We completed our journey along the Gibb River Road today – all 660km of it. Mostly red dirt, a big sky and dramatic landscape. It’s a legendary road, and it’s been fun. Conditions have improved over the decades since it was a hell trip, but it was just bad enough to keep most of the Grey Nomads away. Things will change when we get to Broome!
Arriving in Derby, population 5000, was like finding an oasis. Well, sort of. At least the BBQ shapes were on special.

One of Derby’s famous attractions is the Prison Tree, a naturally hollowed out boab, which was used as a prison before transporting to Derby.

It’s 15 metres round his tummy, and said to be 1500 years old. Boabs are protected in this shire and this means roads and houses must be built around these special trees.
Just next to the Prison Tree is Myall’s Bore which feeds a 120m long cattle trough, said to be the longest in the southern hemisphere.

Fergus and Harry went for a ride across the flats, with John having an afternoon run. The smoke from nearby fires makes a dramatic backdrop.

The tides here are some of the biggest in the world at 11.5m. There’s a large circular jetty down a causeway across the mud flats where we saw both a high tide, and came back for a low tide (still with a couple of hours to run out). When I worked in Port Hedland, I lived opposite a similar vast mud flat and mangrove area where the tides were also huge. It’s a fascinating pastime watching the changes.
Another perfect Kimberley sunset.