Barn Hill Cattle Station Sept 26

Yeah we were now at the West coast so have travelled from one side of Australia to the other.
Barn Hill is about 85kms long and has over 8000 head of cattle. The property runs along the coast and the owners have a camping area with basic powered and unpowered sites available.
The unpowered have the best views on the cliff top which means you get the breeze as well.
The road in is 10kms of red dirt and as peak season is passed we had good sites to choose from.

Opening one of the many cattle gates

Look at this,wonderful ! And you can swim.

The perfect view

Derby

Derby is located in the King Sound on the west coast and has the highest tide in all Australia and 2nd highest in the world at up to 11.8metres.
It has a population under 5,000 and has a long jetty where you can view the tides and fish of course.

Derby Jetty

Nearby is the famous Prison Boab Tree. They say they used it to lock up Aboriginal prisoners on the way to taking them to a far away prison as it is hollow inside. It is fenced off now and the sign warns you that there are snakes living inside!!
We had intended to stay a night here but the caravan parks wanted $38 per night and they did not look very nice. We visited Woolworths which was needed and drove further down towards Broome.
We were not due in Broome until Oct 9 for some appointments and after some research we decided a chill out at the beach might be needed. We knew of a good place about 100kms south so as it was now getting late we found a good overnight rest area to stay the night.

Prison Boab Tree

The journey to Derby

Travelling through the outback as I have mentioned is not as boring as we thought.

Lloyd, shirtless as usual while driving!

There is not much traffic but sometimes its interesting, like the old Model Ts that are travelling around Australia towing a sleeping trailer.They were raising money for Angel Flight.

We found a quite camp off the main road at an old RAF quarry, the rock formations were very interesting as were the huge numbers of boab trees.

Secluded camp site

Larrawa Cattle Station 23 Sept My Birthday

Thanks to everyone who emailed and txt birthday wishes.
We left Spring Creek and headed to the next town which was Halls Creek.
Now this is your typical outback town with many locals sitting on the ground under what shade they could find, the ground was red dust as well.
They did have a great little IGA for us to stock up on. However in this town you could not by any takeaway alcohol that was more than 2.5%, so that meant no birthday bubbles tonight. Luckily we had one bottle of red under the bed left.
The birthday lunch consisted of a local made  bakery pie. Actually it was very good as far as pies go, but not quite what I had imagined!!!
We did have a very nice steak dinner and I will have my birthday treat out when we get to Broome.
We stayed the night at our first cattle station Larrawa which is nearly 500,000 acres and they have recently opened at camping paddock which was great. It was nice talking to the owner Wendy and finding out a  little about life on an outback station.
We did have a problem the next morning when the Toyota wouldn't start. Typical auto electricians car, the batteries were dead flat so we needed a jump start from Wendy. The budget was rather blown to nearly $500 for 2 new batteries at the next town, Fitzroy Crossing ouch!

Sunset at Larrawa Station

Spring Creek

There are many wonderful free camping places along the way and Spring creek was one of those really good places. It had plenty of shade and a billabong that you could cool off in. It was a natural spring so there we plenty of little fish and very clear water. Usually I would not swim in anything like this especially as it was only thigh deep but in heat you take the opportunity to cool off, no crocs either!

The billabong

Also the people coming and going were mostly very friendly and happy hour was a time to exchange travel tips. We felt very happy leaving the caravan overnight while going into the Bungles.
We even managed to get enough sun on the solar panels, in fact we have had to cover them by 11 am as we were generating too much power.Who needs a generator?

Our camp site at Spring Creek

Echidna Chasm Bungle Bungles

We woke early again, thats before 6am. I even saw the sunrise at about 5.30am but the camera was in the car so no photo!
We were the first to arrive at the carpark at Echidna Chasm and so the walk in was not too hot.
The chasm is a long narrow gorge at only 1 metre wide in places with cliffs of over 200mts high and these tall palms. The best time to visit is when the sun is overhead at 12noon to get the light coming down but that was going to be way too hot for us so we enjoyed the shadows and some light at the top instead. It had amazing orange/red colours.

The walk in

The approach into the chasm

Campsite at Kurrajong Bungle Bungles

We had got an air bed and small cooker so we could sleep in the back of the Toyota. Lloyd also got  part of our awning which we haven't used yet to put over the car to give us some shade and of course a mosquito net so we could leave the back of the tailgate down for air. All set then!!!
The camp site was deserted, only 2 other people and its large with over 100 sites so we had plenty of places to choose from. Of course the main prerequisite is shade and we did find some and set up which took awhile.
I have to say the air bed in the back was very comfortable,and we had a great nights sleep with no insect problems. The temperature was a bit cooler too.

Camping without the caravan

We had taken a simple dinner to cook, sausages and yes, baked beans as we only had a cooler bag. We did however have our expresso coffee maker so all was good.

 Now our cooler bag is quite unique. We saw it in a Salvos store in Brisbane and the lady did a good sell on us. This bag not only is a cooler bag but has a little amp with 2 speakers to plug your iPod into. The fact that its covered with the Australian flag was something we had a problem with but we could see the advantages of music when out in the middle of no where. And it only cost $8!!!!

Sunset from our campsite

Bungle Bungles Cathedral Gorge

They say that this area "has outstanding examples of cone karst that have eroded over a period of 20 million years and are of exceptional geological interest" We agree!!!!!
The Cathedral Gorge is one of the highlights, its a large natural rock amphitheatre which is pretty stunning. We then did the circular Piccaninny Creek loop which takes you too a lookout. Very hot however in over 40 deg now. It was then time to head off to the northern part of the park and find a campsite for the night and get set up.

Inside Cathedral Gorge

Looking up

Another shot of the cone  beehive towers

Bungle Bungles Purnululu National Park: Part 1

This area got World heritage status in 2003 and is the sandstone area of the Bungle Bungle range.
Theses cone shaped sculptured rocks stand in towers of beehive shapes often alternating orange and grey bands are are up to 578 metres high.
The road in is accessible only in the dry season and is 4wd only and 53 kms from the main highway. The road is very rough and took us 2 hours. We left the caravan at Spring Creek and lovely free camp spot and set off for an adventure overnight!!!!

One of the many water crossings into the Bungles, it was about 750cms deep.

The drive was very interesting and after buying our camp pass we headed to the Cathedral  Gorge. The park itself about 60 ams from the north to south and we had decided to visit the south area first and camp in the north campsite for the night. The walk in to Cathedral gorge was not too far about 3.5kms round trip but it was heating up by the hour,by 9.30am it was 38deg. There were not many people around as we have missed the main tourist time of June - August. 

We of course make sure we have lots of water and the usual insect spray and sun screen. I am currently using a hat that we bought for Lloyd to replace his sea sprayed old one. I as yet have not found a hat to my liking so wear his Aussie drover one which works well at the moment.

Hiking into the Bungles in 40 deg heat

Emma Gorge September 18

We stayed in rest stop about 30kms from Emma Gorge so we could get an early start to beat the worst of the heat.

The scenery on the walk in

Emma Gorge is part of the El Questro Wildness Park in the Cockburn Ranges and it is situated on the other side of the park so was not affected by the fire.
There was plenty of parking for the caravan and after buying the permit needed we headed in, the walk is an hour each way with some large uneven parts over boulders. The high cliffs either side make the walking in pretty amazing but you have to remember to stop and look up as you are so busy looking down.

The end pool

Again the photos do not do it justice. The water was rather cool but to the right was an area where hot water flowed and you could sit among the rocks in waist deep water and enjoy the scenery. It was magical !!
We enquired about going into El Questro to camp on the way out back but many things were still closed and the smoke hanging about does not make for pleasant camping. We then decided to drive down towards the Bungle Bungles instead.
It was one of those decisions based on that you can't see everything and even though we do have time we could have had to wait around for a week which was not what we opted for.

Wyndham and Fires AGAIN

We had been told to go to Wyndham which is the oldest and northern most town in Western Australia and so after a bit of research we headed that way.
The town is very rundown, most things are closed and we didn't even take a photo.
We had intended to go up to a lookout where you can see 5 rivers merge into the ocean but the sign was NO CARAVANS so that ended that!
The only thing we did was fill up with diesel which did happen to be 25cents a litre cheaper than Kununurra and then leave as it didn't feel like the place you wanted to stay in.
We had read about a Nature Reserve called Parrys  so after 7 kms on a very corrugated road we arrived there. It had said animals and green grass, but neither were seen but we decided to stay away.
The positive things were, guess yes, the swimming pool and they were having a concert that night which we would get to listen to for free. They were actually very good and played a variety of music which we really enjoyed. Of course the pool was a great cool down place, it was about 37 deg and the next morning we headed for the famous El Questro station and Emma Gorge.

Band with Didgeridoo player

However as we drove along the Gibb River Road we could see many small fires and we pulled into where we intended to stay for the night. Within 5 minutes there was flames in the shrub about 20 metres away ,so obviously we drove out to meet the police who informed us the the area was being evacuated and we needed to leave the area. The sights in this area are supposed to be excellent and we are not able to do a loop and return. So we have decided to stay in overnight rest area about 30 kms away and see if all is clear for tomorrow.

This is the nearest we got to see this spectacular area!!

Fire near Gibb River Rd

Lake Argyle Sunset Cruise

One of the things most people do at Lake Argyle is go on a sunset cruise.On ours we only had 10 other people which gave us plenty of room for taking photos.

Fresh water Croc

There are about 170 islands in the Lake depending on the levels and this makes for some interesting animals and birds.

Small Rock Wallabies

We both enjoyed the swims, the water temp was 27 deg and I even had another swim at sunset.
The information we heard was very interesting, of course the place looks rather different in the wet season.
One thing I forgot to mention was that it gets really dark here by 5.30pm.
Western Australia is 1 and 1/2 hrs behind Northern Territory so we have been waking at 5.30am since crossing the boarder when it gets light as sunrise is 5.20 am.
Crazy they don't have daylight saving, everyone we spoke to would love it.
We were very saddened to hear about the passing of our dear friend Shaun's Dad Noel.
We visited Noel before we left on our trip in late April and enjoyed as always his sense of humour and his politically in-correct jokes that he managed to get away with his cheeky grin.
 We will miss you Noel, Rest In Peace.

Some of the many islands

Lynda and friends enjoying bubbles and snacks at sunset

Lake Argyle

We decided to stay at  Lake  Argyle for 2 days as it was a lovely grassy camp site. After awhile the red dust does get to you a bit,it manages to find its way into everything. It was so lovely just being able to step out of the caravan on to green grass, simple pleasures!!!
Another wonderful thing about the camp site was the infinity swimming pool, the scenery was spectacular.
Lake Argyle is Australia's largest man made lake with a surface of about 1,000 sq metres about 18 times the size of Sydney Harbour.It was filled in 1971 after an earth walled dam was constructed and then the area flooded to form the lake.

The pool and the view makes me HAPPY

Travel to the Boarder

The journey to Kununurra involves crossing the boarder to Western Australia and a quarantine check.
You are not allowed to take over any plants, fresh fruits or vegetables but frozen or cooked is ok.
This meant making sure we had used everything or throwing it out which did happen with a few things.
The landscape was quite different as we drove towards Kununurra, very large rock formations just out of no where and of course boab trees. They are everywhere in the Kimberely Region and some are as old as 1500 years, they are sometimes called bottle trees as well.The name bottle relates to the swollen trunk that can be as much as 20 mtrs and of course it is a great food source to Aborigines especially the roots of the young trees and the nuts.

Rock formations on the Victoria Highway 

Boab Tree

Gregory National Park

We left Katherine late afternoon and only drove for about an hour before we found a nice spot for the night.There was only about 3 other vans,so plenty of room and even water available.
In the morning we headed for the town of Timber Creek which only has 2 hotels and a Aboriginal settlement but also the Gregory National Park.
The camp there was a delight, we so enjoyed watching the birds of prey Kites nesting. It was very, very hot night and so for the first time we used our battery tent fan we had bought in Katherine. It worked so well!!!

Sunset at a Memorial lookout to the Nackaroos overlooking the National Park

We also found a place not far from the camp site that had service so I could sit and do the blog and it had a lovely breeze.

My outdoor office alongside the Victoria River

Wild Life

Agile Wallaby

The camp site at the Nitmiluk National Park has lots of roaming wallabies. They come around looking for food and of course you are not allowed to feed them but it does not stop them getting into peoples tents looking.
We also enjoyed watching the many parrots that especially love the water sprinklers.

Katherine Gorge Nitmiluk National Park

When we came through Katherine we wanted to go to the gorge and hire canoes but they were all booked up for 4 days so the plan was to return as we had to come this way to visit the Kimberelys anyway.
This time we had booked the canoes and also the campsite for 2 nights. After stocking up on food etc we arrived at the park which is very well set out and organised. We enjoyed a afternoon in the lovely resort type swimming pool and set off at 8am the next morning to kayak up the gorge.
They say that this is the best way to see the gorges, there are actually 13 gorges but of course in a day you can only do 3 or 4. However we are at the end of the dry season so the water is very low and we could only paddle to the end of the 3rd.
We did however leave the kayak and walk for about an hour over large boulders to get to the start of the 4th and see Smit Rock.The walk was rather tricky as the boulders were getting very hot and were all various shapes and large so it was like a bit of a maze but over not around them.
 We did have a 2 man kayak again and I have to say we did improve, paddling for over 4 hours I guess you have to find a way !!!

Paddling through 3rd gorge

The scenery is pretty impressive in the 2nd and 3rd gorge and again the photos don't really do it justice.
You can't swim in the gorges but we kept cool by dipping in our arms and of course the intake of water had to be kept up.
We got back about 2pm and felt pretty drained so off for a long swim again.

Lunch stop

End of 1st Gorge,these are left so you don't have to carry your kayak to the next gorge.

Back to Gunlom

As we had to leave Gunlom in the Kakadu National Park because of the fire, we never made to hike up to the plunge pools at the top so it was always our intention to return when it was all clear and open again.
We decided because the road is so bad not to take the caravan so stayed at a campsite about 12kms from the road in at Mary Road House. It was a large campsite but hardly anyone was there as the Roadhouse has closed down and it looks pretty run down. Funny though it has a wonderful swimming pool which is kept well cleaned as so we decided to stay 2 nights so that we could spend the day at Gunlom.
The drive into Gunlom of course was much easier without the caravan and only took 35 mins as opposed to well over an hour.
The climb up to the pools is extremely steep, I did feel like a mountaineer and we had a pack each with food,drink etc and of course our swimming gear. They pools are about 250 ft from the bottom of the waterfall.
Well it was so worth the trouble of returning and the climb, just breath taking. There are about 5 pools at the top you can swim in but it is the pool that overlooks the view that is very special. There weren't many people for the first hour but they all started to arrive and by the time we left after 3 hrs it was busy, not crowded as its quite spread out.

The climb

The pools from the very top, the waterfall goes over the last pool down 250ft.

The pool and view

Termite Mounds

On the way out of the park on Saturday we visited the interesting Magnetic Termite Mounds. They are as much as 3 metres high,

wedge shaped and aligned in a north-south direction to control the temperature inside the mounds as they environment is so harsh.These are grass eating termites unlike the house eating type.

This is a cathedral termite mound which has tunnels, chimneys and arches,amazing architectural feats!Over 6 metres