As mentioned previously, the “walk” up to Emma Gorge waterfall was described as “medium level of fitness required”. I kept up reasonably well on the way up but coming back was a different story. I fell further and further behind. Tour director Les stayed with me the whole time. Whatever he was thinking, he didn't rush me at all, even stopping to point out different things to me – including poisonous seeds – as in kill you, not just make you sick, if you ate them. They were very pretty!
All the same, I had two aims, to get back before dark and to get back before they sent out the search party! I gather we were only about 20 minutes behind the next-but-last down, so they must have been a bit slow too, but it felt a much bigger time gap than that.
It was hard work, climbing on all fours in part, but because it was slow going, it wasn't the sort of “puff you out” difficult. It was the awkwardness and lack of flexibility on my part – which would make it hard for anyone who wasn't too nimble on their feet.
But soooo worth the effort! The swim was fun, the water having pockets of warm water in what was otherwise bracing, until you got used to it. And my two aims were met!! Plus, the added reward of a real shower in the ensuite bathroom in my 'tent'.
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| Easy part near the start of the walk. Note the blue pathway indicator. More Emma Gorge photos here. |
*****
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| On the approach to Ubirr |
Ubirr was a very different climb. First, there is the extensive rock art. The artwork was well sign-posted so you had a good idea of what you were looking at. Most fascinating of all was a painting of a Thylacine which I thought only existed in Tamania, because of its common name, the Tasmanian Tiger, and which finally became extinct in that state in the 1930s. What dingoes started, white man and his guns finished off.
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| About Thylacines |
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| Thylacine painting More rock art here |
Then, after a bit of climbing along the art pathways, there's the climb to the top of Ubirr rock itself, giving fantastic 360 degree views.
I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to manage Ubirr. There were no warnings in the itinerary but the signs at the site were a bit off-putting: it was a particularly hot day and I was still feeling edgy after the sky-high blood pressure reading at Kununurra. However, I set off, thinking I could stop and go back if needs be. I'm glad the signs and my nerves didn't deter me. It wasn't that hard and the effort was more than amply rewarded.
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| Looking from the top of Ubirr Rock across the monsoon forest towards Arnhem land More rock climb photos here |