FITZROY CROSSING Continuing our traverse west we left Halls Creek for Fitzroy Crossing. 288 kilomtres without services/ villages of any sort. Just lock in 97kpm on the cruise control, put on the air and enjoy the slow but ever-changing landscapes. Fitzroy Crossing has its beginnings in the cattle/droving era. Tourism and the Geikie Gorge now being the economic drivers. The town has very disjointed planning. E.g. we could not find the Post Office. One of the first European explorers of the Kimberly area was Alexander Forrest and his party in 1879, following the Fitzroy River to its junction with the Margaret River at Geikie George. The party then traveled east as far as Darwin. Following this exploration, around 1882, the first sheep stations were established around the mouth of the Fitzroy and the next couple of years saw the stations move out west with Noonkanbah and Quanbun opening up in 1886. The area was finally settled in 1886 by Mr. McDonald when he set up the Fossil Downs cattle station. This was following a three-year, 3,500 mile trek from Goulburn, New South Wales. The town was gazette in 1975, but had been shown on maps since 1903. The Crossing Hotel is an historic pub with a great and long history. Visit in the morning to enjoy the pub best. The Town is represented by a communal church. The War Memorial is next to the area admin centre. Here are some photos of Giekie Gorge. When stopping over be sure to stay at the modern lodge on the eastern end of town. Heritage diary