When Harry met Jillian: a Kimberley love story

It feels like I have gone overseas to another country, I have left Tassie for only the second time since before covid. 4 airports, 3 flights, 12 hours of travelling from the bottom of Australia to the top, from a cold 5 degrees to temperatures in the 30s! I am indeed in a very different place. And I may have met my perfect man. It only took a few minutes of riding for me to begin to fall for Harry's charms. Maybe it was his big brown eyes.

Harry was described as a gentleman who does not suffer fools, a real bush horse and a bit of a spunk. He was all of those things and I fell in love. There were a total of 16 riders plus guides. Our group, aka The Six.

Christian and Laura from Hidden Trails collected us from our hotel in Kunanurra and drove us out into the bush on the edge of the El Questro Station. We were to ride about 80 km over 5 days to the resort/caravan park at the homestead, through very hot, hard country. It was 38 degrees on the first day. Some of us, me included, had to have a lie down in some rare shade at one point. Later the troopy met us with cold softdrinks. Solo never tasted so good! We cantered through dust with near zero visibility. We swam n natural waterholes each evening, except for the first day as that waterhole had resident freshwater crocodiles.

There were 3 campsites over the first 4 days. We slept in swags on stretchers beneath a star-filled sky and a full moon, in still warm nights.

The most amazing meals emerged from the camp kitchen on a trailer.

Each night we sat around the camp fire, chatting, telling tall tales and even singing along to guitars played by two of the guides, Swampy and Bushy.

Day 2 was the longest day - hot, dusty, so rocky that apart from a short canter at the end of the day, we could only walk the horses as we rode along a broad valley beside the orange cliffs of a rocky range. We found some water for the horses. This is hard country.

Sunrise on day 3.

On the third day we trotted and cantered along a valley, excellent riding. No waterholes so water arrived via a trailer for the horses before we climbed to the lookout on Saddleback Ridge.

A small part of the view.

Down in the valley below, we crossed a river to see a sign warning of crocodiles.

Then we stayed at the Nag Hole campsite for 2 nights. It had a lovely waterhole and a huge shower in a tin shed with no roof. Yes, we had hot showers each night.

A special dinner under the boab.

On day 4 we rode to Moonshine Creek for a swim.

Then we rode to Zebedee warm Springs for lunch and another swim.

Another river crossing on the way back to camp, 4WDs in front of us.

Our finday riding day was a pleasant amble along the valley, over a Ridge, along the river with yet another lunch beneath a boab.

The ride ended with a good fast canter beside the 1.3km long airstrip to the resort. We hosed our horses down, and said goodbye.

We took a short helicopter flight over El Questro before dinner.

Our final day with Hidden Trails did not involve horses. They returned us to Kunanurra via some local sights - a walk, swim and lunch at Emma Gorge.

Plus a visit to The Hoochery Rum Distillery and the Sandlewood Farm shop near Kunanurra. Both are in the Ord River irrigation area where thousands of native sandlewood trees have been planted. Oh Harry, I will miss you. I do love you and your Cliff Country.

Thanks to Loretta for the first photo of Harry and for organising the trip to perfection. Thanks to Lisa for the last photo of me and Harry sharing a moment. Til we ride again!