Outback Info (Private Seiten) © seit 1999

Mitchell River National Park

Mitchell River National Park is one of the State's two newest national parks. The park of 115,300 hectares lies in a remote part of the Kimberley and contains some of the region's scenic jewels.

The Mitchell River, flowing northwards, drains into Walmsley Bay and Admiralty Gulf, carving gorges and waterfalls into the underlying sandstone, particularly along the margins of the Mitchell Plateau. The fan palm is a conspicuous feature of the vegetation of some parts of the plateau, an elevated laterite-capped plain. This is one of the few places in WA where palms are such a dominant feature. Elsewhere in the park the plateaux is mainly dominated by an open eucalypt forest.

The Mitchell Plateau is one of the most scenic and biologically important areas of the State. Small patches of rainforest grow around the margins of the plateau, where they are protected from fire and receive additional moisture. Open woodlands of grey box, white gum and other trees and shrubs grow around the valleys and creeks. Pandanus and paperbarks line the watercourses. Up to 50 mammal species, 220 bird species and 86 kinds of reptiles and amphibians may occur in the area, including the saltwater crocodile, death adder, king brown and taipan.

ATTRACTIONS

Mitchell Falls and Surveyors Pool are the park's two main attractions. The track to Mitchell Falls ends at Mertens Creek. From here a walk of about one hour (round trip) takes you to Little Merten Falls and allows time to explore and swim. Allow four to six hours round trip to Mitchell Falls so that time can be spent at the Falls. The walk to the falls is over rough country. The track is marked with stone cairns and is reasonably well-worn, but if in doubt walk in close vicinity to the creek. Take care near the many cliffs.

Surveyors Pool is surrounded by white bluffs of King Leopold sandstone. Access is not marked accurately on any current map. The present access to Surveyor's Pool is 24 kilometres north of the mining camp on the Port Warrender Road. To reach it you must drive six kilometres, then walk four kilometres. Water bottles may be refilled at the pool. Allow six hours for the return trip.

The Mitchell Falls area was inhabited by the Woonambal people. Since moving to Kalumburu in the 1950s, local Aboriginal people have continued to visit the area and in the last few years have established a community there. A consultative process with Aboriginal people is underway to develop co-operative management arrangements for the park and to provide opportunities for Aboriginal enterprise and employment.

The Mitchell River National Park abuts the northern boundary of the Prince Regent Nature Reserve, effectively creating a continuous conservation reserve of three quarters of a million hectares.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Where is it?
The park lies in some of the most remote and inaccessible coutnry in Australia. It is about 350 km north-east of Derby, 270 km north-west of Wyndham.
Access is via the 4WD only Mitchell Plateau Track from Kalumburu Road, 172 km north of the Gibb River Road junction. The track is maintained on an irregular basis only and may have wash-outs and corrugations.
Drive with extreme care. Tracks north of the Mitchell Plateau airfield are rough while the tracks north of Surveyors Pool are very rough and may be impassable. Tracks and roads may be closed during the wet season.

Travelling time:
16 hours drive from Kununurra (allow two days).

What to do:
Camping, bushwalking, sightseeing, photography, scenic aerial flights.

• Walks:
  • MITCHELL FALLS WALK: Moderate to difficult, 6 km return walk to Mitchell Falls from the camping area traverses rocky terrain. Take care near the many cliffs. En route you can view Little Mertens Falls (500 m from the camping area) and Big Mertens Falls (2.5 km from the camping area).
  • SURVEYORS POOL WALK: Moderate, 8 km walk to Surveyors Pool from the Surveyors Pool car park.

Facilities:
Visitors to the Mitchell Falls should be totally self-sufficient, as this is a remote area with few facilities. Food, fuel and mechanical services are not available. There is a camping area with toilets at the end of the Mitchell Falls Track. It is advisable to boil or treat water taken from creeks before drinking.