BELL CREEK GORGE

(C) Don Copley

GPS 16 59 35.27 S 125 12 15.99 E (Gorge)

GPS 17 03 59.01 S 125 14 55.27 E (Campsite)

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King Leopold Range National Park size: 370,000 Ha.

Bell Creek Gorge is in a remote locatrion 238 kilometres from Derby and 281 kilometres from Fitzroy Crossing.

Lying 30 kilometres off the Gibb River Road, Bell Creek Gorge is a delightful place with cascading waterfalls and a refreshing pool to swim in. The road in is 4wd only and camp sites are available at Silent Grove. (Generators are allowed at Silent Grove - which we guess isn't so silent when they are running!) Individual campsites that used to be along Bell Creek have been closed. A more up-market accommodation option is the nearby Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge.

The King Leopold Ranges in this area were named by Alexander Forrest (after King Leopold of Belgium) who led an exploratory party from De Grey River to Port Darwin. It was explorer Frank Hann who named Bell Creek after Mr. Bell of Derby.

Mount Hart pastoral lease (which encompasses Bell Gorge and Silent Grove) was taken up in 1919 and it has been owned by a number of people who have tried and failed to make a go of it in this rugged country. Eventually (1991) the land was taken over by CALM with the idea of establishing a conservation reserve and eventually a National Park. The gorge is about 11km north west of the Silent Grove campsite.

Apart from simply relaxing, Bell Creek is ideal for walking, photography and swimming. Access to the water, however, isn't exactly easy as the rocks can be slippery and the last section of the track down from trhe car park comes to a rather steep drop over rocks. It is about a 1 km walk from the car park to the gorge. Take great care when crossing the rocky sections of track as the last thing you want in this remote area is to injure yourself.

NPW Website for more information

Best time to visit:

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