DAYS 36 - 38 : FITZROY CROSSING

3 - 5 May2010.      GEIKE GORGE     Took a boat trip along the Geike ("Guy-key") Gorge on the Fitzroy River.  During the wet season this river floods and the gorge is closed to tourists.  Here in the gazebo near the boat wharf are signs on the post and beams indicating the flood levels in recent years.....   

The white sandstone marks the water level during the most recent wet season.....

The boat rounding the corner gives some reference as to the height of the gorge......

At this point the river flows around this large sandbar.  Crocodiles lay their eggs in the warm sand.... different temperatures result in either a male or female offspring.... when the babies are ready to hatch they cry out and the mother recognises her offspring's cries and digs them up out of the sand.... then gently takes them in her mouth and places them in the cane grass that grows along the waters edge where they are protected from birds of prey.  Only about 5% make it to adulthood.  Because temperature plays such a part in determining the sex of the animal - and freshwater crocs need a much narrower temperature range than saltwater crocs to hatch-  climate change is a concern.

The rock along the gorge is part of a Devonian period barrier reef which was once under the sea.  It stretches for hundreds of kilometres in a horseshoe shape from here around the north coast of Australia and arcs back in around Wyndham

Two crocodillos sunbaking...   the big one is "Wolfgang" and the more attractive one is "Bev".....

Canegrass growing near the waters edge....this grass is wiry and small birds roost in it.... birds of prey get ensnared in it and the rangers had to extricate one just a week ago....

We returned to the caravan park via the old Fitzroy Crossing.  This crossing is flooded in the wet season and for many years vehicles, people and animals were transported across by flying fox!!!

TUNNEL CREEK

The next day we drove about 125kms north of Fitzroy Crossing to Tunnel Creek National Park.  Along the way we saw these brolgas......

Over 350 million years ago a huge underwater barrier reef arched around what is now the top of Australia.... here are crumbling remnants of that reef with boab trees (click to enlarge)....

In this part of the reef Tunnel Creek flows underground through a water worn tunnel.  We have come armed with torches to walk through the water in darkness.  Several kinds of  bats live in the cave as well as the odd freshwater crocodile!!    (In the wet season the tunnel is flooded with water).  The famous aboriginal "freedom fighter" Jandamarra hid in the cave in 1897 but the Police tracked him down and shot him at the entrance.

Me walking in towards the entrance to the tunnel.........

Entering the cave.... getting in over the large rocks in the background was the hardest part...

The scene before me.... we head off into the darkness....

 Looking back towards the entrance............

 Halfway through the tunnel, the roof has collapsed and we can see daylight....

Just past the roof collapse, looking back towards the first half of the tunnel.....

Me with my torch (click to enlarge) disappearing deeper into the tunnel......

The end in sight!   (At this point the bats were squealing overhead).

Outside the tunnel, a lovely tranquil stream.....

and a cormorant by a sandy bank....

Heading back into the tunnel for the return trip....  we met an array of people, amongst them..... a mum with a newborn baby strapped to her breast..... a bus load of Kimberley travelers.... and three young Italian girls perched on a rock who were too frightened to go any further!!