Fletcher: Today was mums day. First we had breakfast and did all the casual things you do in the morning and then we went to Zebedee Springs which was located in a rainforest. It was a hot spring. I got a shower in the waterfall. Me and Mackenzie climbed right to the top as far as we could climb until we had to climb back down. Then we went to the place of mums dreams, El Questro Station, which is 1,000,000 acres. It was a bumpy road there, it was the exact same thing as the gravel down at the bluey. When we got there we had a little walk around then had lunch at the restaurant, I ordered a steak with chips and salad, Mackenzie had nuggets, chips and salad, mum had baja fish tacos with salad and dad had Waghu beef burger. We saw people putting candles, glasses and much more into a Hilux ute then we realised there was wedding on and one of mum and dads friends at Roebuck roadhouse ( which was a lot of places ago)was going to the wedding and guess what dad said we were going to crash the wedding as a joke and it was today and we were here! When we got back we had a swim and had dinner which was left over chicken with vegetables and alfredo pasta.
Well today is what I have been waiting for and although we didn't stay at El Questro I have cheated and put it as the post heading. Dan was neither here nor there about going and I had nearly talked myself out of it by this morning as although I was desperate to go and see it I thought Bentley may have made it too restrictive for us but in the end I thought even if I just get to the car park/ caravan park section I have been to El Questro so off we went and I am soooo glad we did. We first stopped at the information centre in town to see what we could and couldn't do with a dog out there, we brought a pass which is $10 an adult which you stick on your window like a snow pass or rego sticker. The information centre has a whole separate room for El Questro alone so it is big business for tourism. No dogs in gorges or the walking tracks so yes restrictive but we would live with it. We knew the Gibb River Road was bitumen a fair bit of the way, but in fact it goes right to the El Questro turn off - handy-yes, coincidence-no! Then you have 16kms to the station on unmade road. We went to Zebedee Springs, this place was amazing, Dan carried his hand bag (Bentley) in and we tied him to the sign post right where we swam. You walk down a track which is surrounded by palms it really is an oasis in the desert it is crazy to think where you are. All the signs at the car park say if the car park is full, so are the springs so please come another time, well we had an hour before they closed the gate so we were going to find a park if it killed us. When you get there it really is one of those oooohhhhh moments where you cant believe what you are seeing. These pools are hot its like taking a bath, the kids were straight in and although you are not on top of people there was quite a few in there and we tried to respect their space, hmmmm well the thought was there anyway, the kids were on the move with another little boy and there amazement of this beautiful place and comments were keeping everyone amused. The further you went up the warmer the pools were. There were little tadpole type critters that nibbled on your legs and feet, weird feeling but apparently in Hollywood its all the rage for pedicures!? We were loving being there and the kids went as high as they could and under all the water falls, we were on a time limit so I was a bit worried when they had gone so high I couldn't see them and because of the waterfalls they couldn't hear me. Two choices, leave them behind- they wouldn't have noticed and Dan & I could have a quiet lunch or climb the waterfall to bring them down. Being scared of heights I was really hoping for the first one but couldn't think of a good explanation to the ranger why 4 went in & 2 came out. Up I went and they thought it was great, coming down was actually quiet easy and we had another quick dip in the bottom pool before we left - 11.57 by the time we got to the car for a 12 oclock close - cutting it fine......... us........... never! We headed into the property and this is where Dan's fun ended. This last 3 odd kilometres of road was the roughest I have ever seen, the corrugations were insane, the car was all over the place as we tried to find some even road and everything in it was getting a shake about. Bentleys crate moved, the fridge full of drinks bounced off the back shelf and there were lights flashing on and off the dash. Some 4wd junkies would love this but our big concern was for the windscreen as we didn't want it to crack any further, a problem and an expense we didn't need. In the midst of all this craziness and Dan telling me that " we still have to get back to Melbourne in this car we cant have anything snap off or break" and me knowing it was because of me that we were here I sat quietly and pointed out there were some great river crossings. So although he was stressed he was very happy too. The rivers were still high enough after the wet to be quite fun especially the last one which was the Pentecost River. Its quite a buzz going through these and the kids love it. So we parked up and the torcher of the road was forgotten and replaced with how much dirt and dust was built up inches high on every part of the car. I was finally at El Questro and I would deal with any mechanical failure later :) I had always wanted to come here, I don't know why, maybe because it has the name and publicity surrounding it but I can remember seeing it on a show when I was so much younger and wishing one day I could go there. So you can look at it two ways, it's just a camp ground, with restaurant, river, gorges etc or the way I saw it , yes it was a camp ground etc etc but it really felt amazing, what they have done to this place is amazing, what you can do here is amazing and all that mother nature has to offer here is amazing. I am beside myself that I have been, maybe disappointed not to have been able to do Emma Gorge- no dogs in the gorges and it is an hour walk in to get there. This will be added to my "next time we are here" list. I spent along time in the store reading and looking at all the photos of the bits we missed so even though we didn't physically see them I feel like we were there. To explain how in the moment I was I even considered a heli flight so we could see Emma Gorge. For those who know me well know that I am totally against light planes and helicopter flights at attractions, I don't mind anyone doing them, just tell me after you have been and not before so I don't stress that it will crash, yes I know there's more chance of being eaten by a zebra at flinders street station but they still scare me. I went hunting for the prices, what was I thinking? So the chopper only seated 3 plus the pilot so no way was someone missing out, what was I thinking? Thinking about it now - glad I didn't go up but wish I did ?! We had lunch out at El Questro too, it was a beautiful fine dining restaurant who set us up outside with all the trimmings so Bentley could sit with us. We were going to get a bowl of chips to share- staple take away for us Powers, but as the kids had made such a big fuss that it was my day we decided to order a proper lunch and experience what we love- food, instead of focussing on the things we wouldn't see at El Questro. It was a fantastic lunch, the food was beautiful, I had fish tacos and can not explain how many flavours they managed to get into this meal, Dan a burger that was nearly the size of his plate and almost beat him, again we are slipping as we haven't photographed our food the whole time. The kids meals were great too, Fletcher had steak and Mackenzie had chicken. The waitresses were so kind and accommodating, they were busy but spent time talking to us and explaining their jobs and the setup of El Questro to us and a ranger also stopped and she chatted about what they did and how they had great conditions and how they spent time off. We dropped our glasses in to them and to say thank you and even the chef popped his head out to say hello. Nothing our whole day was too much trouble for anyone there. We walked around the property and down to their beach. There were bus tours in and they were sectioned off and it looked like there would be another 3 or 4 coming in to camp the night. Although you are advised not to bring a van in and after doing the road we totally understand why, there were quite a few vans, including 2 that were not off road vans, crazy monkeys. There is no powered site there but generators are allowed between 8am and 5pm. There is toilet/shower blocks a plenty and also raised ensuite blocks too, they look like the old beach boxes on the foreshores just plain in color though. We got an icy pole from the store and Dan got a couple of tops. There is drinking water taps scattered around to fill up your drink bottles and surprisingly the water comes out freezing cold, even Dan was a bit stumped how they do it. I was really keen to see the wedding, I mean a wedding at El Questro how amazing would that be to see, but although we saw all the people dressed up we didn't see the bride and on our way back out the road half an hour later there was a car coming towards us incredibly fast, I even commented to Daniel how mad it was considering the road, as they approached it was 4 men all suited up, I'm guessing a groom and his groomsmen running a little late! Fletcher covered it earlier, that we had met a man who had to be at a wedding at El Questro on the 10th but otherwise his time was his own, we got along so well Daniel said he was going to crash the wedding and we would catch up, can you believe we were there on the same day. Anyway our day was nearly over, so we stopped in at Emma Gorge to see the resort there which was just amazing too, the first thing you see is an open air restaurant with the most beautiful furniture and views and then the walkway entrance to the gorge. We will come back one day and do it I am sure. We headed back to the van and I helped Dan fix up the mess in the boot and try move the fridge, we could barely lift if but it bounced around like a rag doll, poor Bentley isn't himself and I think the road would have frightened the life out of him. Poor Mack had "made a world record" in her words and hadn't been car sick the whole trip, I even thought she may have grown out of it but today proved too much for her and she was sick by the time we got to Zebedee Springs, although 5minutes later she was asking for corn chips so she must have been ok. What is it with kids who know you have a treat and you have barely driven out the drive and they are asking for it, and then ask every 5 minutes for the next hour until you give in. Once we had fixed the boot the kids and I went over to the pool until dark and then back or tea. So although we came back to people saying is it worth the drive? Aren't the staff rude? Isn't it just a station property? I have now been to El Questro, I loved it. Today was a great day.
Mack climbing back down
Now that was an absolutely wonderful day! We have all seen the documentaries on the place and now you have been there,very jealous.
ReplyDeleteYou will be pleased to know that the last few days have been really glorious,absolute Summer again.A big happy Mother's day to you my sweet have a lovely day.Love you all xx