Next Stop ... Cobbold Gorge !

Next stop .... Cobbold Gorge ! 

Cobbold Gorge is very different to others.  It is extremely narrow, close to only 2 metres wide in places, with spectacular 30 metre cliffs on either side. The water in the gorge is spring fed so the water level is constant, allowing boat access even in the dry season. In the gorge are Johnstone River fresh water crocodiles, native fish, a special variety of St Andrews Cross spiders, and ferns and grasses at the waterline. It is a part of Robin Hood Station.

Well I lie ... The next stop ... was actually Georgetown ! 

We had to decide whether it was worth driving the 90kms of dirt out to the Gorge, considering we didn't know whether I could access the boat or the walk to it. 
We also hadn't decided, if we went, whether to camp out in the tent and enjoy the resort there or do a day trip. We thought other travelers would be able to give us a good indication of what the tour involved. We could base the van in the park there while we drove out to Cobbold Gorge. 
Anyway we needed to stop for a few nights to allow us to catch up on ourselves and some more mundane things like the washing.

So after being told it wouldn't be worth it for me (the tour cost $82 per person)
... another lady who we'd met and got on really well with said she was going the next day and would let us know what she thought. She came back elated and said there was no way I was missing out on the gorge !  Even if I had to miss out on a large whack of the rest of the tour. 
So off we went early the next morning !

(I am not able to condense a lot of the photos into collages this time as they lost their effect when I tried. So, sorry to anyone that has data limits.)

The off road tour bus and boats which are less than 2 metres wide and a shallow draft, at times we were asked to keep oir fingers inside the rail as if the boat moved sideways even a little they may be cut off between boat and rock wall.

The first part of the tour was a walk down past the boats and along the river. At this point George climbed  with the guide and others to the top of the rim of the gorge. On their return they walked another 1km round trip to a pioneer grave, while I patiently waited in the heat.

This first one is at the beginning of the tour, near the pontoon.

Johnstone River Freshwater Crocodiles

It was the most amazing boat trip up the gorge, which the guide called a baby gorge in comparison to Lawn Hill. It was much younger and was a great example of how a much larger gorge began.

I was not able to do a large part of the walking tour which included a walk up a steep incline to a viewpoint overlooking the gorge, and a kilometre walk over uneven ground to a significant grave site. But I did enjoy the drive out, the gorge boat trip, and the gorgeous swimming pool at the resort which we swam in after the tour. We really enjoyed birdwatching from the edge of the pool. If I was going again I would camp a night out there.

 Some photos from Forsayth on our way home. 

By Lynne