Friday, 19 June 2015

Making our way through the Kimberly

So after staying put for nine nights it was time to move on.  We were a little slow off the start but we managed to pull out of the caravan park just after 9am.  Our aim was to make it to a free camp called Ellendale Lake for the night.  A very achievable task give that it was only about 300km away.  The drive itself was very boring as there really wasn’t a lot to look at and when there was Jason had me pulling out the camera to take a photo.  Though I drew the line at a Boab tree, mainly because the place I had planned to pull up for lunch had a massive one.
The different setups on the road.

Obviously I took one photo of a tree for Jason.
So yes it was very uneventful however I do think we are starting to come across the serious free camping nomads who travel early in the morning and pull into free camps around 10am to nab a good spot.  Even for morning tea we pulled into a simple rest area that had a toilet and dump point (WA provides lots of free dump points on their main highways) and already heaps of people looked like they had pulled in for the day and it was only just after 10:30am.  We enjoyed our morning tea and got to see a converted double decker bus pull in.  He had a bit of trouble finding a park so I let him know we were about to leave and he could take our spot. 

From there it was a quick stop for lunch at the massive Boab tree and a bit of a walk around to check it out.  No one was pulled in here for the night and we just assumed it might have been because there were no facilities and just another 70km down the road was the Ellendale Lake free camp.  We managed to find the turn into it easily and went through the gate and had the task to work out where we were going to park.  It is hard as you don’t want to park too close to another van but then when they are already quite close to one another and there is not much space left you really have no choice.  Not to mention with our long van we had to think about our ability to turn around and get back out of the place. 
Exploring the Boab tree.

Nearly all inside.

Jason and the kids inside the tree.

The boab tree from a distance.
Eventually however we found a good place and that was that.  It isn’t like there is a lot of setting up when you are free camping for one night.  We did some school before taking the kids for a walk around the lake (which is really just a dam) and looking at the birds and cattle.  We saw a fellow traveller picking up sticks and of course Hamish wanted to know what he was doing.  When he found out it was for a fire he was all stations go and helping out.  The old guy did joke that if you wanted to join in you needed to contribute so lucky we had Hamish helping out. 

Before long they had plenty of sticks and he then proceeded to tell us about a snake further down the bank.  I think my face said it all and his wife piped in and said that he forgot to mention it was dead.  Apparently it had wrapped itself around someone’s caravan axle and they had to get it off, even taking the tyre off the caravan to get it off.  Obviously the snake had died in the process of being removed, but gee it made me wonder if we had pulled into the right area.  That is the last thing I wanted to have to deal with.  After finding what was left of the snake after the birds had gotten to it we headed back to the van for some more school.
Ellendale Lake (which is really just a dam).

Some friendly locals came to say goodbye in the morning.
Then Hamish was keen for the fire to start.  The gentleman was lovely and tried to teach Hamish how to light a fire with matches but Hamish couldn’t do it as he felt the heat of the flame and dropped the match.  His wife was saying how Hamish is too young but I was grateful he gave Hamish a chance to try.  As soon as the fire was lit everyone started to drag their chairs over and join the group and it only got bigger and bigger.  Unfortunately after a while the kids did not find it too exciting at all and were fighting between themselves so Jason took them back to the caravan for a shower and to start dinner.

I stayed for a little bit longer but it was hard as I felt out of place.  It wasn’t like people weren’t nice and didn’t talk to you.  I think I just felt I didn’t have much in common to discuss with them.  I did however like how the guy who set up the fire made everyone stand up and introduce themselves and say where they had come from in order to help the conversations flow more.  Of course I couldn’t remember any of the names except for one couple who introduced themselves as Helga as in the bread and Victor as in the lawnmower!   So before long I headed back to the van to help Jason out.  Not that I was much help at all as he had pretty much finished dinner and the kids were showered.

We all woke up during the night a bit cold, well Jason and I didn’t wake up because we were cold but the kids woke us up as they were.  We had taken their blankets off in the warm weather in Broome but I think we need to put them back on their beds.  I was expecting to be woken up by the cattle coming through to get a drink from the dam.  Someone even mentioned to watch the kids around them as the cows are quite demanding of food from the caravans.   One had even had its head inside the van and apparently they love carrots.

Before long I had to take Kayla out and entertain her for the hour whilst Jason did Hamish’s on-air lesson with him.  I thought it would be easy but Kayla really wasn’t interested in neither the dam nor the birds.  We just walked around aimlessly for a while and then finally we found some cattle coming in for a drink.  That seemed to entertain her for long enough for Hamish to finish his lesson.  Then it was a matter of packing up the few things we had out and hitting the road.  I had watched another caravan leave and he scrapped one of the trees quite badly but I don’t think there was any major damage as he got out and checked it and continued on his way.

So we just did our normal trick of Jason driving us out and myself walking behind watching both sides of the van and the trees.  We managed to get out easily and before we knew it we were back on the highway and making our way to Fitzroy Crossing.  We only had about 90km a day and the caravan park didn’t take bookings so it was first in best dressed.  The caravan park recommended to us was on the other side of the river to the town and one thing that has surprised me out here is that they still have some one lane bridges across the rivers.  With the mining boom and all the traffic you would think that would come along here they might have widened it but obviously not.

Being quite early in the morning I didn’t think we would have a problem getting a spot at the caravan park and I was right.  They don’t allocate you sites.  You can just pick whichever one you want.  At first we thought this was awesome, but then of course we couldn’t decide which one we wanted as we didn’t want to be too close to anyone (with our loud kids and all) so of course we did a whole lap and ended right back at the start.  In the end we pretty much took one of the first sites as it had shade at the time and green grass and not to mention we could just drive straight through.

Once set up we didn’t really go anywhere, we were more than happy to just sit and chill for the afternoon.  We finished school for the fortnight and then our toilet decided to play up in the sense it won’t flush.  So we tried to work that out but no one could really tell us other than starting to play with the wiring and I wasn’t really too keen on that as we have no idea what we are doing.  So we just decided to leave it and now have a bottle of water beside the toilet for flushing until we can get it fixed, most likely in Katherine in the NT. 

We then went for a drive into town to get some fuel and grab some information on the gorges around the area and also the Bungle Bungles.  They didn’t really have anything at all so we left there pretty much empty handed except for two water pistols we bought the kids.  Next stop was for fuel and then the IGA for some fresh fruit and ice-cream.  Back at the van Jason and I fiddled with the toilet again but didn’t get any further.  Jason had been teaching Hamish how to ride the scooter so I thought I should have a go.  We were having a blast racing Kayla until I saw a car coming and said to get off the road.  I pulled Hamish and I over and wham, off we came, but on the cement of course. 

Thankfully Hamish was a little sore but we both got up.  I knew I had face planted it but when I wiped my face and saw the blood I knew that wasn’t good.  So I managed to pick up the scooter and check over Hamish who seemed to be fine and hobble back to the van to clean myself off.  Mental note, I am no longer young and agile and I must go slow on the scooter (if I ever even hop on it again).  So now I have these wonderful grazes down my forehead, nose, shoulder and knees.  My poor knees took most of the impact so I am like an old lady hobbling around and have learnt my lesson the hard way.

So of course the rest of the afternoon we didn’t do much at all and just waited for Peta, Darren and the kids to arrive as they were coming all the way from Cape Leveque that day.  I don’t know how they do such big drives and then roll in when it is dark and set up.  Hats off to them, I get over travelling by 2pm.  So we had a chat with them and then decided we will head out to Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge the next day at 8am.    

Early starts are not a problem for me at the moment.  I seem to be getting up at sparrows fart and just having to sit around quietly or I catch up on the blog.  Trust me I don’t want to be getting up this early but can’t help it.  At least I have managed to get some nice pictures of sunrises.  We hit the road at 8am and made the drive out to Windjana Gorge first and work our way back.  The road was rough in patches but after Cape Leveque it was really a piece of cake.  We even had a proper water crossing to do and the car handled it well but I don’t know if I would have liked it to be much deeper as we don’t have a snorkel on the car.
Darren and Peta coming through the creek.

Making our way into Windjana Gorge.

You think it would be a nice place for a swim.
By the time we pulled into Windjana Gorge we all needed to use the loo and I was hoping that they would have a toilet.  I was in luck as the first thing I saw was a telephone box so I thought if they have that all the way out here then surely they must have a toilet!  It was 160km out there and of it about 120km was dirt road, so not too bad really but it had still taken us over 2 hours to get out there and it was about 10:30am before we even started to walk in.
As close of a shot as we were willing to get.

The gorge was peaceful.
Friends of Peta had already done the walk and gave us the great tip of just going in far enough to see the fresh water crocodiles and then heading back out.  Which is great as apparently it was another 3km after that point so there is no way the kids would have done that.  Still what we did do was pretty and we saw so many fresh water crocodiles of all different sizes.  By the time we turned around to head back it was starting to get really hot and I was very glad we hadn’t gone in further.  There are campgrounds right outside the gorge and I felt sorry for everyone there as there was nowhere to cool off and get a reprieve from the heat. 
Smiling in front of a crocodile.
Fighting for a patch of mud in the sun.

Kids all keen on the walk.
 
We then headed back to Tunnel Creek and I was really looking forward to this one as it sounded really cool.  You had to wade through a creek that was in an underground natural tunnel.  Before you entered the tunnel there was a few signs explaining the history of the area and how this was all once an underwater reef.  There was also history on an Aboriginal rights activist who had hidden out in this tunnel and was eventually tracked down to here by an aboriginal tracker and shot dead.  Quite a moving story and at the same time sad history lesson and after going through the tunnel I understand why he hid there.
Making our way into tunnel creek.

Inside the tunnel.

Now the real walking in the dark through water begins.  Notice how all the kids let Darren go first!
The tunnel itself does not start that far away from the carpark and immediately you head straight down into the water and it was cool but refreshing.  We had heard that some people have had it come up to their waste but that might be at the start of the dry season.  For us it didn’t even go over my knees.  Now if you are going to do this walk you obviously need torches and the stronger the better I say.  It isn’t scary or anything but just to help you see the rocks under the water and also spot the different wildlife down there.  Kayla had to be carried all the way through any wet patches as she was not going to step foot in that water but Hamish, James and Sarah all walked it and only got scared in a few patches, mainly when they didn’t have enough light to see where they were going.
Half way through were the roof has collapsed.

At the end of the tunnel.

Out you come to a little creek and waterhole.
Half way through the tunnel there is a spot where the roof has collapsed so some natural light is let in before you embark on the second half.  I don’t think I can describe just how amazing this place is and even as you first enter there is like a little waterfall where some water is running in.  I don’t know if it is a spring or water that has seeped through the rocks but it was a bonus extra feature of this place.  Oh and let’s not forget about how nice and cool it was in there.  I think if I was camping over in the campground I would just come and hang out here in the middle of the day to get a break from the heat.
Looking back into the tunnel.
At the end of the tunnel there is a nice big opening where the creek just runs back out and into the open.  Here of course Kayla was more than happy to play in the water and wanted to climb up all the rocks.  She wasn’t too happy when I said no as I could see that it would end in a disaster, much like my scooter incident.  Still she managed to get her shorts soaked which made carrying her back through even more enjoyable.  On the way back we spotted the reflective eyes of three fresh water crocodiles and even manage to spot the entire outline one before it sunk down deeper.  It was pretty cool, but at the same time it made the kids a bit nervous to walk through the water.  Totally understandable as I had to admit I was being more diligent in watching where I stepped in the water.

Out the other end it was a quick toilet stop before making our way back into Fitzroy Crossing.  This time we let Peta and Darren lead as they travel a bit faster than us on the dirt roads and we didn’t want to hold them up.  The trip back was a lot easier though as we knew the road and what to expect.  We did pass an ambulance coming in as we were heading out so I hope that whoever they were going in to help was okay.  I love how out here the ambulances are really the big 4WD Troop Carriers.  Darren and Peta waited for us on the bitumen to make sure we got out okay and then we headed back into town together.

The decision had been made to call into the original pub on the way back but that didn’t really pay off as it wasn’t kid friendly so in the end we decided to go to the pub at the caravan park.  Obviously there are a lot of alcohol restrictions here and they can only serve you light beer or watered down wine before 6pm.  I don’t mind a light beer but I don’t think I would enjoy a watered down wine.  By the time we got back to the caravan we were all wrecked and it was a matter of whipping up a quick dinner and getting us all into bed.  Though whilst I cooked dinner Jason went down and washed the car.  I didn’t think I would recognise it without its layer of dust.  We then packed away outside and most of inside in preparation to leave the next day.

Again another early start, mainly because I seem to be waking early and I wonder if it is because of my lovely war scars and injuries of the scooter incident.  The swelling around my nose had also extended to just near my eyes and red bruising had started to appear around them.  I really must look tragic but at least I don’t have an important wedding or anything to attend at the moment.  Though I must admit I am not enjoying having my photo taken at the moment and the looks some people give you.

Our plan was to do the 8:30am tour of Geikie Gorge which meant we had to leave the caravan park at 7:30am as you needed to be there 20 minutes before the tour started and it was a 25 minute drive out there (and of course you buffer in a bit of extra time just in case).  The drive out there was great as we took the dirt option (much to the boys’ disgust with their clean cars) but I wanted to do the old cement river crossing.  The cruise itself only cost us $61 as we didn’t have to pay for the kids.  Even just waiting in the gazebo they had flood markers and in 2002 it was 2 metres above the gazebo roof (which in itself was already high).
The old river crossing.
The guides came and got us and we all headed down to the boat which was just basic as there was no shade but at the same time it was a beautiful morning so you didn’t mind at all.  I was grateful they put all the kids (and us) down the front as they gave the kids the job of croc spotters.  Not that they did a good job as I don’t think they spotted any, but luckily the guide pointed out heaps.  AJ the guide was fantastic.  I loved his sense of humour and the way he kept us all engrossed with the information he was passing onto us.
Kayla doesn't look too sure.

You can see where the water can get up too.

Spot the croc.

Just amazing holes worn into the side.
At the moment they have an application in with the government to rename Geikie Gorge to Danguru Gorge which is its traditional name.  I really hope this application is approved as I believe that is what it should be called, just like Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) have done.  Also Geikie Gorge is named after someone who didn’t discover it, nor has stepped foot in the area so I am definitely all for returning it to the traditional name.  Honestly if you are in the area you really should do this gorge tour.  It is well worth it and you can access it all by the bitumen if you want.  Actually I think a stop in Fitzroy Crossing is well worth it if you have the time. 
Getting up close to the rocks.

More of the cliffs.

Hamish was enjoying it.

Now there are two plants here used for medicine.
From the cruise it was a quick stop for fuel and some basic food supplies before heading back to the caravan to hitch on and get out of there.  Well that didn’t quite go to plan as when we went to hitch on we realised one of our d-shackle bolts was missing.  This is what connects the chains to the car and whilst aren’t totally important, they are more of a backup in case the Mchitch /tow ball connection fails you and legally need to have them.  So off Jason went to see if somewhere in Fitzroy Crossing sold them.  Thankfully he managed to find one but I think we might also buy a spare one in the future.
Crocodile rock!

Heading back along the river.

Now depending on where on this sand banks the crocs lay their eggs tells them how high the water will get in the next few months.

It was a winner.
Eventually we managed to get on the road and found a nice cliff top area to pull into for lunch.  Of course all of the good spots were already taken by the nomads who were pulled over for the day.  It would be a great spot to watch the sunset but I don’t know if I would want to sit there during the heat of the day as there was no shade.  After lunch we let Darren and Peta go ahead of us so we didn’t hold them up.  It was a very long and slow drive to Halls Creek.  We were starting to get tired and over the drive but we only had another 80 or so kilometres after Halls Creek until our destination for the day.
Pulled up for lunch.
Our plans totally changed when we got to the service station in Halls Creek though as the leaf spring on Darren and Peta’s van had broken so we were not going anywhere further until it gets repaired.  So we pulled over to the side and Darren did a running repair which would get them to the caravan park whilst I watched the kids in the nearby park.  Peta and I tried to go to the Information Centre to at least get some details on the Purnululu National Park, however they weren't open.  I did manage to get a good laugh out of the butcher’s advertisement on the billboard and I will now definitely be calling in there. 
A rock to entertain the kids while Darren looked at the caravan.
So yes we hadn’t planned to stop in Halls Creek but hey you just have to make the most of these things and I think we were ready to pull over anyway.  The caravan park is nowhere near as nice as the one in Fitzroy Crossing but it has a pool, powered sites and running water so what more could you want.  So we pulled up and booked in for two nights and will see how we go.  Of course there was the usual game of cards and the boys managed to win their first game.

In the morning we decided to make the most of the day and cook up a delicious breakfast.  This of course is when we realised we had lost a little plastic fitting for our Webber gas hose that connects it to the caravan bayonet fitting.  No idea where that went but it obviously fell out in Fitzroy Crossing.  No major drama though as we will just get the spare part when we come to a place that sells them.  The main thing is that we could still cook our breakfast by connecting it directly to a gas bottle so all is good in the world.  

The rest of the day was really just spent chilling around the vans.  The boys headed out for a bit of a drive around town and stopped in at the Information Centre.  They couldn’t really tell us of much to do around town except Wall of China and that if you want to go fishing you need to drive over 200km to water.  At least we managed to get a little bit of school done but poor James seems to have caught a gastro bug so he wasn’t well at all.  Late in the afternoon when it was cooler we headed out to the Wall of China which was pretty amazing as it just appears in the middle of nowhere.  From there we headed to Caroline Pool which again was scenic as the sun was setting on the rocks.
A little puddle at Wall of China.

The wall of China.

Caroline Pool.
I was doing all the driving this afternoon and whilst it was an easy dirt road I had to take it slow as there wasn’t a breeze about so all the dust was just sitting on the road making it very hard to see anything.  Eventually though we got back to town and have made the decision that if everyone is healthy tomorrow we are going to go camping in the Purnululu National Park (formally called the Bungle Bungles) overnight.  This will mean that Jason and I will tow our van up to the caravan park that is at the turn off and store it there.  It looks like it could potentially take a week just to get a part in for Peta and Darren so they will leave their van here and come back to it.

Whilst we were out at Caroline Pool Darren had chatted to some fellow campers and they had given him an awesome tourist book about Halls Creek and there are a few extra little hidden gems in there that the Information Centre hadn’t passed on.  Apparently they are known for that (not passing on information!) and they got this book in Alice Springs!  Pretty bad that the local centre can’t even give you a decent book on their area.  So there are a few more things they can do when they come back.

Monday morning we just hung around the caravan park whilst Darren and Peta rang all different places trying to find the part needed for their caravan.  We all had our fingers crossed that they could source one in either Broome or Kununurra as then it could be on the next bus, but if the part had to come from Perth it could apparently take up to a week!  Luckily they found someone in Kununurra who had the part and dropped it off at the bus company before Darren even called back to pay for the part.  Talk about fantastic country service.  The next step was to google the time and location as to where the bus pulled in and it wasn’t due until nearly 10pm that night.

So to make the most of our time we headed out to Palm Springs which is a little oasis in the middle of the outback.  As the name states, there is a natural spring that ensures there is really nice waterhole there.  Darren and Sarah went for a swim but the rest of us opted to just enjoy it from the shore.  After a while though the boys got the kayaks down and went for a bit of a paddle and explored down the creek.  Not that they got that far really as it got quite narrow fast.  From there we went and checked out Sawpit Gorge which again had lovely reflections and the setting sun hitting the rocks lit them up to show off their red colours.
Palm Springs.

Off exploring up the creek.


Sawpit Gorge.

Trying to get across to the other side.
Now as the sun was setting we decided we should head back into town.  The road was a good dirt road but like the day before the dust was the biggest problem as there was no wind to blow it off the road and it just sat there.  Eventually though we did make it back to town.  We were going to play cards that night but by the time we got our kids to sleep it was far too late.  We went to bed as Darren went down to meet the bus and make sure his part was dropped off.  Apparently it was one of the scariest moments of his life and the nightlife in Halls Creek is not something you need to go out and see.  He did manage to make it back though.
So odd seeing heaps of water out here.

Heading back into town.
 

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