The Gibb River Road

This is a 'heavy on the photos' style post. I just completed the iconic Gibb River Road with a dear friend over just two days. It's the end of the dry and many of the tourist stops/stations have closed up shop for the season. It was also on the warmer side - late 30's every day. There are arguments for both sides when travelling this time of year, the biggest plus being that it is quiet and many popular spots are not so busy. It was such an amazing trip though, and I feel so blessed to be able to cross it off my bucket list, oh but I would do it again in a heart beat. 

2 things: this post is really really long. 

and, the photos have been doing my head in, they refuse to sit right within the margins, please ignore this fact and just enjoy the content. 

Imintji Community/Roadhouse

This photo is blurry for a reason...he was coming for my ears...

Station pets

Mt Barnett - Manning Gorge

Set into the back drop of the King Leopold Ranges the camp site sits next to the Manning River, when we visited it was very quiet, but I hear the camp ground is heaving in the height of the dry. It is such a beautiful spot, you would be crazy to miss it. We camped out under the stars with the full moon shinning down on us and woke early with the sun. 

The walk was warm, and fairly unprotected for much of it, however it made it all worth while when we finally hit the gorge. It wasn't in full flow due to the time of year, it didn't matter an ounce to me though, the water was a welcome relief after the sweaty up and down climb. 

630am wake up swim

Manning Gorge walk

First sight of the Gorge, that steep hill was well worth it

We had the whole gorge to ourselves, it was spectacular

dunny - Mt Barnett Roadhouse

Gibb River Station

Oasis

road

Home Valley Station 

It had been a really long day of driving and the road seemed to go on forever, lost in the wilderness of the Gibb it was hard to calculate how far we were away. At the top of the hill just before Home Valley we came across mobile coverage, so we had a quick pit stop to reconnect with the real world, before switching off again.

Home Valley is beautiful, and the staff were fantastic, I would highly recommend a stop in on your way along the Gibb - they have a pool. You could just relax there for a few days, there are lots of tours that operate from Home Valley too, see their website: hvstation.com.au

A welcome sign after a long day of driving

Reception and dining hall at HV8

El Questro

It's a beautiful part of the world nestled in the Cockburn Ranges. There is lots to see and do, from guided tours to bush hikes. Lots more information if you are interested can be found on their site: www.elquestro.com.au El Questro is most definitely unmissable when travelling the Gibb, it is also possible to do in a day from Kununurra, so late in the season a 2wd would easily make most of the roads. 

Cockburn Ranges

Zebedee Springs

Hike a short 750m distance to Zebedee Springs, through dense Livistonia Palms that open to a series of rocky thermal pools. This trail is open to general public from 7.00am – 12 noon daily. We ask that you respect that this trail is closed in the afternoon to facilitate private tour groups to this area, helping to ease the pressure on this delicate ecosystem. source Apparently in the dry season it gets very overcrowded, it's a very small area so you either want to get there at the break of dawn or visit later in the dry season when the roads are quieter. Absolutely worth the visit. 

Mere days before they had done some seasonal burning, it did add a level of beauty, imagine the place in full bloom.

Thermal spring

Canopy 

El Questro Station

This is the hub of El Questro, the epicentre of this iconic Kimberley location, there are camping facilities, a shop, restaurant, administration offices, and most importantly it's close to the airport and the helicopter parks itself within eye shot. We didn't stay long here, but the lovely guy in the shop/cafe made a delicious coffee.

Emma Gorge Walk 

As one of the best-known, most spectacular gorges of the Kimberley, Emma Gorge is a sight to behold. The brisk 1-hour walk (it was a tough walk, over uneven rocks, would recommend a medium level of fitness) ends at a large cool waterhole, graced by a 65m droplet waterfall, perfect for a relaxing swim. Nestled beneath towering cliffs, a second smaller thermal water outlet trickles from the rocks. source

It's only when you think you can go no further that you hit gold. We only had a short amount of time here, but it was unforgettable. 

One of the best weekends of my life. 

xo

Lectures and hummus

I'm just a ... (fill in the blanks)

I have been trying to be more aware of what comes out of my mouth lately - Broome has made me somewhat lazy with my speech, but it's not just that. It's also how I perceive myself and how I promote myself to others. 

So, in light of this I have decided to cull JUST from my personal vocabulary, you are never just someone, something, anything. You are who are you, be proud of it, and stand up for it. 

Here is a common example of a conversation I might have with a new acquaintance. 

'Hi, what do you do?'

"Hi there, I'm a teacher."

'Fantastic, where do you teach'

"Oh no, I'm JUST a relief teacher, so I teach everywhere. *awkward laugh* "

ACTUALLY, you are NOT JUST anything, you are a professional relief teacher and you are happy about it. It's true, I love it, it is varied, challenging, unpredictable and I don't have marking to do on my weekends. True I wouldn't choose to do it long term, and the money is very up and down, however it has been an invaluable experience, taught me so much about teaching and I will be forever grateful for this year of teaching and it has given me the chance to grow into this gig a little more. 

What if you aren't a teacher though? This self depreciating attitude common in Australians can be found in many areas of life both professional and personal. Lets stop making excuses for who we are and be proud about it. 

Please note; I am not looking to boost my ego in any way with this post, just sharing thoughts on personal experiences. xx
Alright, that's your Monday lecture over with. Now for a recipe. 

I've been making hummus for many years, I go in phases with it though, I just recently came across this recipe by inspiredtaste and it is totally mind blowingly delicious and easy. 

I have changed the recipe slightly, here is mine:

Easy Hummus

One can of chickpeas (400 gm) (or soak and cook your own, it's easier for your body to digest them that way)
1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
1/4 cup (59 ml) tahini
Half of a large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
Dash of ground paprika for serving (smoked paprika has a wonderful flavour)

I throw it all sans the paprika in the food processor and blend. Then spoon into a dish and sprinkle with the paprika. 

My best tip for you comes from a dear friend, whom when I said I disliked the strong taste of cumin suggested I roast the whole seeds, then grind them and add them in. Wow, Andrea thank you, it made such a difference, the more rounded slightly smoky flavour changes the taste significantly. Well worth the little extra effort. 

Here's how I did it; I heated up my non stick pan over a hot flame I then sprinkled the seeds onto the pan and let them roast for about 5 mins shaking the pan regularly. I then poured the seeds into my mortar and pestle and crushed them before adding to the hummus mix. 

Serve with your favourite raw veggie sticks - my current favourites include raw zucchini and green beans. 

Happy Monday :)

Untitled

self-centred

adjective

1. preoccupied with oneself and one's affairs.

   synonyms:

   egocentric, egotistic, egotistical, egomaniacal, self-regarding, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-seeking, self-interested, self-serving,wrapped up in oneself, inward-looking, introverted, selfish, self-loving,narcissistic, vain; inconsiderate, thoughtless, unthinking, uncaring, uncharitable, unkind; informallooking after number one

I started writing because I wanted a space to share with family and friends when we left Adelaide to start our adventure, I stopped writing because I felt like it was becoming too much of a self centred space, I felt as if I was ignoring the real issues of the world, and in such a public space I felt like I 'should' be addressing those issues.

Then I floated the idea of more recipes, chronicling our journey to health, but you only have to type "health" or "wellness" or "paleo", "vegan" into the search engine and you have a plethora of blogs and websites to access...why would mine be any better? How could I compete with photos of such extremely good quality? How could I stick out from the crowd? Who is even reading this blog?

I started studying Nutritional medicine at the beginning of the year, I am still in the very early stages, of the degree due to our location and work commitments. I also started teaching at the beginning of the year, casually but regardless I started. Life sort of got normal, Broome became normal, and still is, I felt like I didn't have anything exciting to write about....I still don't feel like I do. And honestly world issues, well I choose not to go there because that's way out of my comfort zone. I don't have enough knowledge, time to research or passion to write about them. I am by no means saying I don't care, I just feel as if my driving passions lie in different areas.

So here I am again with the dilemma....

How are you? What do you think about blogging? Is anybody out there????

Here are some photos for you.

We flew down to Perth in the Baron - it was amazing

We ate some pretty delish food in Perth, would do that again

Our accommodation had a fresco...

Two good lookers

Susan Rush had an installation...she's super talented.

I mean...come on! You can see her art and buy a hat at onethousandhats

This chick moved to town...pretty much (she has a permanent bed anyway) Also, the Good Cartel - Best Coffee in Broome. 

We moved and I miss this view a lot.

Random day of amazing clouds - that's a fire...tis the season

Fresh, tasty vegetables out of Broome during the dry, weekly market haul #jerf

Just another day

Also my nephew moved closer, so I get to baby-sit him...we have loads of fun.