Finding Hidden Valley

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Saturday 2nd – despite the long and tiring day we had yesterday, we were up and about bright and early and in fact were there to wave off today’s tour party. Graham spotted the elderly couple we had been camped next to in Hall’s Creek on the coach so we gave them an extra wave. Looking back on our day in the Bungle Bungles we were beginning to realise just how lucky we were to have the chance to go in and that it was really ‘a trip of a lifetime’ for us. It is indeed a spectacular and unique area and we hope that the ever increasing number of visitors does nothing to spoil this wondrous place.

As PIE and Sweetie were still attached to each other, Graham had less packing up to do than normal so we were ready to go by 8:00am. Both of our neighbours, the two girls who came on the trip with us, drove off earlier than that and several other units left well before we did. The journey today was to Kununurra from where we had flown over the Bungles last time we were here. It was about 250 kilometers away and on the road we passed several notices warning us of the risks of taking certain fruits into the Kimberley region. The signs warned of potential fines, consequently, at a suitable parking area some way along our route we stopped and had an orange and apple ‘breakfast’. We had already had our normal breakfast back at the Bungles but we were loathe to give away perfectly good fruit. So somehow we managed to eat two apples and SIX oranges!! Three other car/caravan units pulled in to do much the same thing. They were all travelling together and were heading for Wyndham, a place (because of Graham’s second name) we hope to visit during our stay in Kununurra. The scenery was still interesting with similar type rock formations to the Bungles although nothing can quite compare with the beauty of those. Much nearer to Kununurra we stopped again for our “normal” tea break but it was still quite early and Kununurra was only another 50 kilometers or so away. So we eventually arrived in the early afternoon and approached our chosen caravan park – one of five or so in or near the town. We were dismayed to see a notice outside saying “No Powered Sites Available”. After two nights in the Bungles without power we were hoping for some electric so we drove on to our next park at Hidden Valley. The same thing applied there! It transpired that all of the units which were camped on the showground (another popular park) had to move off because Kununurra’s agricultural show is due to take place next weekend. Obviously they had taken the spare sites on all the other parks and no more powered sites were available. We rang two other parks but without success. We decided to stay at Hidden Valley on an unpowered site and to take our chance that power would become available in the next day or so. We were told that Monday was the most likely day.

We found a very comfortable spot to set up (unpowered sites tend to be a “free-for-all”) with plenty of space and a nice open outlook. It was very near to a camp kitchen which could have been a nuisance but we were able to take advantage of that by getting all of our boiled water there instead of boiling our kettle on our gas. We also found some “public” power points next to reception so we were able to use the computer and to charge up our lantern for use later on. The weather was swelteringly hot – the hottest we have encountered so far – and this was scheduled to continue for the foreseeable future. This made the large swimming pool very attractive but today we were just content to settle in and to consider our options if a powered site didn’t become available for a while. Hidden Valley relates to the Mirima National Park and we were right in the heart of it. In fact there was direct access to Mirima from the caravan park. As the sun went down we spotted several lookout spots on the nearby hills so we expected to take advantage of these if we were able to stay. But tonight we settled for an early night so that we could be up and about early to nab any powered site that might become available after 8:00am.

Sunday dawned early (sunrise at 5:27) and we were up and about promptly – as were many other people. Even at 7:30 it was getting very warm and we directly faced the sun with little or no shade. Our visit to reception spot on 8:00am enabled our name to be put at the top of the list of people waiting for power. Richard, the site manager – a pom – was very sympathetic and confident he would find us something during the day. Within half an hour or so, he rang to offer us a site. It seems that somebody had booked and paid for the site for the previous day but hadn’t shown up. Richard had contacted them and they confirmed they wouldn’t be coming so site 907 was ours. We moved almost immediately and by 9:30 we were set up for the next five nights with direct power and water and with much the same views as we had before. Graham was able to erect a tarpaulin against the end of the awning to provide permanent shade so, apart from the fact it was not very flat, it proved to be a very comfortable location. This being Sunday, we weren’t sure what shops might be open but we were pleased to find a Coles supermarket where I bought a fair supply of groceries. This entitled us to a fuel discount voucher so although fuel prices in Kununurra were high we knew we could get 6 cents per litre knocked off. We visited the Information Centre and enquired about a specific trip to Lake Argyle. It had been recommended by a few people and involved a coach ride up but a special boat ride back, taking in a sunset. There were no seats available for Monday so we booked two seats for Tuesday. We wandered around the few shops that were open including a Diamond shop. The Kimberleys are well known for their diamond production and many valuable items were on display. The Argyle Diamond Mine is one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds producing about 20 million carats a year. It is the world’s primary source of ‘pink’ diamonds which are about 20 times more expensive than white diamonds. There were some beautiful pieces of jewelry in the shop, but needless to say, I didn’t buy any. I was actually looking for a hairdresser as a “hair-do” was long overdue. The lady in the IC warned me that two of them were fully booked and were not taking further bookings for a while. We found those and, sure enough, signs indicated just how busy they were but we found another one with no such signs. It was closed, being Sunday, but I noted its location and will return tomorrow with fingers crossed. Graham is continuing to let his hair grow - it’s pony-tail length now but he’s resisted actually “tying” it so it just flows loose. With his acubra style hat it looks quite trendy but I still wish he’d have it cut!

The weather was stiflingly hot so, apart from a quick visit to the town lake and the park next door and an even quicker visit to the Mirima National Park, we had lunch and prepared for a dip in the pool to cool off. It’s a good sized pool and we were lucky that we chose a good time to use it as it was virtually empty. We knew it would fill up as the afternoon wore on. The trick is to time it before the rush starts and we did! The rest of the day and evening was spent catching up with some blogging.

Early on Monday morning we strolled from the CP into the Mirima National Park along the trail for about a kilometer. It was a really pleasant walk with the sun glinting on the sandstone rocks. We saw a variety of birds but the behaviour of some Bower birds building a nest was fascinating. The trail came out by the local cemetery and we could have walked on up a hill further into the park to a lookout but we decided just to walk back but would consider a longer walk another time. Back at the CP Graham nipped to the office and got a couple of phone numbers for welders who might assess the problem with our wobbly roo-bar. It’s even more wobbly and rattles constantly now so it’s essential that something is done to it before it falls off. He was also directed to a neighbouring site to get more numbers from a local listings book they had earlier lent to another caravanner. He came back armed with about 10 numbers to try and some warnings about welding aluminum. A special kit would be needed and care would have to be taken with the car’s electrical system. He settled on a mobile welder, phoned him and ‘Paul’ offered to come to the CP later that day to have a look at the roo-bar to see if he could fix it. That done we went into town where I was successful in booking a hair appointment for Wednesday. We went back to the lakeside park and spent some time wandering around looking at the numerous plaques. Quite a few famous people had visited Kununurra over the past 25 years and each had planted a tree – Princess Ann and Rolf Harris among them. After lunch we relaxed at the caravan park and contemplated having a swim in the pool.

Promptly at 3:00pm Paul arrived to assess the roo-bar. The first bit of good news was that the broken plate which should have secured the bar to the chassis was actually steel so no special welding kit was needed. The next good news was that it would be easy to fix and would not cost a lot to do. Arrangements were made to deliver the car to Paul’s house on Wednesday at 9:00am to coincide with when I was having my hair done. With that bit of business completed we had a quick ride out in the car up to the nearby lookout. We were just getting out of the car when we spotted a black car just leaving – it was the Nixon family! Young Kale had spotted Graham and yelled “it’s the sauce man!!” We had a ketchup (sorry - catch up!) and exchanged email addresses so we could keep in touch. We learned that they were planning another trek along the Gibb River Road and would be leaving Kununurra the following morning. They were all still having a great time so we wished them well and off they went. Back at the caravan park we went for our swim and again we were lucky with the number of people there. About a dozen or so were “idling” by the pool but no-one was actually in the water so we had the pool to ourselves for a good half hour. We got chatting to fellow travellers and to one in particular who was very opinionated but very entertaining. Time flew by and soon darkness began to set in – it was only 5:15pm!!! We had a TV reception but only two channels - one covers the Tour De France in full so Graham was in his element. The only problem is it is live and goes on until the wee small hours so he has to wait til the morning to get the full results. Tomorrow we are off on another trip but as it’s an 11.30 pick-up we can have a lie in (hopefully!).

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Photos

Often referred to as a mini 'Bungle Bungles'
the Mirima National Park

River Ord at Diversion Dam
just outside Kununurra