Day 11: Silent Grove to Charnley River

Another lazy start and a short drive saw us at Charnley River Homestead by about 9:30. By the time we signed in and were briefed about the rules of this Australian Wildlife Conservancy Reserve, it was after 10. So a slow wander to Grivillea Gorge was in order. It's a 30 km drive on private tracks north of the station, then a 400m scramble over rocks, down a ladder, then over the waterfall… But, boy is it worth it! Bell Gorge was quiet yesterday as we were there early in the season, but with the older couple leaving as we were arriving, we had this place all to ourselves for the entire time we were there.

Grevillea Gorge. You have to climb down the waterfall to get to the pool.

Jen heading for the second pool.

The climb into the lower pools wasn't so obvious. The factors of just starting a holiday, and our lack of climbing prowess meant we decided the top pool was perfectly acceptable fairly quickly...

Tempting as it was to spend the whole afternoon in our own private gorge, the clouds started to gather so we started back towards camp so the tent wouldn't get too wet before we had a chance to put it up. But on the way (as the clouds didn't look too impending) new took a detour to Dillie Gorge. While not as visually stunned by as other places it does have very long pools that previous owners used for kayaking. Sadly, this is no longer the case. When we saw the water we also decide against swimming. The running water over the falls said there was fresh water, but the algae growing in the stiller sections told another story. So a half hour snooze on warm rocks was gratefully accepted

Before I finish up, a quick comment on the station tracks is called for. While not tough 4wd tracks, they are tougher than anything else seen so far on this trip. Which is a pleasant change

Tonight’s camp setup is minimal, and we’ll be doing a chunk of the packing up before getting an early night as we have to be moving by 6 am. This is to give us the best possible chance at getting a spot at Mornington Reserve tomorrow since they only take 50 people at a time and it’s first come, best dressed...