The Gibb - El Questro

To start the day, we headed to Zebedee Springs – a natural thermal hot spring located within El Questro Station which is only open between 6 am and 12 pm.

The walk in is an easy 600m return walk. However, the springs are quite small, and they are generally very busy – but potentially a 6 am visit would allow you to experience it without as much of a crowd. It was a great little stop to marvel at how warm the water could naturally be – which was a welcome change from the freezing cold gorge water we had been experiencing up to this point!

After spending a bit of time around camp, we decided to tackle another 4WD track called Pigeon Hole Lookout. This one was only rated as Moderately difficult, which didn’t prove any challenge for the Dmax. However, we found it to be more of a challenge than the Hard rated one we did the previous day. Once again we were treated to an epic lookout for sunset before heading back to our camp for another night.

Day 3 at El Questro and it was about time we checked out one of the main attractions – El Questro Gorge!

On the way in, there is a long water crossing, which can be quite deep depending on the season. At El Questro Gorge, you can choose to either walk to the halfway pool which is a 2.6 km return hike, or go to the very end to the MacMicking Pool which is a 4.8 km return.

The first half of the walk is very fun with a few challenges along the way, albeit quite uneven and rocky. The second half was an absolute adventure – you will definitely require some level of fitness and hiking ability, and it’s recommended to have a good set of waterproof shoes.

The first obstacle is wading through a waist-deep water hole before climbing up some large rocks and continuing along some fun and challenging obstacles to get to the end. For the first time we agreed with the terrain rating of a Grade 5 hiking trail! Definitely a challenging hike, but one of the best gorge walks or hiking trails we have ever done!

After this we headed to the final 4WD track of the station – Branco’s Lookout. This one is supposedly the hardest track on the property, with very rocky terrain and a river crossing that will take you between 6 and 8 minutes to do due to the slow-going nature of driving over boulders. We didn’t find this one to be too challenging either but opted for the low range to deal with the slow boulder bedded and shallow river crossing, then a steeper dirt track incline with switchback turns. This lookout is another epic one, with stunning views of the river below and the mountain ranges in the distance!

After watching another beautiful sunset, we headed back to camp for one final night before we headed back home. This unfortunately marked the end of our Gibb River Road Trip. It was an epic adventure all around and one I would highly recommend everyone add to their bucket lists! I hope everyone enjoyed reading along or watching the episodes and picked up a few tips and tricks or places they would like to visit!