Darwin to Perth" Wicked journey part 2"

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They wait maybe 10 years to get out of a drought in the Queensland/Victoria then get enough rain to fill the resevoirs to last 5 years ,in contrast, in WA the farmers are sending sheep and cattle west by road trains(3 trucks together) for the grass to graze as WA has had one of the driest winters for years. They say that this summer in WA will be one of the worst fly seasons for a long time, we can vouch to that!

So from floods to humidity and heat we flew to Darwin from Brisbane and picked up our camper for the next 30 days,a 4x4 to, as we were hoping to do the Gibb River road and the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley. We didn't have much luck as the wet season was arriving in bursts as we left Darwin. This closed them for three days as the river crossings rose and we didn't want to take the risk. But as we continued on we heard they opened again so maybe another time.

Up top( the New Territories) as they say, is tropical and has the majority of the Aboriginals communities and territories. The two National Parks we visited here was Litchfield and Kakadu(huge 2nd biggest in oz).We were very aware that this part of Australia is Croc country and swimming is risky,we saw fresh water crocs in Timber Creek but no Salties were seen,they are more dangerous and come further inland during the wet season which was approuching. Soon we were leaving the wet behind us travelling west to Broome where we stayed 4 days in blowy but warm weather. After some local knowledge we drove offroad for 100km north to Cape Leveque where we flew over the Horozontal Waterfalls and camped next to the lighthouse, probably our favourite place so far...

The land in Oz has been shaped by sea,water and lava over 400 million years, so it always surprises with the landscapes,more so south of the Pilbera in Karijini NP. Leaving the desert to find lush gorge eco-systems
was a refreshing surprise and with croc free pools to swim in a bonus. The only downside was the flies in the evening stopping us eating outside! and the King Brown snake which passed Lynns feet and made her jump! Our journey through the Pilbara passed a town called Tom Price which is an oasis and base for many miners in the area. The north west of WA has great resources of iron ore nickel and gold which employs many.

After spending 3 days inland we made our way to the north of the Tropic of Capricorn to the Ningaloo Marine Park and then to Coral bay further south all for the best snorkelling we've done but also in one drift the most dangerous as seawater gushs through a gap in the lagoon. I wish we had an underwater camera to show you what the colours were like and some of the creatures we saw, sea snakes reef sharks and turtles. The sunsets have been amazing as we don't see many in Scotland ,I think the west coast of WA has been the best for them.

We were running out of time at this stage. You need more time to see and explore the west,30 days gives time to see most of the best which includes the Nambung NP(The Pinnacles) which is famous for sandstone pillars possibly reminants of ancient prehistoric forests? We had a drive through the Pinnacles and then over the huge sand dunes nearby on the coast.

From there Lancelin, Yanchep NP and Perth to stay with rellies where we visited Rottnest island and took a cruise along the Swan River to the wineries, more photos of Perth surrounds soon, and Scottie and Lanna!!! Belfast famille...

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Comments

[Ray Sefton]

Hello
Hi Scott and Lynn, You look as if you are enjoying yourselves. Nice photos. We have never had the courage to do what you are doing. The World finishes south of Dalwhinnie. Rothiemurchus ticks away as usual. We had a busy summer. Winter has just about arrived with skiing started on the hill last weekend. Best wishes Ray

[carol]

hello
great pics, sorry they finished. Hope it was as good as it looked. Your camper looks a bit less jazzy, is it a v.w? Hope you are having a rest with a real bed.Enjoy the heat and sun, its cold, wet and gale force here, so you aren't missing a thing.