With the folks in tow, we couldn't believe we were heading for Darwin. It had seemed so far away on our map of Australia and we were nearly there. We were concerned at the prices of some of the parks here. One supposedly 'nice' park was going to cost us around $60 a night! On the way in we checked out a park at Howard Springs (on the outskirts of Darwin) and we went down the back to an area they had just opened up. It was great - heaps of space, green grass and the best pool we have come across yet on our trip. This for $34 a night and only 8 minutes from the other park. As it turned out some other travellers who had been at the other expensive one had heard of this park and upon coming for a sticky, packed up and moved over here!
In the city we caught up on the usual Macca's and Subway and nearly got ourselves lost in the Casuarina Shopping Centre - it was huge compared to what we're use to! We had heard about the Mindil Market and how they get 10,000 people there. Well I have no idea how many it was but it was shoulder to shoulder by the time we left. There were heaps of food stalls and local artists with a huge array of things to buy. Certainly worth going to. One night we went out to the Fisherman's Wharf with Mum and Dad and although we had no luck (Dad did get a Catfish) the girls were able to find us a Barra Burger and chips.
The local museum was fantastic. They had a great display on Cyclone Tracy, including a sound room with a recording of the storm that sounded incredible. The noise was booming and you could hear things crashing and scraping; it scared the kids just a little bit! The whole town was basically wiped out and the pictures looked like those of Hiroshima after the Atomic Bomb. We also heard from other travellers (we didn't read it) that there was a hippy community living along the beach that the council were sick of. After the cyclone no traces of them were found and none of their deaths were recorded, as if they didn't exist! I guess it fixed the problem for the council...Also on display was 'Sweetheart', a local 5 metre Croc that was attacking boats back in the 70's. It was huge, yet they get them even bigger with reports of 6 and 7 metre crocs from the past and present.
We caught up with Sharyn's cousin Ange, who is working up here for a few months and while she was out on one of the islands she got some sort of bite on the ankle and it swelled up into a huge blister like a mini golf ball. We drove her to the Royal Darwin Hospital and after a 5 hour wait she finally had it seen to. Luckily our kids are so good, they hardly complained at all. It wasn't the best circumstances in which to catch up but we got in some good quality chatting time and Rory took quite a fancy to her and added Ange to his 'Favourite Girls List'!
We also caught up with Jasmine, who taught our nephew Luke a few years ago in Lara. She was so nice, taking us into her classroom and having a big chin wag about travelling and life in Darwin. Some of the things she found quite different to Victoria included the education standards, which she thought were about 5 years behind Vic and the general education levels themselves were much lower than equivalent Vic kids. Probably not surprising with the laid back attitude up here. The lack of water conservation was a shock too, coming from drought plagued Victoria. The school had a water fun day, with things like the old 'Slip'n'Slide', water bombs and anything else that uses copius amounts of water. She was sold on the lifestyle though and we too have enjoyed the lifestyle in these places, with it starting around Broome. Anyway Jasmine was sweet and it's wonder Sharyn's family are so fond of her.
Mum cooked us another roast and it was just the best. Geez have I missed a roast. Dad and I thought we would try our luck again at providing for the family and went out on a half day fishing charter. They reckon the fishing is the best up the Top End but obviously old Darwing Harbour is fished out because not much was caught on the whole boat. The one saving grace was a huge Coral Trout, around 30 pounds, which was divided up amongst us and Dad cooked it the next day. It was 'oooh' and 'ahhh' kind of stuff (I'll have what she's having), just a beautiful tasting fish.
Since we were staying in Howard Springs we checked out the springs themselves. It was a small lake surrounded by tropical trees and you could feed the turtles and huge Barramundi and huge they were. Check out the photo of Sharyn feeding one. We went to Aquascene where you can also feed fish. It was a feeding frenzy with hundred of Diamond Scaled Mullet, Catfish, Milkfish and the occasional Batfish. Something to see. The Military Museum was really good too and the kids loved it. Being Southerners, we had no idea as to the extent of the bombings in Darwin and how a lot of it was kept quiet to the rest of the country so no-one went into a panic! The southern newspapers reported 43 deaths when it fact it was 243. Were they serious? Here we were being bombed by the Japanese and they didn't want the rest of the country to really know about it? Apparently Northern Queensland towns were bombed too but it was a case of "lets just stick our heads in the sand and pretend it isn't happening OK?". This museum is another must see if you're up here.
I've already mentioned the water waste above but it's just everywhere. Here in the park, when a van moves they put a sprinkler on its spot and let it run non-stop for 24 to 48 hours! The gardens are watered constantly, regardless if it's the middle of the day, the wind's blowing the water elsewhere etc etc. After we've had no water to do that in Vic for so long, we just can't get out heads around it, especially since we though the hot North would be dry. Not so thanks to the wet season, big rivers, Lake Argyle and the massive underground water table...it's limitless (or appears to be).
Speaking of water and weather, apparently Darwin is experiencing a cold spell. The local paper had a picture of a girl in a big coat and beanie and the story of how the night temps have dropped below 20 degrees! It hit 19 or something and the locals think it's freezing, it's so funny. They would die back in Alex or Ballarat where night temps have been hovering above and below 0 degrees. The girl in the picture said she was looking forward to camping with a camp fire to help keep her warm on those freezing 19 degree nights...
I have to add another character to our list of interesting people (Sharyn thinks I'm just jealous but he was a real tosser). One day in the pool in hops this youngish bloke built like Adonis with hair slicked back. Anyway he jumps in the water and when he comes up he brushes his hair back and sitting on the edge of the pool he looks across his arms and chest to see the sun glistening off his muscles and then looks up with lips pouted like he's in some fashion shoot. I can't help myself so I start laughing but then he goes even better. He gets out of the pool, drops down his board shorts to reveal his little speedo togs. Then he drops down onto the grass and proceeds to do some sit-ups and crunches! At this stage Sharyn was talking on the phone so she missed the speedos (thanks Ange!) and we were thankfully walking out, so he only had some primary school girls playing in the pool to impress. If I had of thought of it (and maybe after a few drinks) I would have dropped down next to him to do some sit-ups and made conversation like "isn't it hard to keep in shape when you're travelling", or "do you keep your tan up by sunbaking or using a solarium" or maybe "who can you recommend to do a Brazillian around here?". Next time.
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Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Litchfield National Park
Left Katherine and stopped at a little town called Pine Creek for lunch. Pine Creek is the Top Ends only original mining town remaining from the 1870's gold rush era. Gold was discovered here in 1871 by workers on the Overland Telegraph Line. We had a wander through the Pine Creek Railway area which was crucial to the development of the mining boom and during WW2 when it was extended to Katherine. The kids loved seeing the old train carriage and engine and it was a great spot to stop.
Enroute to Litchfield NP we noticed an increase in burning-off along the sides of the roads. A great prevention technique for the dry season ahead for the Territory. At one stage (as you will see in our photos) the smoke got thicker, and thicker until our visibility was nearly zero, and this was all in seconds. Like a really heavy fog but not gradual, it was immediate. Next thing we knew we could see a 4WD and van heading straight for us on our side of the road and huge flames spreading out over the right hand side of the road. Talk about adrenaline rush! The oncoming car veered back to its side and it was only as we got closer we saw this car had little option as the flames were really high and the heat was so intense even for us on the other side of the road! My heart had never beat so fast. Luckily for all involved it was just a scare, Mark kept his cool and it was good to get out of the car at Adelaide River and get some fresh air!
Had to stop for a beer at the Adelaide River Inn and see 'Charlie', he was the water buffalo out of the original Crocodile Dundee movie. The barman told us he was about 30 years old when he died back in 2000 and he was a local to the Adelaide River area and patrons had to watch their beers at the bar as Charlie would come in and polish them off if they weren't looking. (Not sure how you would miss seeing a water buffalo make its way into a bar!)
We stayed at the Litchfield Tourist Park and spent the next day exploring the Litchfield NP. Some area were still closed due to the recent wet season, but we got to see the main attractions.
Funny thing about what people tell you along the way. The crazy old woman and man we met at Karijini who we awarded "most irritating couple of the trip" told us "the gorges at Litchfield were so much better and deeper than at Karijini" must have really been losing a few marbles because their was absolutely no similarities between the two National Parks, Litchfield has some amazing waterfalls but doesn't have the incredible gorge formation that Karijini has. So lesson 1, take peoples advice in one ear, and voice no opinion until you has seen it with your own eyes!
Darwin here we come!
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Enroute to Litchfield NP we noticed an increase in burning-off along the sides of the roads. A great prevention technique for the dry season ahead for the Territory. At one stage (as you will see in our photos) the smoke got thicker, and thicker until our visibility was nearly zero, and this was all in seconds. Like a really heavy fog but not gradual, it was immediate. Next thing we knew we could see a 4WD and van heading straight for us on our side of the road and huge flames spreading out over the right hand side of the road. Talk about adrenaline rush! The oncoming car veered back to its side and it was only as we got closer we saw this car had little option as the flames were really high and the heat was so intense even for us on the other side of the road! My heart had never beat so fast. Luckily for all involved it was just a scare, Mark kept his cool and it was good to get out of the car at Adelaide River and get some fresh air!
Had to stop for a beer at the Adelaide River Inn and see 'Charlie', he was the water buffalo out of the original Crocodile Dundee movie. The barman told us he was about 30 years old when he died back in 2000 and he was a local to the Adelaide River area and patrons had to watch their beers at the bar as Charlie would come in and polish them off if they weren't looking. (Not sure how you would miss seeing a water buffalo make its way into a bar!)
We stayed at the Litchfield Tourist Park and spent the next day exploring the Litchfield NP. Some area were still closed due to the recent wet season, but we got to see the main attractions.
- The magnetic termite mounds - Gotta love those termites! We have been seeing termite mounds since Exmouth, but these mounds up in NT are massive! They can be up to 2m high and look like tombs in an ancient burial ground. Termites are such smart little insects. They build their mounds using an ingenious design to regulate the amount of sunshine on their home, so the interior temperature and humidity remain constant throughout the year. Termite mounds aren't built of mud but they are made of termite poo mixed with dirt and saliva! Ewww! Termites are actually on the same diet as cows, they eat plants and grasses, and in order to digest their food they need the same organism in their gut as ruminant animals do, and (you'll love this!) they also have the same flatulence (farting) problem as cattle, producing large amounts for their size of methane gas. Bet you never knew that! (Rory had a bit of an issue with knowing this information and refused to stand next to the termite mound initially for a photo because he didnt want the termites 'farting' on him!! He he!) Termites have one queen who can live for many years. She is basically an egg laying machine who can lay thousands of eggs at a time. If an animal comes in and eats some of the termite population the queen can wave her magic wand and change a worker into another queen who will start laying eggs to boost the population again. Once the laying is done she organises for one of the workers to 'knock her off' (melbourne mafia eat your heart out!) and becomes the sole reign of the termite mound once again.
- The Buley Rockholes - these are a series of cascading waterfalls that tumble their way into rock pools of different depths, so pretty and Mark enjoyed having a swim here.(The kids and I didn't bring our bathers so it was like seeing a big scrumptious ice cream in front of our noses but we couldn't lick it!)
- Florence Falls - These are twin falls that cascade down in a 20m curtain into the rockhole below. So pretty set among the monsoon forest, but it got so busy here you felt like you were in Bourke St. Definitely a spot to visit early morning when not many other tourists about! (funny how we dont feel like a tourist but everyone else is!!)
- Wangi falls - Closed for swimming (they haven't made sure it is croc free yet) but magnificent to see and the most popular attraction in Litchfield.
- Tolmer Falls - This is home of the rare Ghost Bat (a cannibal bat!) and just a lookout but very pretty.
Funny thing about what people tell you along the way. The crazy old woman and man we met at Karijini who we awarded "most irritating couple of the trip" told us "the gorges at Litchfield were so much better and deeper than at Karijini" must have really been losing a few marbles because their was absolutely no similarities between the two National Parks, Litchfield has some amazing waterfalls but doesn't have the incredible gorge formation that Karijini has. So lesson 1, take peoples advice in one ear, and voice no opinion until you has seen it with your own eyes!
Darwin here we come!
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Crusin' in Katherine
Welcome Howletts to the Northern Territory!
Oh... the roast was magnificent! Melt in our mouths lamb and vegies... oh and it was great to see Marks folks too! The kids were stoked to see their Nan & Pa and hang out in their lovely caravan, something about a roof and 4 walls! I think little old trakkie is losing its novelty value!
The Big 4 at Katherine was lovely with a huge pool, a bit cold for me (yeah I'm a sook!) but Mark and the kids enjoyed it. We got a phone call from our German friends Jaman & Alex and found out they were in town too and had a lovely reunion at the caravan park, and heard all about their travels up to Litchfield, Darwin and Kakadu.
With Mothers Day coming up on the Sunday we booked ourselves, Pam & Lou and Alex & Jaman onto a 'Sunrise Cruise' on the Katherine Gorge, complete with a full buffet breakfast as the mist rises over the Katherine River. And it was magnificent! Alex and Jaman became 'Howletts' when the cruise organisers asked for "all the Howletts" to come up the front and go onto the boat first (as we were such a big group) so we could all sit together. It felt like we were kings and queens as we were served up a beautiful breakfast and the food was so distracting I think we missed out on appreciating the first 5 minutes of the gorge! Once the food was demolished, we sat back and enjoyed the amazing beauty of Katherine (Nitmiluk - the aboriginal name) Gorge. Nitmiluk consists of 13 towering gorges, with its walls up to 60m high which have been carved over millions of years by water swept down from Arnhem Land during the monsoonal rains. We all had a magical time, pinching ourselves that it was all happening. A cruise on Nitmiluk is a 'must-do' if you are in Katherine. Someone told us that they thought Geikie Gorge in Fitzroy Crossing was better than Katherine, but I think that is like comparing apples and oranges. They are very different and stunning in their own unique ways. And a cruise is definitely the best way to see a gorge's beauty.
The other spots we visited in Katherine were the School of the Air and the historic Springvale Homestead. The homestead (check out our spooky photo) dates back to 1878 and is the oldest station homestead in the territory. It's founder Alfred Giles led an epic pionering trek, spending 19 months droving sheep and cattle from Adelaide to Springvale. Gee they did it hard back in those days... The homestead is a really well preserved old house, now being used as a reception area to the nearby caravan park and has withstood floods upon floods. They really buillt things to last back then! The other special thing at this place was the for huge South American Raintrees. Giles wife Mary planted one for each of their children and they are stunning huge trees that have massive trunks that can support a canopy of greater than 30 metres. At night the leaves close and condensed water drips like rain when the leaves open again in the morning, hence the name 'raintree'.
The School of the Air was fascinating. No more using the simple radio to teach outback kids, now it is all high tech! When we arrived we could see in to the teachers 'classroom' studio area that has 4 camera's overhead to capture and zoom in to any angle. They call it IDL - Interactive Distance Learning and involves placing a computer, digital camera, CD burner, scanner, modem and microphone along with a satellite connection into family homes at a cost of $12,000 per setup (all government funded). This is run on the broadband system via satellite with one way visual (teacher to student) and two way audio system. The roll is called for the IDL lessons and students usually have 3 lessons a week. The correspondence material for each student is mailed out before the school holidays for each unit of work and the kids send their work back through Australia Post as well. The schools annual mailing bill is $40,000!
Mark & I loved Katherine. It had a lovely outback feel to it, a mix of old and new and Mark & I made a vow to come back one year up this way to experience a 'wet-season'. We saw photo's of recent floods back in 2006 and the amount of water that flows in is absolutely phenomenal, a must be 'seen to be believed.'
On to Darwin we go! Next stop Litchfield NP.
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Oh... the roast was magnificent! Melt in our mouths lamb and vegies... oh and it was great to see Marks folks too! The kids were stoked to see their Nan & Pa and hang out in their lovely caravan, something about a roof and 4 walls! I think little old trakkie is losing its novelty value!
The Big 4 at Katherine was lovely with a huge pool, a bit cold for me (yeah I'm a sook!) but Mark and the kids enjoyed it. We got a phone call from our German friends Jaman & Alex and found out they were in town too and had a lovely reunion at the caravan park, and heard all about their travels up to Litchfield, Darwin and Kakadu.
With Mothers Day coming up on the Sunday we booked ourselves, Pam & Lou and Alex & Jaman onto a 'Sunrise Cruise' on the Katherine Gorge, complete with a full buffet breakfast as the mist rises over the Katherine River. And it was magnificent! Alex and Jaman became 'Howletts' when the cruise organisers asked for "all the Howletts" to come up the front and go onto the boat first (as we were such a big group) so we could all sit together. It felt like we were kings and queens as we were served up a beautiful breakfast and the food was so distracting I think we missed out on appreciating the first 5 minutes of the gorge! Once the food was demolished, we sat back and enjoyed the amazing beauty of Katherine (Nitmiluk - the aboriginal name) Gorge. Nitmiluk consists of 13 towering gorges, with its walls up to 60m high which have been carved over millions of years by water swept down from Arnhem Land during the monsoonal rains. We all had a magical time, pinching ourselves that it was all happening. A cruise on Nitmiluk is a 'must-do' if you are in Katherine. Someone told us that they thought Geikie Gorge in Fitzroy Crossing was better than Katherine, but I think that is like comparing apples and oranges. They are very different and stunning in their own unique ways. And a cruise is definitely the best way to see a gorge's beauty.
The other spots we visited in Katherine were the School of the Air and the historic Springvale Homestead. The homestead (check out our spooky photo) dates back to 1878 and is the oldest station homestead in the territory. It's founder Alfred Giles led an epic pionering trek, spending 19 months droving sheep and cattle from Adelaide to Springvale. Gee they did it hard back in those days... The homestead is a really well preserved old house, now being used as a reception area to the nearby caravan park and has withstood floods upon floods. They really buillt things to last back then! The other special thing at this place was the for huge South American Raintrees. Giles wife Mary planted one for each of their children and they are stunning huge trees that have massive trunks that can support a canopy of greater than 30 metres. At night the leaves close and condensed water drips like rain when the leaves open again in the morning, hence the name 'raintree'.
The School of the Air was fascinating. No more using the simple radio to teach outback kids, now it is all high tech! When we arrived we could see in to the teachers 'classroom' studio area that has 4 camera's overhead to capture and zoom in to any angle. They call it IDL - Interactive Distance Learning and involves placing a computer, digital camera, CD burner, scanner, modem and microphone along with a satellite connection into family homes at a cost of $12,000 per setup (all government funded). This is run on the broadband system via satellite with one way visual (teacher to student) and two way audio system. The roll is called for the IDL lessons and students usually have 3 lessons a week. The correspondence material for each student is mailed out before the school holidays for each unit of work and the kids send their work back through Australia Post as well. The schools annual mailing bill is $40,000!
Mark & I loved Katherine. It had a lovely outback feel to it, a mix of old and new and Mark & I made a vow to come back one year up this way to experience a 'wet-season'. We saw photo's of recent floods back in 2006 and the amount of water that flows in is absolutely phenomenal, a must be 'seen to be believed.'
On to Darwin we go! Next stop Litchfield NP.
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From Kununurra to Katherine...
From roughing it in the bush at Purnululu with mozzies and giant centipedes, we found ourselves in 5 star luxury at the 'Ivanhoe Resort'(was just a fancy name for a caravan park). Green grass, great amenities, a beautiful pool and even local wildlife. Rory's favourite were the green frogs in the toilet block and Marks was the frilled neck lizard that was just wandering around near our site. Gotta love that!
Kununurra the town was established in 1960 to service the Ord River scheme. The Ord River was dammed in 1971 (its as old as Sharyn!) to supply water to one of Australia's largest irrigation schemes. Kununurra has approx. 6000 people and has its own Target, Coles and numerous variety of shops. Kununurra is also the base to jump on a light aircraft or chopper and explore Lake Argyle and Purnululu by air, which was our initial intention. We got all the brochures but just couldn't justify paying over $1000 for us all to go flying for 2 hours...that works out for us to be a months accomodation on a powered site! (We figure it's something we will do when we have retired and have lots of money to splurge.)
So because we didn't fly over the Bungles or cruise on Lake Argyle, we got to just enjoy 'being' in Kununurra, and this meant meeting new people. We found the people of Kununurra to be open, warm and so friendly. Our first 'interesting person' was our next door neighbour at our caravan park. He owned a 'Geist' caravan, a German engineered van that looked like it stepped out of the space age. It was massive, approx 22ft and are priced over $70,000! We got chatting just as he was packing up, and we learnt that he was the recently retired CIO (Chief Information Officer) of Wesfarmers, a real high flyer. He has a house in Perth and one in Melbourne (next to Rex Hunt!) and was an international jetsetter, admitting he was one of those men in suits who walks around airports with his mobile phone to his ear and felt very superior. As we got talking he just opened up to us, telling us that his professional life was so busy he never got to see any of his childrens school concerts or sports day, and that it was one of his biggest regrets, but the monetary rewards were so great, he felt it was justified at the time. Strangely enough his son is now an executive with Shell and has the same jetsetting life that he had. We had a fascinating conversation and wished they were hanging around so we could chat longer
We then hit the shops for a look and met 'interesting person' No. 2. She worked in the local newsagent and just started telling us all about herself and her amazing life. Her husband used to play football for a short while with Geelong FC and then suffered a knee injury that shortened his playing life. Her husband always loved the Kimberley area and they moved up to Halls Creek when their first child was 2/3 years of age. They had 3 children in total and as their first child neared secondary school age, Perth was their choice for boarding school,(long way from Kununurra!) When their youngest child was 5, they had a car accident near the Ord River and their son (who was 11) tragically died. She spoke of how her sons principal at the time, wanted him buried in his prized old cricket jersey from Lourdes in England, the family wanted to have it framed and a plaque put on it in memory of their son so this jersey could still be seen and treasured, but the old principal refused and said it must be worn and buried with their son. Her story was so moving at one stage both she and I (Sharyn) had tears welling in our eyes, and even though we didn't even know each others name, it was a shared human experience that I will never forget. She said the local aboriginal women were encouraging her to place a memorial board at the site of the accident, which they had named 'Leycesters rest area' to commemorate the memory of her son. We look forward to seeing it when we get back up to the Kimberley one day. (After chatting to this lady Mark nick-named me Andrew Denton, the way I'd ask a question and people would bare their souls!)
When we returned to our campsite after a big arvo shopping in Kununurra, it was dark (sunset here at 10 to 5!) and we had new neighbours, who became 'interesting people' No.3! They live on the Tamar River near Launceston in Tasmania with their own jetty
and after having 5 precious kids, decided this is their time to explore Oz. They had this cool new camper/caravan called an 'Ecotourer' which folds down like a camper trailer, but goes up like a pop-top caravan. It even had a toilet and shower on board. This couple were so lovely, they had such a positive, energetic aura they were great to be around.
Marks Mum & Dad called to let us know they had arrived in Katherine to meet us (and were going to cook us a roast!), so after a brief stop at Lake Argyle (looked like Lake Eildon but with water!) we had a long trip through Timber Creek, Victoria River and onto Katherine. Lamb roast and Northern Territory here we come!
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Kununurra the town was established in 1960 to service the Ord River scheme. The Ord River was dammed in 1971 (its as old as Sharyn!) to supply water to one of Australia's largest irrigation schemes. Kununurra has approx. 6000 people and has its own Target, Coles and numerous variety of shops. Kununurra is also the base to jump on a light aircraft or chopper and explore Lake Argyle and Purnululu by air, which was our initial intention. We got all the brochures but just couldn't justify paying over $1000 for us all to go flying for 2 hours...that works out for us to be a months accomodation on a powered site! (We figure it's something we will do when we have retired and have lots of money to splurge.)
So because we didn't fly over the Bungles or cruise on Lake Argyle, we got to just enjoy 'being' in Kununurra, and this meant meeting new people. We found the people of Kununurra to be open, warm and so friendly. Our first 'interesting person' was our next door neighbour at our caravan park. He owned a 'Geist' caravan, a German engineered van that looked like it stepped out of the space age. It was massive, approx 22ft and are priced over $70,000! We got chatting just as he was packing up, and we learnt that he was the recently retired CIO (Chief Information Officer) of Wesfarmers, a real high flyer. He has a house in Perth and one in Melbourne (next to Rex Hunt!) and was an international jetsetter, admitting he was one of those men in suits who walks around airports with his mobile phone to his ear and felt very superior. As we got talking he just opened up to us, telling us that his professional life was so busy he never got to see any of his childrens school concerts or sports day, and that it was one of his biggest regrets, but the monetary rewards were so great, he felt it was justified at the time. Strangely enough his son is now an executive with Shell and has the same jetsetting life that he had. We had a fascinating conversation and wished they were hanging around so we could chat longer
We then hit the shops for a look and met 'interesting person' No. 2. She worked in the local newsagent and just started telling us all about herself and her amazing life. Her husband used to play football for a short while with Geelong FC and then suffered a knee injury that shortened his playing life. Her husband always loved the Kimberley area and they moved up to Halls Creek when their first child was 2/3 years of age. They had 3 children in total and as their first child neared secondary school age, Perth was their choice for boarding school,(long way from Kununurra!) When their youngest child was 5, they had a car accident near the Ord River and their son (who was 11) tragically died. She spoke of how her sons principal at the time, wanted him buried in his prized old cricket jersey from Lourdes in England, the family wanted to have it framed and a plaque put on it in memory of their son so this jersey could still be seen and treasured, but the old principal refused and said it must be worn and buried with their son. Her story was so moving at one stage both she and I (Sharyn) had tears welling in our eyes, and even though we didn't even know each others name, it was a shared human experience that I will never forget. She said the local aboriginal women were encouraging her to place a memorial board at the site of the accident, which they had named 'Leycesters rest area' to commemorate the memory of her son. We look forward to seeing it when we get back up to the Kimberley one day. (After chatting to this lady Mark nick-named me Andrew Denton, the way I'd ask a question and people would bare their souls!)
When we returned to our campsite after a big arvo shopping in Kununurra, it was dark (sunset here at 10 to 5!) and we had new neighbours, who became 'interesting people' No.3! They live on the Tamar River near Launceston in Tasmania with their own jetty
and after having 5 precious kids, decided this is their time to explore Oz. They had this cool new camper/caravan called an 'Ecotourer' which folds down like a camper trailer, but goes up like a pop-top caravan. It even had a toilet and shower on board. This couple were so lovely, they had such a positive, energetic aura they were great to be around.
Marks Mum & Dad called to let us know they had arrived in Katherine to meet us (and were going to cook us a roast!), so after a brief stop at Lake Argyle (looked like Lake Eildon but with water!) we had a long trip through Timber Creek, Victoria River and onto Katherine. Lamb roast and Northern Territory here we come!
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Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Taste of the Kimberley
After Sharyn's folks left us at Broome, we stayed for another day and prepared for the next leg of our journey. Originally we had intended on doing the Gibb River Road but up till now it had been closed, so we decided to drive the first part and veer off to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We stopped for lunch at Derby after we had checked out the Boab Prison Tree; wow that was huge! The history surrounding it wasn't so grand as it was used as prison for aboriginals who had been taken from their land, chained up and literally dragged down south to be used on the pearl luggers around Broome. Hard to believe that this sort of stuff happened in Australia, the 'Lucky Country'.
Around here was the start of the Boab Trees. Then it was on to the Gibb River Road, with the start of it being bitumen and then we turned off for Windjana Gorge. The campsite was just dead grass and dirt but it had tap water, flushing toilets (how unbelievable in the middle of nowhere!),outside cold showers and stunning views. What luxury in the bush! He walked into the gorge early the next morning and spotted lots of fresh water crocs and a colony of fruit bats. The gorge itself was stunning and the surrounding cliffs were once an ancient limestone reef. Strange to imagine we were standing under an old sea and somewhere up on the cliffs they have found some marine fossils in a cave.
Next stop was Tunnel Creek and this was literally 'cool'. Before we got there, we came across a creek still flowing over the road. Not sure just how deep it was, Sharyn got out of her own accord to check the depth. Honest she did! I did mention it might be a good idea in case we got stuck half way across on a rock or a big hole...Anyway, not far into it a Landcruiser comes around the bend, Sharyn jumps out of the way and he just charges through. Bravado stuff hey, but somewhere he'll get caught. Saved Sharyn from walking all the way across anyway.
Tunnel Creek flows under cliffs that were part of that old limestone reef that extends throughout the Kimberley. We took the torches and saw fish and freshwater shrimp, some quite big like yabbies back home but without the big claws. Half way along the roof had collapsed in and after this section the bats could be found. Another great spot and 'must see' if you're up here.
Onwards we went to Fitzroy Crossing, a spot we had been warned to miss by fellow travellers..."just get petrol and GO". We stayed outside of town at Fitzroy Lodge, which was a real upmarket place in such a rough area. We had no trouble in town though, but then we didn't go in of a night. We did have a small shop at the local supermarket though and that was a cultural experience in itself, for us and the kids! Really well stocked little supermarket. Our highlight here in Fitzroy Crossing was a guided tour on the Fitzroy River. Our aboriginal guide was brilliant. His family were custodians of the land and he told us the local names for the trees and animals as well as the gorge itself; 'Darngu'. Apparently some explorer named it after a mate of his back in England, Sir Archibald Geikie, who had never even seen the place. I think it should be changed to Darngu just as Uluru and Kata Tjuta have been changed to their native names. Sorry Archi mate but you don't deserve to have this place named after you.
The gorge was a photo at every bend, picture postcard stuff, and the water that flows through here is amazing. In the wet season the water level rises up to 17 meters above where we were and if Sydney Harbour was empty, the Fitzroy River would fill it in 5 hours at full flow! Another trip highlight, another 'must see'.
Onwards to Halls Creek for lunch and a stop at the visitors centre. Some young female German tourists, not blonde and topless for once (bugger), were asking about what they could see around the area in their 2wd vehicle. To cut a long story short (rare for me), they basically couldn't see anything unless they were willing to fork out big money on a tour. Wouldn't you be annoyed to have travelled so far and find out in the middle of this great area that you should have bought/hired a 4wd instead. Didn't say that in the travel brochures.
We made our way into Purnululu National Park, more commonly known as the Bungles Bungles. We had been told at the info centre that the 50+km in would take 2.5 to 3 hours towing our camper trailer and caravans were not allowed as they would be wrecked on the steep ascents and descents into the many creeks and gutters found along this very windy and rough road. Our time was a little shorter than that and we found ourselves a beautiful spot with all-day shade and a nearyby drop toilet with tap. Luxury again, how little things excite us now. Early the next morning we headed for Catherdral Gorge but the first walk was the 'Domes Walk'. This went into some of the famous bee-hive domes and they were a sight to behold. Cathedral Gorge itself was one of those 'look in awe' places and we had it to ourselves for 20 minutes. Our voices echoed in an angelic way, well the kids did and mine was sort of angelic, so we had fun singing and making silly noises before we were joined by other tourists. That night while sleeping with all the windows down, Sharyn awoke with a fright, a wet spray and bad smell on her head. She thought she had been peed upon by a bat but when she went outside to look, there was our resident Owl perched high in the tree who had done a poo with the flyscreen catching the solid component and the liquid stuff falling through into the camper. No Sharyn was not too happy but a quick wash and she was back into bed.
Next morning we went to the Northern end of the park and into Echidna Chasm. The rocks up this end of the park looked more like Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) but even more impressive I thought. Scattered everywhere amongst them were palm trees adding a strange tropical feel to this dry and harsh area. We managed to get to the end of the walk by midday when the sun shone done into the rocks and lit up the whole end of the walk. Some of the cliffs were 200 meters high and something to see. Onwards to Mini Palms and after a long and tiring walk we made it. Was breathtaking, and against Sharyn's judgement I chose to ignore the 'No Entry' sign and walked down to the left of the last lookout to the cave at the end of the gorge....Only because we had read a book not that old that describes walking into the cave and to me they had put the sign up to stop people falling on the rocks with all the legal stuff that follows. Having done some rock climbing and abseiling in my time I thought I would be OK and I was. Don't do this at home though kids, Emshia and Rory know this!
The trip out of Purnululu the next day was quicker than coming in, we made it out in just over 2 hours, although 4km from the end poor Emshia's tea and breakfast made a return visit, and after a quick clean up we were on our way to Kununurra.
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Around here was the start of the Boab Trees. Then it was on to the Gibb River Road, with the start of it being bitumen and then we turned off for Windjana Gorge. The campsite was just dead grass and dirt but it had tap water, flushing toilets (how unbelievable in the middle of nowhere!),outside cold showers and stunning views. What luxury in the bush! He walked into the gorge early the next morning and spotted lots of fresh water crocs and a colony of fruit bats. The gorge itself was stunning and the surrounding cliffs were once an ancient limestone reef. Strange to imagine we were standing under an old sea and somewhere up on the cliffs they have found some marine fossils in a cave.
Next stop was Tunnel Creek and this was literally 'cool'. Before we got there, we came across a creek still flowing over the road. Not sure just how deep it was, Sharyn got out of her own accord to check the depth. Honest she did! I did mention it might be a good idea in case we got stuck half way across on a rock or a big hole...Anyway, not far into it a Landcruiser comes around the bend, Sharyn jumps out of the way and he just charges through. Bravado stuff hey, but somewhere he'll get caught. Saved Sharyn from walking all the way across anyway.
Tunnel Creek flows under cliffs that were part of that old limestone reef that extends throughout the Kimberley. We took the torches and saw fish and freshwater shrimp, some quite big like yabbies back home but without the big claws. Half way along the roof had collapsed in and after this section the bats could be found. Another great spot and 'must see' if you're up here.
Onwards we went to Fitzroy Crossing, a spot we had been warned to miss by fellow travellers..."just get petrol and GO". We stayed outside of town at Fitzroy Lodge, which was a real upmarket place in such a rough area. We had no trouble in town though, but then we didn't go in of a night. We did have a small shop at the local supermarket though and that was a cultural experience in itself, for us and the kids! Really well stocked little supermarket. Our highlight here in Fitzroy Crossing was a guided tour on the Fitzroy River. Our aboriginal guide was brilliant. His family were custodians of the land and he told us the local names for the trees and animals as well as the gorge itself; 'Darngu'. Apparently some explorer named it after a mate of his back in England, Sir Archibald Geikie, who had never even seen the place. I think it should be changed to Darngu just as Uluru and Kata Tjuta have been changed to their native names. Sorry Archi mate but you don't deserve to have this place named after you.
The gorge was a photo at every bend, picture postcard stuff, and the water that flows through here is amazing. In the wet season the water level rises up to 17 meters above where we were and if Sydney Harbour was empty, the Fitzroy River would fill it in 5 hours at full flow! Another trip highlight, another 'must see'.
Onwards to Halls Creek for lunch and a stop at the visitors centre. Some young female German tourists, not blonde and topless for once (bugger), were asking about what they could see around the area in their 2wd vehicle. To cut a long story short (rare for me), they basically couldn't see anything unless they were willing to fork out big money on a tour. Wouldn't you be annoyed to have travelled so far and find out in the middle of this great area that you should have bought/hired a 4wd instead. Didn't say that in the travel brochures.
We made our way into Purnululu National Park, more commonly known as the Bungles Bungles. We had been told at the info centre that the 50+km in would take 2.5 to 3 hours towing our camper trailer and caravans were not allowed as they would be wrecked on the steep ascents and descents into the many creeks and gutters found along this very windy and rough road. Our time was a little shorter than that and we found ourselves a beautiful spot with all-day shade and a nearyby drop toilet with tap. Luxury again, how little things excite us now. Early the next morning we headed for Catherdral Gorge but the first walk was the 'Domes Walk'. This went into some of the famous bee-hive domes and they were a sight to behold. Cathedral Gorge itself was one of those 'look in awe' places and we had it to ourselves for 20 minutes. Our voices echoed in an angelic way, well the kids did and mine was sort of angelic, so we had fun singing and making silly noises before we were joined by other tourists. That night while sleeping with all the windows down, Sharyn awoke with a fright, a wet spray and bad smell on her head. She thought she had been peed upon by a bat but when she went outside to look, there was our resident Owl perched high in the tree who had done a poo with the flyscreen catching the solid component and the liquid stuff falling through into the camper. No Sharyn was not too happy but a quick wash and she was back into bed.
Next morning we went to the Northern end of the park and into Echidna Chasm. The rocks up this end of the park looked more like Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) but even more impressive I thought. Scattered everywhere amongst them were palm trees adding a strange tropical feel to this dry and harsh area. We managed to get to the end of the walk by midday when the sun shone done into the rocks and lit up the whole end of the walk. Some of the cliffs were 200 meters high and something to see. Onwards to Mini Palms and after a long and tiring walk we made it. Was breathtaking, and against Sharyn's judgement I chose to ignore the 'No Entry' sign and walked down to the left of the last lookout to the cave at the end of the gorge....Only because we had read a book not that old that describes walking into the cave and to me they had put the sign up to stop people falling on the rocks with all the legal stuff that follows. Having done some rock climbing and abseiling in my time I thought I would be OK and I was. Don't do this at home though kids, Emshia and Rory know this!
The trip out of Purnululu the next day was quicker than coming in, we made it out in just over 2 hours, although 4km from the end poor Emshia's tea and breakfast made a return visit, and after a quick clean up we were on our way to Kununurra.
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