Overall - The Gibb was good.
We had very high hopes and expectations, as alot of people have talked up this iconic road. Some parts were great, other parts we felt a little underwhelmed.
We had been told it was the worst road ever! We found this to be untrue at the time of our travels. The road conditions were not that bad, for us, just a couple of rough sections. With the right tyre pressures we were able to drive the Nav and tow the van into all the spots along the track. We have travelled on far worse roads on our 18 month trip, than the Gibb.
We’re so glad we waited until the ‘peak season’ was over to do the Gibb. 95% of all the waterfalls we visited were still running and swimmable. We didn’t have to fight mega crowds or worry about not getting a camp spot for the night. All the campgrounds we stayed at were enjoyable and we never felt squished.
So doing the Gibb with a dog? We have to say a huge thank you to Kurts parents for joining us on this leg. It did enable us to see every gorge & attraction without worry. If you can travel with someone else, who doesn’t mind adding a few more days to the trip & alternating dog sitting - you’ll be set. We’ve always told people, we are very lucky with Rusty as she is so chilled. She doesn’t mind having a nap & in our van while we duck out to see a gorge.
Water was a plenty along the Gibb, with all stations having fresh drinking water. So you don’t need to stock up. Most of the stations have very basic supplies (milk, bread etc). The best 3 shops we found which were well stocked with goods + some fruit & vege were; Imintji Community Store, Mt Barnett Roadhouse & Gibb River Station store.
Keep an eye on our Youtube channel
where we will be posting our Gibb adventure episodes, and you can really see what we got up to along the track
Total days spent on the Gibb - 17 Kilometres covered - 1,359 kms Average diesel cost - $2/L Best phone provider coverage - Optus Favourite free camp - Lennard River Favourite paid camp - HomeValley Best food - El Questro’s pizzas (Friday night) Deepest River crossing: 700mm Deep River @ El Questro Common roadside casualties; tyres & snapped aerials
Our highlights on the Gibb were; - Emma gorge / El Questro gorge - Galvans gorge (purely for the rope-swing fun) - Tunnel Creek
Rusty’s favourite dog friendly spots; - Barnett Gorge (FREE, dogs allowed to visit the gorge, short walk) - Bell creek rest area (FREE CAMP, turquoise water, shallow in sections - perfect for doggies) - HomeValley Station ($$, green grass to roll around on, dogs allowed on the short walks)
Helpful tips; - wear water-shoes on the walk into El Questro gorge + Tunnel Creek - don’t forget your torch for Tunnel Creek! the bigger, the better! - start the walks as early as possible, less people and lower temperatures on the walks - prepare your vehicle and setup, and carry the appropriate spares. If you breakdown it can be a $5k tow to get off.
Our Itinerary; Day 1: Emma Gorge, Pigeon Lookout [El Questro Station] Day 2: Amalia Gorge, El Questro Gorge, Moonshine Gorge [El Questro Station] Day 3: Zebedee Springs [Pentecost Free Camp] Day 4: fishing + chill day [Pentecost Free camp] Day 5: late start, moved to [Home Valley] Day 6: relax, fish, swim, onsite walks [Home Valley] Day 7: Bindoola Falls [Durack River] Day 8: Ellenbrae Station [Gibb River Rest area] Day 9: Drysdale Station [Gravel Pit] Day 10: Mitchell Falls, King Edward Falls [Gravel Pit] Day 11: down day [Gravel Pit] Day 12: Drysdale, Gibb River Station [Barnett River Gorge] Day 13: Barnett River Gorge, Mt Barnett Roadhouse [Manning Gorge] Day 14: Manning Gorge, Galvans Gorge, Imintji Roadhouse [Bell Creek Rest area] Day 15: Bell Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge [Lennard River] Day 16: down day [Lennard River] Day 17: Finished the Gibb!
As you can see 17 days was plenty of time for us. We got to see all the ‘hotspots’ and still have plenty of down time.
If you have any questions or queries about our Gibb adventure please let us know
Check out our 3 Part video series on YouTube