Through the aeons-old Kimberley region of Western Australia flows a river at times among the mightiest on Earth, yet rarely visited and still less-often paddled.
![Afloat The River Of Creation](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/1021/358013/5d30394beb94e/Afloat-The-River-Of-Creation.jpg)
I LOOK AROUND AT THE GROUP OF skydivers, paramedics and assorted self-declared adventurers. They’re no couch potatoes. Most seem at least passably fit. But until 10 days ago, none of them had any whitewater experience. It will be up to me to keep them alive today.
We are about to launch onto the most demanding stretch of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the highest volume river in Australia and one of the highest volume rivers in the world when in flood.
As it’s the wet season, the only access into the Kimberley is by air, with the limited roads impassable due to daily torrential downpours. We flew in 10 days ago on three light aircraft, landing at an isolated Aboriginal community on the Gibb River Road. Even then we had to wait five days for a gap in the weather to get airborne.
After a three-hour flight from Broome, we were dropped off in the middle of one of the last true wildernesses. The Kimberley is larger than Germany, or about the same size as California, yet has a population of little more than 50,000 even in the milder winter. Overwhelmingly rocky and riven with gorges and cliffs, it sits on ancient limestone and sandstone strata dating as far back as the Devonian, 360-420 million years ago.
The region has an average annual rainfall of 1,270 millimetres, most of it falling in a short, intense wet season. Having used our weather window to get in and down 300 kilometres of slower water, we are now well placed to run the remaining, more challenging 150 kilometres, as runoff upstream keeps pushing the high-water mark ever higher.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av Action Asia.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av Action Asia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Policing Paradise](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d723cd4d27b9/crp_Policing-paradise.jpg)
Policing Paradise
Palau’s President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr has established his country in the vanguard of global efforts on ocean conservation, in particular with the 2015 designation of much of its territorial waters as a marine reserve and no-take zone. Policing this vast area though remains immensely challenging.
![The Not-So-Silent World](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d723b2b3103e/crp_The-Not-So-Silent-World.jpg)
The Not-So-Silent World
Human activities may be emitting levels of noise that harm marine life.
![Once Were Warriors](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d724a79d90c7/crp_Once-Were-Warriors.jpg)
Once Were Warriors
A visit to the 2018 World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan is a surreal trip to a time and place where martial skills matter.
![The Secret Life Of Pangolins](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d723e0241c38/crp_The-Secret-Life-Of-Pangolins.jpg)
The Secret Life Of Pangolins
PALAWAN – IT’S 1AM AND MOST PEOPLE are safely in their beds. Instead I’m deep in the jungles of Palawan with an international team of researchers and a squad of Philippine Marines, searching for pangolins, the most illegally trafficked mammals on Earth.
![Feast Your Senses](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d724d03c5904/crp_Feast-Your-Senses.jpg)
Feast Your Senses
The Alta Via 1 is the classic Dolomite trail, bringing the peaks within arm’s reach as you hike between homely refugios and historic war-time fortifications.
![China's Olympians Show The Way](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d725213cb36e/crp_Chinas-Olympians-Show-The-Way.jpg)
China's Olympians Show The Way
WITH 40 RIDERS FROM 12 COUNTRIES, THE KTA made its second visit to the Desaru Coast in Malaysia with its Asia Pacific Hydrofoil Tour Series , which welcomes amateur and professional riders a like . Chinese Youth Olympians Haoran Zhang and Jingle Chen took first places in the Men’s and Women’s classes, while Korean veteran Soon Ho Kwon was crowned champion in the Masters.
![China's Masses Warming To Snow](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d723a5317bd6/crp_Chinas-Masses-Warming-To-Snow.jpg)
China's Masses Warming To Snow
TWO YEARS AGO, CHINA opened the world’s largest indoor ski slope with two black runs, a blue run, snow play area and beginner slopes all served by chairlifts and magic carpets. Interestingly, it choose to build this behemoth in Harbin, where real snow piles high every winter and temperatures plunge low enough to host the annual International Ice and Snow Festival.
![A Quieter, Cleaner Everest In Store?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d723baeca60a/crp_A-Quieter-Cleaner-Everest-In-Store.jpg)
A Quieter, Cleaner Everest In Store?
FOLLOWING RECORD deaths during the Everest climbing season earlier this year, Nepal’s government and the climbing community are suggesting a new list of preconditions for any summit attempt.
![A Life List Of Adventure](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/369740/5d7243138a078/crp_A-Life-List-Of-Adventure.jpg)
A Life List Of Adventure
There’s a first time for everything. But some firsts matter more: experiences that are life-altering, that change perspective, build confidence and teach you about all you can do and all you can be.
![Virtual Reality As A Travel Sales Tool](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1021/276077/5ae2f67ee8576/crp_1524823593_loc.jpg)
Virtual Reality As A Travel Sales Tool
Virtual Reality As A Travel Sales Tool