Kununurra is a Welcome Reprieve

Gosh it was so nice to be back in the caravan and I had the best night sleep.  Eventually we got on the road and made our way to the service station to top up.  Of course it was ridiculously expensive but we just suck it up as our only other option is to walk.  Here we stopped for a bit to eat and to say goodbye to Peta, Darren and the kids as they were heading into El Questro Station.  They tried to convince us but we weren’t keen to take our van in there.  Also Hamish was also not feeling well so we thought it was best to get to Kununurra where we will have power and water to wash if need be.  We think he is coming down with the gastro bug that James had.

Unfortunately we didn’t get far down the road before Hamish started to feel really sick so after about another 60km or so there was another service station so we pulled in there and he just lay on the picnic table and didn’t want to move.  We tried the old trick of lemonade with plain chips but he just wasn’t interested.  I was happy to have a long break to give him a rest but at the same time knew we had to get to Kununurra as it would be better for him in the long run.  After about an hour we got back on the road and based on the amount of talking Hamish was doing we thought he was on the mend.

Making our way to Kununurra.

 

It was short lived but at least he managed to hold out until we had checked into the caravan park and unhitched the van.  Whilst it wasn’t an ideal situation at least we now could use the washing machine to clean everything and can run the aircon to make it more comfortable.  I hate seeing the poor little thing like this and he was so out of sorts.  I tried to get him to have a hydrolyte ice-block but he hated it so I just thought an afternoon of rest on the bed would do him good.  Jason in the meantime went out to grab a few things we needed from the shops to get us through until the next day.

All set up with no dramas.

Later that arvo Hamish was sick again, but after that he happily agreed to have an ice block and that is all he had that night.  He fell asleep on our bed so we just transferred him to his bed and just hoped that he woke up feeling a lot better the next day.  At least we don’t have anything planned other than the car service so a day of rest is in store for all of us.  Kayla isn’t sick yet but considering she had a drink out of Hamish’s water bottle I would say it is now only a matter of time!  It is our fault, we were only saying in Broome how lucky we had been health wise.  Obviously cursed ourselves!

Friday saw us lying low with Hamish still sick and Kayla seemed to be coming down with it.  Luckily we hadn’t really planned to do anything anyway as we had the car booked in for its service so we found all the spare parts we had been carrying around for it for the last 7 months (oil filter etc) and finally got them out of the caravan.  Jason had bought them in case a service centre couldn’t source them and well with us getting closer to home it seemed like the good time to use them, not to mention saving money on the service.

Cleaning the van.

The 2nd time this hose brush thing has been used!

Once we had the car back Jason took Kayla out for a drive as she really wasn’t well but wouldn’t lie down and have a sleep.  He also managed to get the third bearing he needed and check to see if our parcel of school work had arrived.  Later in the afternoon I went out to have a look around and grab a few things from Coles.  Especially nappies and wipes if it looks like Kayla is getting the same as Hamish.  I even managed to score the Despicable Me 2 movie for the kids to watch whilst they are sick.  Jason went out again after 3pm to see if our parcel had then arrived and get a new 10L water bottle.  He had managed to drop and crack ours at the free camp, so we really needed to replace that.

He picked the opportune time to go as poor Hamish was sick again so I had to deal with that whilst ensuring Kayla stayed away.  Thankfully Hamish is pretty good when he is sick and will just go and sit down where I have told him until I have cleaned up the mess, which really wasn’t bad as the bucket was on hand.  I really hope that this doesn’t take much longer to clear as I really hate seeing the kids not well and out of sorts.  Lets’ hope a new day brings health and happiness.

One must pick their outfit for the day!

Enjoying a picnic in the temporary cubby house we mad.  Hamish requested watermelon and carrot sticks!

Well Friday night meant little sleep again with Kayla getting upset during the night.  I am wondering if she had stomach cramps and was getting sick.  Hamish seemed to be a bit better though so we decided to get out of the van and just do some small local things.  We firstly went into town and walked through the local markets.  There was a set of six place mats for sale for only $25 each and one was a beautiful picture of the area up here so of course we snapped them up.  From there it was to Target to get some new thongs and shorts for Jason and Hamish before making our way out to the Zebra Gallery/shop.

Nice little place to visit.

Impressive wine rack but so not big enough.

Zebra Gallery had a lovely little play area for the kids to have some fun whilst Jason and I sat down to enjoy some delicious scones and ice coffees.    Once we had finished that we went down and fed the fish which mainly seemed to comprise of cat fish but there was a few other types.  The funniest part was the resident dog who thought it was fun to stand in the water on its two legs and just watch the fish, and then eventually went swimming around them and through them for no other purpose but to try and get the attention of us I believe.  When she hopped out she even shook herself dry right in front of some people sitting down and enjoying the view.

Kayla found the dog in the water more exciting.

She was just watching all the fish.

Hamish trying to feed the fish.

On the way out we had a look through the gallery and I bought myself a nice necklace which used a combination of a zebra rock and silver to make it look like a boab tree and a new book for the kids to read.  So that was us done for the day.  The rest of the afternoon we just chilled out around the van as I didn’t want to push the kids too much now that they were starting to get better.  Jason took Kayla food shopping, leaving me with Hamish to have a rest.  Well Hamish didn’t obviously get the whole rest thing and would not stop talking so I didn’t’ get to have a nap like I wanted.  Obviously he is starting to get better.

We opted to cook up delicious roast pork for dinner, but this actually seemed to prove to be more pain then it was worth.  Firstly one of our gas cylinders was empty so luckily one of the workers was riding past on his 4 wheeler so he took it to fill it up.  Then the Webber was constantly catching on fire so we put that down to it needing a good clean (and it certainly did need one on closer inspection), so we moved it all inside to our oven and had a late dinner.  At least it was delicious.

Kayla off to the park.

See I found one I actually knew off.

Nice little spot for morning tea.

Regulating the water.

On Sunday we got a bit more adventurous and went out for a bit longer, checking out the celebrity park, Ivanhoe Crossing and a local farm/café.  The celebrity park was interesting as I am not one who is big on knowing celebrities so it took me a long time to find a name that I recognised.  Ivanhoe Crossing was just water running over the old road they use to cross the river, but you can’t do it anymore as there is a large boulder in the way.  Not that I was keen anyway as if something went wrong we were now in salt water crocodile country.  Finally the little farm café was a real treat to end our outing on.  The carrot cake and mango cheesecake were divine and it was great to sit outside under the trees and enjoy them whilst the kids played on the play equipment supplied.

The sign says it all.

I was not about to walk across with the salt water croc warnings.

People once use to drive across there but a boulder blocks the way now.

Jason had wanted to go out to El Questro Station and check out Emma Gorge and Zebedee Springs but I wasn’t keen at all.  Another long drive in the car with two kids who are only just getting better, not to mention the long walk in that Emma Gorge had in.  Thankfully I was in luck as Ian and Gwen had come back into mobile reception range and rang up to have a chat.  They had done both and said Zebedee Springs was okay but the walk into Emma Gorge was long and hard, so not suitable for the kids.  Phew, got out of that one.  I have no doubt that it is beautiful and well worth the visit but we will leave that for another time.

Again on Monday we didn’t do much at all.  We just tried to finish off school for the term and chill out before we leave town.  We are trying to work out what we are going to do next but we just can’t seem to decide.  Obviously there is only one direction to travel so that makes it easy but just trying to work out how long to stay everywhere makes it hard.  Such a tough life when that is the hardest decision you have to make.

Peta and Darren came in and joined us at the caravan park that night.  It sounded like they really enjoyed their stay at El Questro Station but agreed that we wouldn’t have gotten our caravan in and a lot of the walks were not suitable for young kids.  So I am glad we opted to not go in and it will just be on the must see list for another day.   Jason ducked down to the shops and grabbed some more food supplies and we checked to see if the school parcel we were waiting on had come in but we were out of luck.  I had hugely underestimated how long it would take for mail to get up to Kununurra.  So it looks like we will have to make a quick trip back into town from Lake Argyle or see if Peta and Darren can pick it up for us and bring it out.

That night we enjoyed a game of cards and catching up with Peta and Darren.  We are starting to get a lot better at 500 now and knowing the rules.  Not that we don’t still make a few mistakes but at least it isn’t as bad.  Kununurra is a lovely town but it does cost a lot of money to do anything here, but that is mainly because they offer some spectacular sights and tours.  I think it would have been nice to learn more about the agricultural side of the town but maybe that is what we will learn more about when we go to Lake Argyle itself.

Trying to get the shot with the new shirt.

Close but we knew she could do better.

No you aren't meant to smile!

That is what we were after!