Off to the Kimberley....

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As you know we arrived in Katherine late Tue 29th with the aim to take the campo in and see if it could be fixed. The engineering firm were terrific and confirmed they would be able to fit us in the next day. We found a great campground and setup. Next morning we unloaded pretty much everything from the campo and took it in to get fixed- their confidence instilled a sense of calm! Back at camp, Merlin had another stack jack-knifing his bike in the sand. He landed smack on his forearm. Although he was feeling ok, he couldn't bend it and there appeared to be some sort of protusion from the middle of the bone. Off we went to emergency! At least we were getting to see a bit of Katherine! They were great in the hospital (and very busy) but 3 hours later it was clear there were no fractures so all was good for us. By this stage it was very late in the day and we got the call the campo was ready- yeh! However it was clear more work was required if we were going to prevent it happening again so we agreed to bring it back at 6 in the morning. Next morning we got up in the dark, packed it up and took it in, hoping to get it back by lunchtime. We came back to camp had breaky and Chris went birding. Merlin and I did Father's Day preparations, and other jobs, as well as a few games. I then decided to rival Merlin with his stacks by tripping on a tree root when walking to the camp kitchen, pouring hot tea all over me and crashing down on my knee!! What a sight- the slow mo was quite funny I'm sure! Anyway this meant no hiking or riding for me for awhile! Later on we went and did the shopping etc and waited for our call. We ended up getting it back late that day so had to stay another night- but at least it was fixed!! We had a beautiful swim at the Katherine Hot Springs and then headed to camp. We were all very much looking forward to moving on.

Fri 1st we headed for Victoria River and the landscape as we got closer to it, and further from Katherine, was changing dramatically. It was breathtaking escarpments which were constantly changing colours and huge valleys. The Victoria River is the longest river in NT and has over 56 tributaries. We arrived at the Victoria River Roadhouse campground and I was holding my breath not sure what to expect- but it was great! We found a quiet tucked away shady spot down near the riverbank reeds and set up. It had toilets and showers and the people at the roadhouse were really friendly and helpful. They have a total population of 9! We setup and checked out a few spots for the purple crowned fairy wren - which we really wanted to see here as they are meant to be locals! Sat 2nd we headed down to the old bridge to get a view of the river and it was amazing to see a huge tree wedged in the railing- indicative of the volume of water that flows through here in the wet! We then headed for the 3 km escarpment walk. A beautiful but steep walk which gives amazing views of the river and associated valleys. We spent the afternoon in the shade and then when the light was better we tried for the wrens - and we weren't disappointed with a couple of gorgeous males in full colour showing themselves (enough for both Chris and Merlin to get some great shots). After that we had well deserved showers and then a fabulous pre Father's Day dinner of (the yummiest) burgers at the roadhouse. Sun 3rd we had an early breaky and gave Father's Day presents. We had more great looks at the fairy wrens and then packed up and set off for Timber Creek. We arrived at our intended camp spot and found someone was already there so we headed on to another spot. Luckily we got a spot with some shade and most of the people were lovey and really quiet. Unfortunately, the noise was a problem with generators during the day and then one group who talked til midnight! On the upside we had red backed fairy wrens around camp and some amazing boabs! The campground was close to the Victoria river and we had amazing views from the boat ramp. Upon asking re swimming we were told ' definitely not near here as there a huge croc around which has taken down cows and a horse'! Ok so the message was clear- stay well back from the edges here!! Although it was good, there were smouldering fires all around the park and so we were inundated with smoke, particularly during the night so decided to pack up and head on for Keep River NP. We arrived at the first campground (Goorandalng- Brolga Dreaming) and there was only one group there so this looked promising. Again there was very little shade but the surrounding landscape was spectacular- enormous and varied rocky escarpments. We found a tiny slice of shade and had lunch before heading off to the other campground to see what it was like. Jarnem was also very pretty but very smoky. By chance the ranger arrived and advised that there was a bushfire just to the north so the walk had been closed and the campground would get even more smoky. Based on this we headed back to Goorandalng. It was late in the day and so temperatures were around 37/38 degrees, and with the heat radiating off the rocks- it was very hot. We set up and commenced a little way on the walk to get a taste of it- it was amazing! The night was warm but it was beautifully quiet with only the sounds of the bush - the bush stone curlews, spotted nightjars and tawny frogmouths. Mon morning we rose early to do the escarpment walk before the heat set in. We saw the sunrise bring the colours of the rocks to life. The walk meandered through and around the different outcrops and habitats- patches of grevillea, pandanas and wattles. The views were breathtaking and even though weren't strictly in Kimberley country as yet, it was a glimpse of what we were yet to see. We packed up ready to go and headend for Kununurra stopping off to see Lake Argyle. On our way out, Chris spotted a jabiru circling overhead. It is a huge bird and to see its beautiful colours as it floated above us doing figure eights, was amazing and just a bit unfair- how good would it be to be able to do that?? Anyway of course Chris was going into overdrive as this meant that there must be some rock pools with water in them nearby. He went for a walk and found two small isolated pools brimming with both bird and fish life. This is where the jabiru would have been- feeding on the fish. Ok so now decisions needed to be made as this quite possibly meant Gouldians and other finches we were chasing might come in to drink- especially as there was no other water in the park at all. We all agreed to give it a go. So we did a u- turn, did a dejavu and set up at camp again. We had a lovely late afternoon sitting at the waterhole watching amazing birds come in, but alas....no Gouldians. Next morning we did the escarpment walk again and then packed up and headed out.

We arrived at Lake argyle campground a bit apprehensive as we had heard this was quite touristy. To our surprise it was amazing. We had a spot to ourselves and with a view of the escarpment and lake- just spectacular. We knew it had a pool but unexpectedly it was an infinity pool - way too luxurious but divine to swim in! As most of you would know, I am not a fan of damming rivers and altering the natural landscape to such an extent. It is a sight to see such an expanse of water amidst such dramatic backdrop and luckily the tourism industry here is booming and therefore the likelihood of more happening to try and create an artificial northern food bowl is low. They even have the annual Lake Argyle swim (10 and 20km events) which Chris would love to come up and participate in!! Our camp spot was even better than expected with both Northern Rosellas and Red wing parrots at the soaks nearby so Chris was in his element. Unfortunately the last day or so Chris was again feeling the effects of the (RR) Ross River and so to have a little break like this helped get through them easier. Friday 8th we packed up and headed off for Kununurra and after checking out a few places we ended up finding a fabulous spot right on the lagoon. It was shady, quiet, we had it all to ourselves and even spectacular views of Jacanas ( elegant birds that gracefully walk on the large lily pads). We knew the lagoon had freshies and had heard there had been a big salty pulled out from down at the lake end 3 weeks ago ( so we were wary). This was lucky as when Chris was photographing the Jacanas I had given Merlin strict instructions he was on spotting duty when I had to leave. He did a brilliant job. Chris was down low on the bank when a slow moving salty just rose above water level to peer across the lagoon and then proceeded to swim in his direction. Merlin calmly said 'dad' and Chris said 'yep, good spotting mate' and then proceeded to take photos of the croc! (Whilst he kept moving up onto the bank!!) We spent a few nights here whilst Chris was on the hunt for the elusive Gouldians. Unfortunately even though he spent endless hours in the hunt for them, they did not show themselves for him. Chris again encountered the pesky mite in the grasses which causes excruciating pain called 'scrub itch'. Lucky for us the trusty mobile pharmacy came in handy yet again. As he had experienced this pain on our Cape York trip, I had come prepared with the relevant cream to kill the little critters and ease the pain! Apart from that though we had a wonderful time, particularly from an art perspective- the town is extremely prolific with talented artists and has some amazing galleries ( which we spent ages in!). This area of the Kimberley is the only place in the world where Zebra Rock is found. This is an amazing rock, formed over 600 million years ago but that is not fully understood. It has naturally occurring bands of red and white ( and also grey variations) which aren't always formed in the same way and the tonings are also inconsistent. The Zebra rock gallery was brilliant and the people both informative and friendly. We went for a few bike rides, did shopping for the next part of our adventure and then got ready to head off.

On Mon 11th sept we headed for Parrys's Creek Farm which is a bush campground on private property nestled amongst the nature reserve. It was terrific and had a pool to cool down in ( the days here are reaching 38/39). We ventured up to Wyndham, the most northern town in the West. We saw great views of where the five main rivers come together ( Pentecost, Durack,Ord, Forest and King) had a delicious lunch at The Rusty Shed and saw the Prison Boab Tree (sadly this was used years ago as an overnight lockup for prisoners- strangely located as it was a long and rough drive to reach, however it provided shelter). One morning whilst Chris was out searching for the Gouldians again, Merlin and I did the 4 km around the farm. It meandered alongside the creek line and was a lovely walk. We were lucky enough to happen upon a Black Whip Snake partly on the track and mostly sunning itself in the grass. We were able to get great looks ( and a few pics!) before we left it alone and kept going- they are quite venomous and we didn't really want to find out how so! Unfortunately, Chris again didn't have any luck with the little Gouldians. We went to the Marlgu billabong which was prolific with water birds and again had amazing vegetation. It was hard to leave as this was a lovely spot but on Thur 14th we packed up and headed off to hit the infamous Gibb River Road!! Hope everyone at home is well and the weather is improving! Take care x

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