a friend of Pascal’s and they had ridden together from Darwin to the Kununurra. We all agreed to go out for a meal. It was a great opportunity to hear about their perspectives and experiences on the Gibb and of lands afar. It was fitting to eat well before setting off on the Gibb. On the morning of leaving I got up at 2:00am and made my way to the empty camp kitchen with my bike, gear, and food. I spent the next few hours cleaning, packing up, and organizing my gear to fit the bike. Along with the water the bike weighed a lot (similar to the feel of the bike when I first started). I consoled myself that it would get lighter as I used up the food and drank the water. I set off at 6:00am and rode until sunset. I managed over 100 kilometers, which was mostly on bitumen.

I turned off the Gibb headed for Windjana Gorge. After riding for a day and a half I saw the limestone cliffs emerge. I started to get excited. I entered the national park and parked my bike near the entrance to the Gorge, the cliffs were truly towering over me. I couldn’t wait to get in. After walking through a narrow opening in the rock I was in the gorge. I started walking and after about five minutes I saw my first wild freshwater crocodiles up close. I watched them for ages, not knowing that there were many more to come. I entered the floor of the gorge, which was made up of beach-like sand. I found heaps of crocs on the water’s edge. I got close enough size up their teeth. They were really docile. I walked to the end of the gorge on the gorge floor and came back on the walking trail. As I walked back I heard big commotion of what I thought to be birds. As I approached I found a massive flock of bats! They caused such a racket but they were really cool to watch. I’ve seen and heard many bats since I’ve been on the road but only as they fly around at night. It was great to see them in this manner. I finished the walk late afternoon and kept riding to find a camp spot. I decided not to use my tent fly anymore. It was too hot, and leaving it off allowed me to stargaze before I slept. The following morning I set off to see Tunnel Creek. Since reaching Derby the temperature seemed to have increased substantially, and I found riding between 12:00 and 2:00pm fairly trying. I approached Tunnel Creek, which had similar overbearing cliffs as Windjana. I climbed down into the cave opening, torch in hand. I walked through the cave, which has various pools along the way, some of which you have to walk through. There were a lot of fish in the pools, which had adapted to low light. About halfway along there was an opening to the outside which let light in, and was used by the local bats used to get into the cave. There were literally hundreds of bats hanging from the ceiling of the cave. It was another awesome opportunity to study them in daylight. The cave darkened again after this point and the water crossings got deeper. The last crossing before the end of the tunnel was about a metre deep. I got back to the same camp spot that night.

  I entered the King Leopold Ranges and the scenery became amazing. About 10 kilometers out from Lennard Gorge a fast driving ranger pulled over to tell me that there were really bad bushfires up ahead and that he’d like to offer me a lift past them. I declined but he insisted that I couldn’t pass without a lift. I reluctantly agreed and we loaded up the bike on the back of his ute and he drove me past the fires. Lennard gorge was completely burnt out, and was still smouldering. The road in was closed. We passed the fires and I was slightly disappointed by what I saw. Although they were quite extensive and some were close to the road they weren’t anywhere near as bad as what I was expecting. I asked to be dropped off and told him I’d probably see him at Bell gorge later, as that is where the rangers were set up. Later in the day I’d stopped at a lookout and met some travellers coming from the opposite direction. We talked about the fires and they told me that Bell Gorge just been closed. I was doubly disappointed and didn’t really know what I’d do with myself as I’d wanted to see both the gorges that were closed. The travellers told me about a swimming hole at an unofficial campground around five kilometers from the lookout. It was really hot so I decided I’d go for a swim and work out what I was going to do afterwards. I was toying with the idea of riding back through the ranges where I’d been transited but I didn’t want to get in trouble with the ranger. After some difficulty I eventually found the water hole. I was glad to see it! I’d never swum in one before and it was a bit unnerving seeing as it was so deep and had palms and foliage growing all along the banks leaving a steep narrow pathway for getting in and out. I plucked up the courage and jumped in. It was awesome! I was never fully relaxed whilst swimming though as it was really deep and the unknown was playing on my mind. After getting out I set up camp. That night I decided I’d double back to where I got picked up; see a couple of lookouts from the bike, have a look at Lennard Gorge if it was reopened, with the possibility of Bell Gorge being open again by the time I got back. It was a great day for cycling and I made good time. It was some of the most amazing scenery I’d ridden through and I didn’t feel burdened by having to double back. Lennard Gorge remained closed so after I’d go back to where I’d been picked up I turned around and rode for Bell Gorge.I stopped off at the waterhole again for a quick swim. I passed the turnoff to Bell Gorge but the blaring yellow sign indicated the road was still closed. I figured I’d ride on the Imitji; a small Aboriginal community and camp near there for the night. There was a free campsite just up from Imitji and I stopped there late in the afternoon to set up. I figured I could ride back to the small Imitji store in the morning; grab some more fresh fruit and veg, and find out about Bell Gorge. The smoke from the fires blanketed the skyline and it became dark very early. In the morning I headed to the store. I managed to stock up on some great fruit and veg and enjoyed coffee and cake. While there a massive offroad tour bus arrived for a break. A lot of the patrons asked me questions about my trip and a nice lady pinched two biscuits from their morning tea table and passed them to me. What a ledge! Bell Gorge remained closed and seemed like it would for be a couple of days. Although disappointed as I’d been told it was amazing I couldn’t wait around for it to reopen so I kept going. I decided to leave the Gibb for Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary run by the not for profit organization; Australian Wildlife Conservancy. After turning off the Gibb I got to the radio hut. It is a requirement to radio the camp before entering. I radioed ahead and explained that I’d be coming in on a pushbike. They said they’d be happy to see me. Sweet! It was 90 kilometers off the Gibb and although the road was decent I didn’t make it until the following morning. It was a really nice cycle with ranges in the distance, lots of cattle, and greenery.

  The main aim of Mornington seems to be to protect and regenerate natural and endangered species and they employ lots of environmental initiatives to accomplish this, as well as conducting a significant amount of research. It’s really great what they’re doing. I spent four days at Mornington to recoup and relax, and check out the gorges, waterholes, and nature walk trails on their land. On my first day I went for a swim in the waterhole close to camp where I was told that there were freshwater crocs residing. I relaxed more in this waterhole than the previous I swam in. I set off on my bike the second day to see Sir John Gorge. I was the only one there and it was serene; it felt very spiritual. I also checked out one of the waterholes on my way back, which had a great rope swing. I caught up with some of the workers that evening and one of them asked the manager on my behalf if I could stay overnight at Dimond Gorge as it was a 23km bike ride to get there. The manager gave the go ahead and the following morning I loaded up the bike with everything I’d need for the day and night. I booked a canoe for the day as the gorge cannot be traversed on foot and also loaded a paddle and life jacket onto the bike. The track to the gorge wasn’t too rough but it was a warm day and there were a few rocky creek crossings on the way. I arrived around lunchtime and hauled my gear down the hill to the canoes. I selected a trusty vessel, chucked my gear up the front and set off. It was so exciting, I couldn’t stop smiling. The gorge is a few kilometers long and I spent the afternoon paddling its length. It’s not something that could be rushed. I pulled the canoe up onto a beach that seemed like an ideal spot to camp around 4:00pm. I had a swim before putting the billy on to brew some tea. The day trippers had long since departed and I was alone in one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. I read my paperback into the night and watched the stars and moon come alive. I went to bed early but unfortunately didn’t get much sleep. It happened to be quite a windy night and I was sleeping out in the open so I was bombarded with beach sand for a few hours until it died down to stillness again. I got up at first light and had the canoe in the water as the sun was breaking over the walls of the gorge. I reached a new level of calm as I paddled back.

  The morning I left Mornington did not fare well for the bike. As I was making my way back to the Gibb an aluminium pole I was carrying got caught in my front wheel and bent a couple of spokes. This was closely followed by one of my occy straps getting wrapped around the rear wheel and snapping. Later on I heard something rubbing on my rear tyre. I just glanced back to see what it could be and noticed my left pannier bag swinging into the tyre and grazing the sidewall. I thought to myself that the bag shouldn’t be able to swing that much and I brought the bike to a stop to inspect. There are two tubes connected to the bottom mount of the rack, one of them was completely snapped through. I couldn’t believe it! I pushed my bike to the shade of the nearest tree and set about bracing the rack. I scoured my toolkit for anything I could use to set the broken tube back into position and add enough strength to hold the weight of the pannier bag. I epoxy glued a spare bolt into the tube to hold it roughly in position, ran my spare spokes either side of the tube for bracing, wrapped the broken spot in wire, and fixed a hacksaw blade, and a pair of scissors between the tubes to transfer the stresses to the intact tube and to stiffen it all up. I carry quite a bit of handy stuff in my toolkit but have rarely needed it, however, on this occasion I was glad I had it. It took me a couple of hours but my efforts seemed to be enough to hold the bag again. I took most of the weight off the broken side and it all held together when I rode. It caused me some concern as I still had over half the Gibb to cross and I’d been told the second half was more deteriorated. I winced after every big bump or rock I hit. The rack became a little project for me and I kept an eye out for anything I could use to strengthen it further as I rode the Gibb. I found some broken two way radio arials on the road that had been shaken off cars by the corrugations, which I chucked into the mix. They were light, strong and not bulky as to get caught in the spokes when the rack flexed. After I was happy with the rack I spread the weight out evenly again it seemed to hold together.

  Bell Gorge was still closed due to fires when I reached the Gibb so I headed East again. Adcock Gorge was beautiful. I didn’t swim there but I had a much needed shower under a small waterfall. Galvans Gorge was great. I got there the same time as a tour bus and I got bombarded with questions and requests for photos. After the bus left I jumped in the swimming hole and had a go on the rope swing. I saw my first Aboriginal rock art on gorge wall. I met an awesome couple there who were chilling out and doing some photography. I mentioned that I’d be stocking up with food at Mt Barnett Roadhouse and they offered to give me some of their ‘excess’ food. They explained that they’d bought loads of food onto the Gibb but weren’t staying for as long as they’d expected and would be returning some of the food. I think they were just incredibly kind and generous. When I got to Mt Barnett I leant the bike against a tree and when into the store to stock up on food for the rest of the Gibb. I’d written a list of what I needed and as had previously happened on the trip; they had very little of the basic foods I was after. I had to substitute a lot of foods and I ended up with a haul which seemed like it would last for the rest of the Gibb. The dried and tinned fruit, and lentils I’d received at Galvan’s gorge were even more appreciated at this stage as they’re staples not available at the roadhouse. Manning Gorge was just seven kilometers off the Gibb behind the roadhouse and that is where I headed. There was a lake right next to the camping area and I indulged in a swim after setting up my tent. I shared a meal with the campers next to me that night and the following morning we set off together to the gorge. It was an hour walk to get there; starting by crossing the lake on a cable boat. The walk was great and the gorge was even better. Someone told us there was a secluded swimming area around to the right with cliffs overlooking a pool that you could jump off. We made our way around and set up in the shade. It was a truly beautiful spot. We swam for a while and then swam across to the cliffs to jump. It was crazy high but my pal jumped before me so there was no backing out. I jumped; there was a massive freefall and then I hit the water; with my butt. It wasn’t graceful and hurt bad, but only for a minute. It would be the only jump for the day. We swam and chilled out for the rest of the morning before heading back to the campsite. I was planning to stay at another gorge that night but had I known how cool a spot Manning was; I would’ve stayed an extra night. I filled up my waterbags at the roadhouse. I carried the all that I could; twenty litres. Along with all the food I’d just bought the bike had become very heavy again. I set off for Barnett River Gorge. The road was rough and heavily corrugated. It took me longer than expected to reach the turnoff, by which time it was dark. I had my first stack in a while when I hit a patch of soft sand I didn’t see. When I got to the campsite I was offered a beer. I gladly accepted. I walked to the gorge early the following morning. I enjoyed sitting atop the gorge wall and after climbing down into the gorge I managed a quick swim before walking back again in the heat.

  The road continued to be in poor condition after Leaving Barnett River Gorge and I didn’t manage to do big kilometres that day. I camped in a drainage pit at the end of the day. When I awoke it was a beautiful morning and my 24th birthday. I celebrated with a breakfast power bar birthday cake with peanut paste icing. The wind was going my way for a change, the road improved considerably and I had a really enjoyable day of cycling. There wasn’t anything specific to see long the way, just the usual beautiful scenery and I managed 95 kilometres by the end of the day. The following morning I pulled into Ellenbrae Station. I’d been shown a picture of the scones they serve there before I started the Gibb and I couldn’t wait to order some. The homestead was a little oasis and I enjoyed scones and coffee on the verandah. It was a nice reward after some hard riding. A tree snake entered the verandah whilst I was finishing my coffee. I only realized when I saw the manager coaxing it back into the garden with a stick. I stayed at the campsite there and utilized the bath. I only used cold water and stayed in for a quite a while reading my book. I relaxed for the rest of the day and shared a meal with some other people staying there that night. In the morning they gave me some freshly baked damper before I left. I filled up the waterbags again. It was getting really hot and I was drinking around nine liters a day. I hit roadworks towards the end of the Gibb. It was super dusty; especially when trucks passed. I wanted to get off the bike in the late afternoon but because of the extensive roadworks there were no places to camp. Towards sunset I noticed my back tyre had very little air in it an must of had a puncture. I got off the bike and commenced pushing it. I was really exhausted by that stage. I was lucky in that I only had to push the bike a few hundred meters before I found a big drainage culvert I could camp in. I changed the tube over whilst I was cooking dinner and the bike was good to go for the morning. It was a great place to wake up. I was in the Cockburn Ranges; which resembled large hills topped by a sheer cliff of rock. I didn’t have to go far before I was back on bitumen and whilst completing the last section of the Gibb the odometer clicked over to 5000 kilometers. Reaching this milestone and finishing the Gibb felt like an achievement. I decided to head up to Wyndham to stock up on water and food before taking the backtrack to Kununurra. Before I got to Wyndham it got ridiculously windy. A few kilometers before I arrived a car pulled over in front of me and a big bloke stepped out and walked towards me. He introduced himself and we had a chat before he offered to buy me a beer at his local community club. It was a nice gesture and I told him I’d meet him there after I’d got my food and water. I was exhausted by the time I got to town. I met some people on the road and they gave me directions to the store. I heard my first news in weeks from these people who spoke of the new prime minister; elected weeks ago. They introduced me to some kids on bikes, the ‘Wyndham Boys’ and their parents let them help me fill up my waterbags at their place. I bought food that I’d been missing out on; bananas, oranges, dried fruit, oats, and lentils and made my way to the community club. I met the man that had pulled over on the side of the road and he introduced me to all of his pals. He offered to buy me dinner there too but It was fairly late in the afternoon and I still had to make my way to the backtrack and find a camp spot. He was an extremely kind soul. I’d only been in Wyndham a few hours but in that time I met some really nice people. I set off on the backtrack the following morning. It was unsealed and rougher than what I had expected. I was absolutely filthy, covered in layers of dust, sunscreen, and sweat. There are a few swimming spots towards the end of the backtrack, which is what I wanted to check out. It was really hot but I pushed through it and by about 1:00pm I got to Black Rock Falls. I walked down to the falls but it was really dry, stagnant, and there was no water falling from the wall of rock above. I was really disappointed. I met a car when I was leaving and the driver told me that the other two swimming spots nearby were also dry. I decided then to make my way to Kununurra a day early. I rode to the Ord River crossing. There are salt water crocs in the Ord and warnings were posted before I arrived. I was slightly worried. I couldn’t believe what I saw when I arrived at the crossing. The water was cascading over the road and a mother was swimming in the torrents with her young kids. I was hanging out for a swim so I abandoned my hasty plans to get to Kununurra and changed into my swimming shorts. I almost slipped over as I walked out to the deep section as there was a thin layer of algae on the road and the current was really strong. I made it to the lady and said hello. I asked if she was afraid of crocodiles. She said they were on the high side of the crossing but they didn’t like the strong currents and wouldn’t come onto the road. The explanation suited me and I sank into the water. It was like being in a spa but with crocodiles lurking behind the jets of water, and a risk of being swept over rocks if contact was lost with the bottom. After my swim I walked to the other side of the crossing. There was an island in the middle and a longer/deeper crossing on the other side. It was blocked off to cars by bollards and I thought it’d be pretty risky to walk the bike over due to the currents and slipperiness of the road. It was difficult enough walking it. I had another swim and decided to make camp near the crossing and head to Kununnurra in the morning. I packed up early the following morning and turned down another road which led to the highway to Kununnurra as I didn’t want to risk the crossing with my bike. I got rained on on the way; only the third time over the whole trip. The ride in was beautiful, it’s a really scenic place; surrounded by water and hills. I spent  three weeks on the Gibb and another few days getting to Kununurra. It was an awesome part of the trip but I was glad to arrive in Kununurra where I could have a proper shower, wash my filthy clothes, and put my feet up for a few days.