Today started early for us as it was a day for packing up and heading off to Derby. We were starting to feel the heat and humidity rising as we completed packing everything and farewelled Cape Leveque and Kooljaman Resort. We had read about, and discussed with friends, an alternate way to Derby that cut across the Dampier Peninsula from west to east (just south of the Beagle Bay turnoff) before turning south and joining up with the main Broome to Derby highway – the continuation of the Savannah Way that goes through to Cairns. Potentially a short cut, given that the main road through the Dampier Peninsula turns to gravel just south of the Beagle Bay turnoff as well.
At the expected point of the map, we found the turnoff and proceeded on our way down a very straight and well formed red sandy track – no better or worse than the “main” road we had turned off. In parts the track was a bit sandy and quite often it became very narrow with the trees and bushes leaving some “bush pin-striping” in the dust and dirt on the Prado and Tvan. Our first challenge was a bog hole that, while only 10 metres across, loomed as a threat given the muddy and sticky appearance that greeted us on arrival. Fortunately there was a bypass track that avoided the worst of the bog hole and required us to navigate only a short muddy section of track.
The “short cut” continued like this for some 60 kms before our easterly progress came to an end and the track turned south – as expected, according to the maps and GPS we were using. The landscape changed from the red sandy track with low bushes and stunted trees, to more of an open savannah with larger trees enjoying more fertile floodplain soils. A few cattle strayed onto the track and skipped away quickly when they saw us approaching. The grasses on the savannah are tall – so tall we loss sight of the cattle within seconds of them making their retreat from our path.
We crested a hill and in the distance noticed the track heading down into a large area of standing water. We stopped, checked out the situation and could see the grasses growing on the hump in the track between the wheel ruts protruding above the clear fresh water. How deep could it be we asked ourselves? The Prado was put into low range and we started off in 2nd gear at a steady pace – for about 50 metres! The wheel ruts were deeper than anticipated and the traction way less than hoped for – couldn’t go forward and couldn’t reverse back. The engine exhaust was burbling out from under the water as the water was above the exhaust pipe and running boards of the Prado.
There was nothing else to do but to winch our way out of the situation. Our initial thoughts were to use a tree ahead of us as a winching point to see if we could progress across this inland sea (as it was starting to look to us). Fortunately the back of the Prado could be opened without water getting in and the recovery gear was accessed – the distance to the tree was more than the winch cable would extend – the extension strap would also be needed! Chris ventured forward dragging the winch cable behind him, but with every step the water was getting deeper – moving forward was looking like the least attractive option and a gracious retreat was more in order.
Wendy was also in the thick of it, wading through the half-metre-plus deep water; helping with the placement of tree protection straps and winch extension straps and shackles. We needed to turn the Prado around with Tvan in tow. The first tree we winched from managed to get the wheels out of the deep wheel ruts, the second tree we winched from had us at 90 degrees to the original track and the third tree has us pointing back the way we came from. All up our winching efforts took us about an hour of splashing about in what we could only determine was most likely the flood plains of the nearby Fraser River. Our back tracking took a further 1.5 hours, so all up our short cut cost us 4 hours and a reasonable amount of fuel.
We rejoined the main track south down the Dampier Peninsula, returning to the previously mentioned Savannah Way that will take us to Derby first thing tomorrow. We both smell a little of pond water but we survived the “experience”. We are determined to laugh about this, one day!
Tomorrow we also begin our 3 week trek along the Gibb River Road, stopping only at state or national parks, conservation areas and cattle stations. Internet access is unknown at this stage, so blog postings may be intermittent. Keep checking!