05 Bungles to Derby

Some of you may have seen some of these photos on my Facebook page several days ago. The blog is a bit behind, so here is a partial catchup. We are actually in Broome, but this one will bring us up to Derby, about 200 Km northeast of Broome.

After leaving the Bungle Bungles, we had to cover a long stretch of road running east to west. We stopped the first night at a free camp called Mary’s Pools. 

We shared this beautiful spot with over 30 other campers. It had toilets and shade. The Mary River was still flowing, this photo was taken at dusk.

Next morning I found a Jabiru, a beautiful Australian bird, nearly as big as a Pelican. The last time we saw Jabiru was ten years ago in Kakadu.

We had lunch at Halls Creek then pulled in to a beautiful Caravan Park at Fitzroy Crossing. Next morning we had a one hour cruise on the Fitzroy River, through Geikie Gorge. 

The white colour is limestone kept clean by high river in summer, black is above the high water line and red is rusty, which means it also has iron in those sections.

There were several fresh water crocodiles in Geikie Gorge, this one was on a rock ledge right on the water line.

We reached the north-west coast at Derby, which had a very photogenic wharf, specially when high tide and sunset coincide.

The difference between high and low tide in Derby is up to 12 metres, the highest in Australia. 

Next blog will describe some special things due to this high tidal range.

4 Bungle Bungles

We flew over the Bungle Bungles from Kununurra several days ago. The flight also showed us Lake Argyle,which was in blog number 3.

The Bungle Bungles were only discovered for tourism a few years ago. They are hundreds of dome shaped rock towers made of alternating layers of sandstone (which rusts to a red colour) and conglomerates (rocks composed mainly of pebbles and boulders and cemented together by finer material), laid down over 350 million years ago and carved out by wind and rain to their present dramatic appearance.

Several days after the flight, we drove in for a view from the ground. The Bungle Bungles caravan park is 250 km south of Kununurra and the Bungle Bungles are 50 km from the main road, very much 4WD territory, with many water crossings.

Our Motorhome had no chance of going on the 4WD road, but we had met up with some friends from Engadine, Gordon and Kerry Hunter, who were travelling in the opposite direction with two other couples from Engadine Anglican Church. 

They very kindly took us in their 4WD Dodge truck.

I (Peter) damaged my left knee a few days ago so couldn’t do all the walking trails; even so, what we could see was truly amazing.

Next stop, we turn west to Mary River (free camp) and then Fitzroy Crossing.

Kununurra and Lake Argyle

Large volumes of rain fall in the Kinberly region in the summer, the wet season. Kununurra had 1,172 mm this summer, 10 times the amount in Hay. The dry season has virtually no rain.

The vast amount of summer rain in the Ord River catchment is stored in Lake Argyle near Kununurra and used for irrigation and generation of hydro electricity.

One of the most common Ord River products is Sandalwood, used for very expensive perfumes.

Lake Argyle is the largest storage dam in Australia. It holds about 18 times the volume of water as Sydney Harbour. It covers over 1,000 square km, stretching 50 km long.

There is a hydro generator at the  dam wall and a separate spillway some distance away. 

Because of the big wet season, water is flowing over a metre higher than the spillway, creating huge rapids downstream.

We stayed at Lake Argyle Caravan Park, near the dam wall. I had a swim in the Infinity Pool (Google that) and we went for a flight over the lake and a boat trip in the lake.

We went on a sunset cruise in a very comfortable boat over a small part of Lake Argyle.

The boat anchored at a buoy and we all jumped in the very deep water for a swim, then we had drinks and nibbles.

Can you see the freshwater crocodile on the bank?

It was quite dark when we got out of the boat and went in the bus back to the caravan park.

Next Blog, a diamond mine and the Bungle Bungles.

Katherine (NT) to Kununurra (WA)

We spent some time in Katherine with Kath Slack and her 3 boys. Kath’s husband, Kristan is the rector at Katherine Anglican Church, where we went to church a week ago. Lee and the twins, Ezekiel and Jeremiah are having a jam session.

From Katherine to Kununurra is 520 km. Before crossing the border, we spent a night at Victoria River caravan park. 

This is the Victoria River early in the still morning.

and this is the normal type of road train.

Next overnight stop was Timber Creek. It has been hot and we had a swim in the pool at our caravan park most afternoons.  

Boab trees started to appear at Timber Creek and have been common since then.

Every visitor to W.A. passes through a quarantine check point. We  had stewed our apples, eaten all our honey and par-boiled our vegetables, and we went through with only a cursory inspection.

Kununurra has a lovely national Park and we went for a walk early, while it was still fairly cool.

Here is a beautiful bird, the Rainbow Bee Eater we have seen in a few places, including our Caravan Park.

And here is the Uke player still strumming as the sun goes down.

Kununurra is also the town for the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. Next blog I will feature some pictures from a plane trip we took over Lake Argyle and down to the Bungle Bungles.

Westmead, Darwin to Katherine

Hello to all our friends back East. This blog is being written because Mrs Simpson from Hay PS asked for some pictures as we travelled, so a special hello to 6SC and all the classes who may see this. Hello as well to our family and friends in Hay and elsewhere.

Before we left Sydney we went to Westmead Children’s Hospital to see Dylan Ilic and his family. Dylan and Courtney were at school that day (Wednesday 26 April). Dylan was between chemo treatments.

Photo in Dylan's Classroom at Westmead

We flew to Darwin the next day. Lee’s luggage got left behind at Sydney airport. We had to make a special trip back to Darwin airport at midnight, the bag came via Melbourne.

Darwin to Katherine is 320 km

Friday we did some shopping and also went to visit Nungalinya College, where indigenous adults come for training, some for a few weeks of basic English and literacy, some for TAFE Certificate 2 and 3, and some for skills in Theology, Media Music, etc. In all, 400 to 500 students pass through the college every year. Nungalinya is partly Govt funded and partly by the Anglican, Catholic and Uniting Churches. It has its own indigenous board of directors

Saturday we did more shopping, Lee bought an Ukulele, which she has been playing each night in the Caravan Parks.  

We spent one night on the Mary River at the edge of Kakadu, mainly so we could visit Fogg Dam the next day and look at lots of birds that live there.

Fogg Dam was built for rice irrigation, but the rice seeds were all eaten by birds so rice was abandoned. Fogg Dam is now a nature park, and you have to be careful of crocodile

Walking across dam wall prohibited. Driving allowed

Crimson Finch at Fogg Dam

Then we drove to Bachelor on the edge of Litchfield Park, famous for waterfalls and giant termite nests. 

Bird feeding in Caravan Park

Wangi Falls in Litchfield Park. Can swim here but not now due to crocks

After 3 nights there we drove south to Katherine, where we are now. We plan to head west on Saturday 6^th May.

Darwin was very hot and humid, it is just the end of the wet season. Katherine is also very hot but a bit cooler at night and less humid. We have heard that it is cold in Hay. We would like a nice mixture please.

Bye till next time, probably from Kununurra on the Ord River, just across the W.A. border.