One would suppose that a gorge named Geikie to be a 21st Century reflection of a computer nerd.
But no!
This stunning and very accessible Fitroy River gorge was named after a Scottish geologist of high British ranking, who incidentally never came to Australia. Obviously some toady in the lower ranks of theodolite acolytes thought he’d get a release from the rigours of pack horses and caravanning during summers in the Kimberley ‘wet’ by naming the place after his boss.
Regardless of its naming origins, the gorge is astonishing. A quirk of nature; centuries old water-worn limestone edifices of ever changing colours from top to bottom and you can take it all in from a wee boat gliding effortlessly upon the pristine fresh waters.
Fresh waters that are home to crocodiles that laze in the sun upon the banks, while wallabies come down for a drink, herons wade in the shallows looking for small prey and Bottle Swallows build clay nests on inverted rock shelves.
But by far the most astounding beauty is found in the reflection of centuries old water-worn limestone edifices of tricolour layers reflected in the stillness of the fresh waters. And a long way from the fleeting influence of the Royal British Geological Society in Victorian England.
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