TRAVERSE Issue 11 - April 2019 | Página 89

any slips that might see a hiker end up in the water. Apparently it was a favourite pass time of many campers at the Manning Gorge campsite. I too laughed. We’d just hiked back, 90 minutes, from Manning Gorge. One of the many stunningly beautiful gorges and waterfalls that line the Gibb River Road. Hiking in the midday heat hadn’t been smart yet, the rewards were worth the struggle. Drinking water was abundant; we carried a Water-To-Go bottle with us, filtering 99.9% of microbiological contami- nents from the water, it was a perfect travelling companion. We’d enjoyed the gorge and waterfall completely to ourselves although, we were joined by numerous wildlife; a Mertens’ Wa- ter Monitor and various fish joined us, while a freshwater crocodile kept a watching eye. We laughed. Riding the length of the Gibb you need to get off the bike and explore, doing so will reward you with the TRAVERSE 89