while at Mt Barnet and out and about we took every opportunity to talk to anyone re: the road to Mitchel Falls. the word was that the first 59km from the Wyndham turnoff to the Drysdale River Station was ruff due to lots of people towing caravans to the Drysdale, but there after the road was in good condition (ie: the leave the caravan at the drysdale and do a long day out to the falls in a single vehicle), and further that the falls were worth it.
well the information was kinda correct, the 59km from the Wyndham turnoff to the Drysdale was worse than the 101km from drysdale to the Mitchel falls turnoff and for that matter the mitchell falls road itself. but, if sections of the road were good, then i would hate to see what bad was. we have an AEV lift and the standard 245 silent armor tires which we dropped to about 25psi. even in 4WD high and towing a camper trailer and trying to stay a decent speed (to coast over the corrugations) we were occasionally shaken sideways due to corrugations. however, in saying this we dropped the tire pressures down to 20psi on the we back as sat at about 60km/hr (compared to 25psi and 80km/hr) and this was noticeably better. also should point out that we did see are 4wd being taken out on the back of a flatbed truck and a boat on its trailer belly (no wheels or axle). in relation to the boat the story going around was that of the 4 people in the vehicle, 3 were mechanics and they could not fix it and could not source a trailer locally, so they had to leave it on the side of the road and drive to darwin to get a new on. poor buggers
so as above the road from the Wyndham turnoff to the Drysdale was heavily corrugated, but relatively straight forward. From the Drysdale to the mitchel falls turnoff the road was better, but still suffered heavy corrugations in some patches.
the mitchell falls road is relatively tight (may 2 vehicle width) which made it hard for us with the trailer to get upto speed to get over the corrugations. it took us 2.5 hours each way to do this stretch. we spoke to single vehicles who did it in about 1.5 hours, but for us it was slow and steady. also be aware when driving in, there is a section were you go from white-ish dirt to red dirt then go up a blind crest. back off the gas at this point. on the top of the blind crest are football sized rocks that wont pose any issue is going slow, but at speed could do some damage if hit wrong.
about 8km along the mitchel falls road is the King Edward River. we stopped here for a quick bit to eat and a refreshing swim before pushing on to the mitchel falls camp ground. but for what its worth the king edward campground had hybrind toilets was probably nicer than the mitchel falls campground - mainly due to the access to the river. also you cant take dogs/pets into the mitchel falls national park.
the mitchel falls campground had hybrid toilets and was about $10 and adult and $2.20 per child to camp per night (+ the parks pass). it was basic and clean but staying there means you can get stuck into the walk to the mitchel falls nice and early while its cool, this is what we did.
the walk itself is relativity easy (some minor rock hoping at the middle section). they say it will take 2.5hrs to do the walk but his depends on your fitness. we did it in about 1.5 hours and thats with the two kids. mind you they could have been going fast as they were pumped about the return chopper ride. yep, you can get a helicopter ride in or out or both or even do a scenic ride if you want. we chose the $135 per person, 6 minute return ride. yes expensive and yes short but well worth it
when doing the walk, at about the 15-20 minute mark you will get to the little mertin falls. from what i understand you can swim here but we didn't. about 30-50 minutes later (and a bit of rock hoping - this is the hardest part of the walk you will get the Big Mertin. this was spectacular. but DONT TRY AND TAKE A PHOTO OF THE FALLS ON THE WAY IN. the park manager told us that a lady fell to her death doing this about 3 years back. he also mentioned while it looks like you can take the photo on the approach, in reality you cant and further there is a viewing area (no handrail etc so be careful) on the other side that provides great views
from the big mertin, is a short 10 minute stroll to the Mitchell Plateau and Mitchell Falls. i was expecting to be blown away, but my wife and i were a bit underwhelmed. were still not sure why, it beautiful and all and were glad we went, but because your your removed from the falls (ie: not at the very top or very bottom) it just didn't do it for us. but in saying that other on the day loved it - so each to there own. i would recommend it if your out that way, but im in no hurry to go back
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