Margaret’s Kimberley Trip: Days 5 and 6

Day 5 was one of the highlights of the entire trip: a visit to the Mitchell Falls plus a helicopter trip over the Mitchell Plateau and adjacent coastline. Leaving the Ungolan campsite after breakfast, it took roughly half an hour to reach the campsite and base for the Slingair Heliwork airfield, from which several tours operate. Our plan was to walk up to the Mitchell Falls, spend some time exploring the area and then board a ‘chopper’ for the flight over the plateau, which would deposit us back at the road where our truck awaited.
The climb to the falls is a fairly easy trek of approximately five kilometres. However, much of it is exposed to the full sun and, with temperatures at around 30 degrees, our guide, Dan, decided we had plenty of time to take it easy. Besides, he had some interesting rock art to show us along the way. Located under a large ledge just beside the Little Mertens Falls, it presented a variety of styles.
The cascade at Little Mertens Falls was largely in shadow and the harsh sunlight made photography difficult. However, once under the cascade, some interesting views were presented – although low light levels made it necessary to use high ISO settings in order to ‘freeze’ the flowing water.

The cascade of Little Mertens Falls, seen from the plateau. (Canon PowerShot G10, ISO 80, 6.1mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/7.1)

Looking out through the cascade at Little Mertens Falls. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 800, 24mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/11.)

Some of the Aboriginal art near Little Mertens Falls. Close inspection shows the older Gwion pictures overpainted with several layers of more recent figures. (Canon PowerShot G10, ISO 100, 13.8mm focal length, 1/8 second at f/5.6)

From there we made our way up to the plateau past the headwaters of the Big Mertens Falls, where the stream is peaceful and dotted with waterlilies.

A panoramic view of the stream above Big Mertens Falls, stitched together in Photoshop from six JPEG images taken with the Canon EOS 5D II. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/90 second at f/16.)
A little further on we reached the area where Big Mertens Falls plummets over a ledge, to the floor of the valley. The overall height of the falls is roughly 80 metres, which is quite impressive. The visitor’s first sight of the falls is from near the top of the plateau, just above the uppermost tier. It’s difficult to find a suitable spot for photography because the sides of the gorge are very steep and there’s nothing to prevent you from falling over into the valley below.

Big Mertens Falls seen from the edge of the gorge. Tourists on the rocks at the top of the falls provide some idea of the scale of the cascade. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 40mm focal length, 1/125 second at f/16.)
With the assistance of our deputy guide, Barbara (who was working at the Ungolan campsite at the time), I was able to walk along the side of the chasm to a point where the falls could be seen. It being just before midday, the sun was almost directly overhead, illuminating the gorge just about completely. This would have been the ideal time to take the helicopter flight; but that didn’t fit in with the schedule.
Less than 200 metres from the Big Mertens Falls we arrived at the Mitchell River, just above the falls. Crossing it was tricky but Dan recommended walking in socks, which gave a much better grip on the slippery rocks than bare feet. Consequently I was able to ferry my camera gear safely to the eastern side of the river to the rocks from which we could swim and where we would have lunch.

The crossing above the falls on the Mitchell River with the swimming area upstream of the rocks. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 24mm focal length, 1/91 second at f/11.)

After an hour or so by the river it was time to line up for our helicopter trip over the falls and out to the coastline. To my delight, the rear doors of the ‘choppers’ had been removed to provide unlimited opportunities for photography. Being unable to change lenses, batteries or memory cards during the flight, I installed a new battery and 8GB card in the EOS 5D II and left the EF 24-105mm lens in place, packing the 70-300mm lens in my camera bag, which would go in the luggage compartment for the duration of the flight. I also set the shooting mode to P (instead of AV, which I normally use) and decided against using a polariser as I didn’t want any distractions taking my attention from the landscape. (These turned out to be wise choices.)

One of the helicopters operated by Slingair-Heliworks, which provides joy flights over the Mitchell Plateau. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 75mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/16.)

Strapped in securely we took off for a breathtaking 45 minute flight over some of the most remote and inaccessible country in Australia. We had a great view of both the Mitchell and Big Mertens Falls on our outward flight, although the relatively low angle of the sun meant the western walls of both gullies were in deep shadow. (A midday flight would have provided better illumination.)

A view of the Mitchell Plateau showing the Big Mertens Falls gorge on the left and Mitchell Falls on the right. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 75mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/16.)

Looking upstream at the Mitchell and Big Mertens Falls, this shot shows the distant coastline of the Admiralty Gulf. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 24mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/9.5.)

An aerial view of the Mertens Creek, showing the Little Mertens Falls cascades. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 105mm focal length, 1/500 second at f/9.5.)

From there, the flight took us over Lower Mitchell Falls and out to the Admiralty Gulf. We then followed the coastline from Walsh Point to Crystal Head and along the edge of the plateau to Walmsley Bay before turning back up the Mitchell River.

The Kimberley coastline near Walsh Point. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 84mm focal length, 1/500 second at f/9.5.)

Close-up of Crystal Head, taken from a relatively low altitude. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 40mm focal length, 1/362 second at f/11.)

One of the Mitchell River crossings on the plateau. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 45mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/9.5.)

Looking down on one of the many watercourses that carry runoff to the main rivers and creeks on the Mitchell Plateau. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 60mm focal length, 1/362 second at f/9.5.)

After following the river southwards, our chopper made a final double figure eight over the Mitchell Falls before landing at the helipad beside the road, where the truck awaited.

A close-up view of the four cascades that make up the Mitchell Falls as seen from the helicopter towards the end of the flight. Note the deep shadows on the western cliff faces. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 65mm focal length, 1/180 second at f/6.7.)

Disembarking from the helicopter with our camera bags restored to us. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 38mm focal length, 1/250 second at f/11.)

That night around the campfire there was plenty to talk about as everybody seemed to agree we had had a very special day.

A 20-second exposure of the campfire at Ungolan Wilderness Lodge, taken with the EOD 5D II tripod-mounted. (24mm focal length, ISO 400, f/9.5)

We spent most of Day 6 on the road, travelling from the Ungolan Wilderness Lodge to our next stopping place, the El Questro Emma Gorge Resort. This involved back-tracking more than 200 km to the Gibb River Road and fording the Durack and Pentecost Rivers, both of which were still running, although passable in a suitable vehicle.
Given the distance we had to travel, there were few opportunities for picture-taking until we reached the Pentecost River. By this time the sun was low, providing some wonderful colours in the sky – and great reflections in the calm pools where water had collected just out of the main flow channels. Dan stopped the truck briefly to allow us to photograph the Cockburn Ranges (made famous as a background in the film, ‘Australia’) and again at the Pentecost River crossing.

Looking east towards the Cockburn Ranges, which provide a background to the huge El Questro Cattle station, which today is largely devoted to tourism. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 400, 55mm focal length, 1/50 second at f/8.)

A quiet section of the Pentecost River, with riverbank trees and evening clouds reflected in the calm water. (Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 800, 24mm focal length, 1/30 second at f/5.6.)

We arrived at Emma Gorge well after dark; too late for any photography. Our accommodation consisted of very up-market ‘safari’ style tents with Queen-sized beds and en-suite bathrooms. A slight upgrade on the accommodation at Ungolan – but not very much.