Last morning at Drysdale River camp. Ten or eleven days on the Oombi, or Carson River, track, and this was the last bit of it. It was also the coldest night of the trip, and the Drysdale was probably the most substantial river we crossed. Reasonably deep and the fastest flowing. I would have liked to spend more time there, but we were leaving at 7:00.
After the track there was a four-day add-on with Nick: Honeymoon Bay, a few waterholes, Kalumburu and Mitchell Falls.
A shout out to the sponsor of this trip, Kilos Gear. I've used their lightweight camping chairs for nearly two years, and I used three of their Rover Light X telescopic lights every night on this trip. I bought my first chair myself and was impressed enough to contact them, so what I say about the gear is still my honest opinion. That's an affiliate link.
The end of the track
From the Drysdale we drove to the Carson River, and that's where the Oombi track officially ends.
The buildings along the river are the outer camps of Carson River Station. It's a pastoral lease on Balanggarra country, inside the same native title determination that covers Kalumburu and the Forrest River reserves. The cattle operation runs under a sublease to a Kalumburu Aboriginal corporation. These are working operations, not public land. Access is at the discretion of the traditional owners.
Three waterfalls you won't find on your own
The turn-off was one I would never have taken. Very little travelled. Nick knows these spots, and the Fuso stayed behind, so Elodie and Alistair rode in Nick's car.
First waterfall. A bit of a drive in, and the spot is a hole in the ground when you see it from the drone. Turquoise, clear water. It can be croc country, though, and when I asked Nick for the danger rating he said they normally swim here but had a dodgy feeling about it this time, after a big wet. Salties are possible. Ken and I had a very quick dip and left it at that. We spent about 20 minutes here, and I could easily have spent the day.
Second waterfall. I called this one Paradise Pool. The entrance is harder, with a good water crossing and quite a few rocky sections, but nothing worse than what we'd done on the Oombi, just less travelled. A waterhole with a small fall running in, cliffs and palms around the edge, and a rock shelf just under the surface before it drops into deep water. Nick reckoned it was safe as long as we didn't go too far off the shelf. Once everyone had made the climb down, we were all in and stayed in. There's a nice camping area only 100 m from the fall. I could have stayed a day or two.
Third waterfall. Eroded track, lots of rock hopping, and you have to watch where you drive. I don't think you'd find it without knowing it's there. Another stunner, and I'm a sucker for these places, but there was no time to swim. We had to get to Kalumburu.
Kalumburu and the 1943 air raid
Kalumburu looks like a quiet, easy-going little town. We were told in no uncertain terms to keep the speed right down and, above all, not to run over the camp dogs.
The mission here was a Drysdale River mission, and the strip was a refuelling and ammunition staging base for RAAF anti-submarine aircraft working between Darwin and Broome. On the morning of 27 September 1943, 21 Japanese bombers with zero escort bombed the airfield. What's left from that day is still north of town: aircraft broken up in the scrub, gear scattered through the bush. Worth a visit if you're in town.
Honeymoon Bay
The first proper corrugation of the trip is the road into Honeymoon Bay. After all those rocks it nearly felt like a massage.
Honeymoon Bay is a simple fishing camp and doesn't pretend otherwise:
- Unpowered bush camping on sand or grass, no marked sites
- Flush toilets, a hot shower off a wood-fired donkey, and a small kiosk for bread, ice and drinks
- Around $15 to $20 a head a night
- No swimming. This is saltwater croc country
- The fishing is the drawcard: barra, golden snapper, queenfish, coral trout
We camped away from the beach because of the crocs. Kaelan and I skipped the fishing tour. I wanted a day in camp for washing and housekeeping. Some of the guys came back with big fish and we had a communal barbecue in the evening, which was great. It was also my first shave in 12 days.
Would I do the Oombi again?
We had some time to reflect at Honeymoon Bay, so here is my honest verdict.
It depends on what you expect. If you book the tour to go for a ride and let whatever happens happen, it's good. The Oombi itself is reasonably challenging, though nothing you don't find in the high country. The first three or four days are like that almost permanently. After that it eases off, but you still get rocky sections, moderate hill climbs and deep water crossings. The crossings depend on the time of year, and we were at the end of the dry. Earlier in the season they could be much deeper.
I think Nick and Koping in the Outback are very skilled. They don't leave you stranded, and I don't think there's much they can't fix in the bush. Nick also has the contacts and knows this area very well. If something goes wrong out here, you have better options on the Canning, the Simpson or the Madigan than you do on the Oombi track.
My complaint is the Fuso. I wanted to drive the track, but I also wanted to spend time in the beautiful campsites we saw, and that got cut short. In my opinion the truck shouldn't have been on the trip. The tour operator said the same. The owner had fairly little 4WD experience and a fairly new truck, and it didn't do the group any favours. Recoveries, guiding and obstacles are expected. Something breaking is expected. Waiting between 2 and 3 hours a day in the sun for the truck to catch up, for the first 8 days or so, is not.
I made the suggestion on day two. Nick and Devo also lost about two days with their diff, but if the truck couldn't turn back, someone should have gone ahead with it, or it should have left camp two hours earlier. That did happen on day eight and it was a much better day for everyone, truck drivers included. Most of the earlier days I spent sitting in the bush in the heat, with nothing to see.
So, would I do it again? Definitely. But I'd be very careful about who I go with. Over the last six or seven years I mainly travelled with people I know and we have the same travel rhythm. Going back into a commercial tour, especially one like this, I was a bit rusty. It costs a lot of money and a lot of preparation. It took us a week just to get here. You're not going to say "no problem, I'll do it again in a week". So make sure you have all the knots tight and choose wisely. I'll put together a separate list of what I'd look at when choosing a tag-along tour.
Turtle Rock
On one of my old Hema maps there's a "Turtle Rock" art site marked. It isn't on any other map and it isn't on ExplorOz. I left Honeymoon Bay a bit earlier to look for it. There's an old track in, but no well-trodden path, and the drone showed a labyrinth of rocks that would be very hard to find without local knowledge. I didn't find it. If you have GPS coordinates, please message me privately.
Kalumburu mission with Clarrie
In town I stopped at the local art community and had a chat with some of the artists, then waited for the local tour guide to take us through the mission. Clarrie runs the museum, which is named for Father Gil. Entry was $14 and the collection of artefacts and rock art photographs is worth it on its own.
Clarrie said he wants more visitors coming up here, as long as some income stays in the community. That's a fair ask.
- Most of the mission buildings were built from cypress pine cut in the bush. One took a direct hit from a bomb on 27 September 1943, and it was still standing after Cyclone Tracy and Cyclone Ingrid
- The mission moved to its current site on the King Edward River in 1937, because water was a problem at the earlier location
- We saw the memorial plaque and the old bakery, two ovens, with the baking forms for the bread tins still there. Apparently the nuns were the bakers
I'm a sucker for old buildings, so the bakery was a highlight.
Fuel at the Kalumburu mission was $3.50 a litre. Given the remoteness, not that bad.
The worst road of the trip
From Kalumburu we went south on the Kalumburu to Gibb River Road, which was in pretty good nick. A few water crossings, all easy. Then we turned west onto the Port Warrender Road, and that was rough as guts. It's the worst road of the whole trip.
- On one steep hill a truck couldn't get up, so Nick got a tow rope out and pulled it up with the 200 Series. Quite amazing to see
- I had to take the Lazer Glide light bar out of the equation, because it doesn't hold with corrugations and constantly moves. I ran the Lazer Linear Elite instead, which did a good job in all that dust
- We arrived at Mitchell Falls camp after dark, in heavy dust, with a convoy behind us. In the evening there's no wind, so you hardly see a metre ahead, which isn't good for the engine either. I would not recommend arriving there in the afternoon or evening. You want some wind. If you have nobody in front of you it's no problem, but with a convoy it's bad
Dinner that night was a Campers Pantry meal, since it was another long day. The pulled beef is my favourite, especially in wraps with some hummus.
Mitchell Falls
The walk is about 4 km through the bush, with several waterfalls on the way.
- Little Mertens Falls is the first one. You climb down to a small waterfall and a swimming hole, which was a bit early and fresh for a swim. At the bottom you can climb up the rock step and see Indigenous artwork, and a bit further up you can walk behind the waterfall
- Mitchell Falls itself is multi-stage and absolutely stunning. Cross the Mitchell River and walk a bit north-west to the edge. There are various swimming spots on the upper part, and Devo knew a good one. It's deep enough to swim properly, with a small fall at the top that creates a whirlpool current, so you can swim into it and get carried around nearly back to where you started. We all had great fun
People complain about drones at Mitchell Falls. Here you have helicopters left, front and centre constantly, and I think the noise is worse than all the drones. We contributed to it ourselves on the way back.
The helicopter flight
After about an hour it was time for the flight back. Kaelan didn't want to spend the money and walked. I didn't want to miss it. It's a 20-minute round flight back to the Mitchell Falls campground and I'd recommend it. You get a great overview of the falls and the country. With the doors open on the sharp turns it was an experience. I'm not a big fan of heights and wasn't sure how I'd go, but it was absolutely awesome.
That flight ended the official Oombi group trip.
Leaving, and what's next
We left Mitchell Falls the next morning, passing the hill where the truck got stuck the day before. It has been fairly relentless for 14 days. We saw a lot, but there was also a lot of waiting around in the heat and not much time to soak it in. Nick has seen it many times, so for him it's not that crazy. I'm looking forward to a slower pace.
The Oombi trip is over, but our trip isn't. In the next series Kaelan and I travel alone at a much slower pace and explore parts of the Gibb River Road on the way back to Kununurra. We've come across plenty of wrecks and caravans without axles, and there are some good side trips to explore.
Gear and links from this series
- Kilos chairs and Rover Light X (affiliate)
- Kilos camp chair review
- Kilos Rover Light X review
- Lazer Linear 36"
- Campers Pantry (10% off your entire order)
- Koping in the Outback (Nick's tours)
- Kalumburu at the end of the Gibb River Road (mission, gallery and permits)
- Episode 3 — Diff and Missed Camp
- Oombulgurri Track Part 2 and Part 1
Watch the full series on the AllOffRoad YouTube channel. The channel is mainly self-funded, so if you'd like to shout me a coffee, you can do it through Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.
