30 August - Preparations for the Gibb River Road

30 August 2016 – 185 512

Preparations for the Gibb River Road

We packed up this morning, reinflated the tyres and headed back to Kununurra.  First stop was a butcher to order some cryovac meat.  Then off to the supermarket where we filled two entire shopping trolleys – this is by far the most I have ever spent in a supermarket in one go!  Back to the butcher to pick up our meat – again I think the most I have ever spent in a butcher in one go!  Last stop was to fill up the van and jerry cans with water, and the car with diesel. 
http://ordco.com.au/product-range/diesel-fuel-retail/ 
We drove out of Kununurra to a free camp and have spent the afternoon working out how to pack all the supplies into the van and car in a way that minimises bounce, ready for the corrugated roads.  All set to start the Gibb River Road tomorrow morning.

26 August - Mitchell Falls, Kalumburu and Kimberley Coastline

26 August 2016 – 184 770

Mitchell Falls, Kalumburu and Kimberley Coastline

This morning we got up early to be ready for a 6:30am pick up for a 7:00am flight. 
https://kingfishertours.com.au/project/wandjina-kimberley-coast/ 
After arriving at the airport we were all weighed, we were assigned to an eight seater small aircraft with our pilot “Sam”.  He briefed us on all the usual safety requirements and exactly where we would be going.  After take-off we headed over the Gibb River Road, seeing Emma Gorge, El Questro and Home Valley Stations before turning north-west across the Kimberley countryside.  We then circled in close to Mitchell Falls, which are still flowing despite what many people have told us.  This was enough to make most of us feel a bit sick on the plane.  We then headed out to the coastline and followed this to Kalumburu. We landed at Kalumburu; this was once a Catholic Mission but is now mainly an Aboriginal Community (about 400 people).  It is quite beautiful at Kalumburu.  We also visited some Hudson Bomber wreakage left over after WW2.  We took off again and followed the magnificent Kimberley coastline to the Cambridge Gulf and then the Ord River back to Kununurra.  This was an amazing flight.  We got back to the van about 4pm – very tired and very happy.  Hayden was very nervous on the first flight but enjoyed the second flight, overall we all enjoyed the day very much.  Such amazing views!!  And a swim to finish the day.

25 August - Wyndham and Mirima National Park

25 August 2016 – 184 533

Wyndham and Mirima National Park

Good!

This morning we headed out on the Great Western Highway to explore Wyndham. 
https://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/wyndham.html

The wharf area has very fast flowing tides that visibly stir up the sediment around the jetty piers.  We visited the Wyndham Caravan Park to see their giant Boab tree – it is truly enormous, it is estimated to be about 25m in circumference and 2 000 years old.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g495088-d1367890-i115560872-Wyndham_Caravan_Park-Wyndham_Kimberley_Region_Western_Australia.html

We drove up and up to the Five Rivers Lookout, this gave an amazing view over the Forrest, Durack, Pentecost, King and Ord Rivers and the tidal flats around Wyndham.  The birds (kites) flying on the thermals around this hill were quite numerous and make it look so effortless. https://www.australiasnorthwest.com/business/attraction/five-rivers-lookout We then headed back down to the township to look at the “Dreamtime Statues” and “Big Croc” both of which were quite well done. http://monumentaustralia.org.au/display/61273-warriu-park-dreamtime-statues; https://www.australiasnorthwest.com/business/attraction/big-croc  On the way back to Kununurra we stopped off at the Grotto to consider a swim, but there was very little water remaining at the moment. 

After lunch we went to Mirima (Hidden Valley) National Park and walked around the rock formations that we saw from Kelly’s Knob yesterday. https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/mirima A stop off at Kimberley Fine Diamonds showed me I know nothing about diamonds and pink argyle diamonds are way out of my budget.

https://kimberleyfinediamonds.com.au/ We enjoyed an afternoon swim at the caravan park before feeding the turtles just before sunset.  Another day thoroughly enjoyed.

24 August - Kununurra and Lake Argyle

24 August 2016 – 184 378

Kununurra and Lake Argyle

This morning we headed to the supermarket for a restock, and then to the tourist information to find out more about the Gibb River Road. https://www.visitkununurra.com/ The conclusion was that some facilities in the area are starting to close for the season already, due to a combination of a really boom season and the sudden drop in tourist numbers from the early start to the build-up.  We also went to the Department of Parks and Wildlife to buy an annual pass for the National Parks – this covers entry fees but not camping. https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/know/park-passes It appears we will need to have more definite plans here than we have had so far, as national park camping needs to be booked online prior to getting to a park – however the brochures on the local parks are far more detailed than in the territory and hence planning should be more possible.  We were also advised that Purnululu may be closed again as the fire that closed it last week has jumped containment lines.  Our next destination was Kelly’s knob, this was a steep climb that rewarded us with views over both the town and nearby rock formations – kind of like a mini Bungle Bungle area. https://www.visitkununurra.com/accommodation/kellys-knob-lookout

After lunch, we drove to Lake Argyle and had a look at the relocated Argyle Downs Homestead (of Durack family fame – Kings in Grass Castles). https://www.visitkununurra.com/contact-us/argyle-homestead-museum This had been relocated stone by stone before the Ord River was dammed and half of the Argyle Downs pastoral lease flooded.  

The remainder of the afternoon was spent with Lake Argyle Cruises, cruising on Lake Arrgyle – it is massive! https://www.lakeargylecruises.com/ It is many, many times larger than Sydney Harbour.  We got up close to cliffs with small families of short eared rock wallabies and wallaroos that came down to eat pellets. 

After heading into another cove bread was fed to many many fish. One of the types spits water into the air as a strategy to knock insects into the water so this was amusing as various people got hit.  Of course with a large number of fish congregating to eat the bread, some of the fresh water crocodiles came to have their dinner of fish. 

We then went out into the main section of Lake Argyle – in the distance it was just possible to see a sliver of land on the horizon – the lake is just enormous.  We went out into a deep section where we could all have a swim in a seemingly bottomless lake (it is over 40m deep in spots) while having nibblies and watching the sunset.  This was magical!!  Then home for bed.