Advertisement
Published: August 13th 2009
20 - 30th July 2009
Thanks to our guest bloggers Kerry and Steve for help with text and authorship of some photos. After taking ages in a conga line at the fuel depot in Derby to get discount diesel we finally got to Woolworths where Steve sweet talked staff into selling them vodka before the official opening time of 12 noon.
We were finally on our way after Steve and Kerry met someone they knew from Denmark. What a small world!
Windjana Gorge, a 3.5 kilomtere gorge tunneled out of the Napier Range by the waters of the Lennard River, was our destination for today and after putting up our camper and tent we relaxed through the heat of the day before going for a stroll through the gorge in the late afternoon. A shady walk trail meanders through the gorge which abounds in all sorts of flora and fauna. Paperbarks, river gums, native figs, native passionfruit, pandanus and boabs line the many pools of water. Crocodiles also abound on the banks along with bird life. Judy and Kerry unsuccessfully searched for a bower bird nest that a passing girl had told us about.
Canasta was
the choice for the evening activity and Rags is proud to say “We thrashed ‘em!”
The next morning before it was too hot we headed for another view of the gorge. By the time we came back just about all the other tourists had decamped so we packed up in the heat and set off for Tunnel Creek.
Tunnel Creek, a 750metre tunnel that has worn through the Napier Range ivolves wading and we dressed in preparation for a wetting. We paddled in water varying from ankle deep to knee deep, constantly fighting off crocodiles (LOL) to reach the other end of this massive subterranean water course.
RAAF Boab Quarry was our next destination and after picking our way through badly corrugated road we finally arrived a couple of hours later. This area was originally quarried for the RAAF Curtin Air base near Derby and an enormous crater was left after the rock was gouged out. This has filled with water and is now a pristine swimming hole very deep and at least 600 metres long. There were few other people here and we easily found a place to camp not far from the quarry water which is
the highlight of this area.
We enjoyed the swimming so much that we decided it was worth staying here for another day which we easily filled catching up on washing, reading, swimming, walking and the two girls enjoyed a variety of games and puzzles.
We broke camp early and drove to Fitzroy Crossing where we fuelled up, bought some bread at their temporary shopping centre as their regular one had been burnt down recently. Geikie Gorge was our next stop where we were on time for the 11am river trip. On this trip a ranger, Sean, gave us a lively description of the area both present and past. The hour was over very quickly as we were mesmerised by the spectacular multicoloured 30 metre deep cliffs.
After this we were happy to find some shade so we could eat the sandwiches we’d prepared earlier. The magpie larks here were very friendly and almost took the crumbs from our hands whilst being watched by 2 black kites from above.
Nearly 200 kilometres down the track we investigated the very popular Mary Pool, a 24 hour stop, but as it was still early and we found the area
dusty and as full as a caravan park we only stopped for afternoon tea. Normally it could be a great place to stop but there was no water in the pool and it was very crowded.
By the time we reached Hall’s Creek it was almost dusk so we didn’t argue with the $50 they asked for a site near the noisy water filters as it was the last one available. We enjoyed the showers - we felt we’d paid well for them.
Sleep was very disturbed with the water filter cutting in and out all night so we were up early and had decamped by 7.30 and on our way to the China Wall, the local site. After this we refueled and hit the road towards the Bungles. Soon we felt like were shaking, rattling and rolling as we began the drive on the road to the Bungles.
It was only 4kms in when we heard awful noises coming from our Jeep. Rags thought they sounded like a grinding noise and Judy thought it sounded like something had broken off and was loosely banging against some other part but neither knew what it was and further
investigations shed no light. We turned back toward the highway but didn’t want to drive as we felt we might do further damage. A few cars pulled up to see if they could help us and we asked one to relay to Steve and Kerry that we’d turned around. Judy found a shady spot under a Coolibah tree on her chair as Rags was blowing his own fuse. Luckily it wasn’t too long before Steve and Kerry returned and Kerry joined Judy and Steve and Rags further investigated the undercarriage and Steve spotted the brake cable had flexed out and was rubbing against the universal joint so they did a farmer’s repair with ballot box security seals compliments of the Australian Electoral Commission.
We were once again on our way. Three hours later after several water crossings and hairpin bends we arrived at the Bungles Visitors’ Centre. Wallardi campsite was to be our home for the next 2 days. After setting up camp in the heat we had no energy left for further exploring in the heat so we relaxed under the shade of the Bauhinia and Wallardi tree enjoying the bird life including Red Tail Black Cockatoos, Pied
Rags off for a swim in the RAAF Boab Quarry
A lovely place with lots of water. We stayed here 2 nights and swam each day.Butcher Birds and Friar Birds.
The following morning we tried to make an early start to beat the heat. Piccaninny Gorge was our destination. This walk culminated in Cathedral Gorge which had amazing acoustics like a whispering wall. It was all Gorge-ous! From here we walked further up Piccaninny Creek to the lookout. By this time the heat was so intense we were grateful for a little shade and a stop to enjoy the impressive view. On our return we also completed the Dome walk but our enthusiasm was now waning so we went back to camp and enjoyed a lazy afternoon punctuated by solar showers and at times by a dousing with buckets of water. Luckily the bore water from the tap was very usable for this purpose.
The next day we went to Echidna Chasm after breaking camp early. This gorge is very shady in comparison to the previous gorges. You wouldn’t want to be claustrophobic as some of the passages are very narrow and rock falls have left large boulders suspended in some of the gaps. We wanted to see Mini Palms but it was so hot we walked in for 10 minutes and decided
that the proposed 2 hour walk was out of the question.
Our next stop was the Visitors’ Centre where we refreshed ourselves with an iced Green Tea and Judy and Kerry bought t-shirts out of the bargain bin. The track back didn’t seem half so bad as it had on the way in.
We wanted to reach Kununurra by the evening but this didn’t happen so we stopped at 24 hour stopping spot called Dunham. Here our inflatable mattress decided to deflate and we found a couple of holes. Even though we plugged these the mattress still went down! Rags hurt his back moving the Engels and laying on the hard ground only exacerbated the situation. Judy didn’t realise he’d hurt his back and slept quite well on Kerry’s exercise mat!
This meant we reached Kununurra early the next morning which was just as well as there were few spots left and it wasn’t until we reached the third caravan park, Lakeside that we managed to get a powered site. The site was right on the lake, with jacanas dancing around on the water lilies and jabirus feeding on the lakeside. The only thing wrong with our
Geiki Gorge
Here we went for a cruise on the river. site was that it had no shade and the temperature was in the high thirties. The afternoon was spent washing, shopping and relaxing by the pool before heading out to Ivanhoe Crossing to watch the 4WD’s tackling the causeway. This crossing formed part of the original road from Kununurra to Wyndham but was flooded when the Diversion Dam was built and it is closed during the wet season when the water level is too high. Kelly’s Knob to watch the sunset was our next stop but the sun had already set and it was only 5pm! Nonetheless the views were great and we took some interesting shots in the fading light.
After cutting a picnic lunch the next day we all piled into the Jeep and drove to Lake Argyle for the morning. Durack Homestead was our first stop and here we learnt about the history of the Durack family who were Kimberley pastoral pioneers and used to own the land where the dam now is. Here we also saw a pair of Great Bowerbirds building their bower. What a treat! We also got a closeup view of Double-barred Finches at a bird feeder near the verandah.
After
crossing the dam we had our lunch at a beautiful, shady park full of a variety of large trees. Apparently a quarter of Australian bird species live in the Kimberley and we saw many here at the park.
After being refreshed by a swim back at camp we went to the city centre on various errands and also to view the Lovell Gallery that we’d heard about. Here we saw a huge mural painted of the Bungles.
We shopped for cider before heading back to camp for drinks and chicken burgers for dinner. Rummikub was the game for this evening. Each evening we’ve been playing different games including Euchre, Canansta, Upwords and Rummikub.
On Thursday we set out for Wyndham soon after 8am, the girls feeling virtuous as they had already walk/jogged to Mirima National Park. On the way we dropped in to a peaceful grotto where we clambered down the 140 steps to a deep pool and saw a water monitor basking in the sunshine. It wasn’t warm enough for us to go for a swim today and the water was stagnant looking.
The first place we went to in Wyndham was the Five Rivers Lookout on
the Bastion Range. It was a steep climb to the vantage point 330 metres above sea level. From here there are panoramic views over Cambridge Gulf and Wyndham.
Our next stop was the crocodile farm where we discovered we were just in time for the next feeding tour so we paid our money and waited for the tour to begin. Judy went to the loo and discovered 4 green frogs under the rim of the toilet. Chris, our droll tour guide was very entertaining. This is a working crocodile farm that supplies crocodile skin to some of the leading fashion houses in France. At this time of the year the salt water crocodiles are very languorous and many weren’t too interested in the food but a few put on a suitable performance for us.
Barra and chips was lunch for today from the local Wyndham Hotel. This was enjoyed immensely as were the displays of some of the large barra they catch in this area that decorate the lounge area. We then perused the few local shops including the a little second hand store.
From here we decided to take the back road back to Kununurra and
take in Parry Creek Reserve. Marglu Billabong we marvelled at the amazing view of lily pads and flowers and more birds than we have seen anywhere. We strolled along the boardwalk to a bird hide where we watched the comings and goings of birds such as brolgas, pelicans, egrets, darter, magpie geese, swamphens, Radjah Shellduck and Hardhead Ducks even saw a large croc sunning itself on the bank opposite.
There was still a long way to go on dirt road (good practise for tomorrow) before we reached the Ivanhoe Crossing. We were all a bit nervous about making this water crossing that we had watched others do a few nights earlier. It certainly seemed deeper than previously and the water was flowing quickly. I think Judy held her breathe for most of the way and forgot to take video until near the end.
We cheered when we reached the other side and Rags was rewarded with a beer back at camp!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.063s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 11; qc: 27; dbt: 0.0288s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Thelma
non-member comment
Derby to Kununarra.
Loved reading all about your journey to Kununarra and am looking forward to the next Blog about the Gibb River Road adventure. Great Photos too ! Love Mum