Complete Guide to the Gibb River Road - 10 Night Itinerary
The Gibb River Road
About the Gibb River Road:
Every year thousands of people pack their cars up and head to the Kimberly region to tackle one of Australia’s most iconic roads, a bucket list worthy adventure you will never forget!
The Gibb River Road is approximately 660kms long, starting in a small town north of Broome called Derby, and ending not far from Kununurra. Most travellers will spend between 7-14 days exploring the Gibb. Your journey will take you to some of the most spectacular gorges and jaw dropping waterfalls you have ever seen.
The months of May-August are the best time of year to visit. Visiting just after the wet season will ensure the gorges and water holes are full and waterfalls are flowing.
Preparing for your trip:
A four wheel drive vehicle is required to tackle the Gibb River Road. It has some of the most unforgiving corrugations you will ever experience, but don’t let this scare you off. With a good set of tyres, the right pressures and appropriate speed you will be fine. However we’d definitely recommend packing a tyre puncture repair kit, and a spare tyre or two is a must! You will also encounter a few water crossings, so having a snorkel on your vehicle is also recommended.
The team at Ellenbrae Station and Over the Range Tyre Repair can help with tyres and mechanical problems, so pinpoint these locations on your map for reference.
Food and water preparation is very important when you leave either Derby or Kununurra, as these are the last main food and supply points. And of course, let’s not forget fuel- fill those tanks right up, as the only fuel available is at a select few places on the Gibb (and it is not cheap!) If you do require fuel and supplies they’re available at Gibb River Station, Mt Barnett Road House and El Questro Station.
Make sure you know how many kms your car can do before requiring fuel- this is a must as you don’t want to be stranded in these unforgiving conditions.
Mobile coverage is very patchy along the Gibb. Depending on how fast you’re travelling or which provider you’re with, prepare yourself to be without coverage for the majority of your trip.
Make sure you pack your first aid kit and recovery gear in case of an emergency. A satellite phone or emergency GPS is also highly recommended.
If you’re anything like us and usually have a camera in hand, you’ll also want a good quality battery and inverter for charging your gear on the go.
Emma Gorge
Itinerary:
We are sharing this itinerary in the same direction we travelled, from Kununurra to Derby. If you are travelling the opposite direction, start from day ten! Personalise this itinerary as you like, if you prefer to relax more, allow 14 days or more, or if you’re full of energy and happy to do long drives and hikes on the same day, you could smash it all out faster!
Make sure you are stocked up and ready to go the night before you leave Kununurra as you will want to get started as early as possible to avoid the heat. Also be sure to get cash out for the National Park campsites as these are paid for via honesty box.
DAY ONE
Obligatory dorky sign photo 👍
First up on the itinerary is parking up at the iconic Gibb River Road sign for a photo on your way in. Trust us; by the time you reach the end, it really feels like an accomplishment you will want to remember.
From there you will make your way over to El Questro Station to book yourself a campsite for at least 2 nights and also to purchase your wilderness parks pass (this is different from the WA national parks parks). This pass will allow you to access all waterfalls and gorges around El Questro, along with Emma Gorge.
After purchasing your park pass, head over to Moonshine Gorge for a refreshing dip, or Amalia Gorge (3.4 kms return) if you feel like putting your hiking shoes to work (keep in mind they will be getting a good workout tomorrow).
Following your swim, head up to one of the 4WD tracks and watch the sunset at either Pigeon Hole Lookout or Brancos Lookout to see why Kimberly sunsets are some of the best in Australia.
Get a good night's sleep for an early start tomorrow.
DAY TWO
Start your day nice and early at the beautiful Zebedee Springs. Don’t worry if it’s a chilly morning, these thermal pools are like a nice warm bath!
We suggest getting here as they open the gates at 7am, not only to avoid the crowds but also to get started on today’s hike before the heat picks up.
Today you will be tackling one of our favourite hikes of all time, El Questro Gorge.
This 4.8km return hike is not for the faint hearted, there is a huge amount of rock scrambling required, along with crossing a pool of waist deep water. Before even arriving at the start of the hike, your car will also need to conquer a deep water crossing (a snorkel is required for this one).
The end pool is well worth the journey, however the whole hike treks through a beautiful oasis.
Allow a few hours for this hike and make sure you’re prepared with proper footwear, water and possibly snacks.
Head back to the Station to relax for the rest of the day and treat yourself to a well earned meal and drink from the bar!
El Quester Gorge
Pentecost River free camping
DAY THREE
Make sure to treat yourself to a hot shower before leaving El Questro Station and make your way over to Emma Gorge.
Time for another hike! But don’t worry, today’s is not quite as strenuous as yesterday's- Emma Gorge is only a 3.2km return hike and has a little less rock scrambling involved than yesterday.
When you reach the end of the hike, enjoy a refreshing swim- you might also be able to spot the resident freshwater crocodile in the pool with you.
A short drive from Emma Gorge you will find yourself at the banks of the Pentecost River where you can free camp for the night.
Watch the sunset light up the Durack Range over dinner and enjoy a peaceful night fishing in the river.
Gibb River Road water crossing
DAY FOUR
Brace yourself- the real corrugations and sharp rocks start today!
Make sure your tyre pressures are set correctly and cross over the Pentecost River.
Make your way to Ellenbrae Station to try their famous scones and refreshing mango smoothie.
If you decide to camp at Ellenbrae Station you also have access to a waterhole reserved only for guests of the station.
Also, if you’re as unlucky as we were and got a tyre puncture straight away, the team here are well equipped to help!
Either camp the night at Ellenbrae, or if you are planning on tackling the track up to Mitchell Falls, continue on another couple of hours to stay at Drysdale Station instead.
DAY FIVE-SIX (OPTIONAL)
Now the road to Mitchell Falls definitely has a reputation, however the end location would definitely be worth it!
We can’t speak too much on it as we decided to skip Mitchell Falls on our trip but from Drysdale Station it is at least a 3.5 hour corrugated drive to the Mitchell Falls Campground.
From the campground the falls are a 8.6km return hike.
We’d suggest spending at least 2 nights at the campground as spending 7-8 hours driving over 2 days does not sound like fun to us!
DAY SEVEN
Day seven is going to be a big travel day to get yourself back to the main road. We’d suggest getting on the road as early as possible as the heat of the ground while driving can also have an impact on your tyres.
Stay the night at Gibb River Station and treat yourself to a shower. You can also restock on groceries and fuel here if needed.
DAY EIGHT
There are so many incredible waterholes to visit today! Jigngarrin, Manning Gorge & Galvans Gorge are all on the way to tonight's campsite.
You may want to visit all of them or just one or two. If you decide to visit just one, we’d highly recommend stopping in at Galvans Gorge. It is only a short walk from the car park, free to visit (unlike Manning Gorge), and was one of our favourites of the entire Gibb!
Brace yourself for a bumpy drive as you turn onto Silent Grove Road, these were some of the worst corrugations we experienced- but believe us, they are worth it for what you’ll see in the morning!
Get a good night’s rest at Silent Grove Campground.
Bell Gorge
RAAF Quarry free camping
DAY NINE
Start your day visiting one of the most spectacular gorges in Australia- Bell Gorge. The lookout over the top of the gorge is only a short walk from the car park; however you can also venture down to the bottom of the gorge if you’re feeling adventurous!
If you’re still feeling like giving your hiking shoes a bit of a workout, pop into Lennard Gorge on your way to your next camp.
Stop anywhere along the creek or Lennard River to stay for the night.
DAY TEN
For the last full day on the Gibb River Road we’d highly recommend visiting Windjana Gorge & Tunnel Creek.
Walking through Windjana Gorge is an easy walk with incredible scenery, where Tunnel Creek is more of an adventurous trek with a bit of rock scrambling and swimming involved. You will also need a head torch for Tunnel Creek!
You can either continue down Fairfield-Leopold Downs Road to camp your last night at a beautiful site called RAAF Quarry, or head back to continue west along the Gibb River Road and park up along the creek or stay the night at Birdwood Downs Station.
Congratulations! You have now conquered the notorious Gibb River Road, now go reward yourself with a long, hot shower!
So that wraps up our Gibb River Road guide! We really hope it makes navigating the road easier and you are able to get the best experience from this incredible part of the world. If you are keen to watch what we got up to on our Gibb River Road travels, you can click here for part one and click here for part two!
