Tunnel Creek

8 July

We’ve been on the road 8 weeks today!  It doesn’t feel like that long.  8829 kilometres, wow.  And Troopy hasn't missed a beat either.

Anyway, leaving Windjana Gorge camp, we continued along the Fairfield Leopold Downs Road towards Tunnel Creek.  It’s not too bad a road, gravelly and a little corrugated.  It was 40km to Tunnel Creek – the first sign we were close was seeing the range.  It’s called the Devonian Reef Conservation Park and the little area where the walk is becomes Tunnel Creek NP. 

A short walk leads to the rocky entrance.  Once over/through the rocks you enter the cavern through which the creek runs and it's soon dark.

This was simply amazing, one of the best things we’ve done on this trip.  It was quite large so any fears of tight squeezes and claustrophobia were allayed.  Walking through the water wasn’t a problem either.  The first pool was the deepest, just above the knees and quite cold but we soon got used to it.

  It was like exploring caves without a guide and the lights etc.  Our torches did the job and we were able to stop and look for as long as we liked wherever we liked.  We saw several bats hanging high above.  Apparently freshwater crocs can inhabit the creek too, but fortunately we didn’t see any given that we had to wade through water in about 4 or 5 places. 

 There’s a bit of a roof cave-in about halfway along and this creates a fantastic light – shafts of daylight breaking into the darkness of the cave.  At the far end the cave gives way to daylight and the creek continues.

Again the photos can't convey the reality of this incredible place.  Or the moments when we turned our torches off and felt the stillness and the pure darkness. Yes, Tunnel Creek was a real highlight.