ELQ to 7XL via HV8 or El Questro to Ellenbrae Station via Home Valley

Day 24 2/7/2013

 

El Questro To Ellenbrae Station 160km

 

Ok, so we’re on the Gibb River Road proper now. The section between El Questro and Home Valley Station is said to be the worst section of the GRR. 80km to Home Valley Station (HV8 – that is their registered Cattle Brand – like a radio callsign) is a working cattle station, turning its hand to Tourism to supplement the declining cash returns from Cattle. An Aboriginal run station, it works to promote and train local indigenous people in Cattle station operations as well as hospitality. Good call! The staff are helpful, courteous and knowledgeable Our biggest regret is that we opted NOT to stay here after 3 nights at ELQ as its only 80k  up the road. If we hadn’t had to book Broome, we’d have just stayed a night here. Its that nice. We stayed for an hour and a half, kids played on the play ground, and I helped a bloke with a broken door latch on his camper. He asked “Don’t suppose you have a battery Drill?” I said  “yeah actually, what size drill bit to you need?”  and pulled out my drill set. He stood there, slack jawed, that I’d bothered to pack that. I never considered leaving home without it………

Crossing the Pentecost River- NOW you are really in The Kimberley and on the Gibb River Road!

 

Anyway, moving on, we power through the corrugations and arrive at Ellenbrae, renowned throughout the Kimberley as the best Scones in the district. Well, I suppose we’d better test that theory then huh?!

 

Lovely homestead and fabulous people, the smell of freshly cooking scones wafted through the air, and for the ridiculously cheap  price of $4.50 each we had their scones for lunch. As their own sign says, the were Scone-tastic. And we had seconds!!!!!

 No Pictures were taken of Scone eating, as I am able to eat without take a ;picture of my food and posting it on Facebook........

This conversation overheard at the front “desk”

 

Grey-nomad “ So, Can you tell me how the Scones with Jam and Cream work?”

Jason – station Owner “ Well mate, we give you a scone, you put Jam and cream on it…….. you eat it…..that's the traditional way.....fairly simple really….. we like to keep things simple out here”

Me  ROFL – the Man is a Genius!!!!!!!

 

Directed to Campground: For $35 a night you get Flushing Toilet(!!!!!), and running hot water from a Donkey

 

For those not familiar with a donkey, it works like this. It’s a Steel vessel containing water with space underneath for a fire to be lit. Cold water enters the bottom and gets heated, naturally flowing to the top of the vessel and out to tap when you open it. Simple bush hot water service. Taks about 15 minutes to heat up and lasts as long as you keep the fire lit.