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Distance traveled 2558km/4060km(63%).Stayed 1 night(essentially a one night hitching post)and leaving Broome early with a 300km journey ahead meant that,after a good 5 night break,we were back on the road again.Importantly,we left the NW Coastal Highway and now found ourselves on the Great Northern Highway which headed eastwards into the Outback and Kimberley region.It is also called “The Savannah Way” which is very apt as the countryside started to change away from semi tropical and treed to open grassland with far fewer trees to be seen.We both remarked that if one removed the eucalyptus trees,the countryside is very similar to that seen in the northern reaches of Kruger(substitute mopani for eucalyptus).And for good measure we now started to see boab trees with the largest in the region located at Derby.It has a girth of 14 meters and was used as a temporary prison cell for prisoners being moved from the Outback to the Derby gaol.The Kimberley is a vast region stretching from the north west of WA into the Northern Territitories and was claimed to be the “Last Frontier” in Australia.It is rugged and wild and believe it or not one of the last expeditions into the undiscovered regions took place
as recently as 1954.The contrasts are remarkable……tropical thickets,tumbling waterfalls,deep canyons and gorges all painted in the most brilliant array of colours.I don’t have the literary skills to do justice to describing the colours so I unashamedly quote one of East Kimberley’s most well known authors(Mary Durack):”If one were to paint this country in it’s true colours,I doubt it would ever be believed.It would be said at least that the artist exaggerated greatly,for never have I seen such richness and variety of hue as in these ranges”.Observations through Washongi’s windscreen included more and more raptors circling or at ground level picking away at fresh,overnight road kill and then a large monitor lizard high stepping across the tarmac.The customary roadhouse stop(Willare Bridge Roadhouse)had it’s own way of reminding unsuspecting visitors that this is “Crocodile Dundee” country….perched on the coffee making station was a bust of a rather nasty looking croc.There are two types found in the Kimberley and most of the northern parts of Oz…..firstly,the freshwater crocodile,which is fairly benign and unlikely to attack humans.Then you get the “saltie”,a saltwater version,which is as nasty as anything you may have read about it.Gets large and needs to be treated with great respect.The other
observation at said roadhouse was that the locals are a hardy and tough looking bunch and what particularly caught my eye were the shorts being worn.For those of my vintage…cast your minds back to ‘Varsity days and those tight fitting Teesav rugby shorts we used to wear along with slip slops to look ultra cool.Guess what…they are standard wear by many of these rugged buggers in the Kimberley!Arriving in Fitzroy Crossing was a bit of a non event as it is a very small town which has developed from it’s early days as a crossing point over the river of the same name.The Crossing Inn is well positioned on the banks of the river and must have provided much needed sustenance to those pioneers crisscrossing the Kimberley in times of old.Chances were that in “The Wet” one could have been stranded there for weeks.Many areas of the Kimberley have indigenous Aboriginal communities and it became apparent that alcohol abuse is a major social problem.Pubs only open after 4pm and only low alcohol beers are sold.The Fitzroy River Lodge was a revelation with beautiful sites nestled amongst tall trees and grassy,shaded areas.Now one of the intriguing aspects of campervan travel is
that there is no place to hide….Sue and I live cheek by jowl in the confines of Washongi’s front cab and the back lounge/bedroom area(we do spend most of the time in deck chairs outside….it is warm and the weather is great).As you can well imagine this confined space and round the clock companionship has all the makings of…….tension and disagreement.Early on we agreed on the “WA Pact” which simply meant that when either one of us started to irritate the other the rallying call would be “CHILL”……lighten up,get over it and move on.The stuff that psychologists write theses on.Surprisingly we have had very few “CHILL” moments.Tempers have flared a bit mainly on navigational issues(Sue has improved markedly in her map reading skills)and when finding the ideal parking angle for Washongi in the many parks visited(Sue always has a better angle after a number of challenging reverse maneuvers).We took a drive to view the Geikie Gorge located just out of town and true to form this was co-incidental with sundowner time.Spectacular sight with those colours mentioned earlier boldly displayed.Not a sound to be heard apart from the odd splash in the river below,we sat mesmerized by the enchanting beauty before
us boosted by suitably chilled drinks in the 30 deg,humid heat.Australan fact file…ever wondered what the fuss is all about those “Stingers” one hears and reads about?Well,consider the following………the first and slightly less nasty jellyfish goes by name of Irukandji.It is slightly less than thumbnail size with a tentacle at each corner.The most notable feature after being stung is excruciating pain leading to all manner of ailments…lower back pain,nausea and in the most severe cases toxic heart failure.Many victims need a stiff dose of morphine.Avoid!But the scary part is that the Australian Box Jellyfish(larger at about 30cm with multiple tentacles)is likely to inflict even greater pain and death is a likely outcome.Generally found in the waters around Broome and the NT coastline in the summer months when the weather is warmer.Typically the Australians are well organized and each designated beach has a “Stinger Treatment Station” containing vinegar pouches and clear directions to the nearest medical center.So,Australia has in it’s arsenal the deadliest snake and spider and just for good measure add these jelly fish.Fishing update….Fitzroy Crossing is about 400km’s from the ocean and the river did not look appealing to fish.So,no fishing.Time to reflect…..on the trip thus far I have
managed to catch 14 different species on fly including two which I don’t think the Ozzie salt water fly fishermen(wherever they may be) would have caught in numbers…..a whiting and bluebone.Most of the fish caught have been trevally(a number of different types although they are lumped as one in the 14 species mentioned)and queenfish….both a delight to hook on fly.I repeat again…..the WA coastline is spectacular for fly fishing but for reasons beyond me,no one seems to recognize this fact.I am the lone fly fisherman.
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Sarah
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hi mom and dad, looks fascinating, just dont accept help from strangers out there.....and dont swim in the water by the sounds of things too!