Darwin Sightseeing

Wednesday 25th June 2008

Paul took the Landcruiser in for a service because we’ve done so many kms – we hit the 10,000 mark while here in Darwin. It seems amazing but I guess it’s all those little side trips adding up. The rest of us were still in bed when he returned – the girls haven’t translated to NT time very much which is great in the morning but not so good at night when they are still awake at 9:30. He returned with a Corolla for us to use for the day which was a big change from the Landcruiser!

Once we managed to drag the girls away from the bouncy pillow we headed into Darwin city to check out Aquascene which is a spot on Darwin harbour where a lady started handfeeding fish about 50 years ago and now the general public is invited to come along and join in. We got there at 11:30 and they let us in for free because it was closing at 12 (it all depends on when it’s high tide). We rushed in and found we had plenty of time (and there was plenty of bread left) to feed hordes of Diamond backed Mullet – adults and juveniles – as well as some very large and fancy looking Milkfish who would grab a piece of bread from the surface of the water and then move away with a big flick of their tails. Apparently we had missed the catfish but there were such large quantities of the other fish that it really didn’t matter. Holly was dangling her feet in the water with bread between her toes so that she could feel them chewing her tootsies!

We wandered up onto the Esplanade while we finished up our ice creams (didn’t want milk products all over the loan car!) and then set back off out of town to Crocodylus. This is an excellent spot where they breed Saltwater crocodiles but also have fantastic displays to educate the tourists. They had a ‘museum’ which was well laid out and fascinating (the girls, naturally, rushed through it, only stopping to look at the gory bits and the displays holding live young crocs and turtles). The tour took over an hour and was led by a great guy who never stopped with the details.

Paul got to feed one of the breeding crocs via a long pole – they had some enormous males that were over 5 metres long – and they had some pens that had over 200 hundred young ones that were around 2m long. It was awesome to see them all – apparently, as long as they are around the same size there is no problem crowding them all together and they certainly seemed pretty relaxed.

At the end of the tour we got to hold some baby ones that had their noses taped up. They were mostly pretty relaxed but Holly had a five second wrestle with one who was a bit more feisty.
They also had a few other animals on display including a dangerous emu, some lions who’d been donated by a circus, a couple of stately tigers and some gorgeous capuchins.
Back at the ranch there was more Bouncy Pillow and a phone call to say the Landcruiser wouldn’t be ready til tomorrow – I reckon they didn’t even start it today.

After a quick splash we headed out to Fannie Bay to watch the sunset because it sounded like the place to go and had a couple of restaurants to choose from. We picked the Boat Trailer Club due to its position right on the water, its subsidised alcohol and its large menu choice. It looked like a load of other people had picked that spot, too but we found ourselves a table and the girls headed off to the playground to find some more new friends.

Dinner was excellent, the sunset was great due to some cloud caused by fires over at Mandorah (headland opposite Darwin at the other side of the harbour entrance) and we felt we’d had a taste of Darwin’s magic.

Darwin Dawdling

Tuesday 24th June 2008

Today was so chilled that 3 days later I have completely forgotten what happened...
... after consultation with the others we decided that I did some essential computer stuff – uploading to blog, RAC joining – after watching the Stanleys make the most of their membership we decided that for $200 it might be worthwhile – especially since we will now probably take the Great Central Rd from Yulara across to Leonora and then Kalgoorlie instead of crossing the Nullarbor – which I also had to investigate – permits etc. – it should be a whole lot quicker than going down to Port Augusta and along and by then we’ll be running short of time and I’ll just feel sad if we pass by all those great places without stopping. Now we are looking at doing the Nullarbor on another trip and even Paul is thinking that could be ok...

Meanwhile the girls and Paul investigated the giant bouncy pillow and main pool and proclaimed them to be excellent fun. Since the research for our trip across central Australia needed more work I stayed home while Paul took the girls to find a supermarket – they drove 14kms to find one that was less than 5kms away!

After that Paul cooked up a storm (excellent spag bol) while I supervised the girls doing their bouncing and making a whole load more new friends until the bouncy pillow was deflated too much for it to be safe – I guess the neighbouring guests wouldn’t be too keen on kids bouncing (and screeching and squealing) all night long.

Holly’s birthday, to Darwin

Monday 23rd June 2008

Katie was, unsurprisingly, the first to wake but the deal was that she would ask Holly if she wanted to get up yet. And lo and behold... she did! She was showered with cards and gifts as well as the all-important consent to get her ears pierced and Paul made her favourite breakfast of bacon and eggs.

But life has to go on and soon we were back into the routine of packing up and getting out. The trailer made ominous scrapes as we dragged it up the hill and out of the campsite but a quick check at the top showed it was all fine and we were off to the big smoke!

It was a pretty quick drive and for the girls it went by in a flash as they watched Holly’s brand new dvd of Hairspray. Even once we’d arrived they sat quietly in the car to watch the end and then started picking out their favourite bits so they were still occupied long after everything was all set up. Needless to say, Paul and I took the opportunity for a quick breather and were rather slow in pointing out the THREE swimming pools and giant bouncy pillow that this caravan park has to offer. So slow, in fact, that lunch was done and we were in the car on our way to town before it was mentioned!

Holly’s birthday treat was to be a trip to the movies (to see the second Narnia film) followed by dinner of her choice. We had been planning a trip to the body piercing shop until they told us they were out of suitable earrings (WOT?!) and couldn’t say when they’d be getting the next shipment and they didn’t recommend anywhere else because of the bad hygiene risk. If we’re gonna do this thing then we want to be starting off right so we’re waiting to hear from them and if the worst comes to the worst we’ll get it done in Cairns next week.

The movie was great although probably not very faithful to the book – I don’t remember there being so much humour in the written version – and it felt weird to be doing something as everyday as coming out of the movies into a city street.

Paul and I agreed that downtown Darwin has a much better feel than Perth (I suppose it is much smaller, business-wise) with a very much relaxed, holiday atmosphere. It’s certainly not a shopping mecca and in many respects not that much different to somewhere like Broome except for the big, official buildings and many large hotels. The suburbs with their malls etc could belong to any city or large town in the country.

Guess what Holly chose for dinner, yup, MacDonalds, which is where the delightful glasses in the above photo come from. Paul and I abstained and picked up some Indian curries on our way back to the car to eat at home.

To Litchfield National Park

Sunday 22nd June 2008

No one was inclined to wake up today except Katie whose usual 6am was advanced to 7:30 with the time change – one definite bonus from moving into the Northern Territory.

After packing up Paul went for a shower while I took the girls down to the Hot Springs again following their pleas for a return visit ever since we left them yesterday. I didn’t get in tho’ cos it was chilly (by our adjusted standards) this morning with a fair bit of cloud in the sky – hope we don’t get a repeat of the weather we had on the Gibb River Rd. We weren’t particularly worried tho’ because we knew that the only roads we are going on in the foreseeable future are sealed so there shouldn’t be a problem...

Ahh, no worries, the clouds stayed small and scattered with no chance of rain. But we did manage to find ourselves another dirt road! (See later today).

A quick stop in town to pick up the weekend newspaper (doesn’t get here til Sunday!) and some Brumby’s sausage rolls to sustain us through the trip and we were back on the road. For a very major route, the road itself was slightly underwhelming... not very wide, very few passing places (less than the road between Mandurah and Bunbury) and a couple of big holes in prominent spots. And what about those trucks?!! Four trailers on some of them!! You really notice it when one of those go past in the opposite direction and if you want to overtake them you gotta make real sure the road ahead is clear for a long time. The views weren’t very exciting and an excruciatingly slow set of traffic lights for some very long roadworks has Paul a little concerned about how long his drive from Darwin to Alice is going to take.

The turn off to Litchfield National Park was a welcome sight and the scenery changed for the better – probably helped by the anticipation of arriving somewhere good.

We stopped to check out some Magnetic Termite mounds – they build tall edifices whose flat faces look east and west with the pointy bits facing north and south (I’m sure I ought to be able to explain that better!). Apparently this is so that a large surface gets the warming morning and evening sun but not the baking midday heat – or something like that...

I’d decided we could stay at the campsite near Florence Falls, partly because of nostalgia from my previous visit to the falls (when I’d jumped from the top – about 12-15m high) and but also because I didn’t want to join the crowds and commercial sites at Wangi Falls.

On arrival there was a choice of a 2WD campsite or a 4WD one – we went for 4WD, hoping that it was likely to be less popular and we were right – only one other inhabitant when we arrived (although four more by the end of the day) – and they were in a new edition Jayco Swan so we were in good company! The road in was a little more than we’d bargained for, tho’ – tight corners around trees, large bumps across the road and a steep downwards slope. Might be interesting getting back out...

I managed to push in a little of the bumper – one of those annoying little posts that designate parking areas – just not quite tall enough to make itself visible when one is reversing a trailer around a tight corner! Ho hum - sorry Dad!

The girls and I waltzed along a very nice path to the falls while Paul took the car around the long way so that we could make a quick getaway to the next sight on our schedule (we’d arrived much later than we’d anticipated so needed to get a move on – we have promised to leave here tomorrow so that Holly is back in civilisation on her birthday and we needed to see as much as poss this arvo).

The falls were quite as spectacular as I remembered – twin cascades with a large plunge pool below and plenty of rocks for Holly to climb on, over and around. The only disconcerting part was having to share it with so many people – we’d been warned that all the attractions get much more crowded in the NT but it was hard after having the delights of WA so much to ourselves.

We managed to prevent Holly from copying several other swimmers who were climbing the falls and jumping from the top (who would do a thing like that?!!) – in fact, she didn’t even suggest it so maybe she is becoming sensible in her old age (double digits tomorrow – as we are constantly reminded).

Leaving Florence Falls behind we headed towards the Lost City (large rocks that, if you squint and suspend disbelief, can seem like a ruined Inca city) but found the 10km track closed to all traffic with large fines for those choosing to ignore the sign.

Well, time for another waterhole, then! We chose the Buley Rockhole and weren’t disappointed –they are a series of cascades with some deep bits and long rapids bits. Holly and Paul looked like they were having so much fun leaping into the deeper pools that even I got in!

Katie and Paul took the car back to camp while Holly and I did a 3km walk back in about 50 minutes – not bad going considering we had to stop for photos, for sore feet, for tired legs, to inspect ant holes etc. etc. The campsite is very close to the creek, set in lovely bushland and is so quiet (especially compared to the main road outside yesterday’s caravan park).

Both girls had trouble getting off to sleep – too much excitement about tomorrow...

Katherine – Hot Springs, Nitmiluk NP

Saturday 21st June 2008

The girls were up and ready to go to the Hot Springs as soon as they awoke but we managed to hold them off for breakfast and a bit more so that it could warm up outside (it wasn’t exactly cold, but if we were going into water I wanted to build up a little heat first!).

The springs were more warm than ‘hot’ but definitely pleasant enough to stay in as long as you wanted without getting chilled – well, maybe I did by the end, but that’s only me... There is a long creek with pale gravel lining the base and a man-made (but not obviously so) waterfall in the middle that the kids (yes, Paul too) enjoyed sliding over (I went over once and grazed my hip bones – something about my technique...) and was overhung by trees and palms. The whole place had a slightly muddy feel – I think it is all well and truly flooded in the wet season – with the lower branches of the trees and the concrete walkways and steps looking dusty and mud-encrusted, but with the sun shining through it was very pleasant lounging in the water.

We then headed into town to do some shopping – we had to get something for Holly to open on her birthday – and to pump the people at the Visitor’s Centre for info on the Northern Territory. We came away with armfuls of brochures! The girls were delighted to find a Brumbys and sausage rolls were the order of the day – even tho’ it wasn’t quite lunchtime (and certainly not on WA time).

We found a Salvos book exchange and spent a good half hour in there swapping our old books for a mountain of new ones (they were much cheaper here than any other secondhand book shop so we went a little crazy).

Next we had to drive for half an hour out to the Nitmiluk National Park for our cruise along two gorges of the Katherine Gorge system. We were a little late getting there, chose the wrong car park and then had to run to make it to our boat on time – as you may imagine, tempers were a little frayed and it didn’t help that Katie hadn’t been aware of what we were hurrying for and wanted to read her book as she walked along!

This was a very different gorge experience for us – sitting in the comfort of a boat, surrounded by about fifty other people, with concreted walkways on the bits where we did have to walk! There was actually a concrete mixer still standing in one part of the gorge. We had commentary so the girls did take in some of the details but the glazed look came over them again eventually.

Afterwards we found the short cut to the car park we’d chosen and also the Nitmiluk Visitors Centre which was excellent – it presented the aboriginal story alongside that of the white settlers, was informative and well laid out and the building itself has a great outlook over the river and surrounding bush.

We stopped for dinner at Diggers Den who offered a very welcome salad bar before returning to our campsite – despite it being Saturday night, the main road seemed quieter tonight.

To Katherine

Friday 20th June 2008

Somehow we didn’t seem to be very quick at packing up today – I think we were all a little sad to be saying goodbye to the Stanleys who we are unlikely to catch up with again.

We made a brief stop in town to look in an Aboriginal art gallery and found some of the same artists who had work at the Warmun Art Gallery but no pictures we liked more than the one we’d bought there (isn’t that lucky!).

We had a long drive ahead of us (over 500km) so we were keen to get on but we did stop for a photo op at the Northern Territory border and at Victoria River (past Timber Creek but still in the Gregory National Park) to do an escarpment walk. When we checked out the sign we found it was a 3km hike up a steep hill and the girls’ interest plummeted but we did manage to persuade them part of the way up and made it to a lookout with a decent view of the Victoria River and Victoria Highway.

We trundled into Katherine at about 4:30 where I’d picked out the Riverview Caravan Park for its proximity to some thermal springs. Having paid our money we weren’t too impressed as we drove to our site – one row back from the main road where we could hear trucks and dodgy exhausts going past on a fairly regular basis. A check of the showers confirmed a slight grottiness – joy! Well, it’s only for two nights...

To give us all a little exercise for the day we did a walk down to these Thermal Springs that had caused me to ignore a recommendation for another caravan park. We didn’t take bathers because it was close to dark but we did dip our toes in and it looks promising for tomorrow.

Coming back into the park I checked out the other set of showers and they are infinitely superior so that’s where I’ll be going... Since we were still on WA time and it didn’t feel late to us we did a drive round town in the hope of finding a fish and chip shop but it seems the good people of Katherine don’t care for fish so we went home and fed for ourselves from the store cupboard.

Killing time in Kununurra

Thursday 19th June 2008

Ah.... slightly fuzzy heads awaited the adults this morning!

Not good for us because we had a trailer to pack up and deliver to the auto-electricians. Not having to pack up the outside stuff made it remarkably quick and Paul was able to drop it off on time at 8am.

The girls and I loitered by the pool and in Richard and Lynsey’s ‘yard’ outside their cabin but mostly by the pool. Paul returned without the vehicles because it was going to take most of the day – I hadn’t bargained on that so didn’t have any supplies for lunch or in the way of snacks to keep us going. Luckily, Lynsey very kindly stepped up and braved the crowds at the tills in Coles (all open but still all two or three deep) and then whipped up a yummy salad with all the trimmings so that us poor, homeless waifs didn’t waste away!

More pool time after lunch and a phone call to the fix-it men (just in case they needed a bit of chivvying) and then Paul wandered back to town (via an art gallery and the newspaper shop) returning triumphant with a trailer sporting huge great cables between it and the car. If they don’t cope with the currents then there is a serious problem! As for the suspension, they didn’t have the particular parts so just took off the offending pieces saying they weren’t particularly necessary and we could get them replaced at our leisure (when there’s a Jayco repairer who can do it under warranty, I say).

Paul did a great job of cleaning up the outside of the trailer (having taken it through a jet wash, first) and then got to watch some soccer highlights over a beer on the Stanleys’ tv, I got to cook dinner and the girls eventually went to bed.

Kununurra

Wednesday 18th June 2008

Today was never going to be a busy one! Paul and I were celebrating our 14th Wedding anniversary and had agreed not to go with the gifts or cards this year so it was a little flat this morning. We wandered into town where Paul left me and the girls to the many delights of the boutiques of Kununurra while he sorted out some jobs on the car (tyres and car wash, mainly). I think the girls were a little freaked out by the shouting and swearing aboriginals that lined the pavements and it took me a while to get used to them abusing each other so loudly and frequently. They certainly do nothing for the Kununurra street scape when they are littering, vomiting and lingering almost everywhere. And I know it is probably a small minority but they are a very visible and not very pleasant minority.

The afternoon was filled with visits to the pool and playground and questions about when the Stanleys might arrive. When their phone call came at 4:30pm there was plenty of excitement in the Chamberlain camp. Their story was even more exciting – they had driven their trailer out of the Bungle Bungles themselves after their insurers had told them that they were over their limit for towing and would have to contribute to the cost. Their friendly suspension guy in town had told them to try bringing it as far as they could to reduce the cost and once they’d got off the Spring Creek rd (the road that goes into Purnululu) – having taken an excruciating 3hrs at an average speed of about 10km/hr – they just kept going because the bitumen was no challenge compared to that dirt road.

Once back to Kununurra they booked into a cabin and emptied out the trailer completely so that it was ready to go in for a suspension overhaul the next morning.

We then dragged them out to downtown Kununurra for a pub dinner to celebrate our anniversary. The kids had a tv to watch (with adult programs, but never mind that) and the adults had some pink bubbly to get through so we were all very happy and the walk back to the caravan park seemed so much shorter than the way there!

To Kununurra

The photo I should have taken as we came off the Gibb River Rd

Tuesday 17th June 2008

Gentle pack up
Left Stanleys behind
I drove – to keep up my hours and cos it looked like a fun drive
Took 1.75 hours – fantastic scenery, once again
Once on the bitumen again we picked up speed
Love the mountains with trees going all the way over
Stopped for lunch at Warmun/Turkey Creek roadhouse
Headed back to the Warmun Community Arts Centre – great new building opened in October
Bought a picture of 3 boab trees that we both like – will be sent to Perth
Paul drove rest of way
Detour to end of Gibb River rd for the photo I’d forgotten to take on Sunday
Saw Wedge-Tailed Eagle
Lots of fantastic boabs
Into Kununurra, damp spot at caravan park – they have excess water cos of Ord River dam thing
Girls in pool, washing on, showers done
Girls had Chicken Treat for dinner, Paul and I got Chinese take away
Still warm evening – nice.

Echidna Chasm, Osmand Lookout, Domes walk, Cathedral Gorge, sunset lookout

Monday 16th June 2008

We had a quiet start to the day with the girls all playing together more or less happily. We did have to separate the two families for a while tho’ – too much time together doesn’t always suit them. Instead we settled our girls down to some did school work before putting a picnic lunch together and heading out to Echidna Chasm.

We’d been told that the best time of day was 11:30 to 12 so we weren’t surprised to see a tourist coach and quite a lot of cars there but luckily most of them were on their way out and by the time we got into the deepest part we had it more or less to ourselves. The chasm gets very narrow with high sides and as the light came overhead there was some excellent colour in there – hope the photos do it justice.

The walk is not like any of the other gorges we’ve been into because it goes along a (seasonal) creek bed that is made up of very large pebbles that used to be compacted together by silt that has now washed away. There were lots of palm trees and creepers growing in there and we also passed the bower of a bower bird with the usual collection of white stones decorating it outside.

Having taken lots of photos (had to be arty rather than reflecting the reality because of the angles involved) we walked out of the chasm and took side trail to the Osmand lookout. This has an excellent view, not only of the entrance to Echidna chasm but also of the Osmand ranges and surrounding countryside. Back at the car park we polished off our sandwiches in no time at all before hot-footing it round to the other side of the Bungle Bungle Ranges.

The girls were not at all keen to do this next bit – too many gorges again! The 45 minute drive with loud music helped a bit to change the mood. As we got around the corner we started to see the beehive-like domes that the area is famous for and we made many stops for photos – each one better than the last. It is truly impressive country and Paul and I were full of ‘Wow’s!

We were able to drive right into the domes before parking up and then dragged the girls along with us around them before heading into Cathedral Gorge. I made a deal with Holly to stop the whingeing and miraculously it stopped... so much better.

This walk was different again – either soft white sand or solid rock under foot made it much easier going and once we got into the shade it was deliciously cool. The dark bands on the domes are where the cyanobacteria penetrated the dirt (a long time ago!) and the orange bands are where the dirt dried out too quickly for bacteria to survive.

It wasn’t a very long walk (luckily for us) and we were soon in the stunning amphitheatre known as Cathedral Gorge. It is almost a full circle with huge overhanging rock and a (rather brown-looking) pool in the centre in which I got a few reflection photos.

The girls amused themselves with building sand castles in the lovely soft sand so we didn’t bother them for a while – despite there being no opportunity to swim they were happy and we had to make the most of it!

Walking back out seemed, as always, to be much quicker and we were less worried about our water supply with the end (and more water in the car) within our sights.

We did a speedy drive (so much easier without the trailer!) to the visitor’s centre before it closed so we could ring the UK and wish Mum and Elle Happy Birthdays. We had a long chat with Mum (Telstra PhoneAway card combined with an overseas calling card!), left a message for Elle and then rang Dad before he heads out to the UK.

All the calling left us with very little time to make it to the lookout for drinkies – specially since we had to pick up the drinks and nibble first! We were also stuck in the dust of the several others with the same idea but we got to the carpark, hotfooted it up the hill and made it with a few minutes to spare, took a photo then finally got out the sunset fare. Once again the kids did a good job of amusing themselves without too much input from us. Coming down from the lookout we really noticed the difference on the shaded side of the hill – distinctly cool! We were parked next to a car that had an incredible splash of orange dirt across its bonnet as well as a crushed roof rack – think it had been in a rollover recently – none of the doors on the passenger side quite closed properly. It was a sober reminder of the dangers of off-road driving.

Back at camp, supper was whipped up in super speedy time with Holly’s help so that they could watch the end of Shark Tale before crashing into bed – it had been a big day for them (and us).

To Bungle Bungles

Sunday 15th June 2008

Packed up trailer early to get it looked at by mechanic
Girls played down by river again while filled up with water
Holly bought a crocodile skin and tooth belt that is supposed to be for a hat but fits her waist
Left El Questro
Finally got off the dirt road – we had conquered the Gibb River Road!
Paul and I were a bit down once on road
- Me cos I wanted to go right into Bungle Bungles and cos I was sad at being on proper roads again – makes the end seem closer, somehow
- Paul for no apparent reason except maybe missing his contact with the rest of the world
Plan was to find a recommended free camping spot beside the Great Northern Highway and go into Bungles for the day tomorrow
Stopped at Doon Doon roadhouse to ring Telstra about unlocking my phone and to try and contact dad before he heads off to Europe again
Girls got to stroke an 8 month old joey wallaby who’d been rescued from her dead mother’s pouch who was being hand-reared. Called Sylvie – very cute
Found camping spot but it was a bit bleak and since it was only 2pm the prospect of sitting there all afternoon (not feasible to do a quick trip into Bungles – cos it’s NOT quick!) didn’t appeal
We decided to take our chances with the bumpy road (it had been re-opened fully only two days before following the big rain a week ago so a grader must have been through and it couldn’t be TOO bad, could it?)
We scribbled a quick message for the Stanleys in case we didn’t see them on the road then headed back to the Bungle turn off
Almost immediately we caught up with them and it was the work of seconds for them to turn around and join us (think Richard had secretly harboured dreams of going in), especially now they have higher clearance since they had new leaf springs installed
We led the way in and the road was loads better than all reports had led us to believe – good old grader. It was still windy and full of dips and rises but the road surface was good. The book says it can take up to 3hrs to get in but we did it in about 1.5 – excellent.
Checked in at visitor’s centre then on to campsite at Kurrajong (northern part of park)
Stanleys found part of their trailer suspension had pulled itself free and left a hole behind – that trailer is not getting out of here on its own wheels. They sat down with some drinks (no cup of tea this time!) and started making plans for new trailers and where they’d go to find them. We joined them in their sorrow-drowning for a very pleasant early evening while we sorted the kids out with the laptop and a dvd – Antz.
We went our separate ways for dinner and our family watched most of the movie Shark Tales before falling into bed – Paul was asleep before 8pm!

El Questro Gorge, Zebedee Springs, Chamberlain Gorge, Branco’s lookout

Saturday 14th June 2008

Me to El Questro Gorge early (7:45)
Got to halfway point but didn’t have time or energy to wade through deep water to get over big rock and through to rest of walk
Back by 9:15
Others (including Stanleys) to Zebedee Springs again while I worked on uploading photos and updating diary
Apparently much more crowded today
Chilled out in pm – more swimming in waterhole
Katie spent a lot of time playing with her new friends – on river beach and in their camp
Paul trying to sort out leak in water pipe and noticed a shock absorber hanging loose under the trailer!
Out to Chamberlain Gorge for photos (of course)
Then up to Branco’s lookout – definitely a 4WD track!
Through some v rocky, deep water, up a very steep, rocky slope
Just in time for sunset – Richard already there
View of Pentecost river and surrounding ranges – v good
Back to township in time for bbq up at bar
Good food – even girls got enough (decent) stuff to eat
Girls ran around on grass with a couple of boys
Guitarist was excellent
The families of Katie’s friends made A LOT of noise til v late and once they finally turned down their music (about 12:30) one of their babies started its racket again – for a long time

Zebedee Springs, Emma Gorge

Friday 13th June 2008

Girls swam in river pool here first
Morning snack of noodles for them
Zebedee Springs – easy walk, beautiful water – hot and flowing down waterfalls
On to Emma Gorge – further than expected
Paul and girls whinged and complained all the way in
- Holly had no crocs and had to wear converse boots
- Paul had only crocs and wanted his boots
- It was boring – just the same as all the others
- It was hot
Quite hard work going in but Emma Gorge falls was spectacular
Warm, thermal water to side, freezing water in pool
Katie got bitten by something while sitting in a side pool
Everyone else happier on way out
Ice cream cheered everyone up, too
Back home Katie played with new kids down on river bed
Cooked chicken curry
Phoned Tasha to wish Millie happy birthday but she wasn’t there

Paul and Richard to Kununurra to pick up Stanley trailer

Thursday 12th June 2008

Paul was out of bed early to cook a full English breakfast to set them up for the day and then they were off. Having waded through the washing up we took the girls up to the river pool where they spent hours getting in and out and making decorations with leaves and flowers.

There was a break for lunch – getting to the last of the dried bread – waiting for the boys to come back with supplies! This was followed by a return to the river. We did consider going for a walk close by but never quite made it. Besides, the wildlife was coming to us with crows invading the rubbish bags, cows wandering through the tents and even a horse investigating the strange additions to its surroundings.

At three o’clock we started to expect them back – having allowed for the drive each way, a coffee stop, some internet and phone time, sorting out the camper and probably a slap-up lunch – but there was still no sign of them at 5pm. That was when we decided to sit up at the bar (it was Happy Hour after all) and wait for them there. We tried Richard’s mobile – no answer – we tried my mobile – straight to voicemail. Where were they?

The next plan was to ring the RAC to see if they’d been contacted because there was every chance they could have broken down. That call left us more worried than ever – a call had been made to them but it was classified as ‘Uncompleted’ and they weren’t sure what that meant! We were told to call back in ten minutes when more investigation had taken place to see exactly what the situation was. We checked every car that turned up, looking for the round headlights of their car and Lynsey even stopped people to ask if they’d seen anyone broken down on the road.
Anyway, another beer and another wine later, Lynsey placed the second call to the RAC and was transferred to the NRMA who then had to try and find out more but while she was waiting she heard the distinctive sound of their car, sent Holly round to check and, lo and behold, it was them with the trailer in tow.

We all rushed back down to the campsite as quick as we could to find out their tale and were slightly annoyed to find that the only reason they were so late was because they’d managed not to follow the many signs to El Questro but had instead set off towards the Bungle Bungles for half an hour or so before they realised that the scenery looked ever-so-slightly different!

The call they’d made to the RAC was because they wanted to check out if a replacement hire car could be available if they needed it because their car had had a few issues that needed sorting out before they could drive any further. They hadn’t rung the RAC back because the garage had sorted out the car there and then. In fact, they were extremely lucky to make it to Kununurra without mishap because (technical stuff coming up which I’ll have to get checked by someone who knows before I publish!) the brushes that hold the wheels on had worn almost completely away on one side and if the gods hadn’t been smiling on them they could’ve been sitting on the side of the road with a wheel rolling away ahead of them!

Needless to say, they had managed to get themselves a good feed, ring all the necessary parties and check their e-mails as well as stocking up on supplies (guided by the careful lists that Lynsey and I had put together) so there was a lot of unpacking and repacking to do and Richard and Lynsey moved back into their camper trailer with glee – a good night’s sleep at last! Then we all sat around with beers and wines, making the most of the newly acquired goodies.

To El Questro

Crossing the Gibb River Rd

Wednesday 11th June 2008

Although we are all now waking earlier, Paul was unable to leave his bed (or his book) until the generator came on at 7:30 so that he could have tea and toast (which can be done without power but is generally too much effort!). The inside of the roof above the beds was covered in condensation and the sun, although hot enough to make packing up an effort, was not enough to dry the insides before leaving.

The Stanleys were up and off much quicker than us but they wake even earlier and only have a tent at the moment. When we hit the road we were pleasantly surprised by the relatively good condition of it. We’d expected worse following the rain but we were achieving speeds of up to 100km/hr on some stretches – but, of course, we were also down to 40 in other places because these roads are nothing if not variable!

I got out to take a photo of the Gibb River (which doesn’t even cross the Gibb River Rd but rather the Kalumburu one) since its name will stick in our memories for a long time! The scenery along the north eastern stretch of the Gibb River Rd was quite different – more rocky escarpments and winding bends – but still with the creek crossings, serious corrugations and deep ruts. I dread to think what it’ll be like later in the season when it supposedly gets worse.

We had lunch on the road since we had about 280km to cover at these much slower speeds and we were pleased to reach the Pentecost River crossing by about 1pm. The road leading up to this part has spectacular views of the Cockburn Range and what I guess is part of the Ord River system. The river crossing itself is wide but not particularly deep – just very rocky. There were two motorbikes standing on the near shore with one of the riders wading about in the water – apparently he had taken the more rugged path through the water and had been unable to stay upright! Bits of his baggage had floated downstream a little and he looked a sorry sight. The Landcruiser cruised powerfully through the river without a hitch and the trailer followed obediently behind.

By now we were all looking forward to the El Questro turn off but even then we had 16km before we reached the ‘Station Township’. There is the option of camping either in the general campground near to the township or you can (if one is available) pick a more secluded spot down the river. We had mountains of washing to do, fancied a meal at the Steakhouse and the hot showers looked very inviting so we chose to be near to the facilities but in fact we have a lovely spot right beside the river with our backs to everyone else and the Stanleys are more or less next door – perfect.

The Stanleys made enquiries as to whether their camper trailer was ready to hit the road again and were delighted to find that all had been fixed so plans were made for a trip to town tomorrow.

The kids went for a swim in the waterhole just upstream which is supposed to be free of saltwater crocs (not the case where the other campsites are – another reason for not going there) and we all chilled out with a cold beer at Happy Hour at the bar.

And yes, many loads of washing have been put through, the showers have been enjoyed and the food at the Steakhouse was not bad (specially since we didn’t have to cook it ourselves or wash up!).

Back to Drysdale

Tuesday 10th June 2008

Lynsey up and gone to Falls by 6:30
Tick on Katie
Pack up then swim at Gemma’s Pool(!)
I drove to King Edward River
Lunch by side of river
Watched 7 Bushranger caravans and three other vehicles cross
Paul drove over river
I drove down to Drysdale while Paul was dj
Got the last powered site (just in time cos running out of power – again)
Beer in beer garden
Chat with Scott from Kimberley Cruises – he’d done 150km/h down the Kalumburu rd between Murumbabidi and here!
Richard and Lynsey’s camper is safely in Wyndham and will cost $300 – replace both sets of leaf springs, jockey wheel and bearings and all parts are in stock so it could be ready tomorrow.
Hot showers
Bits and pieces for dinner
More Young Ones finally!

Walk to Mitchell Falls, helicopter back

Monday 9th June 2008

Richard off early to take photos
Paul and Holly filled camp shower
Paid camp fees
Had briefing for helicopter
Made sandwiches
Off by 10:30
Others swam at first pool
On to Little Mertens Falls – rock art then swim in pool then lunch
Tick on me – pulled off
Left others and marched on
Passed Richard
Over Spinifex plain, through tropical woodland, along rainforest type path along creek
Katie marching ahead
More rock art
Across Big Mertens Falls – huge drop below
Short walk to Mitchell Falls
Walked around long way tho’
River crossing quite deep – Paul slipped
Round side to get good view
Back for quick swim before meeting chopper
Flight for 18 minutes – over Mitchell Falls, down Mitchell River, over JCR Falls, back to camp
Stanleys met us
Others for swim, me camp shower
Camp fire lit
Steak, sausages, mash and green beans for dinner
Excellent shooting stars

To Mitchell Falls

Well, diary writing seems to be getting lower and lower in the list of priorities so for now I am going to publish the notes and hope that I get back to filling in the details at some stage, being two weeks behind isn't so good!

Sunday 8th June 2008

We didn’t emerge too early this morning
Not too early rise – sun shining
Pack up
Purchase of choc and crisps to survive trip
Quite slow going – some big rocks in road, couple of washed out bits of road (fenced off, tho’)
After turn off to King Edward River got slower
River crossing – up to tops of my legs (but didn’t reach my bum, tho’)
Stop at lookout for lunch
Road getting worse!
Reached camp
Set up then down to creek for swim/splash
Lynsey cooked risotto for dinner
Two shooting stars
Girls asleep by 7:30

Holed Up at Drysdale

Saturday 7^th June 2008

It was still raining this morning – only lightly at 5:30, but by 6:30 we were all up and contemplating the thunder, lightning and heavier raindrops that were causing rain inside as they whacked the canvas and splattered condensation everywhere.

Paul and Holly went out in the Landcruiser to check out the road conditions and make sure we’d be able to move back to Drysdale Station (at least they had decent toilets, hot showers and a restaurant) without sliding into the mud (thinking of Kate and Curls and their experience with rain and mud, here).

The report was that we’d better get moving before it got worse! So, we packed up in super speedy time in the pouring rain with the girls sheltering in the car while Paul and I had water running into our sleeves and down our backs while we fought to keep as much water as possible outside the camper.

We rushed out of Miner’s Pool on very squidgy roads that were full of enormous puddles that were very reminiscent of the road out of our canoe trip in Kalbarri. The windscreen wipers were on full blast to keep a bit of a view through the brown water that constantly covered the car and the 6km drive seemed much more as Paul struggled against the slippery dirt.

Back at Drysdale we were relieved to be able to jag the last powered spot – a couple who had booked for 2 nights had decided enough was enough and wanted to get back to Kununurra before they got stuck (I thought it was already too late but wasn’t going to argue since we got their spot). We plugged in but didn’t want to set up until the sky cleared a little – no joy in getting soaked all over again!

After a while the rain abated long enough for us to get everything out – once again, the girls huddled in the car because sometimes it is better for them to stay out of sight rather than risk our wrath as Paul and I struggle to work nicely together under tricky conditions!

Then Lynsey, Hannah and Gemma emerged from their tent - Richard had gone to get supplies out of their trailer, which we’d known, but when we drove past their tent there was no sign of life so we’d thought they all must have gone. I think they were relieved to have somewhere they could sit and move about without worrying about the water getting in!

Richard returned around midday with as much as he could fit into the car and the welcome news that the trailer was still completely intact, just a bit sad! He’s spoken to some cyclists who were heading towards Mt Barnett – they must be mad!

We all sat around for the day doing not much except for checking the weather, the forecast and the road conditions, talking to those coming in and those going out. Apparently there’s been hardly any rain up at Mitchell Falls and Paul and I spoke to a lady who’d just come back from there in a Suzuki jeep thing – the small one – and she said it was easy and we’d have no trouble. This was good news for me and my quest to persuade Paul that it wasn’t a reckless mission to try and get there.

We sent the kids to play in the car while the adults watched a couple of episodes of Coupling, I did a bit of hand washing (Lynsey tried the machine and declared it useless as well as incredibly slow so I did the bare minimum), and we made the most of the hot showers.

We had dinner in the ‘restaurant’ which had a set menu that luckily included spag bol as a starter which was enough to feed the girls and got to listen in to parts of the spiel given by the young girl that runs the station and campsite.

Hannah came to us for a sleepover but sat up missing her mum in the middle of the night so I took her back to her tent across the damp field in the pitch black.

Leaving Mornington, To Drysdale Station

Friday 6^th June 2008

We awoke (early) to lots of clouds this morning but that didn’t stop us being up at the office by 5:45 so that we could meet Malcolm and join him to check the traps he’d set out the night before. He was specifically trying to get cats but would have been happy with dingoes as well. The bait was eau de ..??.. and the traps are buried and attached to something very large (buried parts of vehicles in some cases, tree roots in others) so that they can’t be dragged away. For us it was kind of a relief that nothing had been interested enough to get caught because I don’t think the kids would really have like that too much but I’m sure Malcolm was disappointed after all his hard work. He’d even used a tin of sardines at the last trap – to no avail.

Back at camp we went through all the packing up rigmarole again then headed back to settle our bill. This time I got to meet Richard Kingsmill who had just taken delivery of a whole load of fuel. Apparently they have just been doing an audit of their fuel usage and found the walk-in freezer was a big offender so it has been abandoned which has resulted in a huge saving.

The clouds were still gathering ominously and Richard Faulkner regaled us with a few stories of last year’s storms and the resulting stranding of many visitors.

On the way out of Mornington I walked through the biggest creek crossing to get photo of car coming through – the water didn’t reach anywhere near the door of the camper trailer.

We came across the fuel truck heading out and the driver (and his travelling partner – all dolled up in skimpy shorts and full make-up) opened and closed the first gate for us after which we just opened gates and left them for him to close – bonus!

In terms of wildlife we saw plenty of the cute Spinifex Pigeons, a couple of dingoes (one of which followed us, running, for a while) and a long snake (probably an olive python) crossing the road under us. The Stanleys didn’t see the snake so I guess we didn’t do it any damage.

And then we were back onto the Gibb River Rd for yet more jolting and jumping. There was one section where the grader was at work and we had to creep carefully up the rugged side of road. We went straight on past Adcock and Galvans Gorges because the weather was distinctly overcast and cool. The photos wouldn’t have been any good, no one would have wanted to swim and we don’t want the girls getting fed up with gorges just yet!

We stopped at Mt Barnett roadhouse for lunch and basic supplies such as bread and butter and reconsidered our plan to stay just up the road at Manning Gorge. The kids were coping okay with the drive and the rain was starting to fall (see above for reasons not to visit gorges in the rain) so we decided to head straight on up the Kalumburu Rd to Drysdale Station.

We crossed over into the Shire of Wyndham and the road conditions immediately worsened – more and deeper corrugations but when we got onto the Kalumburu Rd it was definitely no worse than the Gibb River road, despite all tales to the contrary.

We reached Drysdale where the many, many signs exhorting us to drive slowly (including threats of being asked to leave if caught speeding!) made us slightly annoyed. In the toilets and showers were more signs telling us not to waste water, not to leave lights on, to make sure we put toilet lids down etc etc all added to our sense of being welcome! We waited a while for the Stanleys, having booked into the camp at Miner’s Pool (down the road, beside the river, no power but with toilets) but decided to head down when finally they turned up with a very sad tale. Their trailer’s suspension had given up back on the Gibb River Rd and left them dragging it along for a few hundred metres so they’d grabbed the few necessities they could reach and abandoned it!

We went on to our camp at Miners Pool, set up in the dusk and got moody with each other because the toilets were disgusting, the weather was shite and Paul didn’t like being so far from any action. Also, we were worried about the Stanleys.

I started dinner but then Paul sent the girls and I back to Drysdale to check on the others. They had rung the RAC/NRMA who had agreed (after some discussion) to get someone to pick up the trailer while they used their tent (lucky they bought it in Broome) and carried on with the trip up to Mitchell Falls, to which they hadn’t been intending to take the trailer anyway. By the time we got there they were just setting up tent and were going to go and beg a few toasted sandwiches from the kitchen (they wouldn’t serve dinner to them because they hadn’t booked earlier and so weren’t catered for!).

Just as we left the station to head back to our camp it started to rain quite heavily – adding insult to injury. Back at camp, Paul had finished off dinner with just a lamp because all the power had run out – we’ve decided that somehow the trailer’s power is no longer charging when we drive along – might be something to do with the melted and slightly blackened connection to the car that was supposed to have been fixed back in Perth?! (Don’t worry, the lights, indicators etc. all still work so we are safe on the road). Oh, and the little gas canister we use for cooking outside ran out while we were at Mornington and it seems that none of the roadhouses or stops (apart from Imintji which we passed before going into Mornington) do refills so all cooking is inside for the foreseeable future.

The rain seemed to have set in (although not too heavily) with thunder and lightning surrounding us, adding to the not so happy atmosphere within our four walls!

Lake Gladstone, Cadjeput

Thursday 5th June 2008

Paul was off early so that he could have his coffee with Richard who had been bequeathed the Holy Grail of a coffee machine by Steve and Swanny as well as being shown the secrets of true coffee percolating before they left for Darwin.

Richard and Lynsey very kindly offered to watch out for H and K while we went off to do a spot of bird watching at Lake Gladstone and it was a long way and we were distinctly happy with the decision not to bring them! They spent the morning with Lynsey, making camps, walking up Annie Creek, colouring in all of Hannah and Gemma’s books and eating biscuits and Oops from our camper!

We were taken in Snoopy the Troopy to Lake Gladstone and although the drive was long it was still interesting with some magnificent views and at one point we followed a track that wasn’t there – good thing Richard knew where he was going! There were sizeable acacia trees growing in the middle of the track as well as large termite mounds that had to be negotiated – hmmm, glad it wasn’t my car. We managed to retrieve Holly’s beanie from the road where a crow or something similar had dragged it.

Lake Gladstone had been a muddy pit up until 2006 – a watering hole for cattle that was basically a barren mud bath but the AWC were given permission to fence it off and the difference in just two years is amazing. There is a lot of water but you can’t reach it because of the thick reeds surrounding it and the vegetation has sprung back incredibly which has in turn encouraged the bird life to repopulate the area.

Richard found us a spot where the dry(ish) ground reaches out into the lake so we had excellent views over two sections and were surrounded by the birdlife – we knew this because we could hear them but seeing them was not so easy. Now I know why ‘twitchers’ are so called – it wasn’t until a bird moved that you could see where it was. We saw brolgas, Magpie Geese, ducks, egrets, darters, honey-eaters, rainbow bee-eaters, falcons and more but the highlight was definitely a magnificent Sea Eagle who soared smoothly in as though he owned the place causing a bit of a drama for the other birds of prey who’d been circling around. He sat in a nearby tree for a long time, surveying the scene before deciding to move on a bit. The falcons were alarmed by the direction he was taking and so were trying to harass him but he was more or less unconcerned and took up a new spot on the other side of the lake.

Richard Stanley had lent me his fancy camera with big lens and I did manage to take a few good shots of birds, including the swooping Sea Eagle who was truly magnificent to watch in flight.

Once we’d had enough of the twitching business we were shuttled back to our camp where we stuffed down some lunch before rushing off to Cadjeput for swim. This spot was nowhere near as nice as Blue Bush – probably something to do with the four other sets of visitors down there, ruining the exclusive feel to the place!

I took another turn at driving to get us back for a talk on Purple Crowned Fairy Wrens by a PhD student called Anja. This time we set the kids up with pens and paper outside so we could watch in peace. The talk was great and Anja even topped it off with a live demonstration of how she checks to see if any of the PCFW (wrens) are around. She has a recording of two wrens defending their territory and when it’s played near their habitat, any that are around will come charging over to see what’s going on. And the ones in Annie’s Creek did just that – we saw three or four of the gorgeous little things, although they didn’t have much purple because that is only displayed in mating season.

After that I walked back to camp alone and another PCFW came chattering down to check me out – I wouldn’t have recognised his call before the talk.

Dinner was a BBQ outside staff kitchen of mountains of sausages, steak and chops served up with some yummy selections of salad. It was cooked by Jo who has been a vegetarian for years but now that she is pregnant she craves (and eats) red meat. Holly ate 3 sausages in buns while Katie kept Casey and Amy entertained with lots of chit chat and Hannah and Gemma quietly fell asleep.

A campfire had been lit and since it was decidedly cool it was very pleasant sitting around it chatting to Jo and Malcolm, Helen (a volunteer who is working on the herbarium), Arthur and his wife (travellers with temporary employment at Mornington) and Anja. And just before we had to take the girls off to bed Richard Kingsmill (new sanctuary manager) and his wife Julie turned up so Paul had a chat with him but I didn’t get time.

Gouldian Finch search, Talks, Blue Bush and Sir John Gorge

Wednesday 4th June 2008

We were up at 5:30am! Another record to be recorded in the history books. Richard and Jill took us and another three guests out to One Tree Hill to look for the elusive Gouldian Finch. The girls were under strict orders to keep noise to an absolute minimum and made a pretty good effort – even if Gemma did have to be consigned to the vehicle for a while. Holly took them all further up the road and they made more stuff for fairies – food and drinks on little tables. She also removed her beanie as the sun warmed us up and left it sitting on a bush...

The birds of interest that we saw were a Striated Pardelote, some Wood Swallows and a Yellow Honeyeater and Paul and the two Richards saw a female Gouldian sitting on a distant branch but by the time they’d alerted us, all Lynsey and I saw was it flapping its wings as it flew off into the distance.

The pikelets and water had been demolished and more breakfast was required so back at camp Paul cooked up some bacon, eggs and leftover sausages while I tackled yet more washing.

The next item on our agenda was some talks back at the Research Centre. Malcolm gave a great slideshow about Predation – by what, how much and what they are doing about it. Holly was very interested in the collaring of the three dingos and one cat and even had a couple of good questions. Then Jo told us all about Ecofire and the fire management policy that they are implementing at Mornington and spreading to neighbouring properties and even further afield. It sounds like their ideas are already starting to work and each year more of the surrounding properties are joining their crusade to cut down on the enormous, disastrous impact late-season fires.

After that we had a review of the itinerary and decided that a trip out to Lake Gladstone for more bird-watching was not really viable for the four kids – it was a long drive and keeping them quiet twice in one day was more than any of us were up to dealing with.

So the plans were changed to an afternoon swim at Blue Bush followed by sunset, drinks and dinner at Sir John Gorge.

We had lunch back at camp and Lynsey and I knocked up a couple of curries – crazy, I know, in the boiling heat of the day.

We headed out of camp and stopped along the way at the Termite Trail. Katie was not at all keen to leave the car but we persuaded her out and she and Hannah ran around the trail in record time (maybe 10 minutes – a bit shorter than the recommended 45). I got Holly to go ahead of us, read the signs and then tell us the most interesting bit so I think she actually learnt quite a lot from it – the info was really well presented. Then on to Blue Bush where we had a lovely swim – no sign of any freshies.

At Sir John gorge we unloaded tables, cookers, gas bottles, picnic blankets and food as well as the usual swimming stuff and cameras and made it in one (slightly overladen) trip down to the riverbank in time for a swim before sunset. The colours weren’t as impressive as I’d remembered but it is still a stunning spot and when Richard (Faulkner) came down with the drinks and nibbles he showed us the aboriginal art that was tucked away nearby.

We persuaded him to join us for dinner and we sat on the beautifully warm rocks in the light of two citronella candles eating chicken and vegetable curries. What a way to end the day! Katie’s suggestion of Good Day, Bad Day (sharing the best and worst parts of your day) led to most of us admitting that it was the highlight of the day.

One small fly in the ointment was Holly leaving behind her thongs but they were old and manky and she does have her Crocs so it’s only her who’s really sad.

Dimond Gorge

Tuesday 3rd June 2008

Paul went up to sample some of Richard’s proper coffee and came back armed with the aforementioned itinerary – very impressive.

Our first jaunt was out to Dimond Gorge for a spot of canoeing (uh oh – hope everyone has forgotten the bad bits from our last canoeing expedition!). We went in Thelma the Troopy with a paying guest called Gordon and two of the bar staff who were on a day off – Di and Casey. The Stanleys followed behind.

It was a pretty long drive and we were lucky that Holly had her book and I’d brought Guess Who for Katie (but even she is beginning to lose interest in that game!). But we got there eventually and it was definitely worth it.

After a short scramble over rocks we reached the canoes and all piled in – Katie and I shared a yellow one and we had a lovely time meandering down, floating with the current and the wind, checking out the high rock walls, taking photos of the others. Katie was a little put out that we were behind Paul and Holly and a couple of other canoes but ‘at least we were in front of the Stanleys’.

Richard steered us towards a small steep beach that looked more trouble than it was worth (specially since it was mostly sticky mud we had to climb out onto) but behind it was concealed a great little waterfall with rocky pool below. A welcome refreshing dip was enjoyed by our two families before we devoured our sandwiches.

The paddle home was equally beautiful but considerably harder work – against the current and facing into a stronger wind. Holly had been assigned to my canoe this time (or rather, she’d chosen NOT to accompany Paul who had encouraged her to do more paddling than she’d been comfortable with) and we had to work hard to keep up. My upper body strength is obviously seriously in need of some work because to me it seemed as though I was paddling as fast as everyone else and yet we kept dropping behind. Perhaps we had a dodgy canoe??! It didn’t help having only a one ended paddle when I was doing the majority of the paddling – switching sides all the time is a pain and caused a definite zig-zag in our progress.

Luckily Di and Casey had decided to go for a bit more of a paddle downstream (forgetting about all the advantages nature had afforded them on the way down) and were faced with a strong wind on their return so we had plenty of time to recover while we waited for them. I think Casey might be giving the canoes a bit of a miss from now on!

We stopped off at a lookout on the way back – panoramic views of Fitzroy Bluff and the surrounding country – where Richard led the way in tasting the Kapok flowers – apparently they can taste like pistachios – but he decided it was probably when they were a bit drier later in the season because they tasted of nothing today!

We then had a quick turnaround so that we could get back out to an excellent sunset spot on a little mesa with drinks and nibbles. The girls all made a fairy ring while we swigged our beer and wine and exchanged stories. We spotted a collared dingo on the way – it looked way healthier than the mangy one we saw at Karijini.

Back at camp Paul was asleep before 8pm – please let the history books take note – and he hadn’t had that much to drink, either.

To Mornington

Monday 2^nd June 2008

(Photo of cicadas because I didn't take any others today, it seems)

Well, the Stanleys were much quicker at packing up their little trailer than we were – their earlier rising may have something to do with that.

We encountered them again at Imintji roadhouse because they needed to get their trailer tyre fixed by the workshop here – not exactly many to choose from in this neck of the woods. The ‘shop’ consisted of a container lined with shelves that actually held pretty much all the necessities but not so many of the niceties so we stocked up on a few things. Unfortunately, what we didn’t realise is that they are probably the best stocked place on the Gibb River Rd and we should’ve invested in a bit more edible matter while there. Anyway, everyone was guzzling an ice cream as we left so we were all happy for a while.

The Stanleys had to drive on to Mt Barnett roadhouse in search of Unleaded petrol because Imintji only has diesel so we headed on into Mornington alone. At the turn off from the ‘main’ road there was a booth where we had to make a call in to let them know we were coming. Dad’s preparatory work was successful and they were indeed expecting us.

According to the map we had 72km to travel and we were a little nervous of the road conditions after reading a couple of different accounts but once again the reality was heaps better. They told us the grader (a machine of mythical proportions in these parts) had been through and the road was mostly great – except for the several gates that had to be opened and shut on a regular basis. There were a couple of water courses to cross but nothing that troubled the trusty Landcruiser and our (hopefully) sturdy Jayco Flamingo. However, there was one creek crossing in particular that we worried might be just too much for the Stanleys and their camper – we’d just have to wait and see.

The distance was further than the map specified and we were beginning to wonder if we’d ever arrive when we finally drew up to the Mornington gates announcing that the property has been de-stocked (got rid of the pesky cattle that trample and destroy watercourses and their associated wildlife habitats). Yet further still we reached the campgrounds and finally the reception.

Di and Amy assigned us a spot in a roped off area reserved for ‘special people’ like us only, when we got there, we found other people already set up and taking up all the shade. They were unwilling to move their ute because they only had an esky and needed to keep it cool and their reason for setting up there was that they’d been told they could choose any area where grass had been slashed and they wanted to be as far away as possible from all other campers but particularly the noisy ones that had moved with them from Silent Grove. I agreed that the ‘roping off’ was decidedly inadequate and we returned to the reception to see what could be done.

They put us into the Grove which is a secret spot tucked behind the (hot!) showers which has loads of shade and is watched over by an impressive rock face. The reason they hadn’t suggested it before was because we had to share (but only for one night) with some Conservation Volunteer people who had been working on creating some garden beds.

Whilst up at reception we’d had a chat with Richard who was going to see what he could to find for us to do – not that we thought there’d be any shortage – and sure enough, by next morning he had a complete itinerary printed up for us!

The girls were impatient for the Stanleys to arrive and share our spot and finally they did – we didn’t want to force them into isolation with us but luckily they were keen.

Paul and I were keen, too – to sample the delights of a cooked meal of a slightly more ‘refined’ quality! We fed girls at home because there isn’t a choice up at the restaurant and they weren’t interested in the fish on offer but Paul and I were in heaven. And cheesecake to follow – ahhh! The girls sat in the car to watch one of their movies. Richard joined us for a glass of wine and a chat about what we might be interested in and then it was time for the Talk and Slideshow by Jill about what goes on with AWC and Mornington in particular. We fetched the girls over and they did sit still and absorb a lot of it but couldn’t cope with the whole thing so they went off to investigate the Interpretive centre and then came and bugged us until we were ready to go.

Bell Gorge

Sunday 1^st June 2008

After yesterday’s laziness we were determined to get to the gorge today so packed up sandwiches and the ever-present biscuits (life wouldn’t be worth living if I forgot them!) and drove on down. There were indeed burnt out patches along the way and a slightly rocky drive as well as a very rocky path down to a creek which we then followed til we reached the gorge.

It is a stunning spot with a meandering creek turning into magnificent falls with a huge pool below and impressive rocks around. We were able to clamber down below the falls and swim in the very chilly water. There were plenty of other people there – apparently it is a long weekend in WA but we wouldn’t notice things like that – it’s all one long weekend for us but it didn’t spoil the experience for us.

Holly fell into a funk again and had to be jollied along but all was good when we returned to the campsite to find both a big lizard and the Stanleys in the vicinity. They went off to check out the gorge while we did some more schoolwork and Paul got stuck into his Stephen King book (Dumas Key) from the secondhand bookshop in Broome.

I managed to purchase a Telstra PhoneAway card and put in a call to Tasha to see how she and Geoff are coping with the new baby. Apparently the doting dad had done a good stint with James that morning and given Tash a decent lie-in so it sounds like things are working out ok. I also called Mel, ostensibly to order flowers but with the secret hope of finding out the latest news. She didn’t let me down!

I was then hassled back to the campsite where the four girls had collected bits of firewood and were desperate to light the fire and cook marshmallows. Since there wasn’t much wood we had to use the kitchen tongs to hold the marshmallows but that didn’t adversely affect the taste at all and they scoffed the lot in a very short time.

To Silent Grove

(View from our door - not bad, eh?)

Saturday 31^st May 2008

Leaving the Stanleys behind we set off for Silent Grove – the road still seemed pretty good – definitely not as bad as some of the, admittedly older, guide books had suggested. We drove past Lenard’s Gorge because we still have plenty of them to visit and we don’t want the girls getting too jaded just yet. Apparently, it also has a steep and rocky path in which wouldn’t have suited Paul’s dodgy ankle (forgot to mention that he rolled it a couple of days ago so now it’s swollen and sore).

We stopped at a lookout over the King Leopold ranges and chatted with a couple from Derby who had camped there overnight (right beside the road on a steep hill!). They’d cooked up their breakfast and were washing it down with a few beers – true Aussie style.

We had been considering camping at Bell Gorge but apparently there was fire damage to the toilets so only Silent Grove was available. We parked on the edge of the generator area because it gave us an excellent shady spot with picnic table and was ten metres from a huge, spectacular rocky outcrop. Naturally, the girls were up it within minutes of disembarking (with Katie actually leading the way!) and found plenty of things to interest them up there.

We then had a go at some school work and both girls were surprisingly compliant, in fact, they were happier to do that than to go anywhere. When we suggested going to check out Bell Gorge today they were adamant that we stay ‘home’ for the afternoon. Since it was a very pleasant spot and the weather was perfect – warm, but not too warm – Paul and I were happy to comply.

So it was a quiet and peaceful afternoon and evening until some younger, more rowdy, folk worked themselves up into a singing session. It would have been ok because a couple of them had excellent voices and they had a guitar but they kept starting a song then breaking off when someone had something more important to say.

Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek

30^th May 2008

I got everyone up early so that we could get into the gorge around sunrise. The girls were fed on pikelets to keep them going and we all donned our warm gear – including beanies – because it must have been as low as around 10 degrees. Of course, once we set off we soon had to shed it all.

We walked up the gorge with increasing resistance (particularly from Holly) as we got further from our camp. I tried some biscuits to see if a sugar hit would help but it wasn’t much good. We followed some very loud screeching to see a tree full of fruit bats who didn’t seem to be getting much sleep – they were more interested in finding their spot and budging their mates out of the way. They had extremely cute faces and it was great to get such a close up look.

We crossed a big beachy area where the girls found many amazing rocks and stones – some which looked like they were made of grey glitter, others that were almost see-through – so that we walked on from there with laden pockets. We struggled on along a windy, vine infested path, jollying along the girls, in case there was a fantastic spot just around the corner that we wouldn’t want to miss but when we came across a 1.5m snake (we later decided it must have been an olive python) we decided it was time to turn back.

As we got closer to camp, of course, everyone started to cheer up and the girls picked up handfuls of white feathers from the noisy corellas. We also spotted some green tree ants – Katie’s description was of green ants with beautiful golden bottoms!

After lunch we set off to tackle Tunnel Creek but when we got there we found we’d forgotten the head torches and had only one torch between us. And we weren’t certain of its battery strength, either! We’d been warned that the first part had quite deep water to be negotiated – up to the top of our legs - but as we clambered over some big rocks to get in and then waded through a shallow part we wondered what they were on about. We kept waiting for a deep patch that never came. We were trying to conserve battery power so only put the torch on once it got too dark to see the rocks underfoot. Paul was having a lovely time because he’d chosen Crocs as his footwear on account of the wading we’d have to do but they don’t work so well for him when rock climbing!

We safely reached the part where the roof has fallen and the sunlight floods in and then met a party of tourists who lit our way for a little further but once they had passed on we were in pitch black. Paul walked at the back shining the torch forward and we successfully (if a little tetchily, since everyone relying on one torch doesn’t make for easy progress!) made it through to the other side.

Here there was a small pool and some rocks, the other side of which we found the aboriginal art which we duly photographed before venturing back into the tunnel. We didn’t see any ghost bats or the freshie that is supposed to be living there but we didn’t find the deep water, either. We decided that everyone else must have gone around the rocks that we had clambered over at the entrance.

We only encountered another tour group right at the very end so we’d been pretty lucky not to have to share our tunnel experience with hundreds of others.

I drove back to camp to keep up my driving hours (still only countable on one hand!) and, to Katie’s joy, we found the Stanley’s had taken up residence.

I cooked up a spag bol and then caught up with the others in the gorge. We found a freshie who was sitting on our shore and seemed unworried by the tourists who were coming within a couple of metres to get his photo. Tonight we had the torches so waited for the bats to come out – which they did, but it got too dark to see if the crocs were snapping at them. The girls spent the whole time making mud pies and getting themselves covered in the process!

To Windjana Gorge

Thursday 29^th May 2008

So, we made it by 7:05 – a minor miracle! It must be said that the girls were still in their pyjamas and their sleeping bags with their seatbelts over the top but that is not important! The auto electricians were very friendly and promised to call us as soon as it was ready.

We headed off to Cable Beach to have breakfast at Zanders, only to find they didn’t open til 8am. The girls were dressed by this time and ready to face the world, well, Holly was, so we decided a walk on the beach was the go. Katie refused to leave her sleeping bag so we left her with a comic in the car. The beach was glorious, if a little busy, and the highlight for Holly was patting a camel from the camel train – that was as close as she was going to get to a camel ride.

Zanders was open for business when we returned so we ordered up and each had exactly what we had been feeling like and left the plates sparkling clean except for one pancake from Katie’s enormous pile.

We did a quick last minute shop for duct tape (don’t want to run out before we leave the dirt roads behind!) and a couple of luxuries such as chocolate before picking up our trailer and heading out of town.

We saw some bush fires looming closer but luckily the road bent to the left just as we thought we were going to be heading into it and beyond that the skies were clear once more.

We stopped for a quick look at the ‘Prison’ boab tree which is a massive great thing that is hollow in the middle and is said to have been used to hold prisoners overnight on their way to the Derby gaol. We weren’t allowed right up to it or in it – much to all our disappointment – but it is still impressive. I also took advantage of this stop to tape up the back of the trailer before we hit the dirt.

We were talking to Johno (last minute important messages from Paul!) as we turned onto...

THE GIBB RIVER ROAD.

This part has been the looming adventure that has occupied my mind (causing slight worry) for several months, now but it was a very gentle introduction today. The first 70km or so are sealed and the next section is in extremely good condition up to Windjana Gorge, with a part that was being improved as we drove through (following the water truck so that car and trailer were covered in soggy red mud!).

The campsite at Windjana was also a pleasant surprise with flush toilets and showers (albeit cold) and a nice open feel. We got there in the early afternoon and pretty much had our pick of spots but it certainly filled up by evening. There was also a Bower Bird nest with a couple of birds hanging around – it was beautifully made and had a stack of white stones piled up outside. It also had some blue plastic bottle tops and some blue tape which the bird had obviously felt would add extra appeal to any potential females. It’s a shame it was right outside the showers so that the birds had to run for it every time someone came past.

At about 4:30 we headed off into the gorge to check out the sunset. It was an easy walk in – makes a change after the rock climbing at Karijini – and the Corellas were there in their hundreds, squawking and flapping and filling the gorge with their noise. We also saw the promised Freshwater crocs on the opposite bank, unmoving and not so big but still menacing when you looked up close. We found one on our side and managed a good look at it – it seemed unphased by the loud children dancing around it.

The gorge was big and wide and seemed much more benign than those at Karijini – probably because it was wider. The sides were extremely high with yet more interesting rock formations (which, naturally, really impressed the girls!), the water meandered through and there were plenty of trees and undergrowth. The sunset turned the rocks into a fiery orange which contrasted with the gloom in the gorge where we were. We’d been told that we could see the freshies trying to catch bats as they came out in the twilight but we didn’t have torches and decided it was more important to get safely back to our camper – maybe we’ll be more organised tomorrow?!