24 June 2026

The road keeps changing

After yesterday’s 234 km ride into Fitzroy Crossing, today was going to be considerably shorter.

Bob and Tom had 70 km in the saddle, continuing east along the Great Northern Highway towards Mimbi Caves.

The country was changing again.

The vegetation became denser. Ridges began appearing in the distance. Then, almost as quickly, the landscape would open up and become barren again.

That was something I was beginning to notice about the Kimberley. You could drive along what seemed like the same endless highway, then suddenly the entire landscape changed.

There was plenty of company on the road too.

Cows, horses and pigs wandered beside, and sometimes around, the highway. There were enormous stretches without fences and, unfortunately, plenty of roadkill.

I didn’t photograph that.

Yuk.

Finding somewhere safeish

Second breakfast had already become part of our routine.

Finding somewhere to have it was another matter.

On this day we found a truck rest area where we could get the vans tucked away from the highway. These aren’t meant for cars or motorhomes, but it was considerably safer than trying to squeeze two vans onto one of the narrow shoulders we’d been dealing with.

The highways out here were built for trucks.

They certainly weren’t built for cyclists.

We always tried to stay out of the truckies’ way, and not once were we told to move on.

So we pulled in, unpacked our roadside kitchen and had second breakfast.

And there was a pretty spectacular tree there too.

Heart of the Kimberley

Back on the road, the landscape changed again.

Long, straight stretches disappeared towards the horizon. Rocky formations began rising out of otherwise flat country, almost as though the earth had exploded upwards.

Then came the sign.

Welcome to the Heart of the Kimberley.

We were on our way towards Halls Creek, but tonight’s stop was Mimbi Caves.

Mimbi sits in the heart of Gooniyandi Country. The caves are part of an ancient Devonian reef system formed around 350 million years ago, when this part of Australia was beneath a tropical sea. Ancient fireplaces found in the area have been radiocarbon dated, providing evidence that Aboriginal people have lived in this part of the Kimberley for more than 40,000 years. Mimbi Caves Website

Today, Mimbi Caves and its tours are 100% Indigenous owned and operated, with Gooniyandi guides sharing the cultural stories, rock art and extraordinary geology of the caves.

We didn’t see any of that.

Bob and Tom were exhausted. Their fitness was improving, but they were tired.

It was make camp, shower, eat and bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Four kilometres to camp

We reached the Mimbi Caves turnoff, but there was one small problem.

The campground wasn’t actually there.

It was another 4 km down Mt Pierre Station Road, a gravel road disappearing off the Great Northern Highway. The official directions today put the campground about 3.4 km from the highway, which is close enough to the 4 km we recorded during the trip. Mimbi Caves Information

There was no point making Bob and Tom ride down there. The bikes would have rattled to pieces on the gravel road.

They would only have to come back out again tomorrow before continuing east.

So the bikes went away, and we drove them in.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll drive them back out in the dark and put them back on the highway exactly where today’s ride had finished.

Then they’d keep riding east.

Follow the signs

Getting into camp became its own little journey.

Follow the signs.

Follow the gravel road.

Past the windmill.

Find the office.

Keep going.

The landscape around us was spectacular, with the rocky Emmanuel Ranges rising behind the campground. The official campground is called Jarlarloo Riwi, a Gooniyandi name: Jarlarloo means Coolamon tree and Riwi means camp.

Eventually, we found our allocated sites.

And that’s when the ground became part of the story.

From a distance, the little tufts of grass looked soft.

They weren’t.

They were sharp enough to put holes in your shoes.

Lucky had already spent plenty of time watching the journey from inside the van because the highway was too close to let him out. Here we had more space, but now the ground itself wasn’t particularly friendly to paws.

Even Lucky worked it out. The wooden posts curved around between our campsites, and on the side where we had been walking, there were fewer of those vicious tufts of grass.

Camp life

It was about 36°C when we set up.

And then came the awning.

Four adults.

One awning.

Blistering heat.

It was a sight to behold.

Eventually we won.

Tom and Lucky settled into the shade, and it was time for late lunch or early dinner, or whatever meal you call it when you’ve spent the day following two cyclists through the Kimberley.

Minute steak. Salad. Bread.

And my famous potatoes.

Sliced, par-boiled, then fried until crispy and seasoned with taco mix.

Fine dining, Mimbi style.

As the heat finally began to disappear, the sun dropped behind the ranges.

The landscape was stunning.

Day 3 was done.

70 km in the saddle.

Tomorrow: Mimbi Caves to Halls Creek.

And tomorrow was going to be a big one.

From the road Originally posted during the journey on 22 June 2026. View my original Facebook post →

From the road Originally posted during the journey on 24 June 2026.View the original Instagram post →