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10th September
We'd been warned that there wasn't much to see or do in Derby but we headed there to plan and prepare for the Kimberley. We thought Broome was hot, but have hit our first taste of 41 degrees and it's stifling.
Derby:
Derby boasts the highest tides in Australia with variations of up to 11 metres and the best place to see the variation is from Jetty. A few kms out of town is Myall's Bore and Cattle Trough. The water trough at 120 metres, is the longest in the southern hemisphere. The Boab Prison Tree is at the same location.
Fitzroy Crossing:
A small community town with very little here, but it will be our base to tour the nearby gorges. There are 3 caravan parks in town and we definitely recommend the Fitzroy River Lodge on the Gt Northern Highway.
Geikie Gorge:
21 kms out of Fitzroy Crossing, we're off to do the Geikie Gorge Boat Tour. Be warned, you can't book the trip, it's first come first served so be there early and take cash as there were no credit card facilities available.While waiting in the shelter for the boat, we noticed flood-level signs from different years on the poles plus a series of photos. Unbelievable, the shelter has been totally under water many times in recent years due to flooding and that has to be a water rise of at least 7-10 metres. Anyway, on with the trip and up the gorge. .
The gorge is beautiful with it's grey and orange limestone walls and the boat trip enjoyable, Our first sighting of fresh water crocs in the wild.
Windjana Gorge:
145 kms south from FC and we're approaching Windjana and you get a taste of what's to come as the impressive cliffs rise up in front of you. The entrance into the gorge is through a narrow tunnel and it's like another world when you walk out the other side.
Windjana is impressive with it's high cliff walls that head towards the sky and those red and black colours are stunning. The nearby pools have plenty of freshwater crocs trying to cool down. Got a fright when the silence was broken by screeching bats in the trees above us suddenly all took off. We did the 7kms return walk and it was not an enjoyable experience. The oppressive 41 degree heat made it hard going walking through sandy river bed and there's not much else to see. Everything you need to see at Windjana is in the first 200 metres.
Tunnel Creek:
Just 35kms away, Tunnel Creek is a refreshing change. The only way in is by climbing over all the fallen rocks and down into the water. Be warned, it's very slippery so make sure you wear appropriate footwear and you also need a torch.
The Tunnel Cave is approx 750 metres long and between 3 to 12 metres high and you basically walk through The Napier Range from one side to the other in total darkness.You walk through knee deep water in quite a few places and it's an eerie experience when you first enter the darkness with only a torch to light the way. You soon get used to it and it's a spectacular walk there and back and a cooling break from the outside heat.
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Our Trip 
