Broome & Kimberley Two - 16 to 24 May 2011

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We arrived in Kununurra which is a relatively young town only established in 1963 to service the irrigation area. The building of the Diversion Dam Wall across the Ord River formed a lake known as Lake Kununurra and these waters were then diverted via channels to irrigate the farmlands. From the time of the early pioneers it had been thought that the Ord River could be harnessed, like the Nile River in Egypt and today the area around the river is rich fertile land growing an abundance of crops. Although getting those crops to market is not easy as it’s a long distance from anywhere. Currently the most significant crop in the area is Indian Sandalwood with other main crops being mangoes, grapefruit, chia and melons. Lake Argyle which is approximately 72 km in length is a storage reservoir of ‘wet season’ flood waters, ensuring a year round supply of irrigation water into the Diversion Dam. Construction took place in the late 60s and it’s the largest manmade lake in Australia and for navigation purposes is classified as an inland sea. The lake has an abundance of aquatic life and a population of about 25,000 freshwater crocodiles (freshies).
We set up camp on the banks of Lake Argyle and it was good to see that the campsite had hot showers and flushing toilets! Ronnie took Paul and Len down to the local ‘bottle shop’ to get some beer and wine and Gaye and I went for a much needed shower – what bliss. The ‘boys’ returned but only with beer, apparently you cannot buy wine until after five! Later we had had some free time and decided to go on a sunset cruise on the River Ord with Len and Gaye. As we cruised down the river we saw several Azure Kingfishers on the riverbank. It is a very colourful bird, with deep blue to azure back, found in Northern and Eastern Australia and Tasmania. The river was alive with birds as we watched the sun set over the water, whilst enjoying a drink and a few nibbles. We returned to camp and Ronnie had prepared barbecue steak and salad which was again delicious. Gaye somehow found a small pillow in the back of the truck which I was able to use for the rest of the trip – you do not appreciate all the small luxuries you have until you have not got them.
The next day Ronnie took us out to Zebra Rock Gallery located on a smallholding on the outskirts of town which had an interesting array of zebra rock artwork. The workshop and gallery was extremely interesting and you could see samples of the work from raw rock to finished product. The peninsula that protrudes out of Lake Argyle holds the world’s only known deposits of this rock which was only discovered in 1924. Zebra Rock is fine grain sandstone with patterns of reddish stripes or spots against a white background and the gallery had some wonderful examples made into jewellery and ornaments. Ronnie then dropped us all in town to do some sightseeing and shopping. Paul purchased some new shorts as his were in holes (even after much patching by me!) In the afternoon we decided to take a scenic tour by light aircraft over the Bungle Bungle range. We were collected at our campsite and driven to a nearby airfield to board our flight. The plane was a small 7 seater and everyone had window seats with good views. We flew over the Diversion Dam, Lake Kununurra and the Ord River Irrigation Area before crossing the Carr Boyd Range and Lake Argyle. We then flew over Lissadell Homestead which covers over 184,000 hectares and stock holdings include around 8000 steers and several hundred horses (a large farm). We followed the Osmand Ranges before arriving at the Bungle Bungle range for unforgettable views of the ancient mountains which we had visited on foot a few days before. No photographs could do justice to this kind of spectacle as we flew over the ancient orange and black striped Bungle Bungle, so different seeing it from above as you really appreciate its vastness so much more. Our pilot pointed out the fact that they cover an area more than 300 times bigger than Uluru, the sheer enormity of the site is staggering. We circled over the area several times giving us all a chance to see this magnificent place once again. We then flew over the Argyle Diamond Mine which is the world’s largest mine, producing about one fifth of the world’s diamonds and renowned for its range of colourful stones, especially the intense pink diamonds. Argyle diamonds begin their long journey to the market places from the mine where ‘open pit’ as well as ‘underground’ techniques are used. Once the diamonds are retrieved, they are cleaned in preparation for delivery to their head office in Perth before being polished and distributed around the world. The Kimberley region was named after the Kimberley diamond fields in South Africa because they have a similar landscape. We then continued back to the airstrip and had a smooth landing back at Kununurra Airport where we were transported back to the campsite.
Later that day Ronnie drove us out to a Sandalwood factory nearby which is one of the most interesting and one of the newest forms of agriculture in Kununurra.. Sandalwood is a semi-parasitic tree that attaches to the root system of a host tree which it depends on for nutrients and water. Its uses vary from arts and crafts to perfumes, oils and incense. Perfumes from the houses of Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein and Christian Dior all contain high percentages of sandalwood and the demand for this sweet oil keeps on growing. With the stocks elsewhere depleting it is probably going to be a very worthwhile investment in this area. In the evening Ronnie drove us all into town where we had a reasonable priced meal in a local hotel before walking back to our tents. It had been a really long day but we had seen so much of the area in such a short time.
In the morning we had a walk around the lake watching the birds before moving on via the Gibb River Road to El Questro and Mount Barnett. El Questro Station Campsite in the middle of the bush next to the Pentecost River was quite a lovely place. It was extremely isolated with no mobile or broadband coverage but there was an emergency land line at the station office. A local Realist Artist, David Byard had an exhibition of his work, mainly Australian Outback Landscapes, set up in the open air and we chatted to him for ages as we viewed samples of his work. He said that many of the local areas where he had sat and painted had been totally changed by this year’s flood and would take years to recover. Beautiful ancient Boab trees had been completely uprooted as the flood waters raged through the creeks and gullies changing the landscape forever. However this area of the Kimberley was still very scenic, although as we drove along the gravel roads on dusty red soil it was at times like travelling through a stone quarry with dust everywhere. The views of the red rocky outcrops high above against the pure blue sky with the bright yellow Kapok bush flowers were stunning. The seeds of the Kapok are imbedded in white cotton like hair, hence the alternative name the Cotton Tree and they grew in abundance here. Around the rivers and creeks there were lots of Pandanus Spiralis, a small shrub or tree which have spiky leaves in a spiral arrangement and have fruits which resemble a pineapple that turn red when ripe. The area was also covered with spinifex which is a tough, spiky tussock grass that dominates much of the red sand desert and rocky ranges in the area. A truly picturesque landscape as captured in many of the paintings of Australia artist, David Byard.
We drove out to the Pentecost River Crossing which was just passable following the floods but it was still a difficult to get across and could only be tackled by experienced drivers. The area was still being made safe following the ‘wet’ and diggers and trucks were removing trees and boulders from the track as we watched. Ronnie said that this is where we would have crossed for our onward journey but the two gorges on the other side were still closed as well as the track further on so it was pointless to go any further. We would therefore have to miss out on these gorges but he said we would try and get into the lower gorges via the Fitzroy Crossing in a few days. We had a day in hand now so we were going to stay an extra night at El Questro Station and undertake some of the walks in the area. We made our way back to the campsite, avoiding the cattle who roam freely over huge areas and very often cross right in front of you! If a branded steer was rounded up by another owner they were not released but still sold and the original owner would be paid the market value on an ‘honesty’ basis.
That evening Ronnie joined the four of us for dinner in the campsite restaurant that overlooked the Pentecost River a short walk from our tents. We all had locally caught Barramundi which was delicious and then the five us shared a huge portion of Hoochery Rum Cheesecake equally delicious before wandering back to our tents. It was amazing to find such a high quality restaurant within the campsite and after so many days eating around the campfire it made a very nice change.
The next day we walked to Zebedee Springs which is a permanent thermal spring surrounded by sheer cliff faces and an abundance of livistona palms. The spring is fed via a fault line forming a permanent supply of water deep within the earth. The water temperature is 20 degrees to 32 degrees all year. Recent research had discovered a unique and ancient aquatic isopod crustacean (a white crab-like creature) in the water and Zebedee Springs is the only known place where this is found. Luckily we did not come across one as we soaked in the thermal pool which also had a natural hot waterfall – true bliss after our dusty journey - although it would take a mammoth soak to get us clean of red sand and dust! Our next walk was to Amalia Gorge which had a steeper sided valley and we had to walk along the dry rock strewn river bed which was quite tough on the feet. The trail was quite challenging and also required some climbing and clambering over large sandstone slabs before we arrived at a large natural pool with a waterfall. The only way to get any further up the gorge though was to balance on a narrow ledge around a huge boulder (the ‘walk notes’ said that if you suffered from vertigo do not go past). Gaye decided not to go on and would wait by the pool for us to return. Paul had a look and managed to get around and he and Ronnie held on to me and I just managed to get around the rock (without looking down). Len then had difficulty and decided to go back and join Gaye. Ronnie said he would also wait with them so we were the only ones going any further up the gorge!. We followed the rocks around for a while before coming to a small waterfall near the end of the gorge and then retraced our steps back to the others. However when we got back to the boulder crossing we were unable to get around as it was more difficult from this direction! Luckily though we managed to squeeze and climb behind the boulder and do a ‘crab like’ walk to get to the other side I was so pleased I managed to do this otherwise we may have been stuck on the other side of the ledge forever!!!! We joined the others who were waiting by the pool and we saw a huge Water Monitor Lizard but even this did not stop me from going for a refreshing swim in the pool (although I noticed Paul did not join me).
We headed back to camp for lunch and then later drove along the Pigeon Hole 4WD Track. It is the newest access road into this remote area and could only be tackled by experienced 4WD drivers, luckily for us Ronnie was, as he used to teach off road 4WD students to drive. We reached the lookout point high about the Pentecost River which looked out over a dramatic and ancient landscape, the Pentecost valley and in the far north a delightful view of the Cockburn Ranges. Far below us the river snaked around the ranges and you could see crocodile tracks on the sandy sides of the river. We continued on to Chamberlain Gorge where you had a clear view of El Questro Homestead on the other side of the river. This luxury resort was still closed following the heavy rains where it lost its veranda supports to the raging river. However it was hoping to open in a few weeks for a June Wedding party – they had a lot to do before then though! On our way back to the campsite we stopped to collect some firewood (there is always plenty available on the sides of the roads where huge trees lie rotting), although you are not allow to take wood from National Parks. As we travelled along we spotted a group of large Brolgas feeding on the edge of the river. The Brolga is a bird of the crane family and is a wetland bird species in tropical and eastern Australia, well known for its intricate mating dance. It is also the official bird emblem of the state of Queensland and we stopped and watched them for a while but they spotted us and flew off. We continued on and were nearly back at camp when we heard a thud on the side of the truck. Ronnie said that we had just hit a kangaroo and he reversed back to see if he could do anything. Most drivers would do this particularly with ‘pouched’ animals, as very often there was an uninjured Joey in the pouch which could be successively hand reared at the many sanctuaries. We found the poor animal lying in the grass on the side of the road and Ronnie said it was a young male probably about three to four year old. It was very stunned and had a bleeding nose but we could not see any other major injuries. Ronnie said we would take it back to camp and hand it over to the rangers so he asked me to hold it still and try and keep it calm whilst he found something to put it in. It was quite daunting holding this wild animal, sitting on the side of the bush and Ronnie seemed to be gone for ages. It was breathing very rapidly but as I stroked it he seemed to calm down and relax but suddenly it jumped up out of my arms and hopped off into the bush. The others on the bus saw him go and said that he seemed OK but was holding one stiff arm – we all hoped that he survived his encounter with our truck but we would never know whether he did. The memory of sitting there holding him though will remain with me for a very long time.
The next morning we had to be up early at 5am as we had a long nine hour journey ahead of us (560km) on more bumpy roads. As the Gibb River Road was still closed we had no choice but to double back to Fitzroy Crossing and get into the lower gorges but we were still not certain if the tracks had opened. Ronnie had been in contact with his office and the National Parks but there were conflicting views on whether it was fully open. However it appeared that the track was but there was still some uncertainty whether Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek where we were hoping to go were open. As we left the campsite we saw a kangaroo jumping around in the bush, we all hoped it was the one we had helped yesterday.
We stopped at Turkey Creek Roadhouse for coffee and then again at Halls Creek for a quick lunch. After lunch Ronnie managed to get the air conditioning working and we had cool air in the back of the truck for the first time – pure luxury. I think we had all lost so much weight on this bumpy dusty hot journey but still so enjoyable! It was nice to be able to close the front windows as we had also passed several dead cattle on the road with the acrid smell coming straight through the open front windows. We saw two huge Wedge-Tailed Eagles in the middle of the road feasting off of one of these dead carcasses. We finally arrived at Fitzroy Crossing and Ronnie filled up with petrol and drove us out to a ‘Grog Shop’ located in the middle of nowhere to buy some drinks. The music and singing coming out of the shop was loud and we had to go to a small hatch on the side to purchase alcohol. Judging by what we could see inside maybe it was just as well – apparently there is a real problem with drinking hence the strict drink laws. As again they could not serve any wine as it was before 5pm but the ‘boys’ managed to get some beer which was 30 bucks for a 6 pack or 60 bucks for a carton! They bought a carton between them and we proceeded to our campsite where we had a barbecue dinner around the fire and it was not until then that the boys noticed that the drinks were very low in alcohol!!
The next morning we were visited at breakfast by a group of wallabies including a mother and Joey right outside our tent. We left at 7am and heading toward the unsealed road that would take us into Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, still unsure whether it would be open. About 40km along this road we saw the sign which said it was open to 4WD vehicles up to 4 ton only. We were 3.9 so we would be OK and everyone cheered. The road was very bumpy but very scenic with huge Boab Trees surrounding the area with some even growing straight out of the rocky outcrops. We passed through Leopold Downs, a privately run Aboriginal Cattle Station owned and run by the Bunuba people and covering a huge area. As we drove along this large black snake slithered across the road but we did miss it. We continued on and noticed a couple of vans ahead of us, one of which was really muddy and was having difficulty getting down this part of the track. Ronnie stopped and told the driver what to do to get through, but he ignored his advice and tried to get around the track along the side of the bush where he got well and truly stuck in the mud. The other driver said he would help and did manage to tow him across but I think the driver was quite embarrassed by this time. We continued slowly on along this slippery track to Tunnel Creek National Park. The 750 meter long tunnel carved out of limestone by the water once flowed across the top of the Napier Range but water seepage gradually enlarged fractures in the limestone until the creek reached today’s completely underground course. The tunnel is up to 12 meters high and 15 meters wide and contains permanent pools of fresh water in which fresh water crocodiles (freshies) are found. We waded through some water (watching carefully) and climbed over some rocks to get into the main cave which was completely dark but you could make out a large pool flowing through the tunnel into the distance. Ronnie checked the onward route but we were unable to get much further as the water was up to chest level with all the rain they had this year. We did however see many stalactites descending from the roof and were able to make out several small bats with our torches; apparently five species live in these caves. Ronnie said we could take a swim but we all thought ‘crocodile’ and decided against it.
We carried on to Windjana Gorge where we set up camp in the National Park and had lunch sitting in the bush. Windjana Gorge features a savannah walk besides the Devonian reef where ancient life forms could be seen embedded in the gorge walls. The campsite was not bad for a National Park site with three posh flushing toilets and even a basic shower block. After lunch we walked into the Gorge along a narrow track before coming to the riverside where we saw a large ‘freshie’ basking on the edge of the river (no swimming here). We came across some locals who had caught several very large barramundi in the river enough to keep them fed for a week. As we walked along the gorge walls I managed to get stung by a paper wasp which was quite painful but Ronnie said it would ease in about 10 minutes which it did although I did get a bad reaction from the sting for a good few days (to go with the mossie bites)! Later in the afternoon we drove out to the Lennard River which was still quite high and the riverbank was strewn with washed down trees and vast vegetation. We took some photographs around the bridge area and watched several large cattle wandering around the edge of the bush - they were watching us quite closely so you did not get too close. Ronnie chatted to a local who was crossing the river, the man used to run a small coffee shop on the side of the river by the bridge but it had got washed completely away in the floods. It was a quiet night in the bush camp with only about four other vehicles and we had a campfire and watched the stars before retiring early to bed. The next day Ronnie said we would drive out on the Gibb River Road to see the King Leopold Ranges before back tracking into Derby before our return to Broome and the end of our tour. We broke up camp, climbed into the truck and nothing the engine would not start – oh dear. Here we were in the middle of nowhere, no means of communication and no transport. Ronnie sent Len off to ask another driver whether he could give us a tow but he said that it would be difficult with his converted bus but if we could not find anyone else he would not see us stranded! Ronnie then set off to find the ranger, but he had gone out in his tractor for the day. Finally another driver (there was only one more to try so we were getting desperate) said he would help but as he came over the first man arrived over with his converted bus and we managed to get the truck started with a forward shunt – hoorah we do not have to stay in the vast wilderness of the Kimberley but can get back to some sort of civilisation……….. Back in the bus, the air conditioning in the front had now stopped working along with the electronic windows and washers. Len did manage to get his side window open about half way and that was it – it was going to be a very hot last day in the truck!! We expected Ronnie to head straight back towards Broome to get the truck sorted but he proceeded as he had said and took us out in the opposite direction through part of the King Leopold Gorge National Park. This is where the Gibb River cuts through the rugged sandstone which includes Mount Ord which at 937m is the tallest peak in the Kimberley. We stopped to take some photographs and passed Queen Victoria’s Head (a resembling rock formation) before turning around just after the Fletcher River crossing and Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge heading for Derby. Ronnie kept the engine running the whole time as we did not want to switch it off in case it never started again, particularly as there were few people out on this section of the road as it was still in part closed. When we crossed the Leopold River several vehicles were parked up and stopped us to ask whether the Gibb River Road was open as they were waiting to cross. We told them of our experiences at each end of the road but it was up to them what they did as you could never tell from one moment to the next which roads and gorges were open or closed! We stopped in Derby for lunch on the side of the road where we could find a little shade. Gaye bought a carved Boab seed shell from some local aborigines who were carving them just with a knife and she only paid $40 dollars for a lovely carved shell which must have taken weeks to do. We walked around Derby Jetty which has the highest high tide in Australia and is one of the highest in the world at 11.8 m although the high tide in Bristol UK is 14.6m. We travelled on and stopped at the Boab Prison Tree, a large hollow Boab which is reputed to have been used in the 1890s as a lockup for Indigenous Australian prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing. We then came to the end of this adventure arriving back in Broome mid afternoon where we were looking forward to a shower after our ‘free sauna’ on the truck and our days in the outback of the Kimberley. We said farewell to Ronnie, who had been a delightful guide and he was now looking forward to meeting his girlfriend who was arriving shortly from Thailand. Even though we had both thoroughly enjoyed our camping safari it was so lovely to be back in civilisation after our 10 days in the Outback and were particularly grateful to have fresh drinkable water on tap, showers, flushing toilets and some air conditioning – just small luxuries………….. The next day we travelled around the town of Broome with Len and Gaye who had hired a car for a few days. We visited the main points of interest around the town and had locally caught fish and chips which at a small restaurant overlooking the jetty. We stopped on the foreshore of Roebuck Bay’s Dampier Creek and walked along the old jetty where set amongst the mangroves were two of the last surviving and perfectly restored pearling luggers, the fully rigged and restored Sam-Male and the DMcD. There was also a small shop which sold local pearls as well as having a display of memorabilia from actual hard hat diving suits to hand-powered pumps that fed precious air to the deep sea divers below. It was such a dangerous occupation that many lost their lives in pursuit of the perfect ‘pearl’. Later we headed off to the famous Cable Beach to watch the sunset. The beach itself is very long and would take a long time to walk as it continues for 22.5 km with white sand washed clean daily by tides that can reach over nine metres. The water is crystal clear turquoise, and the gentle swells hardly manage to topple over as the weaves ripple onto the almost perfectly flat beach where at sunset you can enjoy a camel ride along a small section of the beach. We watched the sunset before heading back along the seafront where we ran into our Kimberley guide Ronnie and stopped to chat to him for a while before heading back to the hotel. The next morning we packed and had breakfast and waited for our taxi. Len and Gaye came down to say goodbye to us as they still had a few more days left in Broome before they travelled on. It was sad to say goodbye to them as we had formed quite a friendship over the last ten days, particularly as there was only the four of us on our Kimberley safari. They have invited us to Sydney if we ever returned to Oz and who knows…….. for now though our taxi was waiting to take us to the airport for our onward flight to Darwin in the Northern Territory and our next adventure– see you all there.

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