Tuesday 30th April 2024

---

Tuesday 30

^th
April, KununurraG’Day Lake KununurraCost $45.00 per night with membershipRated by us 6/10Mileage 18949 travelled 0Having looked at the flights and tours on offer around here we are shocked at the prices. The helicopter ride over the Bungle Bungles start at $1,500 each and they all include a hike, which I cannot do. The only one with no walking is $3,045 each which is crazy. Whilst chatting to the girls on reception I noticed a brochure for JJJ Cruises and on investigation I was pleasantly surprised, for $242 each we get a coach to Lake Argle and a cruise down the Ord river back to Kununurra from 11.30 am and taking in the sunset back at 5.30 pm, we booked.What an amazing day, Hazel who drove the coach picked us up at 11.30 at the caravan park, we had a number of other people to collect totalling seventeen and we were on our way. Hazel works up here for each season and this is her fourth year. She was very knowledgeable about the area and the irrigation schemes that have been tried over the years. The Ord River supplies more water than they can use and power to spare especially since the Argyl Diamond Mine closed up. The first crop they tried to grow was cotton but it got wiped out by the Cabbage Patch Moth, then they tried rice but that got eaten by the Canadian Geese, then they tried Sandalwood nut the return at 20yeras was too long. The biggest killer for anything grown here is freight as they are so far away from everything and everybody. Recently a farmer sent a road train full of mangoes down to Perth and he got a bill from the markets in Perth for the destruction of the fruit as it had not sold due to the price which was killed by the freight. The irrigation system is magic in that it is all driven by gravity no pumps are required, they have water, sunshine and great soil so they can grow anything but they need a railway for freight. They have now identified a new strain of cotton that is immune ti the moths, they are building a cotton gin in Kununurra to clean the cotton before it is shipped out to Indonesia via Wyndham, hopefully it will work this time.We stopped off at the Durack Family Homestead, the family were farming pioneers here in the 1800.s and the homestead was moved brick by brick from the original site which was flooded when the Lake Agryl dam was built. The stables and all the saddles had to be abandoned as the dam filled quicker than they thought and it now all lies 25meters under water and is a popular dive site.We road across the dam wall and stopped at the far side for some photos the lake is huge and all behind such a small dam all built from local materials with no cement. The local soil is called Kununurra clay and sets like concrete when wet. We were then delivered to a small dock at the bottom of the dam wall where we were handed over to Mabo our boat captain. The boat was a shallow draft flat bottom affair and was cool when running, the fast running river at the beginning was exciting, the water level after the big wet is still running high. Mabo had to gun the engines and almost ride the rapids to get us into the lower river. We cruised the length of the river back to Kununurra and were dropped off at the camp site from the boat on Lake Kununurra. Mabo was extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the river and consequently we saw an amazing amount of stuff on the way. Crocs, Jesus Birds, Sea Eagles, Lillie's and rocks in the form of a Horses Head, Queen Victoria, a 1

^st
World War soldier and an elephant to name but a few, Mabo found them all. We stopped off at a camp made by JJJ on the side of the river, it was a clearing with tables, chairs and two toilets. We had Pumpkin Scones, Carrot Cake, fruit, tea, coffee and or soft drinks, a tasty afternoon tea stop The river was fast wide and slow and narrow and all states between. The cliffs and rocks each side of the river had us in awe of the majesty of it all. We arrived at Lake Kununurra just as the sun was setting and got some great photos..At $242.00 each this trip was amazingly good value, made all the better by the amazing guides in Hazel and Mabo, recommended to another couple at the camp and they also enjoyed it. We had found a dog sitter called Kiley for Tippy, she has a cross sharpay/staffy who was slightly taller than Tippy and they immediately hit it off and started rolling around the garden. It was a treat for him to have his harness and lead off and to enjoy a day playing with another dog, Kiley said he was a bit anxious but she sat with him on her bed and he fell asleep bless her she really is a dog lover, happy we found her, will let the camp know she was good as they recommended her.Bed early shattered but happy.

---