El Questro

I can say with all confidence, after a couple of visits, that the Western Australian gem of El Questro is, in my opinion, worth all the hype it is attributed.

You'll find it hard not to be moved by those majestic gorges and swimming holes that the Kimberley is famous for, and you can easily access walking trails through lush rainforest.

The champagne sunset cruise along the magnificent Chamberlain Gorge (pic above), a long soak in the thermal pools of Zebedee Springs and the general feel of El Questro seals the deal.

You can stay up at the Homestead if you're happy to sell a couple of your children to pay for it, but we stay down at the Station Township and are beautifully looked after. On our most recent trip, there was even a tiny baby croc in the little stream outside our cabin.

Previously, I'd visited whilst on tour with a bunch of young pilots from Sydney's Curtis Aviation and we'd all go back tomorrow if we could. One of the guys got up at dawn one morning and went heli-fishing. It was three and a half days before that stupid grin left his face.

I'd easily recommend two nights here, then you may like to zip literally ten minutes over the range and land at Emma Gorge Resort. Its safari-style tented cabins along the gorge, open-air restaurant and bar, and bush walks up to yet another sublime water-hole and falls are all unforgettable.

Just 20nm away to the north-west, (or a ten minute flight along the Pentecost River from El Questro), you'll find the fabulous Home Valley Station, a working cattle station still largely run by the traditional owners of the land, the Balanggarra people. After your expert touchdown on their 1300m gravel strip you may hand yourselves over to the care and hospitality of the trainees and mentors who have created a quintessential outback experience and rare glimpse into their wonderful culture. The homestead is 1.5kms off the Gibb River Road.