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.  _small.JPG)  
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.
_small.JPG)
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 
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