Katherine NT to Kununurra WA

Tuesday 12^th June Today Darryl went and had his INR done prior to us leaving Katherine.  We then topped up the fuel and went on our way out the Savannah Way heading to Victoria River and on to Kununurra. 

 on the road again.....

We had a lovely drive looking at all the wattle trees that are coming into bloom and the flowering ‘tea trees’ with their purple flower.  We went past the Mathiesen rest area [110km from Katherine] as there were already about 12 vans in residence and continued on to the Sullivan Campground [178km from Katherine] in the Gregory National Park – about 18km from Victoria River Roadhouse. 

 stopped near Buntine Highway

monument

the Victoria Highway

 camp at Sullivan Campground, Gregory National Park

Not a huge area but there were four vans here already and it is situated on a billabong with lovely inviting clear water BUT there have been crocodiles reportedly seen here so we won’t succumb to the temptation. J

 Archer fish in Billabong

part of the Billabong

We had a lovely afternoon sitting in the shade and gradually we were joined by another 3 vans and a whizz-bang. We also had a group of four young men ride in on their bicycles – they are doing a cycle around Australia for LIFE (Living in Full Euphoria) to raise money for ‘Greenfleet’. ‘Greenfleet’ is going to plant so many thousand native trees in an area on the east coast of Australia (I think I have that right), and make it into revegetated National park. The four guys are – an English tourist [Nick], An English Artist [Tommy], A German lighting specialist [Markus], and an American kayak instructor [Jimmy] – all who had not met each other until about 3 weeks ago when they started their ride. They can be followed at www.lifeuphoria.com. They have got some sponsorship BUT they are paying their own way for food and accommodation etc. A great bunch of guys.
It is now 7pm and we have just been joined by another 4 caravans and they have managed to squeeze in somehow……….. Now for dinner of ravioli and vegies ----- using up our vegies before we reach the border……..

1 June 2012 From the "NT News" and the Greenfleet Website  www.greenfleet.com.au
Greenfleet, along with Darwin and Palmerston Mayors, send off four daring adventurers to cycle around the continent.
Four daring adventurers set off from Darwin today on their bicycles to ride 18,000 kilometres around the Australian mainland before returning to Darwin in December.
Their goal: an amazing cycling tour to raise awareness of climate change and environmental issues and raise funds for Greenfleet.
Nick Scaife (GB), Tommy Gurr (GB), Jimmy McGee (USA) and Markus Schorn (DE) are undertaking this epic trip, the longest any of them have ever contemplated, to raise enough funds to plant 8,000 native trees with Greenfleet.

Wednesday 13^th June.We left Sullivan's at about 8.30 this morning - after nearly wiping out the side of the van with a tree - oops. The tree was closer to the van then I thought and the last vans in last evening had blocked a free exit for us :(

We travelled past Victoria River Road house and the river was very WIDE. It looked pristine up and down the river….

The Victoria River Region has diverse and awe-inspiring land forms, history, heritage, abundant wildlife, climate and economic pursuits. The Victoria River is a mecca for fishing and produces some of the Territory’s best and biggest Barramundi. The escarpment and the unique Boab trees and weaving through it all is the Victoria River that runs into deep valleys and gorges. The Victoria River is the Territory’s largest waterway, in many places, it becomes over one kilometre wide.

nearing Victoria River Roadhouse

 crossing the Victoria River

We pottered along at about 85km per hour and saw lots of interesting scenery.  We came across our first Boab trees here to. 

 Huge Boab

We arrived at Timber Creek at about 10.30am and got fuel and bread and then headed to the coffee shop for morning tea.

 Devonshire tea!!! near the Bougainvillea

We had Devonshire coffees and Darryl got a sticker - "if in doubt...... exaggerate"!!!!

TIMBER CREEK is 225kms east from Katherine NT and 280kms west of Kununurra WA and was named in 1855 when the explorer Augustus Gregory used timber from the creek to repair his expedition's boat.  The areas rugged, unique scenery is appealing to 4WD adventurers and boat owners, but can also be appreciated from the Victoria Highway between Katherine and the WA border.

We then drove the 10km out to the Big Horse Creek Campground and found a spot.  There seemed to be only about four sites left!!!  Parked the van and then unhitched and had lunch. 

 our spot

Drove back towards town and turned off to Policeman's point Lookout and picnic area - 2km of rough dirt track to get there.  Supposed to be a day stop but there were about 7 fire pits and one was still smoking even though covered in earth.  The Victoria River goes into a very narrow channel, here, and then there are mini rapids.

We then went up to the "lookouts" which according to Camp Australia-wide 6 - allows camping.  When we got to the top "Town View" (about 3km along a single lane road with some VERY low trees), there were signs with tents and caravans crossed out and NO CAMPING signs.  Back at the first lookout there is a large area where about 5 vans could park but there is a very steep drive up there - so would be very slow getting to the top.  There are signs saying that it is a great spot for sunset shots and there is a memorial to the “Nackeroo’s” an ARMY force during 1942 – 1945 who kept a close watch on the northern coastline of Australia reporting any insurgents. [Source – ‘Curtin’s Cowboys’: Australia’s Secret Bush Commando’s by Richard and Helen Walker]

We then went to Bradshaw Bridge which is a Defence Forces bridge across the Victoria River to a live-ammunition target area.  It gave us a great view of the Victoria River.

from the middle of the bridge looking west

 sign on the other side of the bridge

Back to the van park and meeting up with some of our fellow campers from last night; Chris and Gordon (from Dunedoo) and Kareen and Ray (from Talbingo).  At 6pm we were joined by Nick, Tommy, Jimmy and Marcus - the four bike riders.  The park filled up quickly and there were about 30 vehicles in the campground.

Today was VERY hot - got to 39 degrees and there wasn't much breeze.  Three of the cyclists had ridden part of the way without their shirts on and were very sunburnt.  We gave them our tube of After-sun gel to help soothe the burn.

Tommy, Markus, Jimmy and Nick

ohhh Markus!!!!

Thursday 14^th June.  Darryl’s 55^th Birthday. Up at 7am and the 'boys' were already hoeing into breakfast.  The left at about 8.30am and by the time we had breakfast and farewelled Kareen and Ray (they are going to Lake Argyle today), got the van ready and then said goodbye to Chris and Gordon - we were on our way by 10am.  We went into the Gregory Tree on the way past and just to see that the inscription was made in the tree 156 years ago - and it is still visible - was amazing. 

GREGORY’S TREE. Gregory’s tree is situated 15km northwest of Timber Creek. This large Boab tree stands at the campsite of the early explorer Augustus Charles Gregory’s Northern Australia Expedition which was undertaken between October 1855 and July 1856.

 tree from a distance

 Mum's initials were in the other tree :)

We then continued on our way westward and past the cyclists at a rest area 47 km further on - so they had made good time (47km in 2/12hrs).

We continued on to the Saddle Creek Rest Area and pulled in just on 12md.  There were already about 12 RV's here but about half of them were staying for lunch and then continuing.

We will stay here tonight and make sure that we use all the vegies, tip the left over honey out for the birds and ants and make sure that all Buster's things are free of seeds and burs etc.  Today it has gotten to 33 degrees and it is only just 1pm :( so the cyclists are going to have a very hot day.

Darryl went for a Poppy nap and woke as I was thinking of getting dinner ready J.  It is now 7pm and ‘the boys’ haven’t made it this far.  It did end up getting to 39 degrees today – so we can understand why they didn’t make it.  Hopefully they will get going early in the morning to try and beat the heat.  We have used up all the vegies, washed out the containers and the crisper, made sure that there were no chilli’s left in the freezer, and then attacked Busters bedding and cover on the back seat.  We will brush him down in the morning before he goes into the car. J

 our last NT sunset for this trip

Friday 15^th June. Left Saddle creek at 8.45 this morning and we were one of the last to leave the campsite J. We arrived at the border and the quarantine checkpoint at 9.30am. 

 Quarantine checkpoint

Welcome to Western Australia!

 They were very thorough and went through all the cupboards, fridge and under the bed.  They didn’t find anything – even after they checked Buster over – whew…… OH… Change your clocks by 1 ½ hours [9.30am became 8am – its going to be a long day]

We continued on our way and turned left 7 km down the road and headed toward Lake Argyle.  The road is wide enough for two normal vehicles but you need to go off the edge of the road if there is another RV heading toward you.  On the way in the phone let us know that we had some messages and we decided that we would reply to them once we reached the campground.  We arrived at 8.30am --- hmm – but they let us check in anyway…..  We will be here for three nights.

 just a small portion of the lake :D

LAKE ARGYLE is classed as an inland sea covering over 1000 square kilometres.  The lake was formed by damming of the Ord River in 1971, and is Australia’s largest body of fresh water; acts as a reservoir for the irrigation scheme in Kununurra and provides spectacular views from the lookouts and cruise boats.  The lake is a wetland of international significance and is an ideal habitat for up to one third of Australia’s bird species. The lake holds about 21 times the amount of water as Sydney Harbour.  Argyle Downs – The home of the Durack’s – offers a fascinating insight into the lives of our pastoral pioneers, with a walk through the 1880’s former home of the Durack Family.  The famed homestead built by ‘Patsy’ Patrick Durack on a site now covered by Lake Argyle, has been reconstructed as a museum.

The day did not take long to start warming up and the heat was quite draining.  We went for a walk and took some photos around the campground and it was interesting to see how HIGH up we are compared to the Lake.  We went and booked in for our Sunset Cruise tomorrow afternoon and then returned to the van.  We met up with Ray and Kareen again and then had lunch.  We went for a drive back out along the road trying to find the spot where we got the messages this morning but to NO avail.  L  We went all the way to the highway and back again and no reception – so this morning must have been a bit of a fluke. L

 the 'endless' pool at Lake Argyle

We went back via the Dead Horse Springs – not a great name BUT quite picturesque.  It seems to have a barricade [?natural ?man-made] between two cliffs and then drops off into the valley beyond. 

It is a nice little area and it looks like people have been camping here also.  I don’t know if I would swim in it as there was quite a bit of weed and there was ‘something’ powering along under the water causing ripples – but didn’t come up so we could see what it was. J  We then drove past the campground and up to the lookout for the Lake.  WOW!!! 

The dam wall is really very small to be holding back so much water.  We then drove across the dam wall and down to the picnic grounds that are on the edge of the Ord River on the other side of the dam.  We could not get to the river as there is about a 6 metre drop on the other side of the fence. L  Back towards the van park and up to the top of the Water Tower road to the lookout and again what a view.  The water seems to go on endlessly……

There have been many bushfires here over the past few weeks and you can see how it has ravaged the country.  They look like they were very slow but intense fires and have not left anything in there paths.

Back to the van to let Buster have a bit of free time as he has been on his lead all day – in and out of the car. J  Darryl and I went and had showers and then headed up to the hotel for a beer.  Yep it was needed that badly as there are none left in the van L - but it wasn’t too cold as it didn’t seem to hit the sides :D  Buster was a good boy and stayed at the van.

After happy hour we returned to the van and gave the boy his dinner – but it was so hot he decided to wait about an hour before he finally ate it.  It got to 34.4 degrees under our awning today so will be interesting to see how low it goes tonight…..

Saturday 16^th June.  Well last night it only got to 22 degrees and I think we were more tired when we woke this morning…  I did not start the day too well – initially it was wobbles and then from then on it was gastro. L  I lost count of the number of ‘visits’ that were made out of the van but it seemed to settle by about 12.30pm.  Thank goodness for that as we are booked on the Sunset Tour this afternoon.  We went out to the office at 1.30 to watch the video on the construction of the dam – which was VERY dated but very interesting anyway.  The dam wall is 98metres high and 320metres at its base.

We boarded our bus at 2.30pm and were taken down to the ONLY boat ramp on Lake Argyle.  There were 28 of us for tonight’s tour.  We headed out and saw some Rock Wallabies first off and then around an island and back toward the dam wall – where our guide – Greg – gave us the low-down on the construction.  Around the lake we went and sometimes the water seemed to just go on and on.  It made you wonder where the edge of the water was. J 

 the 'endless' water of the Lake

There are so many ‘islands’ on the lake and the trapped wildlife that last year the dam got to its highest level and a lot of the smaller islands were engulfed and the animals had to be rescued and re-located to higher ground. It was really lovely scooting across the water and there wasn’t any wind – so the water looked like glass most of the time.  We were told that during the trip on the Lake today we would have covered about a 1/5 of the lake.

a couple of ladies enjoying their champagne in the Lake

Sunset came and we were encouraged to go into the lake.  Darryl declined and I declined because of this morning’s happenings.  The water was about 23 degrees and quite a few of the tour group took the plunge.  There were ‘noodles’ available for use and just about everyone used them.  There was champagne or beer for the swimmers and then Greg relented and offered everyone a drink.  He even ‘floated’ nibbles out to them in the lid of the esky.  It did not take long for the sun to go down and then we just slowly motored out into the wider waterway and headed back to the boat ramp.  We were out for a total of 3 /12 hours and Buster sat in his chair the whole time we were out.

Sunday 17^th June.  This morning we went to the office and had pancakes and hot drinks.  It cost us $7 a head for all we could eat.  It was an enjoyable way to spend the morning.  We went out to the Durack family homestead and wandered through it.  The homestead was pulled down and moved and re-erected when the dam wall was completed – otherwise it would be sitting under 40 metres of water. We then headed back to the van and took advantage of the free use of water and washed the car and the van and gave Buster a lovely warm shower too.  Not that he really liked that though J.  After lunch we went to the pool for a swim. Ohh the water was sooo cold but being in a pool that seemed to flow on for ever and end up in the lake, was something else.  We spent about an hour here and then headed back to the van only to hear Buster barking on the way.  Darryl wasn’t too please but Buster settled very quickly once we sat down.

We were told by one of the park workers that the temperature in the pool was lucky to be 20 degrees – even though it is in full sun all day.

Tomorrow we head into Kununurra and will have internet so will be able to let everyone know what we have been doing.

KUNUNURRA is an Aboriginal name meaning ‘the meeting of big waters’.  The development of the Kimberley region was based on the cattle industry when the early pioneers drove cattle across the top of Australia and from the south east to finally settle in the East Kimberley.  Cattle numbers grew to a peak of more than 800,000 head in 1978.  The pastoral history is well documented in books by Dame Mary Durack.  Kununurra was established in 1960 to service the Ord River Scheme.  It is true to say that without agriculture Kununurra would not exist.  It was the dream and persistence of pioneer Kimberley Durack that led to the first research station being established on the Ord River, more than 50 years ago. Prospecting and mining have been important to the development of the region and in 1979 diamonds were discovered near Lake Argyle.