The Kimberley Part 2

We left the Bungle Bungles and headed west, where our next point of interest was Tunnel Creek, also mentioned in "Are We There Yet", therefore something that we had to tick off our list. Tunnel Creek is the most ancient cave system in WA, where visitors have the unique experience of wading through deep and murky water to explore its dark and hidden depths…needless to say, Georgie took some convincing!

The entrance to Tunnel Creek

As we approached the entrance to the cave, equipped with our torches and head lamps, we did have a moment of apprehension as we stepped into the icy water. Freshwater crocodiles and eels are said to inhabit the caves, neither of which, though harmless, were we excited about stepping on. We need not have worried – the only cave inhabitants we found were the noisy fruit bats hanging from the ceiling. By the end of the walk, once finding our feet (and courage) we were rather disappointed not to have seen the red glow of little croc eyes! (The eels were gladly missed).

Glad to have brought a waterproof camera!

It was such a fun and memorable experience – we felt like real adventurers as we negotiated our way through the cave, deciding which was the shallowest route to take through the stretches of water to the next rocky bank. The cave itself was spectacular. We had visions of it being small and narrow (well, like a tunnel!) but it was quite vast in some sections, with spectacular stalactites that hung down like sparkling chandeliers from the ceiling. In the words of the boys it was “freaky but awesome!”. Even Georgie enjoyed it, from the safety of John’s back.

The night before and after our Tunnel Creek adventure we stayed in a free camping spot, strangely named the "RAAF Boab Quarry". Though no longer in use, it was apparently once used by the RAAF as a stone quarry for a runway in nearby Derby. What was left now looks much like a natural gorge, filled with the most beautiful clear, clean (croc free) water, and surrounded by, you guessed it, boabs! We were very taken with the place and pondered that had it not been man made, it would surely have to be one of the major tourist destinations in the Kimberley.

After bravely (and slowly) towing the caravan over 15km of corrugations to get there, we set up camp near the water’s edge and spent the afternoon swimming in the crystal waters and exploring around the banks. We were the only ones there to enjoy it, save for a few Brahman bulls who would wander down occasionally for a drink. We even managed to have our first campfire of the trip, a roaring success, that was still smoldering next morning (John tells me this is the true test of a man’s fire making skills). We had a great night with the kids, staying up far too late, toasting marshmallows and discussing the mysteries of the universe.



RAAF Boab Quarry

 

Georgie swimming at the Quarry



A visitor.

From there it was a long drive to the coast, were we planned to stay in Broome for 6 days to have some down time (washing, shopping, schooling) and enjoy the many delights of this fantastic town. Broome was built on the back of a booming pearling industry during the late 1800s – interestingly, not through diving for pearls, but Mother of Pearl (80% of the world’s production at the time), which was used primarily for buttons. The pearling history is fascinating, and still colours much of the town today. As the divers came from around the world to live and die for their fortunes - there remains a great multicultural feeling  (greatly appreciated by sampling the local cuisine!). Once plastic was invented however, the industry evolved into the farming of pearls themselves, and in recent years a thriving tourist industry. Understandably too -  Cable beach has been voted as one of the world's top five beaches - and rightly so - it has the most turquoise water we have ever seen! We have had a wonderful time here  - our favourite Broome experiences so far have been...

Enjoying a camel ride on the beach -

 

Tom, James, Georgie and Jasmine (Georgie's friend)
I was on the camel in front - hence the angle!



Camels at sunset.

 Discovering the interesting history of the pearling industry -

Having fish and chips on the beach, watching the sun sink into the Indian Ocean.

Tom's Kung Fu moves were invaluable for scaring away the seagulls.

Self explanatory.

Driving the 22km length of Cable Beach to the deserted end - where one or all of us may or may not have enjoyed a skinny dip! (Fear not, dear reader, read on - no pictures to follow.)

Driving on Cable Beach

Ali was there too.

Watching a movie at Sun Pictures - Australia's oldest open air cinema - complete with geckos walking over the screen and bats flying overhead.

We saw the wonderful Aussie movie "Red Dog" - aptly set in W.A. What a weepie!

We were also lucky to arrive on the last night of the "Staircase to the Moon" - the natural phenomenon caused by the exposed mudflats at low tide reflecting the rising full moon, creating the optical illusion of a staircase reaching to the moon. I'd show you a picture, except we forgot to take the camera! I also forgot to have a bath in Aeroguard, so have added to my collection of sand fly bites, which I have an unfortunate allergy to. I'd go into it further, but it might make you sick ("pizza pits of hell" is one description), so suffice it to say, I am not a pretty sight. There has to be a down side to this holiday though, right?

We are heading off tomorrow up to Cape Leveque. It is a 3 hour drive north on a rough 4WD road so we will be leaving the van in Broome and taking the tent for a four night stay. We are camping right near the beach - so hopefully it will be well worth the effort. Will meet you back here next week to tell you if it was! (Hoping it won't be too hot as I will be covered head to toe for sand fly protection!)

PS. Sorry about the picture quality - our good camera was pinched from the van so we are making do with the boys' cameras until we can replace it. Very annoying. My mobile has also gone walkabout, so apologies if you've been trying to call!)

  

The Kimberley

We began our Kimberley adventure by setting out on the Old Karunjie Track - a 4WD route that starts from Wyndum and led us to Home Valley Station, our first night of camping. The road was as rough and remote as it sounds - and such an adventure. We left on Father's Day, and John decided he couldn't have thought of a more enjoyable way to spend it. The track (it was definitely not a road) took us through creeks, over deep sandy tracks, through herds of Brahman cattle and across barren mudflats that stretched to the horizon. The children were fascinated by the mirages formed by the baking heat on the planes - all thought they would have been easily tricked into mistaking them for shimmering lakes had they been tired and thirsty explorers.

The Prison Boab near Wyndum.
Apparently aboriginal prisoners were held here overnight on the long road to the town gaol.

The mudflats of the Karunjie Track. Much of the movie "Australia" were filmed along the Karunjie.

One of the herds of cattle we encountered. Imagine keeping track of where they are on a million acres!

 The Kimberley landscape was as breathtaking as we had hoped it would be. Towering red mountains set against deep blue skies, reflected everywhere in the multitude of creeks and rivers that meander across the landscape. We were particularly taken with the bulbous Boabs - a fascinating tree that is unique to the Kimberley. It is thought they arrived as seeds brought by the tides from Africa, the only other place where they are found - or perhaps they have survived from a time when Africa and Australia were both still part of one continent. Some of the trees are huge around the girth, with many over 1500 years old. They look so striking in silhouette, that I have become quite obsessed with them and even taken to sketching them. The children are now ignoring me after the hundredth "oh, look kids, THAT one's a beauty!!!".


Beautiful Kimberley landscape (complete with boabs)

We arrived at last at Home Valley Station - very much an oasis in the bush (not a mirage this time!) It's lush green lawns and swimming pool provided welcome respite from the heat (still 36+). Once there we set up camp, which took substantially longer than it takes us in the van! Not for the first time did we say that we never could have done the whole trip in such a manner. That is for people far more organised, committed, energetic and unencumbered than us. The next day John minded the kids while I went off for an early morning horse ride. I was lucky enough to be taken on my own, as there were no others booked, for a 3 hour trail ride around the station. The first 2 hours were wonderful, as we took in the beautiful scenery. By the third hour it was getting very hot, and my bum rather tender (it's been too long!) so I was as grateful as the children for the lovely large pool. The afternoon was spent in the air conditioned car, testing the Landcruiser on all manner of tough terrain. Bruce posed for a number photos in hopes of a contract for a Toyota ad campaign. We know cars are supposed to be girls, but he is far to macho to be female.


Camping at Home Valley Station



Bruce in his natural habitat.

Go Bruce, Go!



Is there anything he can't do? Crossing the Pentecost River


After two days we set off along the Gibb River Road for El Questro Station, where we were booked to stay in their motel-style accommodation for three nights, coinciding with James' 11th birthday. We were all very grateful for a proper bed, shower and toilet, not to mention the fact that the room had no kitchen facilities, so all meals had to be had at the next door restaurant. Shame.

There was so much to do at El Questro, it is such an extraordinary place, of such vast and varied beauty. The size is hard to fathom - we went to a number of lookouts where you realise that as far as the eye can see is all part of the property (that was amazingly, only claimed as recently as the 1950s). The first day we got up early and walked into Emma Gorge - a challenging walk over boulders and along dry river beds - to a stunning/freezing waterhole at the end. We were very proud of the kids for making it (with only a sprinkling of mild whingeing!)

The following day was James' birthday, which started with a big pancake breaky, followed by a boating trip on Chamberlain Gorge. We hired 2 tinnies (each one only allowed 4) which were powered by electric motors. James was excited about the prospect of captaining one of the boats, but his hopes were soon dashed, when only 200m up the gorge, his motor died. He and John abandoned the boat tied up at a nearby bank and very quickly jumped into the other boat (a stray saltie has been spied in the waters there!). We puttered up the spectacular gorge, making very slow progress -  occasional breezes even managing to push us backwards despite being in top speed! We returned to the other boat and towed it back - no mean feat considering the second motor died 300m from the jetty, leaving us to row the boat, not very merrily I can assure you!  After a false start, we were able to rescue the day with lovely afternoon swims and a beautiful dinner and birthday cake at the fabulous restaurant. James even had a go of driving the car on some of the 4WD tracks, so he was satisfied to have driven something on his birthday.

The morning of our last day was spent at Zebedee Springs - the 30 degree thermal pools were a lovely contrast to the icy waters of the gorges. It was absolutely heavenly. Usually the springs are so popular that they suggest you get there at 7am to find a parking spot! (It closes at noon for the exclusive use of the homestead guests) We were fortunate to have the place to ourselves, save for a young romantic couple, who strangely vacated when the five of us squeezed into their pool! We seemed to have timed our stint in the top end well - apparently we are 2 weeks behind the "grey nomad" exodus, which makes a huge difference to getting in, on and around everything.


Sunset at El Questro



More creek crossings. Such fun!

James' Birthday Breaky. Soaking up some sibling love.

Everyone having fun? Excellent.

Heavenly Zebedee

After a night's pit stop back in Kununurra we headed for the Bungle Bungles - a mountain range famed for its unusual orange and black striped beehive shaped domes.

(Sorry to interrupt - tonight we are camped next to guy who is performing a very bad drunk version of Piano Man - too many versus at the best of times, two metres from our window, making it very hard to concentrate. gggrrrrrrrrr. One of the downsides of the busier caravan parks...)

Anyway, The Bungles. We braved another couple of walks (the whinging was starting to build), into Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm. They were spectacular, however with the kids' enthusiasm for gorges somewhat waning, the trusty reward chart has had to become a new addition to the backpack (Tom is the exception - he loves any opportunity to practice his Bear Grylls skills.) We are all building stamina however, and are always glad we made the effort when we get there - who knows if we will ever have the chance to come back? (eh kids!) The highlight of the day was a helicopter ride - really the only way to fully appreciate the scale and beauty of the ranges. A hidden world of
gorges (!), canyons, and pools was revealed as we flew overhead - in our exhilarating, noisy, windy DOOR LESS helicopter. I was I admit, ever so slightly terrified, but the kids were unfazed, and absolutely loved it. It was certainly something that will stay in their memories for years to come.

(Aaarrrrhh! Now he's crucifying John Denver.)

Walking to Cathedral Gorge



Made it.



Walking to Echidna Chasm.  Slowly.

 

James is his happiest when in a vehicle of some description.



Our exhilarating ride over the Bungles.

The hour is now late, and still so much more to show and tell, so we will continue with The Kimberley, Part 2, next post.

PS. A lady nearby has now started with wracking coughing fits. Thank God for ear plugs!

Kakadu to Kununurra

On the way to Kakadu we stopped off at the Adelaide River for a croc jumping tour, to have our first glimpse of crocs in the wild. We were keen to meet the famous "Brutus" who had made headlines around the world a few weeks ago, thanks to a photo taken of him mid jump, with nearly all 6 metres of him out of the water. There were various operators - we decided on the small, open boat option, for that up close, intimate experience! And what an experience it was. The first few crocs were good beginner size - females about 3 metres. We then realised that the big log floating in the middle of the river was in fact a croc. And a big one at that. A really big one! As he slowly approached the boat we felt there should have been some type of "dun, dun, dun, dun" accompaniment. It was indeed Brutus and he was, as the kids would say truly "awesome". He jumped out of the water for some meat held out on a stick and it was breathtaking to see this amazingly powerful, prehistoric beast at such close range. And quite nerve-racking too I might add - as the driver kept reminding us not to hang any appendage out of the boat or a croc might jump out of nowhere and rip it off. Righto. Will do.

Our first sighting. Sweet little thing.

Big Daddy "Brutus" approaches

Crikey! What a beaudy!

Brutus is lured to the bank

We later met a tour guide who gave us the feeling that the croc jumping tour was somewhat controversial, due to the questionable wisdom of training large aggressive crocodiles to approach small boats looking for dinner. Hmmm. Good point. She had also heard that our tour operator was a bit of a cowboy and had been reprimanded for encouraging tourists to pat the crocs!  Seems we were lucky to leave with our appendages attached.

We stopped for a break at a lookout only to discover that we had a stowaway from Darwin in the van - a cane toad! Frightened the bejeezus out of me! Thank god we got rid of him and didn't let him loose to terrorise the native fauna at Kakadu. (sorry can't seem to fix the random highlighting!)

Kakadu is a national park nearly half the size of Tasmania, world heritage listed for its cultural significance and incredible natural beauty. If you were planning a day trip to Kakadu you would leave feeling rather underwhelmed, as much of the landscape (especially from the road) is rather uninteresting, scrubby savannah woodlands. You do have to travel quite a way into and across the park to see the highlights - but it was well worth it as there are many. We stayed 5 nights and felt like we only really scratched the surface. Our favourite experiences were watching the sunset from Ubirr rock, where a short climb revealed a breathtaking 360 degree view of the surrounding wetlands and ranges; seeing rock art, dating back 20,000 years and learning of the dreamtime stories behind them; a wetlands cruise where we observed countless different species of birds including brolgas, jabirus, hawks and magpie geese; and a swim at Gunlom Falls, a (nother!) beautiful waterhole, that was featured in Crocodile Dundee (and where I nearly stepped on a snake!) The weather in Kakadu was very hot (36/37), so we soon discovered it was best to rise early and do something in the morning, flop in the shade by the pool in the heat of the day, and have another outing in the late afternoon. It really zaps your energy. Well that's our excuse anyway!

John and Georgie and "Lightening Man" - Nourlangie rock art, Kakadu

Georgie, Eleanor, Tom and Will listening to a Ranger talk, Ubirr Rock, Kakadu

The astounding view from Ubirr Rock. John asks not to be mocked for his hat choices

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Sunset at Ubirr Rock, Kakadu

Kakadu Birdlife I

Kakadu Birdlife II (the "Jesus" bird)

Kakadu Birdlife III. Yes, I've forgotten their names.

A Kakadu croc enjoying a tasty morsel (think it was a large fish)

Another stunning sunset. Yellow Waters cruise.

Gunlom Falls, Kakadu. More of a trickle in the dry season.

Whilst in Kakadu we also had the unique experience of traveling to Arnhem land. Arnhem land is an area in the far north of NT which is owned exclusively by the local aboriginal people and usually only accessible with a permit. Once a year however, they hold an open day in the Oenpelli settlement, know as the Stone Country Festival, where visitors are welcome. It was fascinating day. We watched some amazingly skillful AFL playing, learned basket weaving, enjoyed traditional dancing and had a helicopter ride over the surrounding country - which was absolutely stunning in it's dramatic beauty. The town was...less beautiful. Think I'll leave it there for now. Can of worms.

Traditional dancing, Arnhem land. Experiencing it in context with the landscape was unforgettable.

Captain James

The next stop was Katherine, a town that we had only passed through briefly on our way to Darwin. We had heard from friends that the Top Didg cultural experience was a must do, so we joined locals Manuel and Adriana for an interesting insight into their culture. We learned the technique of cross-hatching and dot painting (both done with sticks - and so much harder than it looks!), how make fire and how to throw a spear. We were all rather proud of our artwork, but have to say our hunting skills were rubbish! Thomas also bought a boomerang and learned how to throw it to make it return. Something else that needs a lot of practice! Interestingly, we were told the returning boomerang is more of a toy - hunting boomerangs are heavy and thrown low to the ground at a moving target, eg kangaroo, in order to disable it.  The kids really got a lot out of the experience - saying in fact that it was one of their favourite things we have done so far.

John and Georgie learning dot painting with Adriana

James, Tom and I learned cross hatching with Manuel

Making fire.

Tom learning how to hunt for his tucker.

Proud artists.

Later that day we headed out to Katherine Gorge where we hired some canoes to explore a pitifully small part of the gorge. We decided canoeing always seems like a good idea until you are half and hour into it and your arms start burning, when it becomes more like a very picturesque kind of torture. It was however, very dramatic, gorgeous (sorry) scenery and we were very pleased with ourselves having done it. The thousands of fruit bats hanging from the trees at the jetty was also a sight to behold!

Canoeing at gorgeous Katherine Gorge with George.

Tommy. Katherine Gorge. Canoeing.

5 of the 5,000 fruit bats we saw.

Didn't mention this, but this is the gorgeous pool we swam in at Lake Argyle, on the way to Kununurra.

We had a long 7 hour drive the next day from Katherine to Kununurra, W.A., the gateway to the Kimberley (BTW non-native readers, "the Kimberley" refers to an area in northern W.A - it is considered one of the world's last unspoilt frontiers -  1.7 times larger than the U.K!)  We arrived yesterday and haven't done much as yet (save shopping and washing), but are already in awe of the spectacular surrounding country. We are planning to leave the van here for a few days and take the tent, so that we can explore the best of the Kimberley, which is only accessible by 4 wheel drive. John is hoping that his 2 days of training qualifies him as "experienced" and has equipped him sufficiently to tackle the many exciting hazards of the Gibb River Road! James will be having his 11th Birthday at El Questro, a million acre cattle station, where I am hoping we can meet his expectations of a "spectacular" day. We will be back next week to tell you if we survived succeeded!