Windjana Gorge is where the Lennard River slices through the Napier Range in the west Kimberley, and the gorge walls are the remains of a Devonian reef, built by algae and corals when this country lay under a warm sea about 350 million years ago. Walking beside those cliffs you can see fossils in the limestone, shells and marine creatures, and the sheer scale of the place is humbling. The walls rise some thirty metres or more above a sandy river bed, which in the dry season shrinks to a chain of green pools.
Those pools are crowded with freshwater crocodiles, small and shy compared with their saltwater cousins, and they bask on the sand banks in surprising numbers. Do not swim, and keep a respectful distance from the edge. The place is also a breeding ground for thousands of fruit bats and corellas, and in the evening the sky fills with wings. The gorge is on Bunuba country, and the story of Jandamarra, a young Bunuba man who led a resistance against the pastoralists and police in the 1890s, is tied to this landscape. He was killed in 1897, near Tunnel Creek, and the story is still told with great respect.
The ride to the gorge is on gravel for the last part, so you need a bike that can handle corrugations, loose stones and the odd creek crossing, as well as good tyres and a plan. This part of the Gibb River Road is only passable in the dry season, roughly from May to October, and the wet season closes it altogether. Heat is intense, so start early, carry far more water than you think you need and tell someone your route.
Fuel is not available at the gorge. Plan to fill up at Derby or Fitzroy Crossing, and carry extra if your range is short, because distances here are long and help is far away. Camping at the gorge is simple, with basic facilities, and the night sky is superb. Nearby Tunnel Creek, a cave you can wade through with a torch, makes a good companion visit if time allows.