Day 29
Today we planned to drive to Kununurra in WA. We set off on the Victoria Highway which is a bird of prey paradise and could be more aptly named “Road Kill” highway. There are free roaming stock all through the NT but possibly due to the hills and curves on this road lots more bite the dust. The road isn’t in as good condition as the Stuart but it was a little more interesting. We drove alongside the Victoria River for awhile which is quite wide and picturesque. We also drove through different ranges some of which could be likened to the Great Wall of China but a natural version. All along the range not quite at the top is a natural ledge of rock and it seems to run for miles and miles. It looks cool. We made it through Quarantine control with no fines or problems and headed into Kununurra. Lake Argyll is huge and we had a little look around. We did a shop at Safeway and ate lunch at a café that had bars on all of its windows. The fact that it wasn’t the only one with that décor and that the time difference meant that it was only 2.30pm helped us decide to head straight in to El Questro on the Gibb River Road. I also thought it would be nice for Nick to not have us breaking camp on the morning of his birthday. We made it down the gravel Gibb River Road and on to El Questro’s road, where we had to dodge a Braham and cross a couple of low rivers, with minimal impact on the van. We were very happy with ourselves and the campsite looked very nice. We (that would be the royal “we” as I was the only one embarrassed) felt a little strange being the only van in the place but what the hell we were there now so Andy went in to book us a few nights. What we didn’t count on was no power and no phone coverage. This meant no air conditioner, no blog and no contact for Nicky Noone on his birthday! The good news was that the temperature dropped 10 degrees that day and a beautiful breeze came up so it was comfortable to sleep. In the morning Madi complained that it was freezing – there is no pleasing some people.
Day 30
Nick Noone turned 11! We started the morning with pancakes (yes Nick loves me!) and presents. After breakfast we went for a 4 wheel drive to El Questro Gorge. We had to walk in along a creek bed through various types of vegetation and over various different sized rocks – all of which Madi handled with ease. She was even heard to say that the walk in was really worth it when she got to the waterhole but she now denies this! The waterhole wasn’t very big but it was refreshing (according to Chris) and had a really deep area right below a big boulder that we climbed up and jumped in off. It was fun and the kids loved it. After we walked back out we went for bit of a drive around the accessible part of the property. We saw the “Durack” tree – apparently they marked Boab trees with a “D”, had a bit of Crocodile Dundee moment at the Chamberlain River when a bull got between us and the road out but it gave up before Andy had to get out and physic it out and then we checked out the private sites which we decided were a little too private for our liking and a little too close to possible crocodile territory. I would have liked to have got a closer look at “The Homestead” but it was off limits to the likes of us! That night we had a little party for Nick and then went to bed early – did I mention no power.
Day 31
Today we got out early. With the time difference and having to leave all the windows, doors and blinds open to try and get any breeze (it has warmed back up again) we are awake about 5.30am. We headed out about 8am - it would have been earlier but Andy had a shower and when he does that he always get stuck checking out his moustache – maintenance and grooming always takes a while. We went to Zebedee Springs which is a thermal spring on the property. We were fairly early so there weren’t many people around but it is quite small so the kids had a little play and then we were out of there. Next we headed off further down the Gibb River road because I wanted to drive across the Pentecost River. The road was a little rough, a bit dusty but I promised them it would be worth it. Boy did I have to eat humble pie (served up mainly by smug husband) when we got there and the water level was so low that we barely touched any water as we drove across. It took a little imagination but we could almost see how the crossing could be difficult when the river is high – it is a stone crossing with ups and downs. Anyway after that let down we went to Emma Gorge which is another gorge on the El Questro property. This one is a 1.8 km walk which is fairly difficult lots of rocks to jump on to and climb over. Madi had a minor melt down on the way up which meant everyone who passed us on their way back down smiled encouragingly and told her she was doing really well and she was almost there. Once there she recovered enough to go for a swim, have a drink and something to eat. Madi and I were just about to head back (the theory was to leave first so the boys weren’t rushing her back down) when the “friends from the road” turned up. Suddenly everyone was all smiles. We stayed a little longer, saw our first snake and then in a happier mood Madi and I headed back. She chatted all the way down and one of the more interesting conversations was when she asked why the people who owned this place didn’t make the road in much closer to the gorge so we didn’t have to walk so far. When I mentioned the cost involved and the damage to the environment she had a go at God who when he created things should have thought about accessibility! Once we made it back, we checked out the shop, ordered some drinks and hot chips and waited for the boys to get back. They made it back just as the chips arrived – damn their timing. They were all very excited as they had stopped at the first pool and jumped in from a really high boulder and Dad had videoed it all so we could see. If I can work out how to upload a video you might see it but don’t hold your breath! Next we had to rush off as we had booked a boat cruise on the Chamberlain River. Chris no longer wanted to go as the friends were still at the other place so he turned on his sad demeanour. We had to rally drive to make it on time, rushed on to the boat, lots of nice people, great crew, boat takes off and the first thing Chris says at question time as we leave the dock is “Seriously is this as fast as this thing goes?”. He was sour all the way up river. We were floating beneath a 1.8 billion year old gorge that is only half way through its erosion and predates all life forms and he is pouting and muttering as only he can. Downer. Then the boat stopped, they handed out some fish pellets and we were instructed to stand up and hang our hands over the edge. There were 3 types of fish swimming around and if we were lucky we would see them all. The littlest ones (and the ones we were to feed) were the sooty something’s (sometimes referred to as Archer fish but I can’t remember their name), cat fish and then barramundi. The sooty fish were cool and completely won Chris over. They feed by spitting a stream of water at insects hanging on plants above the water and then eating them when they fall in. They thought the pellets we were hanging over were insects and they shot water at us. If they hit we rewarded them by dropping the pellet. Chris kept yelling out – “they shot me in the eye”, “they got me”. He loved it, we all did. We saw Barramundi and got pelted by fish spit but it was great fun and all the while they served us fruit and champagne and orange juice. Very civilised. On the way back we talked about saltwater crocodiles – just some interesting facts. They can go 6 months without food and can drop their heart rate to 1 beat per minute to survive during this time. They used to be enormous in the days of the dinosaurs but have adapted to their new food sources by now only growing to around 6- 8 metres. They do not reach full size til they get to about 80 and due to the extensive shooting of them back in the 60’s/70’s there are probably no full grown crocodiles swimming around at the moment. They are very aggressive and will stalk their prey. It was great and all the kids got off the boat saying they loved it so that was a relief. When we got back to camp the friends from the road were parked beside us – oh happy days! We had drinks with the parents while the kids played and talk about 6 degrees of separation or in this case 3. Turns out the Dad is best mates with a guy I worked with at Deloittes and he knows Ganga very well as well as a lot of people that Andy knows and he played footy with Peter Burke! The mum went to Footscray with my sister Lou. Talk about a small world.
Day 32
Check out of El Questro and head back to Kununurra for more supplies and then down to Warnum to prepare for onslaught on the Bungles the next day. Nothing too exciting to report from trip – after yesterday that is probably a relief for all of you readers!
Day 33
Up early, pack up and head to Bungles. We leave the caravan at a rest stop close to the access point in to the Purnululu National Park and start off on the 53km drive in on 4 wheel drive track. All I could think was I am glad Lachy is not here with us. About half way in Bubba started to feel sick – Andy was driving and it may have been a little more rally driving then leisurely take in the scenery 4 wheel driving. Lachy you might get sick just imagining this so try not to! The Bungles are quite amazing to see. They have great stripes and the colours are fantastic. Cathedral Gorge is a natural marvel and you can see why the Bungles are listed as a World Heritage site even though they are only 300 million years old. Even with all this the kids weren’t keen, if it doesn’t involve water they don’t want to be there. The double whammy for Madi was that there was no water and she had to walk – what were we thinking? We headed back out and Bubba felt sick at exactly the same place again – maybe we are slow learners? We hooked the caravan back up and headed to Halls Creek for the night.
Tomorrow we are aiming for Broome. It is very important that we get set up somewhere and then establish the best place to watch the Grand final on Saturday. We can resume the holiday after this momentous occasion. Go Pies!
