As I write this I’m sitting by the Durack River, where we’re currently camping on day 1 of driving the Oombi Track. And it is stunningly beautiful. I woke up this morning and lay in our tent watching the sun rise over the Kimberley. It was magic.
The Oombulgurri Track is another trip my ex said he really wanted to do. I suggested every year we book it, but he was never ready. I think I’m detecting a pattern here 🤔
Now I don’t have to wait for him, so here I am.
I almost didn’t make it. The tour organisers wouldn’t let me do it in the Suzuki – not big and tough enough, not enough clearance, not enough capacity to carry enough fuel. And my ex was delaying on the settlement so I couldn’t buy the car I needed to do this. Lucky for me I’ve met some great people travelling around, including someone with a Cruiser who jumped at the chance to do the Oombi Track. And even let me do the driving!
The night before we started the track we were camped at Home Valley Station, where the track starts. I lay awake for hours wondering if it was too late to cancel. While I’m not alone on this trip I’m not in a car I know very well, and I’m doing a lot of the driving. Including driving day 1.
And boy, was it intense driving. When they say you get straight into it, they’re not lying.
Straight up there were a couple of creek crossings. Only narrow and shallow, but it was down one bank, across the rocks, and up the next bank. Loose rocks. Big rocks. Slippery rocks.
Then we had to cross the marshes. Except we couldn’t. There was too much water, so we had to detour around. In a place that was still muddy, but a lot more passable.
The rest of the day was mostly rock. Loose rocks. Big rocks. Rocks that move when you drive on them, and sometimes take the car sliding with them. Rocks that mean you can’t always get a grip on the track. Up and down the escarpment. And big steps that you have to try to get the car up, sometimes as you’re going around a sharp bend.
Low ranging all the way. Terrifying, and so much fun.
Needless to say I didn’t take in much of the scenery while I was doing all that. I was far too busy concentrating on the driving, and trying to pick a line that would do the least damage to the car.
Then we got to the Durack River, which we had to cross to get to our camping spot. Looking at it from the bank it looks ok, not deep, and a rocky bottom. But they’re the same rocks as on the track, and some of them are large, and submerged so you can’t see them.
There are 10 other cars on this trip with us, including the guide. He had a plan so that help would always be within easy range if somebody got stuck.
The first car would go across to the middle of the river. Once there safely the second car would come up behind it. If the second car got stuck the first would be close enough to help get it out. Then the first car would go across to the other bank, the second car would move forward a bit and the third car would go to the middle. And repeat until we’re all across.
That way there’s always someone close to you to help in case you get stuck.
I was the third car. When the first car (the guide) was going across the second half of the river, I moved into position behind the second car, in the middle of the river.
While I was sitting in the middle of the river I watched our guide get stuck trying to get out the other side. He reversed and tried another angle. No luck. So he tried again from another angle. Then another one. Nope, it wasn’t happening. He moved some rocks around to try to make it easier. Still no luck. While standing in a river with crocodiles nearby.
In the meantime I’m in the middle of the river. A crocodile infested river, with at least one big salty living nearby on each side of the crossing. Which wasn’t an actual crossing, just a shallow place where your car wouldn’t drown.
And the person who does this track all the time, who knows it well, was stuck.
The second car drove over to try to help him out. Leaving me as the only car in the middle of the river. The next car who was to come up behind me wasn’t moving until they knew they could get out the other side. Who could blame them?
To say I was nervous is an understatement.
I stood there watching the blokes on the other side moving rocks around and trying to work out the best line. Then trying again, moving more rocks, trying another line.
All while I’m sitting in the middle of a crocodile infested river. Did I mention they were big croc? 4m+ crocodiles.
Finally – success!
The guide car moved out, the second car moved into position on the bank, and then it was my turn. I was very tempted to hand over the driving responsibilities, but I decided to give it a go.
I took off. Desperately trying to keep a good line, but being tossed about by the rocks on the bottom of the river. From the centre of the river head left and hug the big rock you can see above the surface. Once around that head right, past the next two big rocks, then go left and take the bank at an angle.
AND I DID IT!!! I made it out first time.
Once I got out I could stand and watch everybody else do the same thing. A few didn’t make it up the bank the first time and had to make a couple of attempts. One got stuck half way across the second half of the river and had to winch out.
Finally, just as it was getting dark everyone was across and we drove up the ridge to our campsite.
We set up with the opening of the tent looking towards the river. I made margaritas and sat watching the full moon rise over the Kimberley and make a ‘stairway to the moon’ across the Durack River.
Then somebody lit the campfire and we all sat around talking and drinking. Meantime some of the boys went fishing and caught a couple of barra. So it was fish burritos cooked on the campfire for everybody. Well, except me. I marinated some vegetables and cooked them over the fire on my own hotplate.
It was a truly magical evening.
So now it’s day 2 and a rest day. I’ve been for a walk along the river and will go for a swim a bit later. Well, not so much a swim, but sitting in the rocky shallows, not the main part of the river – there are still big crocs out there.
A couple of the others are making repairs to their cars but we seem to have survived ok. I did my daily checks and while I don’t know everything I’m looking at, I know that nothing seems out of place, or wet, or oily where it shouldn’t be, and there are no bolts or anything else loose, and no wet spots on the ground underneath the car. I did have to pull a lot of spear grass out of various places, but that’s ok.
