Fri., 3rd Aug., 2012 - Still in Kununurra

We took a drive out to "The Hoochery", where they distill rum using locally grown sugar cane; they also produce other items such as cake & marmalade which have a rum content but, since we are not rum lovers, these did not hold much appeal for us.  However, the drive was interesting as we passed through an area of intensive tropical farming - fields & orchards full of produce, very little of which we recognised, although we think we saw mangoes & melons.  Water was readily available & the whole area was well irrigated.

We stopped to buy some oranges, grapefruit, beans & avocados from one of the farms, then continued on to Ivanhoe Crossing, where the River Ord crosses the road!  Sometimes it is possible to drive over the watery crossing but today the river was flowing too quickly & the road was closed.

The wattles were beautiful, producing a mass of yellow blossom, which contrasted brilliantly with the intense blue sky.  However, the real  thrill of the day was the totally unexpected swathe of Sturt's Desert Pea that grew along the verge as we returned to Kununurra.  Black "eyes" stared out from bright red petals & we were delighted to see South Australia's state flower "in the flesh".

Back at the Holiday Park, we enjoyed drinks with Judy, Charlie, Bob & Gwen (a couple whom Judy & Charlie had befriended whilst we were in Kakadu).  It was very pleasant sitting alongside the lake, sipping our drinks & watching the sunset, whilst fruit bats flew overhead.  We then cooked some barramundi for dinner, which was delicious.

2 Aug., 2012 - More time in Kununurra

We didn't hurry to get up; took our time & had a late breakfast.  The four of us then went into town, had coffee & talked to the staff at the Information Centre about possible trips.  After that, Bob & I went to the Lovell Art Gallery, where we were spellbound by Nadeen Lovell's paintings.  Her work is stunning & inspiring; her use of colour & pattern delights the eye & she represents this part of Australia as only some one who is "at one with the region" could do.  Her love for Kununurra & its surrounding area shines out of her paintings.  We were particularly fascinated by one of her techniques, where every part of the picture is completely filled with intricate patterns.  Surprisingly, the patterns enhance, rather than detract & the overall effect is one of vibrant colour & movement.

From the gallery, we drove on to the Mirima National Park, which some people describe as a mini Bungle Bungles.  The rock formations are stunning & there is a pathway up through the rugged area to a look-out point high above the surrounding countryside.  Of course, we had to do the climb, which I found tough, but very rewarding when we reached the top - the views were spectacular; challenging for the knees, but a good aerobic experience!

At this point, I should take a break to ask how many people spotted my "deliberate mistake" in the blog of 29 June, when I referred to Kata Tjuta as the Bungle Bungles, instead of the Olgas.  I didn't expect any British readers to notice, but I did think that some one from Australia might have challenged me.

NB:  Currently, we are about 100km from where the film "Australia" was made - we can now appreciate the beautifiul scenery that was included.  A 'homestead' was built especially for the film, but it has since been removed.

1 Aug., 2012 - A day in Kununurra

We have gained 90 minutes since leaving the Northern Territory so, although it would have been 8.30am there when we awoke, it was only 7am in Western Australia.

We decided to have an easy first day at the Discovery Holiday Park, catching up with chores & exploring locally.  We did our washing, then went for a walk in the immediate vicinity.

The Park is situated around the edge of a large lake & enjoys a very attractive location.  We skirted the lake's edge, looking at the fish, the birds & a fairly large lizard.  Finally, we followed a road just outside the Park, which led us to the "Pumphouse Restaurant", where we had coffee, & the Kununurra Golf Club, where Bob had a good look round.

Club House

On our return to the caravan, we found that Judy & Charlie had also returned from their walk & so we all discussed future plans & places to visit.

We enjoyed my home-made celery soup for lunch, which tasted all the better for knowing that, by cooking the celery, I had denied the quarantine checkpoint official the right to confiscate it.  Lovely to 'get one over' on an officious little person in uniform!

After lunch, we took a trip into Kununurra town, visited the Information Centre & did a little food shopping.  However, a combination of the heat & the time difference had caught up with me & I was glad to return to the Holiday Park & enjoy pre-dinner drinks with Judy & Charlie.

31 July, 2012 - Sadler's Creek to Kununurra

We left Sadler's Creek at 10am., having had a good breakfast of bacon, mushrooms & tomatoes.  Bob had to keep the lid on the frying pan, as dust storms were blowing up around us.

En-route, the boab trees became bigger & bigger, with trunks that were massive.  We wondered how old some of them were.

At the Western Australia quarantine checkpoint, the officials were very thorough - our car & caravan were searched &, although we handed in our remaining fruit & veg., we forgot about the honey.  However, it was discovered & confiscated!

We left the main road to visit Lake Argyle & the Ord River & found ourselves in beautiful countryside - colourful hills, some wooded & some rocky; blonde grasses & small trees; & not a cloud in the sky, which was endlessly blue.

The area became wilder & much more rugged (reminiscent of the cowboy films).  Suddenly, through a gap in the rock, there it was ... Lake Argyle, in all its turquoise glory!  It glistened in the sunshine & stretched into infinity.  It is a huge volume of water, rather like an inland sea.  Although it is man-made & necessitated the flooding of a large area of land, the project has rejuvenated the area & bird life, in particular, has benefited enormously.

The Durack family, originally from County Clare in Ireland, had built a homestead where Lake Argyle was created.  Their house has been reconstructed, brick by brick, in the area above the lake.  It is now a museum, giving an insight into early pioneer life & we found it of great interest, particularly as Mary Durack, an author & granddaughter of the original settlers, is buried there & her first book, telling the family's history, is on sale (I had to buy a copy, of course - "Kings in Grass Castles").

Durack Homestead

We finally made contact with Judy & Charlie as we entered Kununurra.  We caught up with one another's travel news - we'd done some similar things - then Bob cooked Chow Mein for us all & Judy provided some Sticky Toffee Puddings.

30 July, 2012 - Timber Creek to Sadler's Creek

It has now become colder at night, probably because we have moved further inland & a desert-like climate is affecting us rather than a tropical one.  I quite like the change as it is easier to sleep & the days are beautiful.  It was quite windy when we awoke & we could see the trees blowing about a bit as we drove out of Timber Creek.  We saw increasing numbers of boab trees & their naive shapes continued to fascinate us.  Rivers still carved into the landscape & the resulting escarpments were dramatic.  The grasses were long, blonde & tough-looking & would probably have provided good weaving material for the aborigines.  The trees looked smaller & rather stunted and the creeks were drying up.  On the main road, we saw a sign for a cattle station, the gateway of which was 75km from the homestead - a long driveway to negotiate in order to collect your mail!!  Cattle grazed upon unfenced land, which was always a hazard.

Sadler's Creek was adequate, but "gritty" - it had no grass, but there were trees for shade & several other caravanners had gathered there.  We chose a spot where we could hopefully avoid the worst of the dust & settled down for a relaxed afternoon.

Bob began to worry about all the fruit & veg. that we would not be allowed to take into Western Australia tomorrow.  He stewed some pears for dessert this evening & we ate some of the melon for lunch.  I wasn't sure that we'd be able to use everything up, though - we still had potatoes, carrots, onions, oranges, an apple & some salad.  Did I mention a relaxed afternoon?  I spent most of it preparing vegetables for the freezer & making celery soup.  We planned to have the mushrooms & tomatoes with our breakfast tomorrow.

Sun 29 July 2012 - Victoria River Road House to Timber Creek

What an horrendous night!  It started well when we had a very sociable chat with a couple who were parked near to us.  However, once we were in bed & darkness fell, it was as though all hell had been let loose.  A group of bikers had arrived & they proceeded to behave like morons.  Not satisfied with being loud-mouthed & disruptive, they also began to let off very loud fireworks that seemed to burst above us & shower us with sparks.  There was a smell of smoke, which was scary, as we had a lot of dry grass all around us.  I was really frightened & became quite distressed as my imagination ran riot at the thought of what drunken bikers might do.  However, we have lived to tell the tale & are sorry that the experience has coloured our experience of the area which was, in fact, very beautiful.  The Victoria River cut its way through the landscape in a very dramatic way, carving a deep valley & forming fantastic escarpments.

We left the Road House at about 10.15am, still unable to make contact with Judy & Charlie.  We decided to head for Timber Creek, where we hoped to be able to use the telephone & the Internet again.

At Timber Creek, we secured a powered site & found that we had access to the Internet, but still no service on our telephone.  Having settled in, we went for a drive to explore the local area.

 The scenery was fantastic, as we drove to high spots & enjoyed panoramic views of the Victoria River & the surrounding countryside.

We went to look at Gregory's Tree, a huge boab that was marked, in 1856, to record the dates of Gregory's North Australian Expedition, when he set out to explore the region.  Boab trees are rather strange to look at, having huge trunks topped by fairly unimpressive upper branches (almost like a young child's drawing).  Some of the ones that we saw had pods on them & only very few had any foliage at all.  Previously, we have only ever seen them in South Africa & seem to remember that they can store huge amounts of water in their massive trunks.

Back at the camp site, we watched someone feeding crocodiles that appeared when meat was hung over the water from a small bridge.  There are certainly plenty of them about, so I won't be going for a swim in the river!

Sat 28 July 2012 - Kakadu to Victoria River Road House

We left Kakadu at about 9.15am & drove south toward Pine Creek & Katherine.  We felt a little sad at leaving Kakadu, where we had been so enthralled with the creatures & the scenery.  It is such a special place & we felt privileged to have experienced it.

Our route was more winding & undulating than that to which we had become accustomed & Bob was not able to just switch on to “cruise control” & leave the car to cope – it actually needed some input from him!

Now, it was goodbye to the Dreamtime & back to reality – we began to encounter road trains again & there was also the occasional ominous sign, warning of livestock wandering on to the road from unfenced land.  One or two dead animals lay at the roadside – a kangaroo, a dingo & a cow.  Our beautiful world had melted away &, with the return of “civilization”, came stress.  But, we’ll cope.  “Keep calm & carry on!” is the motto.

Katherine was an absolute nightmare – large numbers of people, indigenous & otherwise, were milling about all over the place.  The queues in Woolworth’s were unbelievable & some of the trolleys must have had elastic sides, going by the amount of food they were holding!  It all seemed so crowded & noisy, particularly after the tranquillity of Kakadu – I couldn’t get out quickly enough!

We passed large herds of hump-backed cattle &, although much of the land appeared to be fenced, the carcasses along the roadside indicated that the animals often found their way through the wire barriers.

We had a message from Judy & Charlie to say that they intended to spend the night at Victoria River & so we headed for the Road House there.  We arrived at 4.45pm after a long drive & found ourselves a powered site (no telephone or Internet contact, though).  We couldn’t find Judy & Charlie, so will have to look out for them tomorrow.