Australian Wildlife Conservancy pulls plug on Mornington and Charnley River camps along Gibb for 2022 season

The Gibb River Road has lost its first operator for the 2022 dry season, with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy making an early call to close doors to tourists at its two campsites as COVID-19 infiltrates WA. AWC this week announced Mornington Wilderness Camp and its neighbouring Charnley River-Artesian Range Wilderness Camp would be temporarily closed this year, citing the protection of its core science and land management operations as the reason for the decision. Located about halfway down the 660km Gibb River Road, the two sites are popular accommodation options for tourists eager to explore hotspots including Dimond Gorge, Annie Creek and the Mornington Sanctuary. AWC chief operations officer James Hewitt said while some pre-organised group tours and small tourism events would proceed as planned, there would be no bookings open to the general public. “Protecting our team and partners from the risk of COVID was the key reason for temporarily closing the public campground and the difficulty recruiting for some roles was also a consideration,” he said. “Public visitation to the campgrounds poses a much greater COVID risk and the remoteness and camping facilities make isolation and healthcare more difficult to manage. “As travellers to the region need to plan their trips in advance we made this decision early to provide plenty of time for people to make other arrangements.” Both camps were open during the 2021 season, closing for the wet season in September.