Harry's Hole

The banter from locals about out of the way places always attracts my attention.  Everyone knows about the regular tourist haunts in the Kimberley but the locals......well they are the ones who know about those hidden treasures which have been discovered over the years that the tourists never have time to see.  Those are the treasures which we long term tourists want to add to our repertoire of Kimberley must sees.  Whenever someone talks about a new destination, I shoot off a barrage of polite questions about the wheres, whats and hows.  Sometimes directions are fairly straight forward while at other times they can be downright confusing.
We had heard about Harry's Hole from time to time over the last 12 months and had put it on our 'to-do' list but access to the area was restricted to the dry season due to the black soil country around it.  Black soil is an unassuming grey powder in the dry season that sets rock hard and leaves cracks like an earthquake has gone through.  In the wet season however, it transforms into a bottomless quagmire of black mud which envelopes any vehicle silly enough to try crossing it.  There are several black soil areas around Kununurra which are no-go zones in the wet.
On a Sunday recently, we decided to visit Harry's Hole.  We actually left before midday on this day which is a big ask for us but we had been told that it can take several hours to get to the waterhole on a very rough 4wd track.  Our neighbour in the caravan park who bought our Landcruiser had asked Steve to show him how to operate his new 4wd so Steve and I thought this was a great opportunity to show him the ropes.  Ian and another fellow park resident tagged along for the experience.  Steve's information about our destination was very scant but I had accumulated enough to hopefully get us on the right track.  My information consisted of an odometer reading from the Victoria Highway turnoff and a left hand turn at a white gate with a faded trespassers prosecuted sign at its entrance.  Yep that was all I had to go on when finding the Harry's Hole track.  Once we turned off the Victoria highway and headed towards Halls Creek, Steve took note of the odometer reading and added the 37 kilometres we had to drive before the gate should come into view.  Odometers on vehicles however, leave room for error as tyres and other factors can make odometer readings unreliable.  Oh well....all part of the adventure.
After 37 kilometres Steve and I looked for a track off to the left....any track would do and hopefully it would have a white gate.   We did find a turnoff to the left which went through a gate (a brown gate) so we investigated.  Within 100 metres, the track lead to some cattle yards so we turned around and got back on the highway again.  Further up the road (at about 42 kilometres) we found another left turn with a gate (still not white) but there was a faded trespassers sign nearby.  There were also two 4wd utes just inside the gate which were coming off the track which was also a positive sign that we may be on the right track.  Two out of three aint bad so we carried on along the track.  If you are concerned about the trespassers prosecuted sign, as we were, the locals said to ignore it and it's faded appearance lead us to believe that it might not be an issue.  As they say.....when in Rome!  

Second water crossing

First water crossing

Entering second water crossing

Soft sand track at first water
crossing

The track was narrow with tall grass growing on either side of it.  In our experience, it was a two wheel track but it was very well worn.  Let the fun begin.  Within a short time we arrived at a dry creek with a huge drop into and out of it.  Steve precariously manoeuvred the Landrover down this severe dropoff and through to the other side and out again.  This drive was already looking exciting.  We drove through burnt out woodlands which had been affected by recent fires in the area and then over some rocky outcrops.  Before long our first water crossing greeted us. Steve paused for a second to gauge the depth before driving into the water and out the other side and onto a sandy bank.  The water was a bit deep at the initial entrance and exit points which had us a bit nervous but we managed the crossing ok.  We stopped for a while to let the dog have a run and just enjoy the scenery.  Once we got going again, the Landrover just wasn't gonna traverse the deep sandy track which lead away from the river.  Steve decided to let the tyres down to make it easier to drive through the sand.  The Landrover also has lower profile tyres than any other 4wd that we've owned so that contributed to our difficulties in the sand.  Once the tyres were at a lower pressure though, it was smooth sailing and no effort at all for the vehicle.

Lunch stop

Views and track

Red ranges that we followed

Steve and I have travelled on many 4wd tracks over the years and we both agreed that this track to Harry's Hole was probably the most interesting track we had done in a long time.  There was every type of terrain to deal with from soft sand, large rocks, water, steep climbs and sudden descents.  Steve needed to have his wits about him as washouts appeared without warning across the track just to keep things interesting.  We drove parallel along a series of ranges and could see where gorges in the rock faces might hide a secret waterhole but we couldn't get near them.  Eventually we stopped for lunch at a high spot along the track which gave us beautiful uninterrupted views of the surrounding area.  The girls clambered around over the rocks and through the spinifex which had them squealing from time to time.  Becca had to be rescued several times as she became surrounded by sharp little needles (or noodles as she calls them) and couldn't escape.  All of us were raving about the drive so far and we hadn't even reached the waterhole yet.

Bowerbirds bower

Further along the track we came across a bowerbirds bower under a tree next to the track.  The girls and I jumped out to have a closer look and take some photos.  The owner was nowhere to be found but we saw him flying overhead and keeping a close eye on proceedings.  After nearly three hours......yes three hours!, we were starting to wonder if we had indeed taken the right track.  We had stopped frequently to take photos and just look around but we were starting to feel a bit anxious especially as the afternoon was marching on.  Eventually we started driving around towards those ranges we had been following and got ourselves closer to some gorge-like crevasses.  The track became narrower and harder to follow but we were shadowed by high, red walls of the adjacent ranges.  Then the black soil country started.  A permanent flowing stream was crossing the track at several points leaving black pools of water everywhere.  The guys decided to get out and walk down the track to investigate what lay ahead rather than put the vehicles into an impossible situation.  The girls and I followed until I lost sight of where the guys had walked and didn't want to risk taking the girls any further.  There was tall grass and plenty of water which spelled tiger snake country to me so we waited until their return.  I could hear their voices echoing in the distance so wondered if they had found our destination.

Wet boggy track

Landrover driving the waterlogged
track

Muddy track into Harry's Hole

The boys came back and yes, they had found Harry's Hole and there were another two vehicles parked further up so we decided to have a go at the potentially boggy track.  If those vehicles had not been there, I don't think Steve would have gone any further but the track was obviously passable otherwise they wouldn't have gotten through.  With heart in mouth and tongue in cheek, Steve drove us and the Landrover through the black water which was quite deep in spots to the parking area near Harry's Hole.
What greeted us was a magnificent waterfall cascading off the red ranges and into a crystal clear bluish pool of water.  It was well worth the drive even though we had also enjoyed that part of the day immensely.  The girls put on their swimmers and we headed down to the waterhole.  Thankfully there were several rock pools along the edge of the main waterhole for the girls to paddle in.  There was also a large rock shelf under the water which jutted out from the edge of the shoreline to allow those who couldn't swim a place to get cool.  It was about 6 to 8 feet deep depending on where you stood.  The main waterhole however was deep and one couldn't see the bottom at all.  We all sat along the edge and just marvelled at this wonderful place which many people wouldn't know about.  A mini rainforest grew near the wall of the range and the guys went to have a look.  When they came back they mentioned that a hot spring was flowing out of the rocks and creating an amazing micro climate.  Ian said that if you were to put a bathtub under the trickle of water, you could have your own personal spa.  Another waterhole was established further down from the main waterhole and that was where the water crossing the track was coming from.

Harry's Hole

Secondary pool off main waterhole

Many of the people I had spoken to had camped here overnight which would make sense as it was a long day to drive in and out.   The only wildlife we noticed was the populations of cane toads which had invaded this pristine place.  After about an hour, we had to leave as it was late afternoon and the other group of people had left 20 minutes earlier.  The drive out was certainly a lot faster than the drive in simply because we didn't need to stop and take photos although the scenery was equally magnificent at a different time of day.  We caught up to the other vehicles at the last creek crossing because they had become bogged and so needed to let down their tyres to get themselves out of trouble.  We arrived back at the main gate off the highway just on dark.  We drove the last section of track with our headlights on.  Everyone piled out of the Landrover so that Steve could reinflate the tyres for our drive home along the highway.  It is not ideal to drive on bitumen with deflated tyres.  We all could not stop talking about what we had done that day and all within a stones throw of Kununurra.  Local knowledge is certainly something worth tapping into when wanting to see something less touristy but equally magnificent as anything you would likely see on the Gibb River Road.