2010 three month Trip Blog,
August 2010
(under construction - pending images)
Sat July 31, Swan Hill, Vic.
Arrived in Swan Hill (Caravan Park) on way to Mungo NP, Bad news is it has been raining in North West NSW and many roads are closed due to flooding, Tibooburra to Camerons Corner is still closed, Hope it dries out in the next few days or else we will have to change tack and re-route to Lake Eyre via Mildura or Broken Hill
Sun Aug 1, Lake Mungo, NSW.
GPS trip log 766 km
Set up camp at Mungo Nat Pk after about 100 km dirt, Finally feels like
we are on holiday now after leaving cold & wet Victoria behind,
dont worry, Suprisingly even with my LD omni antenna on 4m pole there
is no Next G signal and we are only about 100k line of sight from
Mildura.
Mon Aug 2, Pooncarrie, NSW.
Mungo National Park well worth the visit, Stayed in the main camp which has 33 unpowered sites, only about 1/2 dozen occupied. Did the 70 km self guided tour loop, absolutly fantastic. The Mungo Woolshed was extremely interesting. The old wooden timbers hand-hewn with adze & axe, grey and gnarled and held together with forged nails. The shearing ceased in 1978 but the aroma of the shearing shed lingers, softened gently with age and enlivening the imagination of days gone by. Driving arond the 70km loop that winds across the Lake bed and around the perimeter was definitely a must. We hiked up the white sand dunes of the pinacles which was well worth the effort despite the bitterly cold wind and the sand blowing across the top of the dunes into our eyes and mouths. Lots of fauna & flora along the way and plenty of photo opportunities. Relunctantly left Lake Mungo and headed for Poocarrie to set up camp on the Darling River. Great day, great drive.
Tue Aug 3, Broken Hill, NSW.
GPS trip log 1172km
Pretty
relaxed pace today, no rush, we are on holidays! Stopped at Menindee
for Lunch and while checking out the Menindee Lake Lookout found a nice
piece of pyrite amongst the railway ballast. Called in at the old
Quandong Roadhouse, we drove the same route in 1990's and stopped in
for a refreshment, once a favourite spot now just a bulldozed pile of
rubble. A bit sad really.
Wed Aug 4, Tibooburra, NSW.
Started morning decamping in Broken Hill Caravan Park and met ExplorOz member Dave B (BHQ), very nice bloke & lots of useful info, thanks. We checked with Michelle at Cameron Corner to make sure the roads were open before deciding to head north up the Silver City Highway. Stopped for Lunch at Packsaddle & were very impressed, cleanest Roadhouse & spotless Restrooms we have seen and Delicious meal too. We will call in again. Lots of evidence of recent rain as road washed away in places but Graders doing a great job to get on top of it. Stopped in at Malparinka and pleaesed to find that restoration and preservation of this historical town is well under way. Another place to call back and stay sometime. Pressing on to the nights camp at The Granites in Tibooburra.
Thu Aug 5, Cameron Corner, QLD.
GPS trip log 1657km
Left
Tib around 1.30 after doing some Laundry and checking out the town.
Cuppachino machines are rare in these parts and there are two in
Tibooburra, so we ordered some to go. Last we will drink for a while.
Took us about 3 hours to do the 139km, and the road crews were hard at
it repairing flood damage again. About 35km to go to Cameron Corner we
were suprised to see an old bloke about 74 pedalling his way across on
a mountain bike, He was as fit as a fiddle, the ride seemed no effort
at all. We got to the pub to see another bloke that arrived about 1pm
said he saw him at the 80km mark, Thats pretty good going in those
conditions! Emus with chicks and Kangaroos close to the road were an
interesting distraction, NSW today, Camping in QLD tonight, and SA
tomorrow !!
Fri Aug 6, Strezleki Track, SA.
GPS trip log 1938km
We
ended our Queensland Holiday today and drove one minuite from our QLD
campsite at Camerons Corner and arrived in South Australia. Still
plenty of daylight left and all topped up with Diesel ($2.00 per litre
at CC) so we pushed on to Merty Merty. This track had only just been
reopened to 4WD after the recent unseasonal Rains and it was obvious
where many people had become stuck and the track was very chopped up in
places, but still quite an enjoyable drive with hundreds of Sand Dunes
with something new to see over each one. Hit the Strelzleki Track and
turned south for a few hours until we made camp at the old Blanchwater
Ruins.
Sat Aug 7, Marree, SA.
GPS trip log 2178km
Diesel at Lyndhurst $1.32 per litre, 64 litres from Camerons Corner, 424klm, = 15.1 l/100klm
Under a tree by a campfire, with nothing disturbing your thoughts
except the chirping and whistling of the many bird species that darted
and flew about amongst the saltbush by the McDonnell Creek on the
Strezlecki Track, life is definitely sweet. The sunset was beautiful
with the night sky dotted with the brilliance of the many stars that
elude you in the cities. The trip down the Strezlecki Track was
definitely a highlight. Beautiful expanses of flat saltbush plains
interrupted now and again with low lying treeless mounds with the soft
pinky purple haze of the Flinders Ranges shimmering on the horizon. A
bloke we met said he had travelled down here with his mates and they
had found it boring!! No comment required here !! Further on past the
dog fence the rolling hills were covered in tiers of large slate rocks
with split and cracked shards of shale covering the ground which just
screamed out for you to climb it, which of course we did. This had also
been used on the historical 'Camel enlosure' we stopped at futher down
the track. We stopped for lunch at Lyndurst, bringing back memories of
an earlier visit many years ago before the original Lyndhurst Pub
burned down, unfortunately, the friendly commaraderie seemed to have
disappeared along with the Pub. Continued North to Marree, stopping for
quite a time to explore the old Farina Ruins, built on the route of the
original Old Ghan Railway. A really interesting stop. Enroute to
Marree, it was easy to trace the course of the railway line by the
millions of broken bottles glittering in the sun that littered the side
of the tracks. We were lucky enough to spot about a dozen wild horses
grazing by the roadside about 15 mins from Marree and got some great
shots as they took fright and headed off across the plain.
Sun Aug 8, William Creek, SA.
Didn't fancy taking a flight over Lake Eyre crammed into a Cessna 210 with 8 other people at $360.00 a pop so had a bit of a look around Marree this morning, checked out some old Ghan Railway Locomotives and then straight up the Oodnadatta track. Lots of interesting stops at old Ghan Railway sidings and a bit of fossicking around in the numerous old bottle heaps. Stopped at Callanga Railway Ruins for a coffee stop, more fossicking, photos and just to enjoy the stillness. As we sipped our coffee we casually watched a guy on a 250cc chortle past until he became just a minute, black, slow moving dot in the distance then disappeared over a slight rise. Finding ourselves transfixed on this guys slow progress was when we realised we had finally switched off. The rest of the journey called for quite a few photo stops and pottering around the various railway ruins. Lake Eyre was a must for photos. The water shimmered in the sunlight with the flat horizon broken only by small hazy 'islands' hovering, seemingly in mid-air. Curdimurka Railway Ruins was another interesting stop then on to the elusive Coward Springs for a lunch stop which would have made a great spot to camp but was a bit early so we set off again for William Creek. The road had ruts, bumps, corrugations and wet spots and still needs a bit of work to repair the flood damage. (still no nextG) . Diesel at William Creek $189.9 50L exactly from Lyndhurst 269km = 18.6l/100km
Mon Aug 9, Oodnadatta Track, SA.
GPS Trip log 2691km
Left William Creek early today and straight up the Oodnadatta track,
Lots of interesting Ghan Railway history along the way including the
Algebuckina (steel trestle) Bridge which is the longest bridge in South
Aust. Road to Oodnadatta is in pretty poor state of repair, took 6
hours to do the 200km. Once we got there we decided to push on at the
Campground was not very inviting so found a nice spot half way to
Marla. Road much better on the West side of Oodnadatta, were even able
to smooth the corrugations out at 80 kmh. Spotted out first bunch of
Sturt Desert Peas too.
Tue Aug 10, Eridunda, NT.
GPS Trip log 3090km
66.4L Diesel at Marla $1.62/l 401km = 16.5 l /100km
Broke Camp this morning to discover a rock had knocked one of the brake
connectors on the trailer from its plug, Fixed in a jiffy but not quick
enough to beat a bloke in a 100 series dragging some great lumbering
van beat us out of the camp. This moron would not take the hint that he
was going too slow for us, would not respond to headlight flash or CB
and would speed up to 80 if it looked like I wanted to pass & slow
down to 60 when I backed off, a real dickhead (probably under orders
from mein fuhrer in the left hand seat). After more than a week driving
almost exclusively on Dirt Roads and Tracks it was a bit of strange
sensation to begin driving on sealed road again and even more strange
to be confronted with 130kmh speed limit signs on the NT border. I
think we left a trail of a dried mud & dust for a few klm after we
got up to speed.
Wed Aug 11, Alice Springs, NT.
GPS Trip log 3284km
Had
a good night's rest even though we were camped only about 150 metres
off the main road. Not much traffic during the night hours. Whilst we
were packing up camp this morning about 7.30am, a shiny, white, late
model Falcon sedan pulled off the road not far from us and two portly
'gentlemen' got out and inspected the front of their car. After a few
minutes of deliberation, one pulled something from the front and walked
a short distance, tossing it to the ground. Another quick inspection of
the vehicle and off they went. Curious, we went to have a look and were
horrified to find a beautiful Goss Hawk, eyes staring with fright,
breathing sharply, with its wing doubled up underneath it. What
Assholes!! They had just flung this magnificent creature in the dust
and left it to suffer and die. Consequently it was humanely sent on its
journey. When we write the book on 'Bastards We've Met' along with
yesterdays cantidates these two would have to make the front cover. We
pushed on and decided not to join the long convoy of hire cars and
caravans heading for Ayres Rock and continued on to Henbury Meteor
Craters. About a 20 min drive on dirt and well worth it. The 1.5km walk
around the Craters was really interesting. Hard to fathom some people
though....the last comment made in the comment book
was.......'Overgrown'. Ummm, I think being 4,000 yrs old might have had
something to do with it not being in its original condition as when
hit!! Called into the Stuarts Well Roadhouse for lunch and were
delighted to be treated to a song from the famous 'singing dingo'. A
genuine treat, not gimmicked up for the tourist dollar. Jim, rescued
the dingo when a pup and did not train him, but the dingo climbed up on
the piano one day and when he discovered it made sounds when he walked
on it, he began to press down with his feet and 'sing' whilst he did
it. It was a pleasure to meet both Jim and his dingo. Headed off again
with a good run to Alice Springs. Time to put our feet up for a day or
two and freshen ourselves and the van.
Thu Aug 12, Alice Springs, NT.
Arrived in the Alice yesterday and decided to stay for a couple of days and catch up on our washing, showering and the odd repair or two. Hitting the tar was definitely easier on the vehicle, camper and driver but not half as interesting. Pulling off the road to look at things doesn't quite have the same appeal when there are cars whizzing past at 130kph. Today we spent a couple of hours at the 'Alice Springs Desert Park' and enjoyed every minute of it. The $20 entry fee pp was definitely value for money. One of the best Parks of this type that we've been to. The Audio Guides are very interactive and there are plenty of tours, talks and displays to keep you interested. Alice Springs itself is clean, both in the streets and in the shopping areas. A great little town. Took the opportunity to get everything back in order for our onward journey to Harts Range tomorrow. Quite tempted to hang about here for awhile but still a long way to go.
Fri Aug 13, Ambalindum Station, NT.
We headed out of Alice after another browse around the town and instead of heading straight up the Stuart H'Way as originally planned we took the NE route towards Ross River, stopping at Emily and Jessie Gap Nature Parks. Just 7km this side of Ross River Resort we turned onto a dirt track and continued North. The track wasn't too bad but definitely needed concentration as there were quite a few deep holes cutting right across the track which weren't obvious until you were right on them. We stopped for lunch at the historical grave of George King who fell from his horse, suffering major injuries and died on this spot in 1915. Yummy lunch, toasted egg & bacon sandwich topped off with a cappucino (not bad for out the back of the car). We continued on through the McDonnell Ranges enroute to Arltunga Historical Reserve. Description of these ranges.....beautiful, stunning, awesome!! (better scenery than Flinders Ranges but none of the hype or tourists) The 10-20 kph we needed to do at times was not a hindrance with such amazing countryside. There was lot of cattle over the road who moved off the track with reluctance. We finally hit the Arltunga Hotel, now in quite a state of disrepair, with the camping sites no longer available...a For Sale sign might explain this. Perhaps future travelers will find this up and running again. The Arltunga Historical Reserve was definitely worth all the bumps and grinds to get there. The Visitor's Centre was totally open with no Ranger about, but the half hour video all set to go with the press of a button. This was extremely informative, showing the growth and demise of the mini gold rush which was the catalyst for the opening up of Central Australia. Clean rest rooms were also welcomed. Our proposed camp site at Arltunga was now out so we headed off, keeping our eyes out for a good camping spot. What luck, we had slowed down to almost a stop to navigate our way through a creek-bed and as we came up over the rise there in the middle of the road was an amazing camoflaged Bearded Dragon. It was extremely colourful and was kind enough to pose for quite a few photos for us. The road from here deteriorated rapidly with no good camp areas in sight. We were more than happy to see a sign to Ambalindum Homestead, showing camping there was available. Fording the creek we made our way up to the homestead and were greeted warmly by the caretaker, Peter, who set us up under a couple of trees. Beautiful spot, spotless toilet, beautiful moon. A long but interesting day.
Sat Aug 14, Gemtree, NT.
GPS trip log 3595km
Left Ambalindum and headed West along Binns Track. The road did not get
any better with large deep ruts, washouts and sand-drifts which made
slow-going but gave us the opportunity to observe the miriad of birds
that darted about. It also caused us to stop constantly as so many
things caught our interest. We spent quite a bit of time fossicking
around the creek-beds looking at the variety of rocks and taking photos
of the great river gums, ghost gums and other various trees, stopping
at one of these to light a small fire and cook some lunch. The track
was extremely interesting with narrow bushy sections suddenly opening
out onto wide open saltbush then back into narrow bush again which also
meant the dips, holes and long ruts across the track. We opted to take
this '4WD-only' short cut up to the Plenty H'Way so knew what we were
getting into. The catttle gates were no problems except for one, that
swung freely back when you unchained it. This was O.K. until you tried
to close it. Once you got one gate to the centre and let go to get the
other one, the first one swung back open again. No brownie points for
guessing who sat in the car waiting and who battled with the gate.
Amazing how long someone can sit and wait for someone to close a gate
without wondering what happened to them! Finally hit the Plenty H'Way
and turned West to Gem Tree C'Van Park. Really big here for fossickers
and tag-a-long tours. Great place for Garnets especially.
Sun Aug 15, Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, NT.
Gem Tree turned out to be a little gem, with spacious campsites under the trees and spotless amenities. We headed off just as all the other campers were gearing up for their fossisking tour. We love fossicking but prefer ambling along dry creek beds or finding an interesting outcrop of rocks to poke about in. It's amazing how many things you see that would normally escape your eye. Different varieties of wild flowers and bushes the colourings on the river gums and the many different textured barks and leaves. The multitude of ants and the various ways they build their nests. The tiny seed cones, now discarded and dry that form such amazing patterns that would normally go unnoticed. The tremendous array of colours in the grasses and shrubs that when first viewed, looks like a sea of green. So much to look at and amaze at. Well, we were soon broken out of our reverie with a return to the bituman and once again headed North up the Stuart H'Way, the landscape flashing past with no time to stop and explore, cars, caravans and road-trains hard on our tail. It seemed to parallel life in general. So glad we've allowed ourselves the time to 'step off the highway', not just get swept along with it. A brief stop at Ryans Well Rest Area for coffee and a look around the Glen Maggie Ruins then on to Aileron Roadhouse for lunch. Not being pie eaters, we were amazed that all we had craved for the last 50km was a pie, which we were lucky enough to get at the Roadhouse. Ti-Tree afforded another opportunity to stop for a break and observe about half a dozen, of what looked like 'dingo cross' dogs, approaching each vehicle that pulled up at the pumps and looking for hand-outs. They were very scrawney and well-used to scavenging. Another stop at the Teamsters Memorial for a break and a quick cup of coffee, turned into half an hour after poking around and finding a small lizard that played cat and mouse with us for quite a bit just teasing us for that illusive 'great shot' we were waiting to capture. The Old Telegraph Station at Barrow Creek was interesting and brought back a few memories of a previous visit. We headed on anxious to get to our chosen spot to camp for the night, the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve and were quite excited to see the huge outcrop of rocks that loomed up before us but on pulling into the camping site we were astounded to find a sea of vans and tents of all descriptions with only 1 or 2 spots still available. Too late to spend some worth-while time here then head off to find another campsite, so we pulled in and set up camp. Dirt tracks and bush camps...Oh the memory!!
Mon Aug 16, The Pebbles, NT.
GPS trip log 4179km
Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is a beautiful and extraordinary
place but unfortunately the lack of respect shown to this significant
site is extremely disappointing. Very glad to have had the opportunity
to visit here and see these amazing rock formations but definitely not
disappointed to leave behind the very noisy campsite. Yak! Yak! Yak!
What happened to the peace and serenity and the sheer pleasure of
enjoying a place for what it is? We headed North again to Tennant
Creek, making our first stop the Nyinkka Nyunya Art & Cultural
Centre, owned and run by the Aboriginal people. What an extremely
well-run and interesting place. The video was both interesting and
educational and the artifacts and bush tucker/medicine displays were
well-laid out, well documented and visually pleasing. Lunch in the Cafe
attached was also right up there on top of the list. A must stop if
passing through Tennant Creek. We stocked up our larder, fueled up then
headed for the 'Pebbles', an extremely significant place to the
Aboriginal women of this area, 17km North of Tennant Creek then West
along a dirt track for about 6km. This is like a mini 'Devils Marbles'
that also allows camping. The difference between here and Devils
Marbles is that it's not near the highway and is surrounded by bush,
the peacefulness of the place is immediate. We decided to camp here for
the night, it was just what we needed.
Fuel @ Tennant Creek: 130 litres $188.46 $1.479 l TM: 764 km = 17l / 100km
Tue Aug 17, Dunmarra, NT.
GPS trip log 4530km
Dawdled off this morning, not leaving 'The Pebbles' until late morning,
really relaxing time here. Washing all done (the rope line worked well)
emails all done because we had a good signal and we even got to
reorganize the Camper. Headed back out to the Stuart H'Way and North.
Stopped at 'Attack Creek' turn-out for lunch. Stopped at Elliott for a
quick break and were surprised to see a flock of peacocks/peahens
wandering across the H'Way. Heading off again, it wasn't long before we
started to see large ant-hills on both sides of the road, they were
everywhere. We finally arrived at Dunmarra Road-house & decided to
camp here. Once we had set up, we went for a walk to check out the
ant-hills. The Road-house also has a large outdoor movie screen, bring
your own chair, which was quite novel. We got our first sighting of the
infamous Cane Toad, which was hopping around our van. It was also a bit
of a shock to go to the toilet by torchlight and have two big black
eyes staring at you out of the darkness. Really hot tonight, 32 deg.
Shower went down well. Beutiful nice soft / drinkable spring water.
Wed Aug 18, Buntine Highway, NT.
Left Dunmarra and turned West onto the Buchanan H'Way which is
unsealed, but quite well maintained. It was such a relief to be off the
main drag and out of 'tourist alley'. It was interesting to see new
trees growing all along the road-side like bushes. We made quite a few
stops as there were so many interesting things to see. Red Tailed Black
Cockatoos, a Blue Tongue Lizard and an Olive or Marble-headed Whip
Snake were all musts for photo stops. As the Cattle Stations are
unfenced, there were many dead cattle along the road as well as a dead
camel. The large ant-hills varied from a grey-muddy colour to deep red
brown. Most were tall, tapering to a point but some were large, round
masses. We had to slow quite often for cattle across the road, on two
occasions a young bull and a not-so-young bull stood their ground and
stared, stomped the ground and flicked their head as if to challenge
(note to self; next time don't buy a red car). After a bit of a show
they moved off the road. Anything to impress the ladies. The road to
Top Springs had been really good but after turning SW onto the Buntine
H'Way it deteriorated rapidly. Mostly it was like driving on a
bike-path, the road only wide enough for one vehicle, passing meant
both cars pulling right over to the side. Only a couple of cars passed
with none going our way. The road-side was littered with beer cartons
about every km and there were numerous burnt-out cars dumped along the
way. We reached Kalkarindji and opted to continue on (decomposed dead
camel on side of road within town limits). We set up camp once out of
the Aboriginal Land area and shared the evening with ants, large wood
beetles and varying other little insect pests. A bush shower provided a
nice respite.
(diesel at Top Springs $2.22)
Thu Aug 19, Halls Creek, WA.
GPS trip log 5303km
We watched the sunrise then decamped. Although the road wasn't the
best, we had great opportunities to see more wildlife, surprisingly
only one Kangaroo who hopped across the road in front of us. Was it
raining? Suddenly we were in the thick of a Locust swarm. This
continued for miles with the Locusts wedged between the wipers and
scattered across the bonnet and in the vents. We were extremely lucky
to see two Bustards (Bush Turkey), one of which walked along the
road-side for quite a bit before taking off in flight. We saw Brolgas
on two occasions, both times around the cattle's watering holes. Lunch
stop was at the NT/WA Border, where we cooked up a stew to get rid of
all our vegies before heading into WA. Through open, grassy plains then
into the ranges which were quite stunning. The Gorges were beautiful,
the clouds were beautiful, the road was shocking!! The last 40km from
Saw Tooth Gorge to Halls Creek was not pleasant traveling at a bumpy 10
kmh . Deep corrugations continuously on a winding road so unable to get
up to corrugation smoothing speed. We passed one guy with a flat and
one guy with a broken axle. Apparently this is par for the course along
this section. Finally, Halls Creek was a welcome sight. We decided to
stay in the C'Van Park rather than bush camp and were pleasantly
surprised to find such a casual, clean Park. This is definitely the
right place for us to take a break for a couple of days and do the odd
repair or two. ( 5000k oil change & fix electric trailer brake
wires properley)
Diesel at Halls Creek $1.49 93litres 568k from Top Springs = 16.3 l/100km
Fri Aug 20, Halls Creek, WA,
Still camped at Halls Creek and enjoying the break. It's a very quiet camp with plenty of space and extremely clean amenities, so an excellent place to recharge the batteries. We awoke just after sunrise, showered, had breakfast, did a few chores then checked the time on the phone to see how long to wait before the shops opened and were astounded to see it was 0710am !! What happened? We couldn't believe it, we realized we hadn't considered the time difference but heck....the day certainly starts early here. With our early start we took the opportunity to potter around doing a few chores that had been left, the washing, emails, shopping for a couple of needy items and a bit of reading. At 38 degrees, we soon fell into a slow, meandering pace with any excuse to sit in the deck chair and 'have a bit of a rest'. After hearing word from home that the weather was cold, wet and snowing down to 800m, the question was posed....would you rather be home and uncomfortably cold or here and uncomfortably hot? Uhhmmmm!! Now that one took a long time to answer!
Sat Aug 21, Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater, WA
Left Halls Creek early and were excited to be heading for Wolfe Creek Meteor Crater, it being the second largest in the world. We turned South onto the Tanami Track and as much as we loved being back on the dirt, three hours of 10in corrugations, large hard, sharp stones, sudden dips and holes made the trip out to Wolfe Creek quite arduous. The last 10km were the most painful. At 10kph over extremely rough corrugations, you could see the destination, could almost reach out and touch it, yet couldn't go any faster. The few others that did, were left with flat tyres, a broken axle and a fan through the radiator. One of these being a tourist from Europe who had a flat tyre and was extremely perplexed because he didn't know how to change it or even if he had a jack! A bit of home-work on these roads and conditions might have helped. No Jack, no extra water, no camping equipment and no communications and in a rent-a-bomb that was more suitable to the bitumen. Who advises these tourists??? Anyway, after all that, was it worth it? Bloody Oath!! It was a great camping site, a reasonable trek to the rim of the Crater and such a beautiful 360 degree view. The information on the Crater was excellent and anyone seriously interested in these geological features would not be disappointed.
Sun Aug 22, Kunnunurra, WA
Caught the sunrise this morning, after a night of spectacular lightening displays and intermittent heavy rainfall. It was quite a hot night despite the rain and was actually quite enjoyable listening to the rain pattering on the roof. The camper held up great, no leaks, no problems. The morning was beautiful sunshine again with only a few puddles on the ground to remind you that it had rained. We decamped early and headed back to Halls Creek, knowing the journey was not going to be a fast one. Reaching Halls creek about 11am we decided to push on to Kununurra which was possibly a mistake as by the time we reached there at 5.30pm we were both really stuffed. The lack of sleep, road conditions and 38 degree heat combined with humidity we weren't quite used to, had taken its toll. A quick shower, unpacking the basics only, we hit the bed. That being said, the scenery to Kunanurra was equal to any we have seen yet on the trip. Every turn provided a different vista. Large domed hills with short, tufted vegetation, next turn, large craggy hills with no vegetation, next turn, long flat mesas with small green hills in front. The variety of landscape was amazing and extremely picturesque. We glimpsed our first Boab Tree with great excitement, stopping to take a photo. As we drew nearer to Kununurra they were everywhere. The most unique being in the shape of a short, squat port bottle and similarly coloured. There were quite a few one lane bridges enroute which was different, belting along at 110kph then have to stop to allow someone to cross over the bridge. No time to check out Kununurra tonight, but first impressions are really good.
Mon Aug 23, Kunnunurra, WA
GPS Trip log 5994km
Very hot, humid night but we're in a great spot. Parked under some
beautiful, large trees, plenty of space and right on the Ord River was
rather easy to take after yesterday. We took our time this morning and
made our way to the Kununurra shopping centre. Not large, but enough
shops for what you need. Very clean and friendly town. Lunch at one of
the local cafes was excellent. It had a Mango tree growing right
outside with almost ripe fruit on it. Yum! Though only a few shops
here, we spent a few hours just poking around the town. We really liked
what we saw. It's the sort of place that could grow on you very easily.
Many tourists are packing up and heading further South because of the
earlier than normal heat and humidity but we hear that William Creek
and some of the tracks down South have been closed because of
torrential rains, leaving some tourists stranded so we were glad we
came through when we did. We'll just plod along as planned and take
what comes.
Tue Aug 24, Lake Argyle, WA
Left Kununurra and headed East for Lake Argyle. We had been traveling South along the Lake Argyle road for about 20kms when we stopped to take a photo of the Spillway overflow, it proved to be a very timely stop as the hiss from the Trailer tyre was unmistakable. We had crossed over some very rough road-works only a km or so back and think this must have been enough to pinch some sand against the wall of the tube and hence the flat. Seems ironic that we've travelled mainly on dirt since leaving Victoria over some pretty rough tracks and managed to get a flat whilst traveling on a sealed road. Them's the breaks. Luck was with us and there was no damage done to the tyre. We continued on to Lake Argyle and were amazed at both the size and the blue of the water. We were a bit disappointed that there was no bush camping available but the campsite was clean and a good place to repair the puncture and leave the Trailer whilst we headed off to check out the Lake. The lookout points gave a great view of the Lake and the Dam Wall. Driving down below the Wall led us to a beautiful picnic area, shaded by a variety of large trees with the granite hills looming majestically above. We had quite a good lunch of Silver Cobbler which is a large fish abundant in the Lake. Coach Tours and Tourists are well catered for at the Campsite with Sea-Plane and Launch Tours taking off from here. Once again a shower was a must at the end of a very hot day.
Wed Aug 25, Dunham River, WA
Decamped early and headed back along the Lake Argyle road. We stopped at the Spillway Bridge, pulling down near the water to get a closer look this time. The water was low, but the Crocodile Warning made us a little more wary than normal. A large Dragonfly took quite a liking to the black knob on top of the CB antenna on the front of the car and stayed with us for a km or so before he decided no amount of attention was going to get him anywhere. The Boab trees are quite something, each one has a different character and it's very hard not to keep clicking away every time you come across one, which is everywhere. We stopped in for lunch at Kununurra again as the Wild Mango Cafe was the best we've been in so far on the trip. We really liked Kununurra and If I knew it was this good would have applied for the position at work here a few months ago. A few more chores in town before finally heading for Wyndam. Our intention was to stay at Wyndam before heading down the Gibb River Road but we decided to change our plans as there were fires all along the way to Wyndam with signs warning of bush fires. We believe these were controlled burnings. The smoke was thick and quite heavy in places but we pushed on to Wyndam, about 45kms, had a quick look around. We cut our journey short to the Prison Tree because of the smoke and decided not to head East along the Gibb River Road as both of us had sore eyes & throat from the smoke and plumes were apparent further ahead. We were lucky enough to see another very large snake that looked quite similar to the last one we saw only larger. This one must have easily been 6ft. We took a bit more time heading back from Wyndam and took quite a few photos of the fire areas and the extremely large Boabs along the way. We stopped in at The Grotto, which had 140 man-made steps down to the water which was 300ft deep. Now anyone that was brave enough to walk down these steps which were about 2ft wide with no rail, down the side of the cliff, would certainly not have any qualms about taking a dip in the water down below. Might mention, we didn't go swimming. It was a bit disappointing passing the Gibb River Road turn-off but with our plans redirected, we headed South towards Halls Creek, stopping to set up Bush Camp at Dunham River, 118km North of Turkey Creek.
Thu Aug 26, Fitzroy Crossing, WA
GPS Trip Log, 6948km
We packed up and headed off early this morning. The campsite on the
Dunham River was excellent, made even more so, by the view of the
amazing blood red full moon-rise about 20 mins after sunset. A
full-moon, large and bright red. You can never quite capture the beauty
in a photo but we gave it a go. We stopped at the Doon Doon Road-house
for cold drinks then headed South back to Halls Creek. The scenery was
just as awesome going South as it had been going North. Unfortunately,
we were stuck behind a road-train that was reaching a top speed of
about 80kph and once we got an opportunity to pass, after about 45
mins, we didn't want to stop before hitting Halls Creek in case he
passed us again. Don't mind going slow, but it's painful if it's not by
choice. We hit Halls Creek about 1130, got some lunch and fueled up
before heading West to Fitzroy Crossing. We almost camped on the
Margaret River at Mary's Pool but there were too many tourists and
decided with only another 2hrs traveling we could be in Fitzroy
Crossing so pushed on. The air-conditioning in the car might have had a
bit to do with our decision. We arrived at Fitzroy Crossing around
4.30pm and set up camp in a very quiet little park. Too tired for
exploring tonight.
Fri Aug 27, Windjana Gorge, WA
Left camp and headed into town, first stop to fuel up then to find a Post Office. This was easier said than done. It sounds silly for such a small place, but we drove around the streets (all two of them) but couldn't seem to find any town centre. We stopped and asked one of the locals if there was a Post Office in the town, she explained it was in one of the rooms in the Visitor's Centre. We had passed a small green shed in one of the streets that had a sign painted in grafiti that said 'Supermarket', we thought it a bit odd but the lady we spoke to said that their Supermarket had burnt down and the shed was being used in the meantime. We located the Visitor's Centre back where we started, opposite the Servo where we got fuel, it was quite a smart looking building and surprisingly well-equipped inside with lots of information, souveniers, maps, books etc.. quite a contrast to the rest of the 'town' which just didn't seem to exist. Leaving Fitzroy Crossing we headed North up Windjana Road which was quite rough with corrugations but after the Wolfe Creek Crater Road it didn't seem too bad. The rocks along here were just amazing. High, black, craggy, walls...a geologists dream. We found ourselves stopping every few minutes to take photos, knowing that no photo is going to show the overwhelming impact these great black walls of stone had. Boab Trees sprouted in and about the rocks where you couldn't imagine anything growing, they must be extremely hardy. Once again they were all shapes and sizes, some with leaves but most totally bare except for the strange nuts that hang from their branches like Christmas decorations. We stopped in at Tunnel Creek and got our first glimpse of the treasures these ancient craggy rocks held. A natural marbling effect and erosion gave these rocks amazing colours and forms. Inside limestone tunnels that wind through the inside of the rocks with small rock-pools and other really interesting features. A really interesting place. We decided this was a good spot to cook up lunch and was almost finished cooking our toasted egg & bacon sandwich, when this DickHead came speeding into the parking area like a maniac, spraying dust and stones everywhere, including all over our lunch. Another one for that book we're going to write. We arrived at Windjana Gorge Campsite around mid-day and set up camp. It was extremely hot so we took advantage of the sun and did our washing, hanging it between the two boab trees by our campsite. A gust of wind suddenly caught the clothes, which was surprising in the still heat, and looking up we noticed the dust swirling around about 30ft in diametre, gathering momentum and rising into a swirling funnel at least 500ft high. We were transfixed as it circled about the camp picking out one campsite then another, pausing to reek havoc, tossing buckets and anything else into the air, then moving on to another site. We couldn't believe our luck, it totally by-passed our campsite, leaving us with a better under-standing of how indiscriminately cyclones pick their targets. Once the heat had eased off a bit we set off to take some photos and explore the Gorge, unfortunately we missed the crocodiles that love to bask on the river banks here, so we will try again in the morning. The lighting was perfect for photos though. Another night here.....maybe.
Sat Aug 28, Derby, WA
We were up early and off to the Gorge before the heat of the day set in but were already feeling the effects by the time we'd reached the entrance to the Gorge, which was a natural tunnel through the large rock-face. Once through the tunnel, it opened out onto a sandy 'shore' that was over-hung with a canopy of trees which created a large natural ampitheatre, filtered with a warm pink glow as the sun rose slowly through the canyon. Wow! It was worth the walk just for this. But we had come to see some crocodiles so we made our way past the ancient, crevised and eroded rock walls which still held secrets from the past, onto the narrow sandy path that wound it's way along the water's edge, up into the undergrowth and back down again, before opening out onto a wide sandy bank in the middle of the canyon walls. Having spotted a couple of small crocs floating gently in the water, we hesitantly made our way across the large sand embankment, one eye on each other the other on the water. Then followed the path once again through the under-growth and along the bank. Even with the over-hanging trees offering some shade we soon became soaked in sweat, the canyon holding in the humidity between the huge rock walls. We were quite lucky to spot quite a few crocs, swimming about and basking on the banks in the sun. On our way back, we passed a young guy from England, shorts, no shirt, no hat, no water, thongs only and a question...."Any water in there to go swimming?" When suggested that thongs might be a bit difficult to walk through the sand and under-growth, his reply. "I'll just take them off". Large Crocodile warnings were in full view, as well as advice on sensible foot-wear etc. and the need to carry water. Good luck Mate! We got back to camp, had a coffee, packed up then headed off North to meet up with the Gibb River Road, then West to Derby. This route provided a lot of interest, with ant-hills stretching for miles and enormous Boab Trees. These trees have such great character and all different. We stopped by the road for lunch, near where another poor Bustard had met his end then continued on to Derby. First impressions were contrary to what we had heard of the place, it was clean looking and had a good feel about it. A quick drive to the Wharf then off to find a camp. Once set up, we headed back to the Wharf minus the trailer and waited for the sun to set over the water. Great photo opportunities. Needing time to catch up on a few things we decided to stay on here for two days before heading South. A well-shaded campsite made the decision easier.
Sun Aug 29, Derby, WA
Our 'day off' today, we decided to 'sleep in' and got up around 0630. Impossible to sleep when the sun's up and the day begins to warm. But who wants to sleep when it's this nice!! Perfect weather.....stretched out on a deck chair under the awning with a very mild breeze fanning the heat and making it the perfect day to relax and just enjoy being alive. Washing done, a few staples topped up from the local Supermarket, emails, phone calls, photos and blog all up to date.......it's hard to remember when life was so relaxed and unfussy, and all this before lunch. What will we do now?? Oh! That's right.............relax. Note from Val: With nothing more than a mushroom can and some nail clippers, our broken deck chair is as good as new. Thanks Darling, you're the guy I would most like to be lost in the bush with!
Mon Aug 30, Broome, WA
GPS Trip Log, 7280km then bang
Left early as we had a lot to fit in today. Pumped up the tyres as
we're back on the sealed for a few hours then headed out of Derby for
the Prison Tree, located 7kms South of town. The Boab Tree has a girth
of just under 15 metres and is believed to be about 1,500 yrs old. It
is hard to estimate the age of a Boab as they don't have any growth
rings. As they age, they become hollow inside and either succumb to
lightning or topple over. This particular tree was used to house
Aboriginal 'prisoners' in 1883 who were kidnapped by the
'Blackbirders', settlers connected with the Pearling Industry who
wanted divers. The Aboriginals were chained and held in the Boab Tree
whilst the 'Blackbirders' were waiting for a boat. Despite this
unsavory history, the tree is unique and definitely worth the time to
take a look. A hive of bees have made part of the tree their home and
were too busy making honey to worry about us taking a photo or two.
Nearby is Myall's Bore, 322 metres deep which feeds the 120 metre long
trough, the longest in the Southern Hemisphere, used by local cattle,
roos, etc.. We headed South down the Great Northern Highway, stopping
at Willare Roadhouse for a coffee. Freshly baked sausage rolls as large
as pies were a temptation not to be passed up. A really good spot for a
break. Passing over Cockatoo Creek, we couldn't resist the photo
opportunities. The red earth, blue sky, blue water, a few interesting
trees to break it up and a large herd of cattle drinking at the water's
edge. All this brought into sharp contrast by the bright sunlight.
Something that couldn't be captured through the lens was the deep
throated roar of not just one, but many large bulls, huffing and
puffing, strutting around and charging off in a cloud of dust the
brolgas running to get out of their way, the cockatoos screeching
over-head. Very captivating. Moving on again, we struck another couple
of one lane bridges. From a 110km speed limit to a ' Be prepared to
stop' sign as the road suddenly narrows to one lane over the bridge. By
the amount of black rubber weaving up to and onto the one lane, it's
apparent that some people don't heed the road signs until it's too
late. A cross at one of these bridges, a grim reminder to other
motorists. Futher South the ant-hills once again dominated the
landscape. These were smaller than up North and more sandy coloured but
just as numerous. 10km short of Broome, we turned North towards Cape
Leveque. This road is somewhat notorious as being the worst in
Australia. The first 14km or so were sealed and then the bright red
dirt track widened out and the corrugations began along with deep
patches of bull-dust. We pulled over and let the tyres down and set off
on the anticipated 100kms or so of a very rough ride. We had travelled
about 32kms and all was going well until a sudden whoosh, no power,
nothing, with only enough momentum to pull over to the side of the
track. A quick investigation brought the realization that we weren't
going to be going any further North today. Bummer!! A couple of phone
calls and we had a tow truck heading our way. By the time he had
arrived, about an hour, we had organised our campsite and had the car
booked in for repairs. The prognosis was not looking good. Now here's
the thing...............you definitely know when you're relaxed when
faced with a major set-back, the first thing that comes into your head
is...."Ce La Vie". Kevin, the towie arrived and was quite a character.
The vehicle was winched on the back of the truck with the camper
dogging behind. The track was extremely wide but not wide enough for
the truck and the camper to make a turn but backing into the sandy
under-growth we found ourselves wheels down in bull-dust. No worries,
Kevin the towie, rocked and rolled his truck until we were clear and
headed back South to Broome. 'You're lucky" he said, "this is as far as
I'd come up this track, it's a shocker!" With our camper settled onsite
and our vehicle off-loaded next to it, we contemplated our options.
Attempts to fit a new timing belt proved the worst scenario, the cam
was seized. Further investigations showed the cause due to incorrect
fitting of Timing Belt tensioner, Something I usually do myself but had
this done at a reccomended Melbourne 4WD service centre before the
trip. Luck was certainly with us, of all the places for this to happen
we ended up grounded in one of the most beautiful spots in Australia.
There was no way we could feel hard done by when thoughts of being
stranded on the Buchanan H'Way, Tanami or Gibb River Road flashed
through our minds. Summing up, we certainly had a good run out of our
old bus and have no cause for complaints. Nothing but positives have
come out of it, for which we are thankful.
Tue Aug 31, Broome, WA
Was just nodding off last night when awakened by a 'thump, thump, thump'......looking out we spotted quite a large Kangaroo hopping across the grass towards our camper. He squeezed in between the camper and the vehicle and off into the night. A few seconds later, a dingo followed his exact path and also disappeared into the night. Interesting night life here. This morning brought a clear mind to our situation, so having started the ball rolling yesterday we headed into Broome hoping to find a replacement vehicle. Main criteria: white, diesel & Toyota badge. Once again luck was with us and before long we had made our purchase, had a loan car whilst the paper-work was being done and headed back to camp to remove some of the 'necessaries' from our old bus, sitting forlornly beside our camper. A fellow camper we had chatted to when we were determining the amount of damage done, came over to see how we were getting on. When he heard our vehicle was 'kaput' and we needed a replacement, he said, "Gee, how are you going to organise that?". Well, we've got wheels again but may stick around Broome for at least another week and check it our a bit more. It's definitely growing on us very fast.