Geikie Gorge

Geikie Gorge Conservation Park is a small conservation reserve adjacent to and complementing Geikie Gorge National Park in the Kimberley, protecting additional sections of the Fitzroy River corridor and adjacent Devonian limestone ranges near Fitzroy Crossing. The Fitzroy River cuts through ancient Devonian reef limestone, creating striking white-walled gorges. The conservation park protects riparian vegetation, limestone cliff habitats, and floodplain ecosystems. The site is jointly significant to Bunuba and Gooniyandi peoples. The park is managed by DBCA.

The conservation park protects Fitzroy River freshwater ecosystems of global significance. Freshwater crocodiles basking on sandbars are a defining feature. The Fitzroy supports the freshwater sawfish (Pristis pristis) — a critically endangered species that uses the river as nursery habitat. Agile wallabies and wallaroos graze river flats. Little cormorants, nankeen herons, royal spoonbills, and kingfishers are resident along the river. Large catfish inhabit permanent waterholes.

River red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) line the Fitzroy River banks, with paperbarks and fig trees (Ficus racemosa) in the riparian zone. Freshwater mangrove (Barringtonia acutangula) is characteristic of the gorge section. The limestone cliffs support specialist calciphilous plants. Above the river, tropical savanna woodland transitions to spinifex grassland on drier limestone plateaus.

Geikie Gorge cuts through the ancient Devonian reef — limestone deposited 350–375 million years ago in a tropical shallow sea. The white and cream-coloured limestone walls exposed by the Fitzroy River display fossil corals, stromatoporoids, and other Devonian marine organisms. The cliff walls show horizontal and cross-bedded structures representing ancient reef growth patterns. This is one of the world's most accessible exposures of Devonian reef limestone.

Tropical monsoonal climate. The Fitzroy River floods dramatically during the wet season (November–April), inundating the gorge floodplain and transforming the landscape. Wet season access to the gorge is impossible — the river becomes a vast flooded expanse. The dry season (May–October) exposes sandbars and the full grandeur of the limestone gorge.

Geikie Gorge is called Danggu in the Bunuba language and holds deep cultural significance. Bunuba people have traditional ownership of the gorge and its surrounding country. The site is associated with the Wandjina creation being and features in Bunuba law and ceremony. Bunuba resistance leader Jandamarra (Pigeon) used the limestone ranges as refuge during his famous guerrilla resistance against European settlement in the 1890s.

Geikie Gorge Conservation Park was reserved alongside the national park to provide additional protection to the broader gorge system and Fitzroy River floodplain. Joint management arrangements between DBCA and Bunuba Traditional Owners govern both Geikie Gorge parks. Bunuba rangers lead interpretive tours and manage cultural sites.

Ranger-led boat tours of the gorge are operated by Bunuba rangers — a unique cultural experience combining geological interpretation and Bunuba stories. The Geikie Gorge walk explores the riverside trail with spectacular limestone cliff views. Wildlife observation for freshwater crocodiles and birds.

Located 18 km from Fitzroy Crossing via sealed road. Visitor centre and basic facilities at the national park section. Boat tours operate dry season only. Fitzroy Crossing township provides accommodation, fuel, and supplies.

The Fitzroy River is under pressure from proposals for agricultural water extraction. Maintaining adequate dry-season flows is critical for freshwater sawfish and other aquatic species. Feral animals degrade riverine vegetation. Weed invasion (particularly prickly acacia) is a concern in the floodplain. Cane toad invasion is progressing through the Kimberley.