From the Pilbara to the Kimberly's

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30th Sept. No car part today as they took the freight off the plane. and now the weekend and Monday is a public holiday so we sit and we wait, reading, cards and the pool to cool us down every hour or so.
1st Oct. We decided if the car could not drive us up Mount Nameless then we would have to walk it. The highest mountain in W.A. that you can drive up it is a big red bluff that has views over the Hamersley Ranges and the Mine at Tom Price. We left at sunrise to beat the heat. For the first 15 minutes my heart did back flips as we climbed up steps and cliff face to scale the first third of its height. Then there was another 35 minutes of a steep rocky cow track that went up and up. And then the last ten minutes or so is a lot more gentle and you set the great views that remind you why you climbed up in the first place. Back down by 9:30 for another day of reading, cards and the pool.
2nd Oct. Another day waiting for the car part moving betweeen the pool and the camper. Up again at sunrise partly as soon as the sun comes up it's hot and as soon as dawn begins so do the galah's. We went for an early walk along the telephone wires and got to enjoy some wildflowers.
3rd Oct. Another early stroll, and the usual morning. The car part finally has arrived which fixes the car... for five minutes. So after Nard spending the arvo trying to work out the car to no avail, we purchased a battery charger so that we could at least drive around for the day and see what we came to see. The N.P. Tomorrow and then we leave to find a larger town with an auto electrician.
4th October. Another early morning to beat the heat (although a cooler day today) and we managed the drive out to Karijini N.P. We went out to Weano, to Oxers llokout where 3 or 4 gorges meet. Then on to Jofre's where there was a swarm of kids with lilo's stating a trip through the gorge. Then we drove over to another Gorge system where we walked down to Circular Pool, an oasis pool formed at the bottom of a large cliff with water comming out from the cliff and then further on down a cascading section of rocks and filled with ferns and trees. We took on the walk through the gorge and on to the other two tourist areas. A nice shaded walk most of the way with a few creek crossings until we came upon Fortesque Falls for another swim and cool off and then to Fern Pool another swimming hole with a fallen tree to roost in in the middle of the pool. And the best thing about Karijini is there are no crocks.
5th Oct. Left camp at 6:45 to try and keep cool (for those of you who are unaware we have no air con so we leave camp early in the morning to try and beat the heat) we reached Port Headland at 11 to be greeted by a sifling heat with a hot wind. Once we found a caravan park that could fit us in and looked half livable (attempt number 3) we cooled off in the pool to agin feel human. On searching for an auto elec the earliest that we could be seen was monday and it was now Friday. And for those of you who have been to Port Headland there is nothing here except the longest trains in the world and the masses of piles of iron ore and the port. So we opted to get on the net, book an auto elec in bBroome and spend the arfternoon doing some shopping in the air conditioned shops. Nard was so eager to get out of there in the morning that he was tring to convince me to sleep upright in the car so we did not have to pack up in the morning.
6th Oct. This time we left earlir and drove ourselves to 80 mile beach caravan park (near Wallal downs if you are looking on a map). Out of the car by 10 so we did not turn feral with the heat (the heat is only intollerable whilst in the car. If under the shade of a tree and not movng it is quite bearable). And the heat has turned here form a Melbourne dry heat to a more humid one and there is a breeze here. A nice stroll along the beach and about 100 people parked in what I assumes is a fairly remote part of Aus (not) all fishing at high tide. Once the tide has gone, all the pople disappear off the beach until the next day's high tide. Luckily the caravan park had it;s own little shop as in our haste to get out of Port Headland we did not plan too far ahead with food. So this enabled us to eat well and stay for abother day. We met a couple of couples that were not so scared of young people (there are very few younger australians travelling. They are moslty retirees of Euro's) and spent the evening having a few drinks with the neighbours.
7th Oct. It is also possible to sleep in here as the shade means longer to warm up in the tent. Went beach combng and found some awsome shells, watched sea snakes popping there heads out watching the fishermen and some sea eagles searching for a meal. The shop here gets dough from Perth and then bakes the best fresh bread. We joined the neighbours on the other side for a sqiz at Tony and Gill's 2 month old Winebago and shared a drink in the air conditioed comfort in their extendable lounge room. And then we took our new friends to meet our old friends and enjoyed a few more drinks. Nard had been given a bottle of Chivas apparently a very good wisky that he was mixing with coke. Whenever Nard brings out this wisky with older gentleman they are horrified apparently a no no you just drink it straight with ice. So Tom got out a cheep bottle of wisky for Nard to mix with coke as he felt bad drinking all the good stuff. We left them to go to be as Tom was a little speachless (not for want of trying) and Nard and I enjoyed an evening stroll along the beach.
8th Oct. Tom waved us goodbye out his window before going back to sleep and we continued our travells to Broome. Armed with knowledge from our neighbours at 80 mile we mannage to get another shady spot but this caravan park has a pool to die for. About 25 meters long, waterfall, lounges and shade sails one would think you were in a resort in Bali. And to top it off on a sunday night there is a mobile wood fire oven pizza place right by the pool. The heat here is even more humid. Much easier to cope with, especially when you spend it by the pool. Also in luch tonight as it is the stairway to the moon. An effect caused as the moon rises over tidal mud flaps. Now this is only on the 3 largest moons of the month and is quite a tourist attraction. we decided to go for one of the resorts where there was a guitarist playing and as the moon is about to rise the suspense buids as a didjiridoo (did I spell that incorrectly) begins its rythym. And then the moon rises and hundreds of idiots try to take photo's of this spectacle with flashes on camera's rather than using a tripod so there will be lots of dark photo's of mangroves lit up 10 feet from there camera. However this did give Nard and I an opportunity to make some new friends as the couples sitting near us took lessons in photography and had Nard sorting out all of their technology difficulties.
9th Oct. Car has gone off to be fixed. So another Lazy day by the pool reading and relaxing. As we have no car we have taken up bike riding. A lovely way to spend time in Broome so long as it's after 3:30 when it cools down. So we have picked up the car and apparently the bushells in the alternator were buggered even though it was bench tested mid year when the same thing was happening.
10th October. A look around Broome today. Mostly pearl and jewlery sops howeve a few good photo gallery's. There is a picture theatre here, outdoor and indoor that is still in it's original state. Hammock/deck style chairs and lots of charm. So after another lazy arvo of reading and pool we watched an average sunset and went to see Pirates of the Cariabean at the cinema.
11th Oct. We got up early as the tide has to be out and we went out to see the dinosaw footprints. Lucky Nard brought the compas and there we lots of helpers looking but we managed to find all 3 sets of dinasaur footprints. An organising day today getting ready to sleep in the car at Cape Leveque as it is 200km of dirt rd that apparently you can not tow the trailer out. Enjoyed the pool some more and a bike ride and got a great sunset to watch the camels come up the beach and a stairway to the sun.
12th Oct. Up early, packed and driving to ape Leveque at the start of the dirt road and shizam, the lights are back on and the battery is not charging. So after a few chaice words, back to the auto elec. So with our trip put of we spend ths one sleeping and reading and listening to tunes by the pool. Its a hard way to spend the day with a broken down car so we no complain. At least we were not half way there. So now they bench test the alternator for an hour before they pick up an intermittent short that stuffed the bushells in the first place and we wait till tomorrow as they really are very busy and have been lovely enough to fit us back in on a day they were boked out. And they are putting in a bigger alternator in the hope that it will cope better with the load we are putting on it with the fridge, lights, recharging electrics, etc. But low we have left all our cash in the car so another bike ride and reorganise ourselves for the trip to Cape Leveque in the morning.
13th. Waiting impatiently we pick up the car at 10:30 and set off. No lights come on and we seem to be on our way. A rough ride on corregations for the first 70 kms we meet the graders and the rest is much smoother and parts in the process of being made. we get our first taste of wet season with a few spits of rain and some cloud cover to keep it a bit cooler. A lot of the vegetation on the way has been burnt out, the land is flat so the view similar for the drive. Although there are beware of croc signs at the start of this 200km drive the swimming beach is by all report from the owners a safe beach from crocs and stingers however the beach 400 meters around the corner is not. On asking for further information I was informed it was safe, no we have never had any problem with stingers or crocodiles on this beach however you have to remember we are in the Kimberly's. Go figure. However we did enjoy a sunset with our steak and salad.
14th Oct. After a somewhat uncomfortable sleep in camparison to the camper we took on a walk along the beach as most other areas are either bush or off limits due to important aborigianl sites. No croc sitings but there were 100's of stingers surfing the waves. A drive out to one arm point disappointing as the view in all the pictures is taken out at sea and does not show the scrambling community and the very average beaches. So we spent the arvo back at camp having a few drinks and then just made take away from the resteraunt (only open for 1 hour in evening) and an evening stroll.
15th Oct. On our drive back to Broome we stopped off at Beagle Bay to visit an old missionary church that apparently had a pearl shell altal. However church was in session so we decisded to skip that and head back to Broome. We stopped off at the Broome Bird Observatory on Robuck Bay. Now this is a beach much nicer that Cape Leveque and only a few kns out of town. Lots of migratory birds stop here to feed up for the next leg of their journey. We took a hot walk along one of the viewing tracks. We did not see any birds but we did see a bower from a great bower bird. The bird baths were very active (that's where the bowere bird was) but the beach was deserted of birds as it was low tide and they were too far out to see. And we purchased a fan for the tent which greatly affects air flow in the camper so it is cooler at night.
16th Oct. Left late as we had to drop off stuff to auto elec they left under the bonnet, and we made our way less than 200kms to Derby. We visited the prion boab tree and the jetty at derby. This jetty experiences 12 meter tides at the right time of the year and month however we missed that as the big tides we had in broome for the stairway to the moon and sun.
17th Oct. Another short drive to Fitzroy Crossing, a nice cloudy morning to keep the temp down. We dumped the trailor and took ourselves out to Tunnel Creek. A 750 meter walk through a cave and creek where you do a few river crossings to get to the other end. I don't know how likely it is that there are freshys in there (thats what I was told) so holding tight to Nard who had the torch and trying not to hyperventilate we made our way through to an oasis at the other end and back again. We then went to Winjana Gorge for some good views of crocs. One sitting up on the sand did not run away so were able to get some good shots. We think she was laying her eggs and was in a bit of a trance as she did not seem to see us. So we set off back along the 150 kms back to Fitzroy Crossing hoping to see the sunset at a choice spot for rocks and boabs for photos and as we slowed down to engage 4WD for a river crossing the mbox that you use to switch between gas and petrol made a hissing suond and died. So with no petrol and no gas we were stuck 100 kms from camp nearing sunset. (We did have food and water) After a quick assessment Nard mannaged to wiggle the wires so that we could run the car on petrol. We enjoyed a sunset somewhat short of our destination but spectacular none the less and we drove home holding a wobbleling the box in to continued action and limped back to camp where Nard tightened all the wired in the back of the box that had wiggled loose with the corregations.
18th Oct. We took oursleves to Geikie Gorge this morning for a tour on the boat. The wiring still no fixed we held out till we got back to camp where Nard has since reliably fixed the wiring and been test diven and I have spent hours downloading phot'os and updating the web in the air conditioning. We have heard that the road to the Bungle Bungles has just been graded and is smooth as so after Halls Crrek and Wolf Creek Crater we will head there before hitting El Questro which closes on the 31st so we had better make tracks. Lets hope the car holds up.
It seems the phots are working from our small camera, sorry not many pics as we do not use very often (tried to remember to put on web) now we have the good camera. I will try and put some photos on the last blog as well. Chow

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