Gibb River Road (Part 2) - Mornington Wilderness Camp

We headed further east on the GRR with some nice views...

..and plenty of flood ways.

An unexpected stop for ice creams at the Imintji store. This had been closed but was reopened two weeks previously by a couple from Geelong.

Not even all the properties along the road were open so our next port of call was Mornington Wilderness Camp, some 88 kms south of the GBR.

A radio call to the camp was a prerequisite, as they allow limited guests and it's a long drive to find out it is full.

There were plenty of gates..

...some nice ranges..

...boab trees and a dingo..

..plus some mean looking cattle...

..before we arrived at the camp boundary.

The camp is run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and is very well set up.

..with upmarket safari tents (unfortunately! fully booked til the end of September) plus a spacious campground along a creek.

They have several interpretive trails, including a Riperian trail..

..a Savannah Trail..

...and a Termite Trail.

Again the main attractions are the waterholes and gorges. The Fitzroy River runs through the property and it didn't take us long to head down there for a swim.

It was then on to Sir John Gorge, passing some bustards on the way.

Also a good place for a swim

The property is known for having populations of Gouldian finches, so we decided to go on an early morning birdwatching walk, and we were lucky. Several sightings of red and black faced Gouldians. Unfortunately our camera was playing up, so this is the best we can do from our own photos..

..but this is what they look like, a real thrill.

Having our kayak on board meant we could go for a paddle on the Fitzroy River, not in the canyon, you neede to hire their canoes to do this, but we had fun none the less.

On the way back to camp we saw a mother dingo, this one happy to pose.

That evening we had a talk about the activities of the Australia Wildlife Conservancy. On the way back Bob had to make a quick visit to the loo. Is this taking wildlife conservation a bit too far!!

On our last morning we tried our luck to see the other rare bird at Mornington, the purple crowned fairy wren...and we were again lucky...seeing a pair along Annie Creek. No photos, but good views like this through the binoculars.