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Tunnel Creek

Tunnel Creek flows through a natural cave system located in the Tunnel Creek National Park. This is part of the 350 million year old Devonian Reef system.

This was another thing we were really looking forward to doing. Tunnel Creek is off the Gibb River Road between Windjana Gorge and the Fitzroy Crossing turnoff.

The walk through the tunnel started with a climb over some rocks. We then waded through water and small pools and along sandbanks until we reached the other side of the Napier Range.

In the middle of the cave the roof of the tunnel has collapsed and this allowed in some light to enable us to view the amazing stalactites that drop down from the roof.

As the cave is pitch black it was filled with bats. It is also home to freshwater crocodiles! It is a bit strange walking through water in pitch black darkness, with only the light of your torch, knowing that crocodiles could be watching you from the water or sand! We kept shining the torch around to see their beady red eyes, but couldn’t see any on the morning we were there.

Tunnel Creek cave is famous as it was used as a hideout for Jandamarra, who was subsuquently killed outside the tunnel in 1897.

It was when we arrived at Tunnel Creek that we realised that the Anderson plug had fallen out (this is the plug that runs power from the car to the camper trailer, so we really needed that to keep our freezer in the camper running!). It was a very corrugated road and at some point between Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek the plug jumped out and dragged along the ground for the rest of the way and we were greeted with two bare wires dangling on the ground!

George did a quick rewiring job to ensure that we had power and we could get a new Anderson plug in Fitzroy Crossing or Derby (as it turned out, George ended up doing this himself anyway).

After our walk we also spent a while trying to break into a car after a French tourist had managed to lock their keys in the car!

After an eventful morning we headed off to Fitzroy Crossing.

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