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Published: January 17th 2011
The Kimberley grasps you. Whether you are just passing through or living here you cannot help feel it's presence. Three times the size of England with only 26,000 inhabitants the rugged Kimberley is such a vast, unpopulated region that each car that passes by can be counted on one hand and waved at fervently with the other. The intimidating heat, beamed down from a sun that feels too close for comfort, tests even the most stubborn of settlers and can reduce you to sweat before you get out of the air conditioned car. The land is unto itself, holding majesty in an area that still feels untouched.
Before we entered this huge region we stopped for the day at the seaside town of Broome. On the edge of the barren Kimberley, Broome could not be more different. It's lush seaside location and fancy Cable Beach bring tourists from all over the world. We wandered the streets and beaches before a mango beer at Matso's Brewery. There is a high aboriginal population in Broome and it was hard to see so many drinking during the day in various parks around the town. There is a big drinking problem for aborigines in
Australia mirrored by health and behavioural problems compounded by a lack of employment. Tackling the cause instead of the effect seems to have deserted many of the people we have met in Australia.
The few towns that survive in the Kimberley are a long way apart. Due to the tiring distances involved it is refreshing that the Australian government offer 'free coffee for drivers'. The fact they are few and far between and the coffee is dreadful is beyond the point. Anyway with a high temperature of 46 degrees we could only stomach water.
We past the towns of Fitzroy and Halls Creek before the scenery changed into a stunning continuation of gorges and ridges that the road cut through. It was extremely hot and it made trying to see Geikie Gorge N.P a tiresome exercise. After fifteen minutes walking we turned back, found a tap and had an impromptu shower before moving on.
That evening we pulled over at a '24 hour rest stop' named Leysters Rest. The clouds were stormy and darkness was falling as we rushed to put our tent up, cook and eat our dinner. Luckily the ran did not come but what
did ensue was the most impressive electrical storm I have ever seen. Flashes of light hit the horizon every second for over an hour as we sat watching in amazement. The beauty of it was that we were the only people enjoying this feat of nature in the most remote of spots. I really felt like we were in Australia there. As we put our heads down to sleep, the hard red earth beneath us, the flickers of lightning still punctured the sky before us. A very special evening.
Of course the weather plays a huge part in creating the Kimberley and its feeling. On another oppressively hot day as we reached Kununnara an aboriginal man we got talking to explained "that's them build em' up heat". Referring to the heat that rises before a storm. We were coming into the wet season but had had no rain. The heat just seemed to keep rising the whole time we were there.
Determined to see some of Kununnara's sights, despite the 'build em' up heat', we walked to the top of Kelly's Knob Lookout from where we could see over the irrigated, now flooded, fertile land. Until recently Kununnara
was as barren as elsewhere in the Kimberley but the damming of the nearby river has helped create this town. It was then onto Mirima N.P, a.k.a the mini bungles, forming a landscape which only our pictures can do justice.
At the end of the region and the darling of the Kimberley lies Lake Argyle. It is Australia's second largest lake by volume and is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. We arrived at the magnificent lake towards the end of the day and sat in awe of the reddening colours set on the cliffs by the falling sun. The water reflected the mountains and colours behind it and enticed us down to it's shore. As we scrambled down to the water a crocodile slithered off into the water from a nearby rock. In a land so hot and hostile it is a dream to see water you can swim in. However, when we found out there are an estimated 25,000 crocodiles living in the lake we decided not to swim.
We spent the night sleeping in our car under stunning stars and in a temperature too hot to bare. We were up at 3am and driving
to the lake to watch the early sunrise. Again the colours magnified the beauty of this amazing lake. We sat and cooked breakfast, extremely happy with life.
To reward ourselves for a sleepless night in the car we checked in to Lake Argyle Campsite. This decision was based on it's prized asset, the infinity swimming pool. Sat on the edge of the cliff the pool overlooked the swirls of lake Argyle and sent everyone who entered it into a dreamy state of joy. In the extreme sticky heat we could cool off at our leisure in view of the lake, safe in the knowledge that the crocodiles couldn't get us here. We had two and a half amazing days at Lake Argyle Campsite, swimming, walking, having hot showers and catching up with our washing. Our sleeping patterns were set by nature, like so many other things in the Kimberley. The sun was too hot by 5am and down by 5pm. The heat, however, never went down. These few days really felt like a holiday from all the travelling.
Lake Argyle was a great end to a part of Australia that has to be seen to be believed. There
was a peacefulness created by the enormous lake that reflected the land perfectly. The Kimberley has that feeling of stillness while all around it is changing. Travelling through this vast region really was like going back into time in a land that has stood the test of time. Here the elements are too strong for humans to effect. Lake Argyle may be a man made lake but it has added to the nature and aura of it's surrounds. Almost like the Kimberley had wished for it and in this part of Australia I feel Kimberley will always have the last word.
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