We have arrived in WA. Our first stop was two nights at the beautiful Lake Argyle. This is an amazing spot with the man made lake being over 55 kms long and the irrigation areas expand to the areas around Kununurra. The lake is 21x bigger than Sydney Harbour when it is full.
First we went on a sunset cruise around the lake ending at sunset and the moon rising on the other side of the boat making some amazing scenes. The lake has many fresh water crocs but no salties so swimming was okay.
The dam wall and lake argyle was built in the early 1970s, and is the biggest fresh water dam in Australia.
The infinity pool at the caravan park had the most amazing view over the lake, however the water was a little chilly.
The Durrack homestead which has been rebuilt was visited. The site of the original homestead is now under the lake. It was the Durrack family that started the idea of daming the Ord river to make Lake Argyle. We saw a bower bird nest at the homestead with the bird parading in and out hoping to find a mate.
Kununurra.
Our caravan park was on the lake and had a lovely setting.
Kellys knob lookout, is the best view point to overlook the town and surrounds
Our second day here we did an amazing boat cruise up the Ord river, through the gorges, the river ending at the dam at Lake argyle, and the hydro system is here which provides water to the local areas. We returned on sunset. On the Ord river we saw many freshwater crocs and abundant wildlife. We run into people we had met at Litchfield and went to dinner at the Pump house with them, our new friends Rob and Gayle are from Sussex Inlet who are touring in the most amazing bus.
Another day of sight seeing in Kununarra and surrounds included a walk into hidden valley, in the Mirrima National Park, where the rock formations are similiar to the bungle bungles and have taken shape over the last 350 million years.
We visited the Agriculture areas surrounding Kununurra, where lots of Indian sandlewood is grown for its oil. This oil sells for $6000 a litre and one litre comes from one tree . The trees take 15 years to grow and use additional trees as hosts to grow.
We visited the sandlewood factory for a short video and looked around at the products. No purchases were brought.
We went to the Zebra rock Gallery, a small pendant purchased. The rock is only found in the areas surrounding of Lake Argyle and Kununurra and its pink and tan or some darker stripes look like a zebras.
Celebrity park was a pretty park opposite our van park, the trees named after famous people. Sitting in the tree above were birds of prey, this one a Kite.
Ivanhoe crossing, is a concrete causeway and constructed as part of the original road from Wyndham to Katherine road, it is now a river crossing inhabited by crocs which didnt stop the local aborgines swimming and fishing here. We drove across it which was exciting but slightly nerve racking.
The diversion dam, was the first stage in the construction of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and was constructed to monitor the water flow from the Ord River.
Out lying from Kununurra we visited Molly springs, here John went swimming in a small waterhole and visited Vallentine springs, where little water was left. With a poor wet season last year and this year being so dry many of the waterholes we visited had a very small amount of water left in them.
The boab trees are very prominent part of the landscape here and their shapes vary enormously.
A day to Wyndham and surrounds.
Our first stop was at the Grotto, a 100 metre deep waterfall with the 140 rocky step stairway down to the waterhole, to scary to go down for us..
We then took a detour along the King river road to the Prision boab tree and the Moochalabra Dam. We saw a live croc swimming in the river and the scenery here was very unusual with flood plains expanding across the countryside.
The boab tree is hollow inside and years ago was use to hold prisioners in overnight while travelling these remote areas. We found a 1890 piece of grafitti. The tree is thought to be at least 1500 years old. A lot of the prisioners were aboriginal that were taken as slaves by the pearl traders to use for free labour. These slavers were known as the blackbirders.
Wyndham itself was a hell hole but the lookout over the five rivers was amazing. It is the highest point of the Bastion ranges and overlooks the Cambridge Gulf including the Durack, Pentecost, King, Forrest and Ord Rivers.
The croc statue is a feature of this town.
and after lunch it was back to Kununurra via Parrys Lagoon and the Marlgu billibong, where we saw live salties and amazing birdlife.
El Questro
While in Kununurra we took the tent for a two day, one night stay at El Questro. Not what we were expecting, not the plush campground photos with the house overlooking the gorge you see in brochures and prices excessive for the right to be there. However we found a campsite among the trees and did enjoy our visit here.
The entrance to the campground was a water-crossing .
We stopped at Emma Gorge below, part of the El questro area, but 10 kms pre the campground where John completed the walk in, Debbie giving up when the walk became boulder climbing.
While at the campground, we took a cruise up the Chamberlain gorge, which was a slow half hour trip upstream viewing crocs and wallabies then feeding the fish at the end with the archer fish spit at you to ask for food.
We dined in the restaurant, a lovely meal, joined some people by their campfire and retired to the tent.
A early visit to Zebedee springs in the morning, the water here is spring fed and 32 degrees. The pools are in dense / livistina palm settings at the base of sheer cliffs and a lovely rainforest environment.
Next we took the horrendous road to Branko lookout. The road required low gear in 4 wheel drive and was the worse road we have been on to date.
The view over the gorge was worth the drive and allowed us also to see the shot of the house overlooking the gorge which is the house where adverts for El Questro are taken, a long way from the actual campsite, this house is $3,500 per night so only for the rich.(above), branko lookout below.
After El Questro we returned to Kununurra for a few nights then left Kununurra to journey along the great northern Highway, a long journey with only occasional changes to the scenery and where the termite hills had changed their shape again. The termite hills shape and colours (since the NT) have changed frequently. The shapes determined by location and the type of termite, the colour by the type of soil. this can vary from a light sand colour to a deep red.
These ant hills ones now looking look like over sized cauliflowers.
Over night along the great northern highway was mostly free camps with also one night at Doon Doon roadhouse as a early storm stopping our progress that night. photo above
Bungles Bungles and the Purnululu National park
The van was left just off the hwy in a van storage area at a caravan park, while the tent was taken in to the national Park. The road was horrid and 54 kms of corrigations and rocks. below is our campsite.
here in the park we walked to Echnida chasm on the south side of the park, John the only one able to get inside the small tunnel and transverse the walls which was at the far end of the chasm so i got to see most of it.
Above are three pics from the lookout.
The next day, was walking around the domes, where the orange and grey bands create a surreal landscape. The bands different colours are caused by the presence or absence of cyanobacteria, the dark bands indicate its presence. The rocks here are over 360 million years old.
Cathedral gorge is on the north side of the park and there is approx 80 kms of gravel road between the two areas. The gorge displayed an amazing rock fault but little water was left from the wet season. The aborigonal rock painting of hands below are 2000 years old, amazing that they have survived so well.
After the Bungles the hwy from Kununurra continues onto Broome and drives pass Halls creek and Fitzroy crossing. Both towns are not desired overnight stops and we stayed at free stops. Not a bad view from this stop.
Outside Fitzroy crossing we detoured to view Geicke gorge with Rob and Gayle that we had again met at the free stop above.
Next stop was Derby, where the tides are the highest in Australia and we arrived at the highest tides of the year. The moon was right to see the tides at 11.58 metres photos below showing high then low tide 0.80 metres at the wharf/ Jetty.
We did an over night visit to Windjana gorge, the Devonian reef conservation park.a 180 plus km from derby and gravel road, so again the tent was taken for camping and the van left in Derby caravan park.
The gorge and what is left of the water contains over 100 fresh water crocs, which you can get quite close too.
Our campsite here was peaceful
and we also drove to tunnel creek but unfortunetly the entrance required boulder climbing so i stay put while John went a small distance inside only to find the entrance had crocs and the torch was flat. The darkness prevented him going any further.
Derby has many boab trees , some unusual with one that has grown together with a eucalptyus tree. A large prision boab tree is also situated here.
and now we leave Derby for the coast and Broome, finally the outback is left behind and so are the flies and heat and we head for the coast of WA. Our next blog starts in Broome.
