Mornington Wilderness Camp

We had a huge on-site tent with its own bathroom (although getting to the bathroom required unzipping the tent door and crossing a narrow walkway). There was abundant fresh air in the tent with all the flaps open. The tents were well spaced so there was privacy even with the flaps open. Plenty of bedding was provided to keep warm on chilly nights. The shower was very hot. A good variety of tea bags was provided in the room but only instant coffee (and the same applied at the restaurant for breakfast). Dinners were restaurant quality but a set meal. The cooked breakfast could have been hotter, and the toast better cooked. The continental breakfast buffet needed to be spread out more as it was very congested trying to get to things. A campfire was lit one night which was an enjoyable place to have a drink. The dawn peace, listening to the birds and the creek babbling, was spoiled one morning by 5:30am helicopter flights taking off.

On arrival we were shown to our luxury tent (which is a tent on a permanent platform with an attached ensuite and kitchenette with minibar/fridge and jug. These were really nice with a mat throughout the bedroom section which made it comfortable underfoot and, I suspect, kept the bugs outs (although we didn’t actually see many insects). Dinner was in the “Bush Restaurant”. This was a 2 course set menu which was of restaurant quality. (Dietary requirements were catered for.) In the evening there was a slide show about the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. It gets pretty cold, so make sure that you wear warm clothes. We also did some short tours with guides: a riparian walk along the river and a drive in utes to see termites. Both were interesting with excellent guides. All in all, we had a wonderful time here.

A lovely place to a camp and wind down after the Gibb River road. The road in is reasonable even though it is 80km from the Gibb. We visited Sir John and Dimond gorges, also Blue Bush lagoon. All very different and good for swimming. We also did the morning bird watch tour which was ok but a bit sedentary. The walks around the camp are good for bird watching. Food and drinks were pricey but in line with the area. The food was well cooked and presented . Staff were friendly and good. Hamish mended a puncture for us, that was a relief!