George Gorge & Python Pool | West Pilbara 4WD Adventure
- Adventure Lifestyle
- May 6
- 5 min read
Updated: May 19
If there is one region in Australia that keeps pulling us back, it is the Pilbara. Bigger than many European countries, it is a place of ancient red rock, sweeping gorges, crystal clear rivers and some of the most remote free camping you will find anywhere on the continent. This West Pilbara 4WD adventure took us through the region, and while things did not always go to plan, the Pilbara had other ideas. It always does.
Pannawonica Hill | Camp Cooking on the Fire
We rolled into Pannawonica Hill and set up camp alongside the Robe River. It was the first camp of the entire trip with a firepit in the ground, and we were not about to waste the opportunity.
With a good bed of coals going, we knocked up a batch of lemonade scones in the camp oven using a recipe that could not be simpler: two cups of self-raising flour, half a cup of lemonade and half a cup of cream. Camp cooking means winging it, so measurements were approximate at best. The scones came out slightly overdone on the bottom but beautifully fluffy on the inside. A solid start to camp oven cooking for the year.
Dinner was a variation on bangers and mash: creamy scalloped potatoes layered with sauteed garlic and onion, a splash of cream, nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour, and stock. Cooked low and slow on the coals alongside the sausages and fresh corn. The bugs descended the moment the sun went down so there was no filming of the verdict, but the potatoes were the star of the show. Highly recommended.
The next morning we walked down through the Robe River system, found some small flowing rapids and went for a swim before packing up and heading out to Pannawonica Nature's Window for sunset.
Pannawonica Nature's Window | Goat Tracks and a Decent Sunset
Getting to Nature's Window turned into an adventure before we even arrived. Google Maps routed us down what can only be described as a goat track, a rutted dirt path that went approximately nowhere. Eventually we found the right way in.
At the base of the hill leading up to the lookout, we walked the track before committing to driving it. Steep, off-camber and with some spicy ruts near the top, we decided the view was not worth the risk of a slide. Thongs were also a poor choice for the spinifex-lined walk up, as the spinifex made very clear.
The sunset made it worth every bit of the effort. Pastels across a wide Pilbara sky, no filter needed. The walk back down in fading light was hectic enough that the camera stayed in the pocket, but we made it back to camp in one piece.
The Day That Did Not Go to Plan
We left Pannawonica Hill with a plan to head north and tackle a track through to the Fortescue River, coming out at the Northwest Coastal Highway. It was ambitious but looked possible given recent water levels.
A couple of kilometres out of town, a station sign stopped us. Private property. No unauthorised entry. Trespassers will be prosecuted. A few unanswered phone calls later, we were heading east.
We had not planned on Millstream, but the Pilbara has a way of making the detours worthwhile. We stopped in at Deep Reach Pool for a swim on the way through, a beautiful spot that softened the blow of the morning's disappointment. From there we pointed the rigs towards Gregory Gorge, one of our favourite spots from the last trip through the region.
Gregory Gorge was closed to visitors at the request of traditional owners. Fair enough. It did not make it sting any less.
We ended the day at Stargazers Campground in Millstream Chichester National Park. It is a fine spot, just not the one we had in mind. Plan D, as it turned out.
Cliff Lookout Sunrise & Mount Herbert | Millstream Chichester National Park
One silver lining of ending up at Stargazers was the suggestion of catching sunrise at Cliff Lookout. We were out of camp half an hour before first light with coffees in hand, and the colours that greeted us made the early alarm entirely worthwhile.
From there we spent the morning exploring the north of the park, taking in the sweeping views from Mount Herbert. The drone footage from up there is some of the best of the entire trip, the layered red rock formations and green valleys stretching out in every direction.
Python Pool | Having the Place to Ourselves
We arrived at Python Pool early, and for the first time in our experience of the place, we had it almost entirely to ourselves. The last visit had been during school holidays in the middle of the day. The difference was remarkable.
After a short hike along part of the Cameleers Track to a lookout, we came back down for a swim. Python Pool has a reputation for being cold, and it lived up to it, though not quite as brutally as we remembered from last time. We spent a good while floating around in the stillness before the march flies reminded us that paradise has its limits.
George Gorge | Finding Something New in a Familiar Place
After lunch we headed towards the George River with no real plan. We had camped at George Gorge four years earlier and loved it, but higher water levels this time meant we could push further into the gorge than we had managed before.
The river crossing into the new section of camp was straightforward. Knee deep, clear water, no drama. Getting down the rocky embankment on the far side was more of a challenge than the crossing itself.
What was waiting on the other side was one of the best camp spots of the entire trip. Sheer red rock cliffs on three sides, deep clear water right beside camp, a rope swing hanging from a gum tree and complete silence except for the river. We had it entirely to ourselves.
As Paul put it when we first pulled in: pretty bloody good.
The problem with a spot like that is that you do not leave the next day. We did not. We spent a few days at George Gorge cooking on the fire, jumping off the rocks into the water and watching the light change on those cliffs at golden hour. Some places just have that effect on you.
We will be back. But first, there was new country to find further east.
Planning Your West Pilbara 4WD Adventure
GPX files for all locations visited on this leg of the trip are available on our website, including Pannawonica Hill, Pannawonica Nature's Window, Deep Reach Pool, Cliff Lookout, Mount Herbert, Python Pool and George Gorge.
Watch the full episode on YouTube below.
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