Sunset cruise

This was a four hour bus and cruise on the lake. The bus took us across the dam wall and down to the quarry where the rocks came for the wall, then we went back to the lake to board the boat. There was a commentary for some of the way and then we stopped for a quick refreshing swim for those who wanted to go in. Our skipper was Tracey and she told us that people could either jump of the roof of the boat or swim across to land and jump off Jump rock which was about 12 metres high. Tracey did suggest that if anyone was going off Jump rock that they should keep their legs together. They had one guy a few weeks earlier who stepped off and he needed to go to hospital after the cruise!

Jordan was keen to do that and Warren and I both told him he was nuts. Of course our lot, Warren, Chris and Jordan were first in the water and they all set off swimming. Then they had to climb up on a ledge, Jordan was faster than Warren and went further and they jumped off together but the sun was in our eyes so I didnt get a photo but did get Chris' splash with the other two in the back ground. There was only time for one jump.

Two crocodile were seen which apparently was unusual this early in the season and she explained that they were freshwater crocs and dont have a wide enough mouth to take a hunk out of a person. They eat 70% insects and the rest of their diet is small fish. It is estimated that there are 30,000 crocs in the lake at any one time.

Aidan being the only kid under 10, got to start and stop the boat.

We continued on with unlimited soft drinks, tea or coffee. Just before sunset we stopped for the sunset swim and were told that everyone needed to take at least one noodle into the water so that our hands were free to hold a drink and get nibbles. The nibbles, biscuits cheese and dips were floated past and drinks were passed out or taken with us into the water. The water was warm and so clear.

Our family was the last to board as we had to have a photo taken.

and the sunset, then I jumped in the water with everyone else.

Lake Argyle Resort/caravan park

We booked in for a week, one to give Jordan a chance to get over the bug that he had (they got awesome service at the hospital in Kununurra) and also to have some downtime for the rest of us as it is a long way across to Katherine in the Northern Territory. One week also gave us a discount so it was $39 a night over the seven nights rather $43 a night, got to make savings where you can hehe. Lake Argyle is 70 kms south west of Kununurra and only about 45 kms inside the Western Australia/Nt border..

No internet, TV or phone service, ahh what do we do without that for a week! Each afternoon internet was available in the beer garden or we could buy into a roaming service. Coffee and cake and phones at the ready to link into the service, hum, very slow. We bought some time, $19.95 for fourteen days which gave us 500mb. Oh to be absent from technology is hard to take these days. I mean someone may really want to tell us something!! Sad isnt it when we all became reliant on the internet. The service was fine to check emails and FB but not good enough to downloads photos into my blog.

A couple of times a day we visited the pool, an infinity pool which means the water goes right up to the edge and when swimming there, it was as though the pool went up to the mountains. It was cold as when people got in or swam around the top layer of water which had been warmed by the sun washed over the sides.

The pool was also about 500 metres from our site so it was good exercise to walk there have a swim and wander back.Where I am standing it is the deepest at 1.5 metres.

Often we did shower with a friend, a few green frogs frequently the bathrooms, I refused to use a cubicle that had a moving frog in it. I didn't mind so much if they were still and out of my way.

The park was nice and shady and there were plenty of sprinklers going during the day and evening to water the grass and keep the dust down. With the lake just below us which is at least 18 times the size of the Sydney harbour, they were not going to run out of water anytime soon.

The lake was dammed in the late seventies so that the water could be piped to Kununurra to grow crops.

Bungle Bungles

This was a tour that we were going to do, the kids were going to do the full day trip and we had opted to do the flight over the Bungle Bungles. Then we find out that this year the tours don't start until May so that was out. Saving ourselves quite a bit of money, which is a positive I guess. Kununurra has the mini Bungle Bungles and we went there today and did some rock climbing and took some awesome photos.

Warren and Sheridan deciding where they needed to go next. This a national park about 2 kms from the town of Kununurra. I was still in the car with the a/c on.

The colours of the rocks are amazing and they just seem to appear out of nowhere in many cases.

This is Jordan coming down from a rock formation.

Awesome scenery at rest stops

Along the way about every hundred kilometers or so there is a rest stop and they are advertised on the road well before so stops can be planned. There are others as well that are just a pull in off the road but these are just that, a chance to get off the road and stop.

The others that are sign posted have the symbols of toilets, shade and picnic tables some even have dumps points and can stay overnight/24 hours.

We stopped at two of these on the way to Kununuura and the scenery in each of these was stunning. The first one was called something or other cliffs, I dont remember the name but I certainly remember the scenery. It was a bit of a drive in off the road but so worth it.

There is a bus parked to the top right, that is how big the parking area was, the toilets were about a hundred metres to the bottom left of photo. As we were so high above the road, it was a little windy but that made it feel cool. I think the bus had been there more than 24 hours, although unless you were writing or painting, I could not imagine staying there for long.

The photos really dont do it justice as it was far more serene than they show.

The next stop for us was a hundred and ten ks far and it was called Mary Pool, not Mary's just Mary.

We drove in as the sign stated shade, toilets, dump point and picnic tables. At the entrancement there was only an industrial rubbish bin, so we drove further and over a rise, it was gravel and we saw the shade and then we were on a concrete road that had lots of holes where water had washed through, by that time we were committed to keep going as we couldnt turn the car and van around. Another km and we were there, at an opening with large trees, toilets and tables. We parked under the trees to allow the car to cool down and set off for the toilet block when Warren turned back to the car saying that there probably wouldn't be any toilet paper. He unearthed a roll from the van that is kept for such times. To our surprise paper was supplied!

Plenty of cattle just through the fence who were used to people coming thru as they just went about their feeding. The concrete road went across water and made rock pools on either side and is apparently a regular with the locals to go for picnics and a swim although there had been a salt water croc sighting about a month ago. The water was low when we were there with no water spilling over but there was water on each side. It was a welcome break and after a few minutes taking in the scenery we were ready for the next hundred ks which would take us into Halls Creek. Unfortunately I have no photos of Mary Pool.

Another great thing about both these stops, no or very few flies!

ANZAC day

We were in Halls Creek and had asked around about a dawn service and checked on the web sites. It seemed that they only had a service very few years and nothing was organised. As we had a long day to get to Kununurra (Lake Argyle) we would get up as if were going to an early service and get on the road. The evening before six bikes had rocked in, four Harleys, one lookalike Harley and a trike. We were awake the morning of ANZAC and heard them ride out just before sun up. We got up and went about our business of packing up when I noticed the bikes were parked out the front of the caravan park, which seemed odd.

We drove out at 6.30 am and as we did we saw the six riders, all in blue shirts walking back from the main road, as we crossed onto the main road, we could see the remains of a service, with a few people and chairs still there. Buggar, we missed it, obviously we had asked the wrong people.

Our first two hours along the way we only covered one hundred and twenty kilometres as we were behind a convoy (not sure how many vehicles are required before its classed as a convoy), there was a tail end charlie with a massive truck with a bull dozer on it and a forward scout. Every bridge we came to, as they were narrowl, had to be closed and then the truck inched its way across, often we had to stop while this happened. Finally the road did get a little wider and as we had the CB on and had been listening to their comments re road etc, Warren requested to get past and they pulled us through. Soon after that the bikes came through as well and then passed us. We seemed to leap frog them the rest of the way finally all ending up at the same fuel station in Kununurra around lunch time.

The five bikes kept together with the trike being quite a way back, often the bikes would stop for her to catch up. The trike was really like a small car and she had trouble getting past the truck as the roads was very narrow when it was time for her to pass, she had to wait until the road widen.

Having the CB on the truckie channel we could hear all the chat going back and forth re the road surface and width. Can learn a lot, sometimes learn or hear something that you dont want to also.

Actually the truckie with the bull dozer was talking about gold, coming from one of the property that we were passing, and being used in the Quilty cup. It is an endurance ride of approx 100 hundred hours for talented stockman and their horses. He said that there was more gold in the Quilty cup than the Melbourne Cup. Not sure if it is still being run, I must look it up.

Wolfe Creek Crater

Warren was keen to go and see this and has talked about it since the big plan to do the lap came into reality. It was 18 kms out of Halls Creek and then turn onto a gravel road. Although it was gravel it was a very wide road, there were a couple lots of roadworks being done (on a Sunday!). Other than the road workers, we did not see another soul. It was approx 125 five kilometres on unpaved road as the GPS told us (she doesnt like us going on "unpaved" roads), they say to allow two and a half hours to get there, it is on the way to Alice Springs, if one could imagine going that way. The GPS threw a wobbly a couple of times, telling us to turn left to go up a river bed, there was no road there at all.

Finally we saw the sign post into it and then there were three gates to open and close. I grew up on a farm and quite used to opening gates but these three were of course all different and they opened inwards.

It was surreal to get there and there is nothing! So quiet and peaceful. There was a toilet on concrete which is good to keep the critters away but Warren did open it first and had a look before I went in, thank goodness I learnt in China to always carry tissues with me and I even had a pack of hand wipes.

Near the edge of the crater was some info boards and then there was the walk to the rim. It was about a 400 metres walk on a pathway, I went about a third of the way and Warren informed me that he would go up and he was going to walk down into it as well, he was gone about 35 minutes.

There was no shade so I got our visitor's chair from the back of the car and sat in that under the "carport" that held the info boards. There was a slight breeze and was very pleasant except for the occasional thought of "What if Warren slips and falls?". He took some great pics

We left this time with me driving so he opened the gates hehe, and there were two other vehicles coming in and further back up the track we saw a guy pedaling a tricycle, goodness knows where he was coming or going to but, he had quite a bit of gear on board and a solar panel so we think he was in for a long haul.

Back to Blogging Boab Bob.

After a week of leisure but no phone or internet, here are some blog posts of what we have been doing.

While Aidan and I were "home" doing the washing in Fitzroy Crossing,we had a visit from Bob. He is an aboriginal guy in his fifties and he came over to see if I was interested in buying a carved boab nut from him. They were awesome, so well done. I asked him a bit about them and he took me to show me the tree that was the same, there was one just at the back of the caravans. He had apparently picked them that morning, washed and took off the outer fuzz (it is similar to peach fuzz but more dense). Once they are dry he then did the art work on them.

He only had the two that he showed me, there could have been more. The other one had kangaroos and goannas on it. I am not a fan of emus but I liked these so this was the one that I selected.