The Mighty Mitchell Falls and Munurru

After the success of our tenting adventure we decided to attempt the infamously horrendous road into Mitchell Falls with just the car and tent, leaving our van at the free 'vansitting' at Drysdale Station. We spent 3 days at the lovely Miners Pool camp area (a part of Drysdale Station) alternating between packing for our 7 nights away from the van and swimming. The kids loved the rope swing near a dry part of the river and Daniel practised with them whilst I was busy packing, getting them so incredibly high that I had a mini heart attack the first time I saw them on it (Daniel got it on video to show you Grandma- you know how he loves to shock you!!)

After saying goodbye to our van we departed with an impossibly full car for 7 nights in the tent, our first stop being the Mitchell Falls camp ground. Once we got to the turnoff the 70km on the notoriously bad Mitchell Plateau track took us about 2 hours, it was rocky and full of corrugations, but had such amazing scenery, particularly the huge and abundant palms, that the time went quickly. 

We campground was dusty and very noisy due to the helicopters consistently flying and landing nearby. Apparently the thing to do was to walk into the falls, a 4.3 km, 2hr+ walk, then take a 6 min helicopter ride back in the afternoon to see the falls from the air and save you having to walk in the heat of the day. The helicopter ride was $135 per person (with Jackson free). We decided that I would fly back with the kids & Daniel walk back to keep the cost down. We spent the afternoon exploring the Little Mertens Falls which were unfortunately beginning to dry up, though still had enough water for a cool down.

Mitchell Falls

We left the next morning about 9am for the Mitchell Falls, after getting weighed and listening to the safety spiel for our afternoons helicopter ride. The kids, particularly Jackson, were ridiculously excited. The walk in took us about 2 hours through some beautiful scenery. The Big Mertens Falls were certainly big, though again they weren't flowing much due to the abnormally dry wet season. Although not flowing with the abundance of water that they usually are, the Mitchell Falls were still an impressive sight. A four tiered waterfall that drops down 80 metres into a wide gorge. You can see why this place is of such spiritual importance to the Indigenous Australians. We spent the day swimming and walking around the top of the gorge to see the falls from different viewpoints. Soon the time for our helicopter ride approached and we made our way to the helipad. When the helicopter landed the kids nearly burst with excitement. The pilot assumed the whole family was flying. When we explained that Daniel wasn't he said there was a spare seat and it was the last flight of the day so Daniel should join us- hooray. Jackson got to ride in the front seat (Emilia was too nervous to) with Emilia riding between Daniel and I in the doorless back section. Jackson was in such awe that he didn't utter a sound for the whole flight. Emilia and I squealed when we took off and she spent most of the flight with her mouth open letting the wind gush in. The falls were very impressive from above and we could imagine how special it would be during the wet season with such a large amount of water cascading over the four waterfalls. We were buzzing with adrenaline when we landed and the lady at the booking counter saw the kids excitement and gave them a hat each to remember the occasion. It was a really special experience. 

Big Mertens Gorge

Mitchell Gorge and River

Beautiful Lily

Admiring Mitchell Falls

HELICOPTER - HOORAY!!

Ready for takeoff

Speechless in the front seat

Windblown hair after our helicopter adventure.

King Edward River (Munurru) was our next destination, and after a morning spent chatting with our new friends, James & Emily, and watching our kids and their 4 lovely girls play so well together we headed off for our bumpy drive back along the Mitchell Falls Track. We camped near the lovely river and spent the afternoon cooling off & resting our weary muscles (mine were especially sore after the previous day's hike wearing a 10kg pack - my legs were not used to that). There was some great rocks for the kids to explore and a small waterfall to walk to. The next day we explored the nearby rock art sites and just relaxed in the gorgeous water. We had positioned the tent with a clear view of the sky, and we kept the fly off, so we fell asleep star gazing and counting the number of shooting stars we saw, it was magical. On the morning we left a mist had settled over the river, creating a surreal effect and incredible light. We really enjoyed this campsite and could see why so many people had rated it as one of their faves.

But onwards and upwards we went, to the most northern community in WA (accessible by road anyway).

Extremely well preserved art near King Edward River

Cooling off in King Edward River

Our cheeky child

What a location - the river was less than a minute away.

Emilia picking wildflowers in the early morning mist.

Her collection of tiny wildflowers

Morning snack by the misty river.

Frisbee lessons.