our sunset dinner at Cable Beach Broome

all ready and waiting for their passengers

Sunset on Cable Beach at Broome, they make postcards of just this and we were fortunate enough to be able to sit there, enjoy our chicken and salad with a glass of wine and witness the postcard beauty. 

yes John this was when Lawrie was talking to YOU!!

We had made it to the beach yesterday afternoon however did not know that the sand was so hard even 2wd vehicles could drive down and travel along the 22km of packed white sand.  Needless to say we had to return again so that we too could experience this fun, and we made sure we came prepared with goodies.  Our great position also enabled us to have front row seats for the passing camel parade so more postcard shots.

no need to guess who's glass is on the left!!

you can't ask for better than this

Broome’s streets are lush with vegetation, flowers, palms and green grass covering every park.  Such tropical scenery.

We enjoyed a visit to the Sun Picture Theatre in Chinatown tonight after the sunset and watched Red Dog, a story of a dog from Dampier in WA where there is a statue to honour him.  The story was based back in the late 1970’s and the theatre is of the open air variety with fruit bats flying across the screen during the film.  The highlight however were the two planes that came in to land during the showing.  They were directly overhead, all lights flashing and probably only a few hundred feet above us.  Now that was something you don’t see at Hoyts Gold Class!!

We leave Broome tomorrow and head south towards Port Hedland however we plan to catch up with friends we met in the Flinders who work on Pardoo Station before then, so……the adventure continues.

sunset yesterday

sunset today

Kununurra to Broome

The weather is becoming warmer as we head out along the Great Northern Highway. 

 Fortunately for the first day we are mainly travelling south away from the direct sun so the air conditioner can stay off.  The road takes us down to Turkey Creek which is mainly just a roadhouse (but with gas) so filled up and an icecream under our belt we head for our first overnight rest stop at Leycesters Rest on the banks of the Ord River.

                                             the mighty Ord River in its early stages

We had hoped to venture out to the Bungle Bungles however the 52km dirt road was still closed to 2wd vehicles and certainly no vans could be taken out there.  The road report we read advised that there were still 3 water crossings to traverse so this area will have to wait till another day.

The campsite rest area is quite large, not a lot of shade and is above the river bed where the old road crossed the river by causeway.  After setting up we were able to take a walk down to the causeway and marvel at the width and the beauty of the river still with running water beneath the causeway.  This is the mighty river that runs into Lake Argyle where we stayed and then out to the coast at Wyndham.  Having seen the amount of water at one end it was interesting to see the river closer to its source in the mountains.

Cattle and horses are the main animals we have seen along this stretch of highway.  Also plenty of eagles feeding on road kill along the way.  We continue to marvel at the scenery and the vista changes constantly.  Our aim is to the do this trip at an earlier time in the year so as to hopefully avoid the smoke haze that is everywhere and prevents the view from being clear as it stretches to the horizon.  After Turkey Creek we come to Halls Creek and find it is quite a busy community.  Again gas to be had from the roadhouse (even a Coles Express Shell) so the 4c ticket came in handy.

some of the passing scenery

Lots of Boab trees everywhere and the greenery is the evidence of the great wet season earlier this year.  Creeks and rivers are sometimes dry but quite often there will be large waterholes looking cool and clear.

We called into one – Little Panton River – with another causeway, this time covered with water ankle deep so took advantage of the opportunity to get some water and wash the solar panel on top of the van.  Well Lawrie did, I took the photos and waded in the water.  This is a spot we plan to come back to next trip and spend a couple of days.  Not a large camp area but oh so beautiful with all those gum trees for shade.

            Little Panton River where we (well he) washed the solar panel on the top of the van.

We find another freebie (Mary Pool) on the Mary River and wow what a great spot for a lay over.  Lots of shade, lots of sand in the river, along with water and lots of other happy campers.  We counted over 30 that first night ranging from folks in a sedan and putting up small tents to campervans and caravans, yet there was plenty of room for all.  No one would have felt squashed close to another.  This spot was so great we decided to spend two nights.  We met up with another couple who had come on Friday and were hoping to spend nearly a week.  No problem with that as there were plenty of rubbish bins, toilets and even a dump point.  We used the water from the river for washing and for our showers so that helped save the water in the van’s tanks for important things like drinking.

a camp 'mate' at Mary Pool

fortunately her friends are further away

Thought we better push on towards Broome and reached Fitzroy Crossing, wow what a river. 

Fitzroy River from the road bridge

                                                             the 'old' Fitzroy River crossing

                                     the entry/exit at each end looks the same, soft sand so ????

So much water and as said before this is late in the ‘dry’ so what must it have looked like earlier this year.  You can see the vast flood plains as you drive out of the small village and now the road tends to straighten out and when you crest a small rise the road continues way out in front of you as far as the eye can see.  Cattle are resting under the trees around water as the day heats up and the smoke haze still around makes it look ‘hot’.

We spend another night at a rest stop before driving the 170km into Derby for a look around.  Again by morning cuppa time it is quite warm so we look for shade to park in.  This is not abundant in Derby but we do find a spot down a side street and take advantage of that before driving to the wharf area and taking a walk around the circuit. 

the wharf at low tide

Derby was the first town established in the Kimberley (1883) and cattle and wool were exported from here until the introduction of carrying cattle by trucks to the southern markets brought about the closing of the wharf in the 1970’s.  The wharf was again reopened in the 1990’s for the transportation of lead and zinc.  Derby is known to have Australia’s highest tides where the high tide can rise by up to 11m.  The tidal mud flats are exposed when the tide falls and the drive to the jetty takes you out past this area.   King Sound is also the mouth of the Fitzroy river and there are mangroves all around the water’s edge. 

We also visited the Prison Boab which is reputed to be approx. 1500 yrs old.  Legend is that during the time of the rounding up of the young Indigenous men of the Kimberley they were walked for many miles over days at a time to Derby and the last rest stop was at this Boab tree near the Myall Bore.  The bore is 330m deep and the trough was built in 1916/17 to water the herds being driven to Derby for transportation by ship.  The trough is said to be the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. 

After leaving Derby and rejoining the highway we again cross the Fitzroy River and then experience a large area of flood plain.  There are few trees but plenty of grassy vegetation and the road is long and straight with just gentle undulations.   It is only 170km to Broome but as it is rather hot by this time we plan to stop at the rest area approx. 115km from Broome.  A large roomy area there is no problem finding a spot and we even scored some shade so that was a bonus.  We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside reading and taking it easy.  Talking to my sister the next day from Broome we find out that it had been 39 degrees so no wonder we felt hot.

Rested and refreshed with 5 free nights under our belt since leaving Kununurra we arrived in Broome before cuppa time.  We have booked in for at least 3 nights and with a view like we have... why not? 

Fortunately a little cooler than yesterday we can take our time to explore this town of approx. 15,000 people.  Broome was settled in the early 1800’s by sheep pastoralists after William Dampier, the first recorded European landed in 1688.  It is said that he came ashore to bury a treasure chest.  Wonder if it was ever found??

Those early pastoralists discovered beds of the giant silver-lip pearl oyster (mother of pearl shell) which was in great demand in Europe and America for making buttons.  As the supply in shallow water became reduced the need for diving in deeper water grew and the local Indigenous people were used to free dive in depths up to 10m.  In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Japanese divers were recruited to use the bulky helmet type dive suits in order to reach the deeper depths.  In the 1950’s mother of pearl was replaced by polyester for the making of buttons and the first cultured pearl farm was established in the area.  There are now many pearl farms in the unpolluted water around Broome.

Pearl Lugger display in Broome

honouring those brave men who went to the depths for the pearl shell

our day out to Wyndham

Leaving our van at the park we had a day trip to Wyndham just over 100kms away on the coast.  The Victoria Highway finally ended about 60km out of town at the turnoff south to Halls Creek (that is our direction tomorrow when we leave).  The highway south and continuing on to Wyndham is now the Northern Highway.    The Gibb River Road ends approx.10km further along past this junction and we had to do a left turn to drive onto the start of this adventurous road.  This is the way to the well-known El Questro resort.  Highly recommended only for 4wd’s and off road campers as it is all dirt with river crossings and corrugations etc, we turned back to the bitumen to travel on towards Wyndham.

Our first stop (for our cuppa) is at the Grotto.  

This is just a couple of kms off the highway (all bitumen) and steps have been built to allow access to the pools at the bottom of the ‘gorge’?  The info states that the water is thought to be 300 feet deep, so considering the depth to the water in the first place it seems amazing.  The discolouration of the surrounding rock is due to the water that falls during the wet season.  Wouldn’t the waterfalls be spectacular?

We drove on to Wyndham which is a small township with the port facility built a few kms further on.   Driving up to the Five Rivers Lookout we just marvelled at the view. 

Wyndham

We looked down on the port and out to the surrounding area.  During the wet season I imagine the area would be totally covered in water as the 5 rivers, Forrest, Durack, Pentecost, King and Ord, flow into the channel before entering Cambridge Gulf.

looking down onto the port wharf and flood plain

looking north

On the way home we were able to stop off at the Diversion Dam on the western side of Kununurra.  We had driven over the bridge (currently closed down to one lane) on the way out however there was no-where to pull over until our return trip and the view was worth it.

Tomorrow we head out southwards with our next big stop to be in the Broome area.  We plan to utilise quite a few free camps between here and there but our first ‘must do’ is the Bungle Bungles.

Lake Argyle and Kununurra

The road out to the Lake takes you across the 'spillway' where the released water from the lake flows very fast as it heads towards Kununurra

During the wet season the water level was just below the roadway!!

downstream from the bridge

 Wow!!!!   There is no other word.  What a magnificent waterway.   This lake is the largest freshwater storage in Australia.  The capacity is 54 times Sydney Harbour and it usually holds about 16 times the harbour.  We drove to the various lookouts and then across the dam wall to the park down near the control station for the release of water from the lake into the river. 

downstream from the wall

the swimming pool at the caravan park

The water is still being released after the last wet season (was huge) as they need to lower the level before the coming wet season.  The water runs along the Ord river and through the gorge before going to the Kununurra Diversion Dam which releases water for the irrigation channels found around the town and out into the northern agricultural areas.  The plan is to greatly extend this area and there will certainly be water available.   The views over the dam were spectacular even though the mountains were shrouded in smoke that had carried from bushfires hundreds of miles away.

The original Argyle Downs homestead is now beneath the lake however a museum featuring much of the history of this iconic property is now situated on the way to the resort where we stayed.  The caravan park (resort) is only 70km out of Kununurra and with grassed roomy sites we certainly enjoyed our stay there.  We even had the chance to give the vehicles a wash and hose away the dust that accumulated during our drive out to Zebra Rock Mine, after all there was no shortage of water.

Having left Katherine on Sunday morning it was finally Thursday morning when we arrived in Kununurra (just over 500kms).  Only the first day did we do more than 100kms so the trip has been at a very relaxed pace.  Only way to go. 

Kununurra

Kununurra has a population of around 3,500 and is very green.  Lots of trees around the streets and certainly plenty of sprinklers going keeping lawns green.  We found the Tourist Information office and armed with lots of brochures set off to explore.  We drove out to Ivanhoe Crossing and well the photo tells the story of why the road is closed. 

The water comes from the Diversion Dam and will be running till after the next wet season so the road stays closed for quite some time.  We were surprised to see the young folk fishing there as we had been told that a family with their dog were walking on the causeway and the dog was taken by a crocodile!  Yes we paddled our feet right at the edge but not even up to our ankles.  There are some risks we are not willing to take.  The day finished off with sitting at the lake edge and watching the sunset. 

 Peaceful and serene were words that came to mind immediately however, what was that we saw lurking in the water?  Yes a crocodile was eyeing off some water birds , all that was showing were his eyes and nose.  We sat and watched him for ages whilst he moved around a little closer to the birds and then he just disappeared.  Where did he go, did he have water fowl for dinner?  Unfortunately it finally became dark (early here in the Kimberley) so we will never know what the outcome was but how great to have that experience.

Zebra Rock Mine NT

Today we would travel just 60 kms to the Kimberley Zebra Rock Mine camp area.  Our hosts Ruth and Kim had been granted a lease just three years ago and they have lived there for two.  On 22^nd May this year they opened their rock shop and camp area and it is open 6am to 6pm each day from May to September.  What  a little oasis.  

 Walking towards the shop you cannot help but admire the pieces of Zebra rock on display outside the building.  So unique.  It was originally found in 1924 and named and is only found in the eastern Kimberley area, nowhere else in the world.  Kim had grown up on Argyle Station and has been in the area all his life working on properties etc and had wanted to find where this unique coloured rock could be found. 

Now working the mine full time and selling all around the world, between them they create beautiful platters, jewellery and carvings. 

We set up camp with the dry creek bed behind us and spent the latter afternoon fossicking along the creek bed picking up some interesting pieces of stone.  Our instructions are to simply use wet/dry sandpaper and shape and smooth the stone with gentle rubbing.  Some of the stones I picked up contain Manganese crystals and look like they were sprinkled with sparkle dust.  I have been told not to sand this area as the sparkle will be rubbed away so the idea is to simply shape around and smooth then spray with hairspray so we will see what happens.  Our first stop after setting up camp in Kununurra will be the hardware for some wet/dry sandpaper!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay out in the bush but next morning is pack up again and head for the border and WA.  I am sure I can hear my sister saying ‘at long last’.  The border is only about 10km down the highway so we ate the final apple as we went.  The last of the honey had been left at Zebra Rock Mine so we only have the hessian bags in the front of Destiny that we are not sure of. 

The very thorough inspection lass sought her boss’s advice on the bags and unfortunately for us they had to go.  Seems they could have been onion bags in a previous life and were not welcome in WA.  Also the foam box I was carrying fleece in also had to be sacrificed.  Fortunately the fleece could stay but I am sure that if it had contained much vegetable matter it would have to have been surrended also.  Something to remember for next time.

along the Victoria Highway

We were away from Katherine around 8.30am so an early start for us (maybe we were excited about setting out somewhere new).  The Victoria Highway stretches from Katherine to Kununurra in W A and was originally a track for droving the stock to market.  There are a number of monuments along the road that tell of those early settlers in this far north.  Leases were granted to the early pastoralists and to ensure continuation of their lease the property had to be stocked within 3 years.

Victoria River roadhouse was the first sign of settlement along the road and as a new bridge had been built across the mighty river we were able to park and take a walk down across the old bridge.  What a magic country this is. 

Victoria River NT

There is no shortage of water in the river and we couldn’t help but wonder how many crocs were looking back up at us!  

management discussion needed?

  After leaving the roadhouse we headed out and came to a turnoff to the old Victoria River crossing so went to take a look.  Had to leave Destiny parked at the top of the last leg as the sign advised no caravans so we were happy to take a walk.  It was certainly worth the effort (uphill on the return) as the photos hopefully show.  The old causeway (covered with water) showed the way and the exit at the other side would have been interesting.  How many 4wd would there have been back then?

exit from crossing

Old Victoria River crossing

Timber Creek was where we planned to get fuel and yeh the BP had autogas so we only had to travel 40km on petrol before being able to refuel a little cheaper.   This looked only a small settlement however the school bus needed a driver,  there was a vacancy for a classroom assistant at the primary school and also someone with a NT licence to assist with home help for the aged.  We chatted to a chap who had been there 12mths assisting at one of the two caravan parks and he was from Brisbane.  It is surprising what work is available without too much looking.

Our first overnight stop was to be the rest stop after Timber Creek and we arrived around 4.30pm so were able to choose a likely spot and had other travellers join us before dark.  Whilst we had been in Darwin we had packed away all our winter things and wouldn’t you know it that night was rather cold.  Well we pulled our jackets out of the top cupboards and put on socks and beanies to just keep warm through the night.  Needless to say soon after the sun was up the next morning you were taking the jumpers off again as it turned into another glorious day.

Our journey for the second day was to be only as far as the next rest stop (another free camp!) 48km.  Needless to say we were there not long after leaving the previous stop.  The scenery was changing with lots of Boab trees either side of the road. 

What fascinating trees, they have shed their leaves at present and their branches stretch up and out.  We have found out that during the wet season their leaves return and they flower at night with clusters of white flowers that only last till morning but have a soft perfume that can be smelt on the still night air.  Some of the trees were amazing shapes and sizes so the scenery was constantly changing.  Another story about the Boab trees was telling their age by where their branches faced.  Evidently if the branches point up the tree is less than 100 yrs old but, if they face out they can be some hundreds of years old and if they point down they are approx. 1000 years old.  Fact or fiction this info was told to us by a local of the Kimberleys.  At Saddle Rest Stop we were able to watch the full moon rise over the hill behind us and how beautiful the surroundings became as the moon rose in the sky.  The trees cast shadows on the ground and there was no need for a torch.  We had nearly a dozen other travellers join us at this rest stop including buses, campervans, camper trailers, motorhomes and other caravans.  Most like us were heading west with only a couple heading east.  They were the ones who scored the excess fruit from the ‘westies’ who would not be able to take it across the border in their travels tomorrow.  We still had fruit and salad things but we planned to have another stop before the border.  No rushing this part of the trip for us.