Tunnel Creek National Park
Had a unique day today visited a gorge called tunnel creek. It is 115kms north west of Fitzroy via 83kms of unsealed road which was badly corrugated in parts. Took us 1.25 hours to drive there each way but it was so worth it! “Tunnel Creek flows through a water worn tunnel beneath the limestone of the Napier Range, part of the 375 to 350 million-year-old Devonian Reef system. You can walk 750 metres through the tunnel to the other side of Napier Range, wading through several permanent pools and watching for bats and the stalactites that descend from the roof in many places. Some parts are up to 15m wide or 12m high. The tunnel is the most ancient cave system in WA.At least five species of bat live in the cave, including ghost bats and fruit bats, and stalactites descend from the roof in many places. Freshwater crocodiles are occasionally found in the pools.” The history of the cave revolves around an Aboriginal leader known as Jandamarra. He evaded Police and others for three years hiding in the cave He was killed outside its entrance in 1897. Equipped with a torch each and our crocs (shoes) we firstly had to climb over some boulders at the entrance to the tunnel and then pretty much straight into water that was knee deep and cold. Shortly after we needed to turn on the torches so we could see. It was fantastic wading through the water shining our torches up at the roof sides and in the water where we saw a marron and little fish that looked like catfish. There were many stalactites, waterfalls and curtain formations formed from the water seeping through the rock depositing calcium on top of itself. Due to the sand on the bottom of the tunnel there were no stalagmites. At one stage a stalactite was dropping droplets of water from its end onto the floor below, we stood there trying to catch the drops in our mouths! About 2/3rds of the way though part of the roof had collapsed opening the tunnel to the sky. There were heaps of bats on the nearby trees and it was strange but in groups of 3 or 4 they circled the gap and flew into the tunnel to roost. They are very noisy creatures sounds like they are telling the newcomers to get of their space. Eventually we come to the end of the tunnel which continues on as a creek and we turn around to experience it all again. It was a truly unique experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
31 August 2010
Day 351 – Fitzroy Crossing, WA (30 August) – Week 52
Geike Gorge
Monday morning we went into town. Fitzroy Crossing has a population of about 1500 people with 80% being indigenous. Not much at all in town, two petrol stations and a very rough incredibly expensive and very makeshift supermarket. The supermarket burnt down in July 2009 and the new one won’t be ready until October 2010. In the afternoon we went on a boat trip down Geike Gorge. The boat trip is run by DEC (Dept Environment and Conservation) with a indigenous ranger guide. “Geikie Gorge is situated at the junction of the Oscar and the Geikie Ranges. The mighty Fitzroy River has carved a 30 metre deep gorge into the remains of the ancient limestone barrier reef that existed here in the Devonian period. When the Fitzroy is in full flood during the wet season it covers the whole national park. Those floods rise over 16 metres up the gorge walls and the continuous rise and fall of the water has left the bottom of the walls bleached white.” Geike gorge is a lovely gorge with a variety of colours ranging from white, pinks, oranges and browns. There are two walls of note, the east and the west, the west being the most photographed because of its colours. Our guide gave a very thorough commentary about the geology, fauna, flora and the indigenous history. Unfortunately the river is not without its problems. River vegetation is slowly being taken over by introduced noxious weeds. One has leaves like a cabbage has that has a burr that burrows into everything particularly sheeps wool and eventually into their bodies and organs and they die a painful death. The plants were bought into Australia by the Afghans to feed their camels when the Afghan train runs were used in the early 1900s. Such a shame as the flower is quite pretty. An introduced creeper vine has taken hold and it slowly strangling many trees along the riverbank. It was very warm on the water with no shade on the boat. We saw quite a few freshwater crocodiles including juveniles cooling off on the river banks. The cruise lasted an hour and was very good. It probably is the only way to see both the west and east walls of the gorge which are the highlights. Can kayak the gorge which would be interesting as there are many caves at water level which could be worth a closer look. We have some lovely red tailed cockatoos in the caravan park which we don’t see very often, they are so noisy but good to see them.
Monday morning we went into town. Fitzroy Crossing has a population of about 1500 people with 80% being indigenous. Not much at all in town, two petrol stations and a very rough incredibly expensive and very makeshift supermarket. The supermarket burnt down in July 2009 and the new one won’t be ready until October 2010. In the afternoon we went on a boat trip down Geike Gorge. The boat trip is run by DEC (Dept Environment and Conservation) with a indigenous ranger guide. “Geikie Gorge is situated at the junction of the Oscar and the Geikie Ranges. The mighty Fitzroy River has carved a 30 metre deep gorge into the remains of the ancient limestone barrier reef that existed here in the Devonian period. When the Fitzroy is in full flood during the wet season it covers the whole national park. Those floods rise over 16 metres up the gorge walls and the continuous rise and fall of the water has left the bottom of the walls bleached white.” Geike gorge is a lovely gorge with a variety of colours ranging from white, pinks, oranges and browns. There are two walls of note, the east and the west, the west being the most photographed because of its colours. Our guide gave a very thorough commentary about the geology, fauna, flora and the indigenous history. Unfortunately the river is not without its problems. River vegetation is slowly being taken over by introduced noxious weeds. One has leaves like a cabbage has that has a burr that burrows into everything particularly sheeps wool and eventually into their bodies and organs and they die a painful death. The plants were bought into Australia by the Afghans to feed their camels when the Afghan train runs were used in the early 1900s. Such a shame as the flower is quite pretty. An introduced creeper vine has taken hold and it slowly strangling many trees along the riverbank. It was very warm on the water with no shade on the boat. We saw quite a few freshwater crocodiles including juveniles cooling off on the river banks. The cruise lasted an hour and was very good. It probably is the only way to see both the west and east walls of the gorge which are the highlights. Can kayak the gorge which would be interesting as there are many caves at water level which could be worth a closer look. We have some lovely red tailed cockatoos in the caravan park which we don’t see very often, they are so noisy but good to see them.
30 August 2010
Days 350 – Fitzroy Crossing, WA (29 August)
Sunday brings another early morning and the promise of another hot day. Packed and ready to leave the Mary Pool free camp to discover we had a flat battery. Our portable fridge drains the battery which it shouldn’t as we have a cut out switch attached to the portable fridge that stops this but for some reason it doesn’t work. We also have a heavy duty battery but that doesn’t help either. Anyway no problem we have a power pack battery charger that will do it and once we knew we were going to free camp John set it up to charge through the cigarette lighter on route (he was confident it was fully charged but this would be extra backup). But alas the power pack battery charger didn’t not want to know – whilst it showed a charge it wasn’t enough to turn the engine. So after John had his grumble about free camps and why we shouldn’t do them he was ready to charge the power pack in the van by a 12 volt. I figured this would take ages and suggested we should go ask if any campers have charge leads or similar. Why don’t guys think of this. My job - so the first couple I talk to, yeah they have jumper leads and the guy (numberplate read Frogs – didn’t ask) drove over to us in this car and we were started in minutes. The 12 volt charge we would still be waiting for! So off we trek to Fitzroy Crossing about 180kms west. An uneventful drive thank goodness and into a very nice well laid out green caravan park with clean amenities. Not expecting this it in this town. It was hot when we got here so quickly set up and spent sometime in the pool cooling off. The pool was well shaded and was icy cold and so what was needed. Once it cooled down we took Coco for a walk along the Fitzroy River – a very dry riverbed at the moment but when this river floods it is one of the largest rivers in the world. “Record floods occurred in 1983, 1986 and 2002 with approximately 13 metres of water over the old concrete crossing. The flow rate down the 15 kilometre wide flood plain at Fitzroy was estimated to be 30,000 cubic metres per second. In flood, it is probably the largest river in Australia.” Fitzroy Crossing is 2524kms north of Perth and lies on the banks of the Fitzroy River! It covers a catchment of 90,000 square kilometres. “In 1935 Fitzroy got its first bridge, a low level concrete structure. However during the wet season this bridge could be closed for months and intrepid travellers were treated to the experience of a flying fox which operated 200 metres south of the bridge. When a new bridge was built in 1974, the focus of the town grew away from the original site. Fitzroy Crossing is one the fastest growing town sites in the Kimberley due to Aboriginal resettlement, mining and tourism”.
29 August 2010
Day 349 – Mary Pools, WA (28 August)
Another early morning and it was warm, 25.7 degrees at 6.00am! We are leaving Kununurra today and heading west to Halls Creek (380kms) where we may overnight depending on the look of the town and caravan park. On route we stopped at Turkey Creek to refuel - $1.80/litre! Turkey Creek or Warnum as it is more commonly known is basically a small rundown roadhouse with a small caravan park attached. It has an Aboriginal community close by. Turkey Creek is 50kms from the Bungle Bungles turnoff. Some travellers leave their vans at the park to go into the Bungles. The roadhouse caravan park had powered sites available, we (I) did toy with the idea of staying there and spending the day in the Bungles Bungles which would allow you to see the highlights albeit a little rushed, we didn’t feel comfortable doing that particularly with Coco being in the van. For info the road into the Bungles is another 53kms and is 4WD only. It takes between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on your driving skills. Another option that travellers do is leave their van at a free campsite (unpowered) just outside the Bungles park entrance which is a really good option however not possible with Coco. So we reluctantly decided not to go to the Bungles this trip and are now thinking in the future we will come back and do the Bungles, Wolfe Creek Crater, Karijini, Millstream Chichester in WA, Keep River, Gregory and Lawn Hill in NT and any other parks in the vicinity. This would be a trip without Coco and probably the van – would be more camping – anyway something to think about. We stopped for lunch at a rest area and a curious hawk kept flying overhead, it was flying really low and circling us. John threw it some chicken in the hope it would grab it but it didn’t so we watched it grab the bits of chicken from the ground as it swooped down in flight and grabbed the chicken it in its talons, incredible to watch. They must have fantastic eyesight. After lunch we get to Halls Creek and refuelled at $142.9/litre, cheaper than Kununurra and they take the 4 cent discount Coles vouchers double whammy. We got a quick feel for the town and decided refuelling and moving on was the best option. 118kms west is a free camp called Mary Pools and a few travellers had recommended it to us, so we continued on. Mary Pools is a very very nice campsite and we got here about 4.00pm and there would be at least 40 other campers in their vans, camper trailers, tents, cars etc! In the busy period there can be 150 campers here literally on top of each other, not nice. We had lots of places we could choose today. It is obviously a very popular spot and easy to see why, we crossed a river to get in here which only had pockets of water at the moment – one of those upside down rivers - and the camping area is big with cows wandering around. So we got ourselves a quiet possie and then took Coco for a walk in the river bed and along the river bank. So nice for her to be able to run free without us having to worry about park managers being on your tail. She even went for a little paddle in the pools – yes the croc signs are up but looking at how dry it is unlikely crocs would be around (fingers crossed). We had been leap frogging a van from Busso today and they are also camped here so we went for a quick chat. We seem to be bumping into the same travellers quite a lot now and expect to for a little while longer. Guess it is because less roads to take until you hit the coast. After our walk we sat and looked at the stars and a particularly bright star that kept moving around we marvelled that we weren’t being attacked by mozzies or midges. Despite a very warm start to the morning, today has been a perfect day weather wise, slight breeze and mild temperatures (well about 32) and tonight is actually cool (well 26 in the van) after what we have experienced this is bliss and despite many people being here it is remarkably quiet. Nothing beats free camping when it is like this, mild weather, nice refreshing breeze (haven’t had a breeze for ages), quiet, nice walks and surroundings. Have to say that we have found WA has the best free camping sites in the country usually away from the road and in some really nice spots.27 August 2010
Day 348 – Kununurra, WA (27 August)
El Questro
Cool day today only getting to 32! Still warm when we got up at 5.30am. Had a wonderful day at El Questro. What a fantastic place. Up at 5.30am – can’t get use to the WA time zone, gets light so early - we had had brekkie, walked Coco and out the door by 7.15am. An one hour drive to Emma Gorge from Kununurra via the Great Northern Highway and the Gibb River Road – yes we can say we have driven on the Gibb River Road! The GBR to El Questro is partly unsealed and we followed the grader part of the way which made it easier as in parts it was quite corrugated. 4wd is recommended. Great views of the ranges. Drove to Zebedee Springs which are a series of hot spring rockpools. The pools are closed at 12 noon to allow tour groups to use them. We got here about 8.30am and there were only a few people there which meant we had our own little pool to ourselves. The pools are quite lush and tropical surrounded by pandanus palms and livistona palms. Very very beautiful and a lovely crystal clear water with a temperature like a luke warm bath. From here we drove to The Station Township which is the central hub with a shop supplied with the essentials, souvenirs and fuel. Camping sites are provided here and if you are lucky might be able to score you own private campsite on the edge of the Pentecost River, we looked at one and it is very quiet and private all to yourselves. The Station is fairly rustic and basic but that is part of the El Questro wilderness and beauty. There are lots of 4wd only tracks and gorge walks that you can do. We went to the Branco Lookout which was a good use of John’s 4wd skills, the first being crossing the Chamberlain River which is very wide about 150m and lots and lots of rocks and boulders in the water. The water wasn’t deep at all it was more a case of negotiating the rocks, we had to use 4wd low gear to get through. That was the most challenging part and going up a narrow steep hairpin was another little challenge. The view was spectacular overlooking the Chamberlain River. Down the hill again across the river and onto Emma Gorge. What a lovely spot. Green grass, two restaurants under the verandah and swimming pool. We sat on the lovely green cool grass and ate our picnic lunch before tackling the gorge walk. The walk to the gorge takes an hour each way (3.2km return). Actually took us half an hour to get there and 45 minutes back. The fact sheet about the walk would put off the not so adventurous walker as it is pretty much walking over rocks all the way and crossing creeks. Closer to the plunge pool at the top the steeper its gets. Not to be deterred we did the walk and yes it was walking and climbing over rocks but not so bad and Emma Gorge is absolutely spectacular – the best we have seen. Hardly anyone there and after a hot sweaty walk a swim was a must to. The water was icy cold at first but once in it was just beautiful and cooling. The waterfall is a gentle fall of water and droplets of water from the waterfall seem to fall of the ferns growing on the sheer rock edges into the water. To lie in the water and look up through the water droplets at the green ferns lit up by the sun was magic. Now we know why Emma Gorge is rated on of the Kimberleys most spectacular gorges – it is. A camera cannot do it justice at all. In the corner of the gorge a hot thermal spring comes through the rock and John found heaps of frogs there enjoying the water. We stayed here for quite a while before the trek back down. There are so many boab trees in this area and they are all different shapes and sizes. Some have circumstances over 15m and some are over 1000 years old! We had a wonderful wonderful day so much better than we had imagined. The next best thing would be to stay at the El Questro Homestead which is pure luxury. It would actually be fantastic to see El Questro after the wet if you could get through of course. The reason they charge a fee per person is to cover costs to maintain the park particularly after the wet season when they have to rebuild the access roads and tracks, re-mark the walking tracks, erect signage and clear away flood debris. So fair enough as it is a wonderful rugged wilderness park and well worth the visit. We got home about 5.00pm – 9.5 hours for poor Coco all alone – she was so happy to see us – she is so patient.
Cool day today only getting to 32! Still warm when we got up at 5.30am. Had a wonderful day at El Questro. What a fantastic place. Up at 5.30am – can’t get use to the WA time zone, gets light so early - we had had brekkie, walked Coco and out the door by 7.15am. An one hour drive to Emma Gorge from Kununurra via the Great Northern Highway and the Gibb River Road – yes we can say we have driven on the Gibb River Road! The GBR to El Questro is partly unsealed and we followed the grader part of the way which made it easier as in parts it was quite corrugated. 4wd is recommended. Great views of the ranges. Drove to Zebedee Springs which are a series of hot spring rockpools. The pools are closed at 12 noon to allow tour groups to use them. We got here about 8.30am and there were only a few people there which meant we had our own little pool to ourselves. The pools are quite lush and tropical surrounded by pandanus palms and livistona palms. Very very beautiful and a lovely crystal clear water with a temperature like a luke warm bath. From here we drove to The Station Township which is the central hub with a shop supplied with the essentials, souvenirs and fuel. Camping sites are provided here and if you are lucky might be able to score you own private campsite on the edge of the Pentecost River, we looked at one and it is very quiet and private all to yourselves. The Station is fairly rustic and basic but that is part of the El Questro wilderness and beauty. There are lots of 4wd only tracks and gorge walks that you can do. We went to the Branco Lookout which was a good use of John’s 4wd skills, the first being crossing the Chamberlain River which is very wide about 150m and lots and lots of rocks and boulders in the water. The water wasn’t deep at all it was more a case of negotiating the rocks, we had to use 4wd low gear to get through. That was the most challenging part and going up a narrow steep hairpin was another little challenge. The view was spectacular overlooking the Chamberlain River. Down the hill again across the river and onto Emma Gorge. What a lovely spot. Green grass, two restaurants under the verandah and swimming pool. We sat on the lovely green cool grass and ate our picnic lunch before tackling the gorge walk. The walk to the gorge takes an hour each way (3.2km return). Actually took us half an hour to get there and 45 minutes back. The fact sheet about the walk would put off the not so adventurous walker as it is pretty much walking over rocks all the way and crossing creeks. Closer to the plunge pool at the top the steeper its gets. Not to be deterred we did the walk and yes it was walking and climbing over rocks but not so bad and Emma Gorge is absolutely spectacular – the best we have seen. Hardly anyone there and after a hot sweaty walk a swim was a must to. The water was icy cold at first but once in it was just beautiful and cooling. The waterfall is a gentle fall of water and droplets of water from the waterfall seem to fall of the ferns growing on the sheer rock edges into the water. To lie in the water and look up through the water droplets at the green ferns lit up by the sun was magic. Now we know why Emma Gorge is rated on of the Kimberleys most spectacular gorges – it is. A camera cannot do it justice at all. In the corner of the gorge a hot thermal spring comes through the rock and John found heaps of frogs there enjoying the water. We stayed here for quite a while before the trek back down. There are so many boab trees in this area and they are all different shapes and sizes. Some have circumstances over 15m and some are over 1000 years old! We had a wonderful wonderful day so much better than we had imagined. The next best thing would be to stay at the El Questro Homestead which is pure luxury. It would actually be fantastic to see El Questro after the wet if you could get through of course. The reason they charge a fee per person is to cover costs to maintain the park particularly after the wet season when they have to rebuild the access roads and tracks, re-mark the walking tracks, erect signage and clear away flood debris. So fair enough as it is a wonderful rugged wilderness park and well worth the visit. We got home about 5.00pm – 9.5 hours for poor Coco all alone – she was so happy to see us – she is so patient.
26 August 2010
Days 345-347 – Kununurra, WA (24-26 August)
Mirima National Park
Arrived Kununurra and it is still hot! Everyday has been upto 38 degrees and the nights very warm about 23. The caravan park we are at edges the Lily Lagoon which is quite a big lake and has freshwater crocodiles in it. Near our site are a group of boab trees which have two whistling kite nests. We have watched the birds coming and going to feed their chicks. There are also two barking owls that frequent the nearby trees and hearing them at night is really awesome, they sound just like barking dogs. The lake has lots of lily leave pads and it interesting to watch the jacanas literally walking on water as they walk from one lily pad to another. There are also some lovely crimson finches that we see a lot of near the waters edge. After getting setup we went into town to get some info on the Bungles Bungles and El Questro. Didn’t appreciate it was 250kms to the Bungles from Kununurra with the last 50 odd kms on being on dirt road and this alone takes about 2 hours to transverse. The closest town to the Bungles is Turkey Creek which is basically just a roadhouse. We are in two minds whether to leave the van and camp overnight or do a flight. The problem of course with camping is that Coco can’t come with us as it is a national park and the caravan park at Turkey Creek has limited powered sites and no-one to care for her. So in a bit of a quandary on what to do. Someone we have met in the park is doing a 2 hour flight tomorrow so we will see how he enjoyed it. The population of Kununurra is 6000 with 50% being Aboriginal. There is a Coles and IGA supermarkets and other stores that cover most things. Not a particularly attractive town. We spent a couple of hours in the pool which is a nice pool but not very cool, the water temperature being 31 degrees in the morning! The next day (Wednesday) we went on a loop drive to some of the attractions the first being the Hoochery rum distillery. Besides rum they distil cane spirit which is made from sugarcane and hard to come by her. Popular in Africa. We tried the cane spirit and their liquers, one made from mango, another aniseed and the third rum with coffee and chocolate. They were all quite nice but ended up buying the cane spirit. We then went to the zebra gallery which is a gallery selling zebra stone ornaments. Some were ala naturel, others glossed and painted. Some nice pieces but pricey. Driving around we saw a lot of farmland with the irrigation channels fed by the Argyle Dam, each with their little black syphon hoses running into the furrows to water the crops. Orchards of Sandalwood trees lined the roads. The best thing we did all day was later in the afternoon when the sting had gone from the sun we went to the little known Mirima National Park. The park is 2kms from town and it is known as the ‘mini bungle bungles’ and easy to see why. It is magnificent. We were a tad late to get good sunset shots but got some reasonable ones. It is only a little park so the walks are easily done in a couple of hours. We are so impressed we are going back in the morning at sunrise to get some nice piccies. Up at 4.45am (not a typo) to go back to Mirima to take sunrise shots. We are taking Carmel with us (we have caught up with and her hubby David and Nellie their cattle cross dog at a few camps recently). They are unable to leave their dog alone as it has panic attacks and as David did the Bungles flight yesterday it was Carmel’s turn to see something similar. Sunrise was at 5.37am and was a very subtle light quite different from sunset. Still very speccy though. It was a beautiful morning 22.9 degrees and a beautiful welcoming breeze. Took heaps of photos. We were the only ones there had the whole place to ourselves! Back to camp at 6.30am and took Coco for a walk before it got too hot. I went back to Mirima mid morning to get some shots against the blue sky as the Kimberley colours look magnificent against a blue sky (well I think so!). Its looking unlikely we will get to the Bungles Bungles this trip so making the most of the next best thing! Have decided to drive to El Questro tomorrow and we have to get entry permits $17.50/person! It does last for 7 days. We are planning on going to Emma Gorge and seeing as much as we can. Our only concern is Coco, whilst she can come to El Questro she isn’t allowed to do any of the walks to the attractions so kind of defeats the purpose and it is way too hot to leave her in the car. So will leave her in the van with the aircon and TV. Hate doing that but sometimes no option. Having real problems getting somewhere to stay in Broome which is our next major stop mainly to catch up with Carl and Alison who live at Cable Beach Caravan Park. The one and only park in Broome that takes dogs from 1 September won’t have dogs bigger than ‘small caravan’ dogs, ie the pretend dogs. When I queried this and pointed out that the smaller dogs are usually more yappy I was told it is there choice to decide what size dogs they will allow into their park! So there you go. And they wanted $38/night for the privilege. Looks like we will bypass Broome and spend our dollars elsewhere! Fortunately we have spent some time in Broome previously so aren’t missing out by not seeing it. Anyway have spoken to Carl and it might have to be that we stay at Barn Hill 95kms south of Broome and they come for a weekend. Looking forward to Barn Hill have heard some really good reports. Whilst I am doing this blog the barking owls are really vocal tonight, sounds so nice.
Arrived Kununurra and it is still hot! Everyday has been upto 38 degrees and the nights very warm about 23. The caravan park we are at edges the Lily Lagoon which is quite a big lake and has freshwater crocodiles in it. Near our site are a group of boab trees which have two whistling kite nests. We have watched the birds coming and going to feed their chicks. There are also two barking owls that frequent the nearby trees and hearing them at night is really awesome, they sound just like barking dogs. The lake has lots of lily leave pads and it interesting to watch the jacanas literally walking on water as they walk from one lily pad to another. There are also some lovely crimson finches that we see a lot of near the waters edge. After getting setup we went into town to get some info on the Bungles Bungles and El Questro. Didn’t appreciate it was 250kms to the Bungles from Kununurra with the last 50 odd kms on being on dirt road and this alone takes about 2 hours to transverse. The closest town to the Bungles is Turkey Creek which is basically just a roadhouse. We are in two minds whether to leave the van and camp overnight or do a flight. The problem of course with camping is that Coco can’t come with us as it is a national park and the caravan park at Turkey Creek has limited powered sites and no-one to care for her. So in a bit of a quandary on what to do. Someone we have met in the park is doing a 2 hour flight tomorrow so we will see how he enjoyed it. The population of Kununurra is 6000 with 50% being Aboriginal. There is a Coles and IGA supermarkets and other stores that cover most things. Not a particularly attractive town. We spent a couple of hours in the pool which is a nice pool but not very cool, the water temperature being 31 degrees in the morning! The next day (Wednesday) we went on a loop drive to some of the attractions the first being the Hoochery rum distillery. Besides rum they distil cane spirit which is made from sugarcane and hard to come by her. Popular in Africa. We tried the cane spirit and their liquers, one made from mango, another aniseed and the third rum with coffee and chocolate. They were all quite nice but ended up buying the cane spirit. We then went to the zebra gallery which is a gallery selling zebra stone ornaments. Some were ala naturel, others glossed and painted. Some nice pieces but pricey. Driving around we saw a lot of farmland with the irrigation channels fed by the Argyle Dam, each with their little black syphon hoses running into the furrows to water the crops. Orchards of Sandalwood trees lined the roads. The best thing we did all day was later in the afternoon when the sting had gone from the sun we went to the little known Mirima National Park. The park is 2kms from town and it is known as the ‘mini bungle bungles’ and easy to see why. It is magnificent. We were a tad late to get good sunset shots but got some reasonable ones. It is only a little park so the walks are easily done in a couple of hours. We are so impressed we are going back in the morning at sunrise to get some nice piccies. Up at 4.45am (not a typo) to go back to Mirima to take sunrise shots. We are taking Carmel with us (we have caught up with and her hubby David and Nellie their cattle cross dog at a few camps recently). They are unable to leave their dog alone as it has panic attacks and as David did the Bungles flight yesterday it was Carmel’s turn to see something similar. Sunrise was at 5.37am and was a very subtle light quite different from sunset. Still very speccy though. It was a beautiful morning 22.9 degrees and a beautiful welcoming breeze. Took heaps of photos. We were the only ones there had the whole place to ourselves! Back to camp at 6.30am and took Coco for a walk before it got too hot. I went back to Mirima mid morning to get some shots against the blue sky as the Kimberley colours look magnificent against a blue sky (well I think so!). Its looking unlikely we will get to the Bungles Bungles this trip so making the most of the next best thing! Have decided to drive to El Questro tomorrow and we have to get entry permits $17.50/person! It does last for 7 days. We are planning on going to Emma Gorge and seeing as much as we can. Our only concern is Coco, whilst she can come to El Questro she isn’t allowed to do any of the walks to the attractions so kind of defeats the purpose and it is way too hot to leave her in the car. So will leave her in the van with the aircon and TV. Hate doing that but sometimes no option. Having real problems getting somewhere to stay in Broome which is our next major stop mainly to catch up with Carl and Alison who live at Cable Beach Caravan Park. The one and only park in Broome that takes dogs from 1 September won’t have dogs bigger than ‘small caravan’ dogs, ie the pretend dogs. When I queried this and pointed out that the smaller dogs are usually more yappy I was told it is there choice to decide what size dogs they will allow into their park! So there you go. And they wanted $38/night for the privilege. Looks like we will bypass Broome and spend our dollars elsewhere! Fortunately we have spent some time in Broome previously so aren’t missing out by not seeing it. Anyway have spoken to Carl and it might have to be that we stay at Barn Hill 95kms south of Broome and they come for a weekend. Looking forward to Barn Hill have heard some really good reports. Whilst I am doing this blog the barking owls are really vocal tonight, sounds so nice.
24 August 2010
Days 343-344 – Lake Argyle, WA (22-23 August)
Gee it gets light early - by 6.00am the sun is beaming in. Again we are used to it getting light at 7.00am in the east. Doesn’t help that the popup van next to us is playing their radio so early! Grr! So Coco and I are up at 6.30 and it is warm – phew as soon as the sun is out it is beaming and hot. Someone told me it was 36 degrees in the shade of their annexe at 7.30am. After a quick brekkie we went for a walk. Started to do the 2km walk to the Ord River Gorge but after a while the path was not so easy to follow so decided to head back and wait until John was with us. We then went to the water tank lookout 0.7km and it is a nice view over the jetty and lake. Watched the float plane land on the water. Got back to the van and it is only 8.30am. Poor Coco was so hot she put her paws into her water bowl to cool off and took her ages to cool down even with the air con on. Mid morning John and I went for a swim in the pool. Absolutely beautiful. The pool is one of those that looks like it disappears over the edge and the view over the lake is stunning and so cool! A few people in there but not too bad but after a while it did get busy everyone had the same idea. After hibernating in the van for a couple of hours in the heat of the day we ventured out for a drive over the dam wall to a lookout and the picnic area. The picnic area was lovely green grass overlooking the spillway. We then drove onto a 4wd track to a lookout at Pannikin Bay. It was a really lovely bay and with the sun setting over the cliffs off the islands it was quite stunning. We took another couple with us who are travelling in a motorhome. They are originally from Wollongong NSW and have bought a townhouse in Moolabah on the Qld Sunshine Coast. They haven’t lived in it yet bought it, rented it and travel. The two couples next door to us are from Bathurst NSW and travelling for four months to get away from winter. Nice people, in January they are doing a 20 day safari tour to Botswana, Zambia and Namiba and coming home on the Queen Mary. How good does that sound! They were lucky enough to get tickets on the Queen Mary for half price. The views over Lake Argyle are quite stunning and it really it a must see place with more to do that you would think. I can tell we are going to enjoy the Kimberley. Another early morning up by 6.00am! and walking Coco at 6.30am and it is very warm already. We walked the gorge walk again, went a bit further this time. After brekkie we went to the Argyle Homestead. This is the home of the Durack family one of the original families to settle in this area. The homestead was flooded and disappeared underwater back in the 70s and what we visited today is a replica version with a lot of the original furniture that was recovered from the bottom of the lake. Operation Noah (coincidently the same name as the Lake Kariba operation in Zimbabwe) was launched to rescue stranded wildlife and stock that was trapped during the damming of the river. Mary Durack is a well known author and her book “King of the cattle grasses” is the story of the Durack family from their origins in Ireland to their life in the Kimberley. After this we went back to Ord River picnic area for a relax under the beautiful shady trees. At the homestead we saw a bower bird which we haven’t seen before with its nest and a beautiful frill necked lizard up the side of a tree stump. We didn’t get to see its frill nor the bower birds plumage although someone did show us a photo he took of the bower birds plumage at the picnic area yesterday – magnificent looks like a purple flower on the back of its neck. In the afternoon it was back to the pool for a couple of hours reading books and cooling off in the pool. The pool and views really are spectacular, there is nothing quite like the Kimberley colours! Another hot balmy night and John showed our African videos to two other couples next to us who are doing the safari through Africa.
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