SNEZ E-News and Blog - Bogged, swamped and The Resort

Gibb River Road, on our way to Home Valley Station, WA

After a massive build up around our journey to Home Valley Station…we finally made it!

Waterfall, near Home Valley Station

We were first alarmed when  the ABC Radio interviewer asked me "You must be excited about heading out along Gibb River Road and crossing the croc infested Pentecost River". I said ‘Oh yeah, we love going out into remote places, we’re travelling in a little camper van’. Well that’s when all hell broke loose. She said I’d better check in Kununurra because the Pentecost River gets pretty deep and the journey out to Home Valley is 4WD recommended. So we appropriately shit our pants! 

After getting varied reports on the danger of the Pentecost River we asked the police. The policeman said "I was out that way two weeks ago and the road had just been graded and the river is only 8 inches high. You should be okay, just take it real slow". Well, you can always trust the police :) so we headed off on our 120 km trip to Home Valley Station – 55 km sealed road and 65 km unsealed. As we left Kununurra Stewart commented "Snez, the gigs you get me into! :)"

Our hippie van could only crawl along the corrugated road at 20 km an hour, while the 4WDs zoomed past us at full speed staring at us like we were from another plant. Then the Pentecost River!!! We stopped before we went across, and spoke to a couple of 4WD travellers who had just crossed. They assured us we’d be okay "Just watch the last bit, it's the deepest - and don't get out of the car!" They promised to wait and tow us out if we got stuck ... and off we went into the drink ...

After a lot of splashing and swearing and slipping about we made it across. We got out of the van to check out how high the water got to the van when someone yelled "If I was a croc I'd be waiting right where you are for all the dumb people who get out of their car too close to the water!" So we high-tailed it out of there. Phew!

BE WARNED THIS VIDEO HAS A LITTLE BIT OF SWEARING AS WE CROSS THE RIVER

Bird Tree

With dirt on our faces we came to Home Valley Station, and as our friend from Sydney, Stuart Kennedy, predicted it was a beautiful oasis in the thick of the country….with no internet or phone reception : ) Much to our surprise they presented me with a coffee that I’ve been longing for, for days and told us to relax. We were given this beautiful ‘Grass Shack’ to stay in with Freddy and the rest is history! Ah the lap of luxury. We've been to a lot of places in our travels that call themselves 'resorts', but this really is a 'Resort'.

The shows at Home Valley were wonderful - what a great tour this year! We met heaps of great people, both the staff and the guests. Two favourite new friends are Mum and Auntie Carol from Tamworth - but that's another story. Ben, the Home Valley boss asked us to come back again next year - you betcha! - but maybe with a 4WD:)

P.S if you watched Sunrise last week, the team came out to Home Valley Station and did the morning show from here. Missed out by just a couple of hours…damn! It could have been my last chance at fame and glory!