Broome

Broome is a great little place and well geared up for the tourist industry. The normal population of 16,000 swells to up to 60,000 during the peak of the winter tourist period. Our caravan park is at Cable Beach and I would have to say the whole place lives up to its reputation.

The sunset over the Indian Ocean is beautiful and we never get tired of watching the sun disappear over the watery horizon (usually with a beer or champagne in hand!).

The sand is incredibly white and the water crystal clear (and a tad chilly) and we have spent hours during the heat of the day swimming and lazing on the beach.

On the surf mats - Great idea Stephen and Gen!

Thomas and Daniel had been promised a camel ride on Cable Beach as a birthday treat and this was a fantastic experience. One hour on the back of a camel down the pristine beach as the sun sets in the background.

Tom and Dad on Mission

Dan and Mum on Bully (Real name Boulia)

Tess and Tayla on Matilda - Tilly for short

It was hard not to jump at the opportunity to join Damian and Ray on a reef fishing day trip yesterday. Perfect weather on a glassy flat ocean fishing over reefs 25-35m below. We had a really great day and like good hunter gatherers returned with a handy collection of big fish.

We had a huge feast of fresh Emperor and Snapper - baked on the BBQ with lemon juice, garlic, ginger etc. There is nothing quite like fresh fish plucked from the ocean and placed direct on the BBQ.

Tom and Dan admire some of our catch

We managed to get plenty of shopping and restocking done as well as running repairs on the car and trailer. The bumpy road had managed to shake the front passenger window off its mounts!!!

The Wright family have finally joined us in Broome today. Damian spent the last 10 days driving across on a fishing Safari and had a bit of cleaning up to do before they landed. We had a BBQ on the beach this evening - with some nice champagne - and watched the Wrights on their camel ride.

Thomas, Dan and Tess

Along with the Wright's neighbours (Adrian and Tess Paolucci) who have also joined us we have a full team ready to takle the Kimberley tomorrow.

Rosengrens, Brownhills and Wrights

Fitzroy Crossing and Geikie Gorge

Fitzroy Crossing is just that - a river crossing in the middle of nowhere. It is only a town because when the river floods and cannot be crossed, people need somewhere to drink beer. Surprisingly for a blink and you miss it town it had a large and good caravan park (and a great IGA that sold icecreams!). Importantly for us it is midway between the Bungles and Broome and it was a good resting spot.

The Fitzroy river carves its way through the adjacent limestone range and 20km from the town Geikie Gorge is easily accessible. We had heard about a locally run indigenous heritage cruise up the Gorge and so got up at the (freezing) crack of dawn to get down there to investigate. All tours were fully booked but we sweet talked the one-man show into running a special private Rosengren - Brownhill (cash only) trip.




I was sceptical but indeed the 2 hour cruise was great. We got some fantastic insight into the local culture, saw some obligatory extraordinary scenery and plenty of wildlife - the kids counted 50 crocodiles in the 2 hours.  We got what we wanted and in return so did he - He did seem to like touching the girls a bit and both Susan and Amanda got a very warm grope hug at the end (for those that know them you can imagine how well that was received!)

While filling in time for the cruise we went for a walk along the river. It was a beautiful walk interrupted only for a 30 minute session of deprickling after Mr Rosengren led the party off track through the most insanely sharp and densely packed prickle patch on the planet - ask the kids about that one!

In the afternoon I unpacked my new fishing rods and got out the How to fish book I purchased from BCF before I left. After spending 30 minutes trying to work out why the reel wouldn't work and then working out how to thread the line the right way (specially for you Murray!) we headed down to the river to show our talents to the locals camped there. Thomas did a great job at casting into the water and Daniel did a great job casting 25 metres sideways into the back of the nearest local lady. Oops!!!!

We were surprised to see Mr Wright and his 2 mates drive into camp late in the afternoon - laden down with eskies full of fresh fish ice. Overcome by male hormones he then proceeded to insist we shave his head, Ray and I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't hear of it insisting that he was a big boy and his wife wouldn't mind a bit. Especially after she sees the state of the tent after the 3 men have been on a fishing safari in it!


Next stop Broome - the other side of the world!

Purnululu - The Bungle Bungle World Heritage National Park

WOW!

What an extraordinarily fantastic place. Certainly to be a highlight.

We were a little anxious because we met a few people in the camping grounds along the way that made the trip into the Bungles seem a bit overwhelming. It is quite isolated (amazingly only revealed to the world in 1983) and there is a 50km dirt track into the park which is certainly tough going - nearly 2.5 hours to get the 50km in from the highway - slow, bumpy, wet, dusty, muddy ........

Despite the stories we had been told it was not too bad and after letting air out to soften the tyres and taping up our trailer electrical leads with trusty duct tape we crawled through with minimal drama.




We did a fair bit of walking - some easy and some hard going - and Susan and I did some flying (helicopter trip on the last day)

Echidna Chasm
Very narrow crack within the mountains caused by a fault line that runs through the park. Goes on for an unbelievable distance and in many places only wide enough for a sinle person to get through. Looking up to see fallen boulders wedged between the cliff faces above is a little anixety provoking

Only half of the height - see the person walking for scale

looking up!

The beehive domes
The signature feature of the Bungles formed by wind and water erosion of the fragile sandstone. The yellow and black colour pattern formed by bacteria growing in the moist pancaked layers of rock

Cathedral gorge
A massive undercut amphitheatre at the base of an awe inspiring sheer rock face.

That is us sitting at the bottom - just the amphitheatre -  this is just the bit at the bottom of the massive sheer rock face!

Helicopter flight

Small 4 seater with an eggshell frame and no doors. Any anxiety immediately forgotten once airborn. 30 minutes of floating above one of natures most astounding hidden gems

We have had 4 days in the Bungles - our longest stay in one place and in essence completely isolated from the world. There is a lot to be said for it!

THOMAS' BIRTHDAY
How lucky to have a birthday in such a place. There were huge smiles when the genuine replica Harry Potter wand (from Olivanders wand shop!) was unveiled.

That with the Harry Potter quidditch outfit, glasses and broomstick. Followed by the Harry Potter Birthday cake - cooked in the weber BBQ again (and the Brownhills will vouch for its quality!) The travel game from the Dimmicks was also a huge hit and the Grandparents have contributed for both Dan and Tom to have a camel ride on the beach in Broome next week.

A very exhausted but contented Thomas went to bed as an 8 year old last night (and fast to sleep!)

Kununurra (or Kururunna if you ask Dan)

The eastern gateway to the Kimberley is a hive of traveller activity. The caravan park here is certainly the busiest one we have seen.

Yesterday we drove up to Wyndham about 100km away. Wyndham is the northern most town in WA and has significant history back to the days of the early settlers. Of significance there are 5 major rivers (Ord, Pentecost, King, Durack and Forest) that open into the Cambridge Gulf within a very short space and then flow out into the Timor Sea. From a lookout high over the town you look out over the vast body of water and can see all 5 river mouths - impressive.


The town itself has very little to talk about. For anyone who has been to Invercargill (declared by Lonely Planet to be the 'arse end of the world') I imagine there could be similarities.

On the road to Wyndham (or where the road used to be!)

The drive there and back was impressive though. We took the dirt road up and stopped off at a number of waterholes to scramble over the rocks and appreciate the scenery. Not stupid enough to swim in any of the freezing waterholes.

On the return trip home we were sadly silly enough to be enticed into the freezing Grotto and the kids had a fine time jumping from rock ledges (Tom jumped from a nearly 10m high ledge) into the freezing water below. Susan was the only sane person to watch from the safety of the warm bank.




It is fantastic to see the kids getting out and enjoying what nature has to offer. They are in their element scrambling up rugged rock faces and swinging off ropes into waterholes. They have started collecting little hat badges for every place we spend a night and are animated each evening as they recount what they have done and what they have seen.





We went for a small walk through the mini Bungle Bungles on the outskirts of Kununarra today. Tomorrow we brave the infamous dirt road to get into the real ones. We have not yet met anyone on the road who has ventured in there - not sure what that means but I suspect we are about to find out how waterproof the camper trailer is - some deep water crossings await I think

Tonight we all went to the local pub to watch Queensland lose the second State of Origin. Hope the Reds do better on the weekend!

May be a week before we next get on the net

Hope everyone is well back home. Happy Birthday to cousin Isabel and to Rothy for last Sunday and for Uncle Dean for tomorrow

Lake Argyle

Now in Western Australia. Very strict quarantine and they searched the car / trailer at the border to make sure there was no fresh fruit, vegetables or honey. Obviously trying to protect the massive Ord Irrigation Region agricultural industry from pests and diseases.

The caravan park was on the hill overlooking the Lake. Very impressive but also quite windy while we were there. They have an infinity edge pool that looks spectacular. Had a (very brief) swim with the kids - it was freezing.

Lake Argyle is fantastic. I remember Andrew (my brother) swam across it some years back raising money for the RFDS but I (we) never really knew anything about it. The largest man made lake in the southern hemisphere built during the dry seasons between 1969 and 1976. at 100% capacity it is 24 times the size of sydney Harbour. When it floods it is 84 times the size! It reached its highest ever capacity in March this year and is currently at over 150%. Every six hours the same volume as Sydney Harbour washes over the spill way and out to sea. The water has a high calcium content and is not used for drinking much. The main uses are irrigation and to supply the Argyle Diamond Mine (no I have not been shopping!)

We went for a fantastic sunset cruise on the Lake. Heard alot about its history and saw some fantastic wildlife - fresh water crocodiles, Euros (wallaroos), fledgeling kites and other bird life. The sheer size of the lake at the moment is indescribable. The kids have really enjoyed this stop off and learnt alot. Tom missed a school excursion to Lake Wivenhoe while he is away - this has made up for it!

 I am currently sitting here wearing thermals and 2 polar fleece jumpers with a balaclava and beanie. The nights here are cool!

Timber Creek

Timber Creek is a remote little town on the Victoria Highway about 200km before the WA border. We never really planned on staying here but it was a convenient stop point and because it is never worth putting the tent up for one night we stayed for 2. What a fantastic place it turned out to be.

Fresh water crocs

Tom feeding crocs

The caravan park is adjacent to a small tributary of the Victoria River and home to numerous freshwater crocodiles. Each evening the owners feed some of the crocs from a tiny bridge that crosses the stream. It is a little tacky but in a child's eye it is fantastic.

We went for a drive for an hour down the Buchanan Highway - a dirt road that runs south from Timber Creek into the Gregory National Park. We drove down to Jaspers Gorge where the road runs alongside a creek cutting through a steep limestone gorge. Incredibly beautiful.

Tom was a bit car sick so we pulled off the road onto a track and followed it a little way into the bush so we could stop for the kids to get out of the car for a rest. After pushing through some loose scrub there standing before us was the most extraordinary tree I have ever seen. It was a huge Boab tree, the girth and height which were unbelievable. This incredible gem of nature was hiding away from all except those who had to pull off the road in the middle of nowhere (really!) for a car sick kid. Perfect spot for morning tea and a rest.

Susan and the kids provide some size perspective

Lazy afternoon in the camp site and then we drove to the outskirts of town to watch the sun set over the Victoria River and Gregory NP escarpment.

Gets better every day!