Day 34 Thursday –
(July 9th) Once we had packed up we drove through to Timber Creek
and stopped to have a look around, I rang up and booked a site for us all at
Derby as I didn’t want to be stuck without a site when we do our Horizontal
Falls trip. Due to the fact that we had phone service everyone caught up on Emails,
Facebook ,etc and the boys had a Devonshire tea of Scones and Jam. Tina grabbed
a homemade pie which she shared with John and I. I must say it was a pretty impressive pie
too!
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| Timber Creek |
Just out the road there was a
lookout that we stopped at and took some pics before moving on to Big Horse
Creek where we had some lunch and the boys fished for a while. Across the
bridge there is a Military training ground so Ange and I went for a walk across
it and had a chat to the US Marines that were guarding the gate. They were over
here doing some field ops and training.
After lunch a young French lass was heading to Darwin from Perth to meet
her family and do some touring, we gave her some tips on some places to go
while she was there which I think she appreciated.
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| Big Horse Creek Bridge |
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| Fishing at Big Horse Creek |
Back on the road we headed
toward the border and turned off about 5 km’s short and drove down this
horribly red dusty road and up the driveway to Zebra Rock Mine. This place was rated highly on Wiki camps but
my opinion is still out. It is a husband
and wife couple trying to make a living and improve what they have so far but
in the end I thought it was a bit expensive for what facilities it provides. It
is $10 per person (adults, which is $30 a night for us) but all you get is a
dirt area to park in with a site hut toilet and shower (which was warm during
the afternoon and cold every other time) there weren’t any other facilities, so
some of the free camps we have stayed in were better. In saying that The Gallery of Zebra Rock was
impressive as was the fish and chips taste wise, although 4 small bits of fish
and a few chips for $14 was not the best value. We were given a tour of the
Zebra Rock Gallery by Ruth and her 2 year old daughter Opal who enjoyed
squishing Advocado and noodles all over
her mother whilst she gave her spiel. Later in the night Mitch made himself at
home with another camper who had satellite TV and watched Port beat
Collingwood.
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| Checking out the rocks at Zebra Rock Mine |
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| Who has the dirtiest feet???? |
Day 35 Friday – (July
9th) Departing Zebra Rock Mine back down the 10 Km’s of dusty dirt
towards the border. At the border we had to stop for quarantine where we
declared a couple of Oranges whilst the guy did a search of our van and car.
(Prior to this we had been warned that they were a bit Gestapo but I really
couldn’t fault our guy. He was polite and not over bearing and certainly didn’t
search too hard!). Moving on from the border we headed to Lake Argyle. Now this
is another of those places that I have really been looking forward to and I was
in fear of being disappointed as I had it built up so far in my mind. During
the drive in it was another one of those “wow have a look at that, and god that
looks so good” the geological side of things is amazing as things change so
much from corner to corner and area to area. The landscape is so mind blowing
and again the pictures that we have taken just don’t show how amazing it is to
see as you drive along. Arriving at Lake
Argyle Caravan park (hoping that we can get in as a fellow traveller had rang
ahead to book and got told that they were booked out till Sunday). We pulled up and gave our details and were
told to wait in the carpark until called. We were only after unpowered as all
the comments on Wiki camps said that the unpowered sites were better but Tina,
John and Josie wanted powered sites. It
wasn’t long before the guy came along and told us we had a spot and to call
into the office and pay. Yayyyy we are in and we don’t have to find an
alternative! We were directed to the Oval where the overflow vans go and I am
still convinced that we have the best site in the park. The view from the back
of our van just blows us away, Once we were set up and we had washed the dirt
off the van (Those that invented Super Glue should have just mixed water with
the red dust from up here as that stuff sticks like shit to a blanket) we just
had to head for the Infinity Pool. It’s the one in all the photo’s that
overlooks Lake Argyle. As we got to the pool we noticed that there weren’t a
lot of people in the pool even tho the temperature was around the 30’s. I laid
the towel down and headed towards the cool blue water and as my toe hit the
water I suddenly realised why the pool was not crowded! The water was bloody
FREEZING. (sorry my fellow Victorians who are enduring a massive Cold spell at
the moment) but when you are having 30 degree days and the pool was about 15
degrees it hits you pretty well smack bang in the face. Not to be denied we still
immersed ourselves in the water and after a while your body starts to adjust.
Shortly after we had the obligatory Infinity Pool photo’s taken and we hopped
out to defrost. Back at the van we
settled in and organised 5’s with our neighbours from Padthaway Kim and Dianne
who were Wine grape growers and they provided a bottle of home grown red for us
to enjoy. After a while I fired up the
Weber and we enjoyed a bit of Eye Fillet for tea again. Not long after we hit
the sack as the body was a bit confused with the time adjustment from NT to WA.
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| Our Camp at Lake Argyle overlooking the lake below |
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| Acting Cool in the Very Cool Infinity Pool |
Day 36 Saturday (July
10th) - Rising around 8.00 we
have some brekky and then decided to go for a drive around and explore the
area. First up was the lookout where we took some pics of the Lake and took in
how big it actually is before Heading down over the Dam wall and down to the
picnic area on the lower river. Here the boys had a swim and had fun swimming
against the current of the dam flow. (after some pictures were posted on
Facebook of the boys swimming and I got phone service, I got an urgent text from
my brother Pete who was quite concerned as when he was here they saw some big
Crocs where the boys were swimming. ) further checks have found that there is
only Freshwater Crocs in that part of the river so rest easy Uncle Pete. After
the drive we headed back and had some lunch before heading to the freezing cold
Infinity Pool again for a quick cool down and then walked down the trail to the
swimming pontoon for a dip there. At the pontoon we met a younger couple who
had just done the Gibb River rd and were going to head back to Broome to pick
up their young kids who were staying with their Aunt. Whilst Ange and I were
having a swim the Bloke talked the boys into swimming out to a unattended
houseboat with him and jumping off the roof. Drying off we headed back to the van where we
had 5’s overlooking the sunset on the rock face across the lake from us. After
sunset we had a discussion and no one was really hungry so Ange cooked up some
chips in the oven and that was Tea!
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| Lake Argyle Lookout |
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| Boys swimming at the Lake Argyle outlet |
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| Tina and Josie enjoying the views from the Dam wall |
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| 5's from our camp |
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| Sunset from our camp at Lake Argyle |
Day 37 Sunday (July 11th) Had a bit of a sleep
in then got up and potted around washing the car, putting the roof rack on in
preparation of heading up the Gibb River Road, went for a swim in the pool
(Still bloody cold) then headed to the bar and sweet talked the barmaid into
putting the footy on so we could watch the Hawks smash Freo. There was a couple
of Freo supporters behind us clapping every good thing Freo did, thankfully
that wasn’t a lot so they packed up and left by qtr time. After the footy we
sat around and watched the sunset like the previous night and had 5’s, while I
fixed Johns Chair to a better height for him. Ange had previously cooked up
Curried snags at Victoria River and froze them so we thawed them out for tea.
We then headed over to Tina and Johns for Drinks, Port and Tim Tams while I did
some blog.
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| Lake Argyle from our camp |
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| Lake Argyle from the Pontoon |
Day 38 Monday (July 12th) – During the night it
cooled down a bit and the wind picked up which was a bit of a pity as we are
booked in to a Breakfast Cruise on the Lake, Heading out on the lake it was
still quite cool so Ange borrowed a Jumper of our Skipper Tracy. The lake is a
fantastic sight from land and just as good from the middle where we saw some of
the birdlife as well as Rock Wallabies on the cliffs and a few Freshwater Crocodiles
whilst munching on Croissants’, muffins Coffee and Juice for Brekky. At the end
of the cruise the crew tried to entice some Arrow Fish to spit at them for food
but to no avail today. Back at Camp we got ourselves organised and Ange, Josie
and I walked the trail over to the rebuilt “Durack Homestead” and met Tina and
John. We walked around and checked out some of the history of the area before
Ange and I continued our walk out to the Bluff lookout to take some pics. Once
back at camp we prepared some lunch and waited for the boys to return from the
swimming pontoon, no doubt the Houseboat got jumped off again but I didn’t ask.
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| Cruising Lake Argyle |
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| Durack Homestead |
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| Lake Argyle from the Bluff |
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| Ange enjoying the view from the Bluff |
As it was a late lunch we headed over to Tina and Johns Van
for Coffee then walked to the bar area where we fought for the miserly little
bit of WiFi that they offer between 4.30 and 6.30 just to try and get some news
from home via Facebook and emails. Once we completed that task we headed back
and got our shower stuff and headed for what ended up being a bloody Cold
shower, (Ok, Ok I here all you bloody Victorians saying that we don’t know what
cold is, well probably not compared to back home but they were cool for up
here) After showers I cooked up some hamburgers for tea then we headed to Tina
and Johns van for a game of Family Feud. I was the compare and it was Boys vs
Girls, now the funniest answer for the night came from Mitch. “Name a part of
the body that Women complain about the most” ........ Mitch’s answer ........
“Vagina”. Well that cracked us all up.
By this time it was time for bedas we have to pack up early and get in
to Kununurra.
Day 39 Tuesday (July
13th) – Once we were packed up we drove the 70 odd K’s to Kununurra
and booked into the caravan park, then we had a drive around to check things
out and do some much needed grocery shopping. We had a look at the diversion
dam wall and the lake before driving up to Wyndham to see the giant Croc statue
and the Five Rivers lookout for 5’s on sunset. Another one of those marvellous
sights of this beautiful country. Only downside was that we had to drive back
to Kununurra in the dark with lots of wildlife not really road conscious.
Thankfully there were no mishaps.
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| Big Croc at Wyndham |
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| 5's enjoying the sunset from the 5 Rivers lookout |
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| enjoying the sunset from the 5 Rivers lookout |
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| enjoying the sunset from the 5 Rivers lookout |
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| Sunset from the 5 Rivers lookout |
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| Sunset from the 5 Rivers lookout |
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| Sunset from the 5 Rivers lookout |
Day 40 Wednesday (July 14th) – Today we got up
early and Explored the Kununurra area a bit more, we drove out and the boys had
a swim at Molly Springs where they compared the coldness of the water to the
Lake Argyle pool temperature. After the
swim and we were driving out I spotted a big Boab tree with some Boab Nuts and
as Ange had said that she wanted some to take home we set Thomas the task of
climbing up to retrieve some. I am not sure what was more entertaining, Thomas
up the tree trying to get some with a tie down strap or Mitch and I trying to
knock them down with rocks , both were quite amusing but in the end we managed
to collect a few. From there we stopped at Valentine Springs which was a bit
stagnant for swimming so we moved on back to the base of the Weir to watch some
people fishing. The back to camp for a swim and tea. After tea we packed a few
things for our trip up the Gibb River road.
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| Boys swimming at Molly Springs |
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| Thomas collecting Boab Nuts |
Day 41 Thursday (July 15th) – Wanting to get
moving early I set the alarm for 6.00 because we had to put our van in storage
first. Once that was done we hit the
road for the hour drive to Emma Gorge.
At Emma Gorge we grabbed a bottle of water and checked into reception to
let them know as per the sign. In there the guy looked at me and said “Are you
sure that you want to do the walk in thongs?” I said “Yeah of course” once we
hit the track I worked out what he was on about as it was rocky, slippery and
quite rough to get to the falls. Once there the boys were quick to jump in to
the freezing cold water whereas I took a little bit. Once in I quickly adjusted
to the coldness and was taken aback at how great the scenery was, no wonder
people trek in to see this. After a swim we started to walk back to find Josie was
nearly there, she had walked, climbed, crawled over the rocky terrain only to
have to turn around and head back. We thought that she would have been turned
off way back near the start and waited at the restaurant for us to return but
to our amazement she had battled this far. On the way back she took a few
tumbles and got her foot caught in a rock!.
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| Emma Gorge |
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| Emma Gorge |
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| On the way back from Emma Gorge |
Back at the car we headed for
Zebedee springs as it closes for private tours at 12.00 o’clock. We managed to
get there by 11.00 so we had an hour to enjoy the warm flowing pools. At 12.00
o’clock the guys from El Questro came along to kick us out so we then drove
into the homestead for a look. Approaching the Homestead you have to cross the
Pentecost River and although it isn’t deep Josie was a bit nervous sitting in
the passenger seat as Mitch drove her car across. All good, he made it across
easily with Josie having a big smile when we stopped.
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| Zebedee Springs |
Here we had some prepacked tuna and salad for
lunch and then we had a look around the shop. Wow no wonder the rich and famous
visit here, you need to be loaded just to eat! A packet of barbecue shapes was
$6 and a frozen loaf of white sandwich bread was the same price! You don’t even
bother to check out the souvenirs. We then decide to go and have a look at one
of the lookouts so we all hopped in the Jeep and drove the bumpy trail to
Chamberlain Gorge and the Durack tree before attempting to cross the river to
go to Branko’s lookout. Half way across I decide that it was too rough and that
the Jeep didn’t have enough clearance so I reversed all the way back and headed
out.
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| Chamberlain Gorge |
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| Chamberlain Gorge |
Back at Josies car we decided to move on and headed for a camp near Home
Valley, going back across the river out of El Questro Josie was driving this
time and half way across Mitch jumps on the radio and says “I think Aunty Josie
just shit herself”, Nice one Mitch..... At
the gate to El Questro where the Gibb River Road bitumen finishes we let our
tyres down a bit and started along the corrugations to the Pentecost River.
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| Josie crossing the Pentecost river at El Questro |
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| The gates to El Questro |
Once we got to the Pentecost I stopped and surveyed the crossing and as I was
another car came along from the other side. I sat and watched him cross and saw
that it was OK to go, I radioed Josie to wait until I had crossed and then I
would photograph her crossing. Once we were across Josie started her trek and
when she got to the other side screamed out “That was awesome”. I then said
that I would go back across so that Ange and Josie could photograph me crossing
with the Cockburn Ranges in the background. When I was planning this whole trip
one of the things I really wanted to tick off was getting a photo crossing the
Pentecost with the ranges in the background like in just about every 4wd
magazine you buy. Tick that one off Buddy, mission accomplished. From the
crossing we headed up to the lookout and took some photo’s before heading a bit further up the road to a
free camp for the night. Once set up we cooked up a basic tea of Hot Dogs and 2
minute noodles and then jumped into the swags as it was dark (In bed at 6.30 at
night Ha Ha haven’ t done that in a long time).
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| Ticking off a bucket list item - Driving across the Pentecost River on the Gibb River Road |
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| Gibb River road lookout of the Cockburn Ranges |
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| Cockburn Ranges |
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| Cockburn Ranges at Sunset |
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| Our Free camp on the Gibb River road Ultra basic |
Day 42 Friday (July 16 ) - Waking up at 5.00 I poked my head
out of the swag to take pictures of the most beautiful sunrise that I have seen
in a long time, in fact I would put it up there with the first sunrise I saw at
Devils Marbles back in 2011. After taking some photos I snuggled back in to bed
and slept until about 8.00.
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| Sunrise from our Free camp on the Gibb River road |
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| Sunrise from our Free camp on the Gibb River road |
Packing up we drove into Home Valley and booked in
for the night. We then headed out to the river camp for a look and do a spot of
fishing. Chasing that elusive big Barra was one of the main reasons for coming
here and unfortunately today was not going to be the day. The water was very
muddy and the tide was heading out at a fair rate so I wasn’t that confident
anyway. After fishing we headed back to the homestead and decided to set up
camp there instead as there was a pool for swimming and we had booked in for
tea that night. Whilst having lunch the boys were playing on the playground and
all of a sudden Mitch came hopping back with a suspected dislocated / broken
toe, I gave it a yank and it appeared to pop back in! We then all hit the pool
for a swim and although the water was cool it was very refreshing. After our swim I decided to do some more
fishing and the boys and I headed back out to the river camp to find the tide
had dropped about 5 metres and the banks were very slippery. I was very careful
not to start sliding as the next stop would have been the water which would
have made the crocs very happy but I wasn’t keen on being their lunch. Once again
the fishing was not very successful but I am a big believer in the saying “A
bad days fishing beats a good days working” Sorry Andrew! Heading back to the
car a man and his son headed over to where we were and we shared our bad luck
fishing stories and it turned out they were camped right beside us back at the
homestead. After washing the 2 inches of
mud off my feet we headed back to camp for a shower.
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| Turn off to Home Valley |
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| Home Valley Gates |
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| Fishing at the river camp - Home Valley |
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| Home Valley Pool |
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| Josie enjoying a dip in the Home Valley Pool |
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| Mitch's sore toe |
On the way back from the
shower we stopped in and had a chat to our neighbours “The Lynch’s”(Matt, Jane,
Jack and Caitlin). We arranged to come
back and have a game of cards with them after tea. We then headed up to the
bistro for tea, I ordered the Barramundi (well if I can’t catch one I can still
eat them) Ange and Josie had the Chicken Mignon and the Boys Pasta. Josie
ordered a Trio of dips and we had a taste of the Pesto which was absolutely
magnificent. Our mains came shortly after and although the prices were up there
a bit, the food was magnificent. My Barra was on a potato rosti with a lemon
and caper sauce and the Chicken Mignons were on a sweet potato gnocci with a
red sauce. All our meals were just beautiful. After tea we headed back and sat
and chatted to the Lynch’s and compared travel stories while the kids played
UNO. We ended up getting a couple of
movies and episode of Game of Thrones off them before heading to bed. In bed
Ange was very cold so I searched and found one sock and I then gave her my
tracksuit pants and Thomas’s hoodie just to try and get her warm.
Day 43 Saturday (July 17) – I jumped up early at 6.00 to
head back down to the river in search of that Bloody Barra.... The boys stayed
in bed so it just me and my trusty rod, at the river the tide was even further
out than the arvo before so again it was easy does it walking out on the mud
flats to cast into the river below.
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| Fishing at the river camp at low tide- Home Valley |
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| Fishing at the river camp at low tide- Home Valley |
Once again, no success on the fishing side
of things so, I headed back to camp where Ange, Josie and the boys had packed
up. We said our goodbye’s to the Lynch’s promising to try and catch them along
the track somewhere. The boys headed up to buy some brekky Thomas had the all
you can eat buffet for $24 while Mitch dined on Eggs Benedict for $17.50. We
grabbed a coffee and hit the road back to Kununurra.
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| Departing Home Valley Station |
10 k’s down the road we
again crossed the mighty Pentecost river and continued on to the gates to El
Questro where we pumped our tyres back up for the bitumen road back as we were
about to depart the Lynch’s pulled up to do theirs.
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| Crossing back across the Pentecost river |
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| Pumping the tyres back up |
Back in Kununurra we set the van up and then
Ange did some washing. We then went and did some grocery shopping to stock up for the next week
or so. In the afternoon we decided to go and have a look at the Sandlewood
factory. At the Rum Hoochery we did some
tastings of the 9 different rum varieties. None of us were fussed on any of
them although the Coffee/ Chocolate infused liqueur wasnot too bad but not
worth $65 a 700ml bottle. Departing there Ange decided that she better drive
and we headed to Ivanhoe Crossing which was the original Ord river crossing. Here
there were a few fisherman trying their luck for some Barra with a bloke and
his son out in the middle of the crossing in knee deep water casting lures. I
am not that sure I would do that as there is a big 5 metre Saltie that inhabits
the area. Proceeding on to the car wash we gave the Jeep a quick clean to get
some of the Gibb River Road off it before heading to Kelly’s Knob for sunset.
As soon as the sun was nearly down we headed back to camp as the Hawks were
playing the Swans and I didn’t want to miss it. Whilst the footy was on we had Prawns
for 5’s and Chicken Burgers for Tea. The Hawks had a big win which made me
happy and I did a bit of the Blog before having a Shower and then Bed.
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| Giving the Jeep a much needed wash |
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| Mitch at The Hoochery |
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| Tastings at The Hoochery |
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| Ivanhoe Crossing |
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| Ivanhoe Crossing |
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| View of Kununurra from Kelly's Knob |
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| Sunset on Kelly's Knob |
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| Sunset from Kelly's Knob |
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| Sunset from Kelly's Knob |
Day 44 Sunday (July 18th) – Time to pack up and hit the road again, but
before we leave town John, Josie and I (Thanks to Tina, John and Josie who
shouted me for my birthday and for planning and organising this trip) have to
stop at the airport and jump in a plane to do a 2 hour flight over Lake Argyle,
The Bungle Bungles and the Argyle Diamond mine.
From the air it is easy to take in the magnificent scenery this area has
to offer. Lake Argyle is just HUGE, the Bungle Bungles are also much bigger
than I thought and very spectacular from above. The Diamond mine was also very
interesting to see. The flight was quite
rough and I was feeling a little bit seedy but I turned to see Josie holding a
sick bag full of stomach contents. Obviously that didn’t help me but I managed
to survive without chucking. Back on Terra Firma we were met by Ange, Tina and
the boys who were keen to find out what it was like. Once again just another big
highlight of the trip.
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| Getting ready for our flight |
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| About to board |
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| View of Lake Kununurra |
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| Lake Argyle |
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| The Bungle Bungles |
While we were gone Ange made up some sanga’s for lunch
so we hit the road and ate whilst we were driving. We were heading for Spring
Creek campground at the turn off to the Bungle Bungles and when we arrived we
found that it was quite full so we turned around and headed 10 k’s back to one
we had passed earlier that was empty called Muluk's camp. When we got there we were the only ones
there so we set up and sat down for 5’s before tea. A short time later a Britz
van pulled up and set up away from us. That night Tina had pre cooked a slab of
Corn silverside in the slow cooker and heated up some vegies so we all piled
into their van and had a big feed of meat and vegies followed up with a fresh
fruit salad and ice cream. Yet another rough feed on the road – NOT..... Off to bed for a good night’s sleep.
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| 5's at Muluk free Camp |
Day 45 Monday (July 19th) – Quick pack up and on
the road again heading for Halls Creek, pulling up at the tourist info we
ducked in to see what was around while Tina and John battled the line up for
fuel at the Shell servo. Apparently there was 11 Diesel pumps and only one was
working causing people to get a bit heated with people pushing in etc. I grabbed
a new stubbie holder and a book from the tourist info place and then sat down
to a Tuna and salad lunch. After lunch we thought we might try the other servo
in town and upon arrival there was only one other car there. After filling up
and heading in to pay I was talking to the lady from the servo and telling her
about the Shell servo and she said “Well they have just run out of Diesel up
there” Lucky us for getting in when we did as the line up was about to start
there as well. Leaving Halls Creek we
headed up the road to a camp ground suggested by the Lynch’s called Mary Pool
and as I was cruising along a car drove up along side us and here was Jane
hanging out the window waving like crazy Ha Ha They were heading to Wolfe Creek
for the night. Upon arrival at Mary Pool there was vans everywhere but we still
managed to find a nice enough spot to set up. Not long after we had set up I
was doing some blog when I got a text from Jane Lynch saying that they didn’t
like the campground at Wolfe Creek and were heading to Mary pool. I thought
that we would see them again. That night we cooked up some snags together and
had a few drinks before heading to bed.
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| Mary Pool Campground |
Day 46 Tuesday (July 20th) - After a bit of a sleep in Ange and I got up
and went over and had a coffee whilst the Lynch’s packed up, they were heading
back to Derby to pick up their van and head to Broome and continue on. We said
our goodbyes again promising to try and catch them on the trip again somewhere.
I then sat down to do some blog when Tom, Lorraine and Barry pulled in. (they
were parked beside us at Lake Argyle and I used Tom’s Angle grinder when fixing
Johns chair). I went over and said G’day and said I would come say hi when they
were set up. Back at the van I hear a Crash and a crunch along with a “Stop,
Stop, Stop” Barry had collected a tree with his van. I went over and found that
he had broken his Roof hatch as well as putting a tennis ball size hole in the
roof. Tom was up on the roof looking at it but as his knees were crook he was
struggling to try and repair it. Looks like MacGyver to the rescue again, I
hopped up top and managed to straighten out the hole in the roof and silicon a
piece of the broken hatch over it to seal that part, then with a pice of tarp
donated by another caravaner and a whole roll of Duct Tape I covered the hatch
and sealed it off enough to get him to Broome or somewhere for a full repair
(hopefully).
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| Fixing Barry's roof |
after the Van repair We were invited by Rex and Josie from Warnambool up to their van for afternoon tea where we had a coffee and fresh baked Apple tea cake while watching all the vans roll in to set up camp for the night. Then it was time for 5's and then Tea finishing off with uploading some blog.
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