People refer to El Questro as an outback theme park. In ways they are right – tours are rather routine and formulaic (to the point where the sunset tour viewing place is permanently signed as such, reserved only for paying tour guests) and the place is built to accommodate hoards of campers. That all said, they have got the formula right.
Coming into land at El Questro
We had a thoroughly enjoyable time there. Despite arriving at the end of the season, there was still a reasonable amount of people on site. The challenge though was that they were very short staffed, so not many tours were running. Sadly, the horses were also gone, having been sent to Kunannura for the wet season. After a few sessions of pleading and cajoling we managed to arrange two tours.
The trip to explosion gorge was well worth it, but the highlight was the vantage point we visited for sunset. Overlooking the homestead and the Chamberlain river, we watched be sun dip behind, kissing the plateaus pink, as a near full moon rose in front of us.
On our last day we did a half day tour to Zebedee Springs and Chamberlain Gorge. Zebedee was by far the highlight of our visit to the EQ, where a warm spring (32c) bubbles up from the earth into bright crystal clear pools that meander through rocks and palms. It felt special to be somewhere so pure, untainted and fresh. Walking away, one felt purified.
The chamberlain cruise was also a blast. For the past 20 years they have been training the fish at the end of the gorge. With little pellets of fish meal, you entice the Archer fish to aim and fire. They are relentless, very accurate and greedy. By the end we felt thoroughly got, each getting sprayed and squirted repeatedly by the buzzy little water shooters. This was only trumped by the local giant barra who are used to being hand fed and are rather happy to take a chin scratch along the way.
While our time at EQ was a blast, it did feel like we were smack bang in the middle of the tourist route. After a poor wet season, heading towards the end of the tourist season, both the landscape and the staff seemed tired and dry. They seemed to have had enough, and were crawling day by day to close.
That said, as watched the sun set over the plateau, the hills blooming a reddish gold, there was no mistaking the magic of the Kimberly landscape and, breathing it all in, one wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but that moment.
Information for the interested visitor
- There is a long dirt/gravel in good condition, 500 m from the campground but if you call ahead they can pick you up.
- There are three locations with a range of markets – we stayed at the lower end, the Station where there is a range of accommodation options from cabins to camping and pre-erected tents with beds.
- The camp facilities are great – plenty of toilets and showers and a few camp kitchens. No fridge though.
Great little bar to hang out in. Restaurant is decent. - They occasionally have live music. When we were there there was a singer called Miss Max. Her voice was absolutely delightful and her bluesy breakdown of pop songs was fun and quirky.
- The Zebedee springs and Chamberlain Gorge cruise are not to be missed.
- There is no phone reception but you can buy 100mb of Internet for $5.
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