AUSTRALIA Sky highs


Getting to El Questro does require a sense of adventure, though. The 90-minute drive from the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it airport at Kununurra is all going swimmingly – until it really does start to go swimmingly. As we venture off the m>in Ào>` voÀ Ìhi wn>l Óä-minÕÌi li} oÛiÀ private parklands to the homestead, we cross ‘puddles’ that would put Lake Windermere to shame. My guide, however, isn’t fazed, pointing to a tree stump sticking up out of the water and telling me with classic Aussie nonchalance that it was even higher last week.


That answers my question as to why this 1,100-square-mile wilderness park restricts its opening period from April to October – the wet season renders the roads impassable during the southern hemisphere’s summer. Puddles happily in the


When Gab turns off the engine at the edge of the escarpment, we’re surrounded by sing-song VhiÀ«Ã >n` yÕÌÌiÀin} li>Ûià Ìh>Ì Ãi}nivÞ Ìhi wealth of bird life around us. Taking a moment to pause, we stare out at a near-vertical cliff face long enough to begin to recognise the tiny telltale movements of short-eared rock wallabies darting in and out along the narrow ledges. For any traveller who assumes adventure always has to be high-octane, suggest watching and waiting as the natural world slowly wakes up around you – it’s the biggest thrill they’ll ever get.


rearview mirror, I arrive under a blanket of stars and wake to the ghost of the moon fading in the sky as our early-morning birdwatching tour gets under way. With eagle-eyed guide Gab Murphy at the helm and a pair of binoculars in hand, we trundle past pale green grasslands with slivers of bright red earth peeking through. The soil is almost as vibrant as Ìhi Ài`-Üin}i` «>ÀÀoÌà Üi Ã«Þ q wÀÃÌ >««i>Àin} as little more than a dark shadow between the branches before erupting into a scarlet-feathered ëiVÌ>Vli >à ÌhiÞ Ì>ki yi}hÌ oÛiÀhi>`° We become adept at spotting the kaleidoscopic hues of the rainbow bee-eater >n` Ìhi VÀimÃon wnVh] li>Àn Ìo liÃÌin voÀ Ìhi screeching calls of little corellas and admire the slender S-curved necks of little egrets.


Watching and waiting as the natural world


`


slowly wakes up around you is the biggest thrill you’ll ever get


Spring tides There are more energetic activities to be found, however – from the short hike to Emma Gorge and a chance for a dip in the pool of a natural waterfall at the end, to a heli-hiking tour over the weathered domes of the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, both of which feature on a wÛi-`>Þ 7>lk inÌo ÕÝÕÀÞ ÌoÕÀ


inÌÀo`ÕVi` >Ì l +ÕiÃÌÀo in ÓäÓÓ° I opt for the highest


effort-to-reward ratio with the easy walk up to Zebedee Springs, a series


of tiered rock pools fed by naturally occurring hot springs and shaded by the fan-like fronds of Livistona palms – a true tropical oasis in the outback. It gets busy in the mornings – it’s o«in Ìo Ìhi «ÕLliV vÀom Ç>m-£Ó«m q LÕÌ i̽à exclusive to homestead guests each afternoon and is blissfully empty when I arrive. Steer clear of swimming in the waters of Chamberlain Gorge, though, as crocodiles lÕÀk >n` VÕÀioÕà >ÀVhiÀwÃh Ào>m jÕÃÌ LiloÜ Ìhi ÃÕÀv>Vi° /hiÃi lon}] n>ÀÀoÜ wÃh h>Ûi Ìhi


ª


PAGE 77: Emma Gorge PREVIOUS PAGE: Turn-off to El Questro Wilderness Park, Gibb River Road OPPOSITE: FIRST ROW: The Kimberley’s famous boab trees; outdoor dining with a view SECOND ROW: Nelson O’Reeri sings as part of the ‘cultural immersion’ experience; writer Katie McGonagle; Zebedee Springs THIRD ROW: Chamberlain River cruise FOURTH ROW: Guide Gab leads a birdwatching tour; celebrating Ngarinyin culture with Shonelle O’Reeri Credits: Tourism Western Australia/CJ Maddock, Illustrations Photography; Tourism Australia/G’day Group; Katie McGonagle


80 ASPIRE MARCH 2025 aspiretravelclub.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125