Bourke/Peak Hill

28 June
We left Charleville and encountered something we had not seen previously on this trip - rain. I did have the wipers on intermittent for about 1 minute as slow as they would go, but it was definitely rain. We have been blessed with the weather on this trip and missed some quite substantial storms that have dumped plenty of water on areas that we had since left. The bush telegraph from other campers has kept us informed of how lucky we have been to miss the rain which had closed roads that we have already travelled.
Travelling through North Bourke we passed what was to be our campsite for the night, Kidmans Camp. We decided to visit the Bourke information centre and work out what the local attractions are and what we could see in the short time we were there, having decided to stay only one night. We decided to see the local lock and weir as this was quite close to the town centre. The lock and weir were built in 1897 to ensure a permanent supply of water to the town as the Darling River emptied too fast after rain. The Bourke Lock was the first to be built in Australia and the only one on the Darling.
From there we booked in at Kidmans Camp and set up the camper trailer before exploring the surrounds. We decided the swimming pools were too cold but the boys were rapt when they found that the well appointed camp kitchen had a TV as well.

29 June
This morning we woke up and headed down to the Darling River for a ride on a paddle steamer, the P.S. Jandra. This boat is actually a replica of the original Jandra utilising diesel generators to power the 2 independent paddles via electric motors. The original Jandra was built in the 1890's and its paddles turned together meaning it had a very poor turning circle (it was later converted into a barge and towed by the paddle steamer Nile). Although this boat is not very old, the boat's captain gave us plenty of information about the history of the area as we cruised down the Darling and made it possible to imagine what it was like living in the past.
On leaving Bourke we headed for Parkes, on the way stopping at Nyngan for lunch. We had to laugh at the signs saying that it was in the Bogan Shire and we decided what better place to have lunch than at the local Skate Park - surely this would be where the best of the best bogans would be. After the boys had had a skate with the locals, we headed off and passed signs that stated we were in the Bogan Catchment Area (and there was no prison in sight) for the Bogan River.
We decided that instead of travelling to Parkes we would finish our driving a little earlier and stop in at Peak Hill. On arriving at the Peak Hill Caravan Park we started setting up our camper trailer when the owner came past and offered us scones, jam and cream which were delicious - apparently this happens every evening at 4pm. Afet setting up we wandered over to the Big Fish Fossil Hut that is inside the caravan park. The collection includes a range of fossils that lived across Eastern Australia over the past 700 million years. The biggest fossil is a 4.5m long fish that is the largest on display in Australia.

30 June
Leaving the caravan park we took a walk around the open cut mine where they used to mine for gold in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A commercial company resumed mining in the late 1900s and early 2000s and a walking track has been built around both areas with information provided along the way. There are some wonderful views that show the extent of the mining.
From Peak Hill to Parkes was only a short drive of about 50km and we called in to see The Dish. We all enjoyed the interactive displays and saw 3 short 3D films about The Dish and the universe. The Dish is 64m in diameter but looks a lot bigger when you are close to it. This picture is taken from the visitor information centre.

Our next stop was for lunch at Young where we caught up with John and Moya. It was good to see them and their new house and have a beautiful home cooked meal again. Although we have eaten very well while we have been away there is nothing like a home cooked meal. We set the GPS for Gundagai and although the route it took us there was "scenic" I am not sure it was the fastest. We did get a lot of chances to play "Hey Cow!" - a game introduced to us by a stockman at The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame in Longreach. When you are travelling past a paddock with cows in it, you wind down your window and yell out "Hey Cow!" and you get points based on how many cows stop eating and look up. Declan is a champion at that game. After winding through the hills we arrived at Gundagai as the sun was starting to go down. we decided to stay in a cabin for the night. It was already very cold and the owner of the caravan park said there had been a couple of -4 degree nights already this week  Reset Map Display on map surrounding Accommodation Attractions Print Directions | Hide Directions

Charleville

26 June

Ernie Adams with Emu in the Sky

We left Ilfracombe knowing there were things we wanted to do in Charleville but other campers had told us to stay at the Evening Star Caravan Park, 10kms before Charleville. The Evening Star is situated on a cattle station but the owners decided to build a caravan park 5 years ago to supplement their income in times of drought. Through foresight and planning they have ended up with a caravan park with large sites, good amenities and activities to keep the holiday makers entertained. Upon arriving we were told that tonight Ernie Adams a local aborigine was going play the didgeridoo and show us aboriginal artifacts. Ernie played the didgeridoo very well and, although his artifact show wasn't terribly good, he had painted some lovely paintings and he told us the story of what he had painted. We bought one which was entitled Emu in the Sky. After eating dinner we took a packet of marshmellows to the very large communal campfire which was lit in April and will be kept going until September. The fire was reignited by pushing some sticks into the coals that had been smouldering all day and then more wood placed on top. The result was a beautiful fire - perfect for roasting marshmellows - that threw out plenty of heat.

27 June
After a slow start to the day, it was Tom's birthday, we went in to Charleville to book a night-time star gaze at the observatory and to look around. We managed to do a bit of shopping before going to a local cafe for a special lunch for Thomas. This was another place that had been recommended to us and it did not disappoint. The information we have received from other travellers has been invaluable and it has pointed us in the right direction many times throughout this trip.
We thought we should see the Stiger Vortex Rain Cannons while in Charleville. In 1902, in the midst of a drought, these cannons were commissioned to break the drought. The idea was to produce a blast that would change the atmospheric pressure and produce rain. This did not work but 2 of the cannons have been kept and mounted in a park

Stiger Vortex Rain Cannons

Declan and I dropped Tom and Linda back to the campsite before grabbing the fishing rods and trying our luck at the Warrego River, the northernmost tributary of the Darling River. Once again we came up empty-handed but I spent most of my time releasing Declan's line from snags.
We picked up Linda and Thomas from the campsite and after rugging up headed back in to town to the Observatory. After a short talk we were herded out to the building in which the telescopes were housed. The roof rolled back and the three telescopes which were GPS enabled picked up the stars and planets our guide was informing us about. The staff were very knowledgeable and our time there was very interesting.
For dinner we decided to go to the local hotel and have a birthday dinner for Thomas who, for the second time that day, we managed to fill up. Gee, teenagers eat a lot.

Winton/Longreach

23 June

Waltzing Matilda Exhibition

After leaving Hughenden our next point of call was Winton. This town is supposedly where Banjo Patterson first sung Waltzing Matilda and there is a large centre there that celebrates this along with a small Qantas museum. The Qantas museum is really not that good but we were here for the Waltzing Matilda exhibition anyway. The exhibition was very good and told the story through the eyes of the swagman who was portrayed as a ghost through a television screen in the billabong.

Declan outside Quintilda Centre

The exhibition contained other areas including a gallery and many old tools, machinery, cars and everyday goods from years gone past.

Arno's Wall

While in Winton we looked at Arno's Wall - a very unusual perimeter wall to a residential property that contains all sorts of items salvaged from the local landfill. The wall reaches 2 metres high and runs for about 70 metres and is constructed from rock from his opal mine and studded everything including the kitchen sink.

After having lunch at one of the local cafes we headed on across to Longreach. Rather than stay there we kept going another 27kms to Ilfracombe, a small town on the other side of Longreach that has a caravan park that was highly recommended by quite a few travellers that we had bumped into. The owners of the Ilfracombe Caravan Park run a happy hour where everyone from the park congregates in a small shed to chat to each other, eat nibbles and listen to them tell jokes and bush poetry. Tonight it was Cathy's turn and after giving a bit of information about local sights had us in stitches for about an hour.

Tom & Declan with a Boeing 747 jet engine

24 June
The next morning we drove back into Longreach to see the Qantas Museum, based here as the first ever Qantas flight took off from Longreach and flew to Cloncurry. The museum, although not run by Qantas, is very well stocked with Qantas planes and artifacts and we spent a couple of hours in there. We took a tour of 2 Qantas planes - a Boeing 747 jet 'City of Bunbury' and the Boeing 707 'City of Canberra'. The tour guide was very informative and as well as telling us much information about the different parts of the planes told us about their history as well.
After the Qantas Museum we looked around Longreach and did a bit of shopping before heading back for happy hour again. Tonight Jesse was on stage and was again very funny. He was having such good fun that he lost track of time and we had to leave to make dinner for the kids.


25 June

Add caption

Today we went and saw the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame. This is held in a massive 5 storey building and displays pioneering life in Australia and the roles of the stockmen. It is very comprehensive and has a lot of original tools that have been donated and replicas of other items that are no longer available. We then saw a very good show put on by a stockman. He told us about horses and camels as well as using a team of bullocks to load a log onto a wagon. His sense of humour was fantastic and continually had the large audience laughing histerically.

Stockmans Show @ Stockmans Hall of Fame

We had lamb burgers at the Cattleman's Bar and Grill before heading back in to see the rest of the exhibition. After some more shopping in Longreach (to get Tom's birthday present - don't tell him) we went back to Ilfracombe to go to happy hour again. But not before a lovely soak in the naturally heated artesian spa. This is about 32 degrees all year round and free to use. This time Cathy and Jesse's three kids, between 8 and 13, took the stage and were just as confident and funny as their parents. After a couple of bush poems each Jesse took the stage and again had us in stitches, the hour that he had the stage went very quickly.

Hughenden

21 June

From Mount Isa we aimed the car and camper trailer at Hughenden. We stopped at Julia Creek for lunch along the way. Julia Creek is a pretty little town and after having lunch decided to fill the camelbacks with water. The camelbacks have been used everyday and have been extremely useful both when hiking and even when we are driving. Our lunch must have disguised the taste of the Artesian water that this town uses for later on when we had a drink the water tasted disgusting. Linda was the only one who did not fill up her water supply and we spent the rest of the trip drinking her water.

When we arrived at Hughenden we booked into a caravan park and after speaking to a few people decided we should spend 2 nights here instead of just overnight. That night the park was having a fundraising for the Royal Flying Doctor and they had a sausage sizzle with an entertainer. The entertainer was a country and western singer who was quite good and, although they had under budgeted with the number of sausages, the night was a success and quite a few dollars were made for the cause.

22 June

Exhibition at Hughenden Visitor Centre

Porcupine Gorge

This morning we woke and headed off to the Hughenden Information Centre which had a Dinosaur Exhibition and a sound and light show on the formation of Pocupine Gorge. The dinosaur exhibition was about the dinosaur fossils in the area that had been discovered. This area is quite rich in dinosaur fossils and everywhere you go there seems to be a replica of a dinosaur, in particular Muttabuttasaurus. The sound and light show, a movie, was very good and set the scene for our trip to see Porcupine National Park which has inside it Porcupine Gorge. After seeing Porcupine Gorge Lookout which gave a good overview of the site we headed down into Porcupine Gorge. The Gorge walk was quite energetic and by the time we arrived the boys were happy to spend time by the waters edge. The water was fairly cold and rather than swim we spent time skimming stones and lobbing them into small pockets created in the side of the gorge. Porcupine Gorge, although very pretty, was to us just another gorge of which we have seen plenty and many better. If I had seen this gorge in isolation to the rest of the places we have been I would probably think this is a special place but to us it was just another gorge.  The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing while Tom and Declan went to the skate park with their scooters. They have really enjoyed spending time at the skate parks whenever we are near one.

Mount Isa

19 June
After leaving The Pebbles we spent most of the day in the car aimed at Mt Isa. Having arrived we stocked up at the local supermarket and then found a caravan park where we could set up and relax. Over the last 3.5 days we have travelled about 1800kms and we thought that Mt Isa should be the place where we stop for a couple of nights and find out a bit about this mining town.

20 June
The next morning we went out to the Information Centre to book a mining tour. We had also found out from our neighbours last night that there is a fossil and mining exhibition run from there as well. We went to the Riversleigh fossil exhibition first, a place which I had never heard of. Riversleigh is a place in north-western Queensland that has the paleontologists in a spin. Apparently most of the fossils found in the world are those of animals that either inhabit the water or live very close to it. At Riversleigh the conditions were ideal to capture fossils from animals that were land based and that happened hardly anywhere on Earth. Riversleigh, it seems, is renowned worldwide for its fossil specimens. The exhibit was very informative and more importantly interactive for the kids.

Tom & Declan in mining gear but without miners lamp

Following this we went and saw the mining exhibition which gave an insight into the way in which Mt Isa was formed and the conditions that the miners had to deal with. The Hard Work Mine Tour was at 1:00pm which meant we had time to duck out for lunch before returning to the Information Centre to find our tour was with just one other person. After being fitted out with a pair of orange overalls, some boots and a miners lamp complete with a battery attached to a belt (Declan had to wear a backpack as they did not have belts small enough) we went outside where Steve (our guide) showed us some of the mining machinery. From there it was into a lift and down into the shaft where we took a ride on a small electric carriage to the mine area. The whole tour was great and Steve shared a lot of knowledge gained from 40 years experience as a miner coupled with a great brand of humour.

Mataranka/The Pebbles

17 June

We have decided to come back home through Western Queensland instead of via the route through the middle. Having seen most of the sights along this route we might as well see some of Western Queensland as it is not an area we would probably set aside for a separate holiday.
Our first stopover was Mataranka, an area we enjoyed on the way up for its hot springs. We visited Bitter Springs again and thought after all the other springs we have visited along the way these were the deepest and clearest. The downside to them would be the smell of the algae but you get used to it after a while.

18 June

The Pebbles

The next morning we decided to make the long journey to The Pebbles, an area I wanted to visit on the journey north just out of Tennant Creek. There is a camping site at The Pebbles and it is here that we spent the night. The camp site has just the drop toilet but it is a free site and very well kept. The Pebbles, although an Aboriginal Sacred site, are very underwhelming and I have seen similar piles of rocks in the local garden supplies. Half the reason for staying there though was the proximity to Three Ways - the major route to Mt Isa which is the next leg of our journey.

Wyndham/Kununurra

15 June

Five Rivers Lookout

This morning we had to say goodbye to El Questro and The Gibb and head off to Kununurra via Wyndham. The reason for going to Wyndham was to view the Five Rivers Lookout. This is where five of the major rivers in the Northern Territory  (Ord, Forrest, King, Durack and Pentecost ) come together to spill out in to the Cambridge Gulf. The view from the highest point in the Bastion Range in Wyndham is quite spectacular with a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape. Wyndham used to be the major port in the area but has since been deserted in favour of Kununurra. We had a quick look over the rest of Wyndham and then enjoyed a very nice lunch at a local cafe before heading back to Kununurra.

We managed to find a nice caravan park situated right on Lake Kununurra to recharge the batteries after a few days without power  and, after setting up for the night, we went to shop to re-supply. After shopping at the local Coles we decided to go to Liquorland. After waiting for 45 minutes (they will not sell wine before 5:00pm) we were limited to 2 bottles of wine per adult and had to queue up for 15 minutes to be served. The queue went out of the bottle shop, back through Coles and out into the shopping mall. 

16 June

This morning we called in to the local auto-electrician to have the electric brakes on the trailer looked at as I had noticed they were no longer helping us stop. After spending an hour at reception I was told that over the corrugations the adjustment on the brakes had moved and they just had to adjust a dial. $60 later we were back on the road.

Whilst in Kununurra we decided to have a look at Mirima (Hidden Valley) National Park. It only has a few walks and the one we most wanted to do was closed but the rock formations there are not unlike the Bungle Bungles on a smaller scale. The sandstone is layered and not as spectacular but the colours are still very good. The three walks that we did were only short but provided information on some of the plants and there uses to the aboriginal people.

We left Kununurra and, after driving for the rest of the day, pulled up at a camping site in Gregory National Park. This site just off the main road had plenty of other holiday makers that had pulled up stumps for the day and we spent the rest of the day sharing a fire and swapping stories of what we had all done on our trips.

Gibb River Road (part 6) - El Questro Station

Pentecost River

11 June

Our plan this morning was to leave Home Valley Station early and reach El Questro Station before the grey nomads arrived. El Questro do not take bookings and we wanted to secure a private campsite. Although we were in a hurry we could not pass up the opportunity to take photos of the awesome sight of the mighty Pentecost River as it wound its way in front of us. I don’t think the pictures do the view justice.

After crossing the Durack River (which the Northern Territory Government had just filled with rocks to reduce the depth of the crossing to approx. 350mm deep) followed by the Pentecost River (approx 450mm deep) we arrived at El Questro and managed to get the last private campsite. This was a beautiful area right next to the Pentecost River with not another person in sight.

Our private campsite

We quickly set up the camper and made the short drive to Emma Gorge Resort where we had lunch before hiking in to see Emma Gorge. El Questro Station owns this resort as well (one million acres in total) but the only accommodation they have is cabins. After lunch we started our hike with Linda, Thomas and Declan commencing the walk while I went back to the car to get Declan's hat. While walking to catch up to them another Brown Snake (this time and olive coloured one - they range from brown to tan to olive green) - slithered across the path and upon seeing me reared up before heading back from where he had come. He obviously didn't want to hear what I called his mate.

Emma Gorge

The walk in to Emma Gorge is a pretty one with some beautiful scenery along the way and we were met with a very tall waterfall plunging in to a large pool. Although it had a small amount of thermal water entering the pool from the side we decided the water was too cold for a swim.

We threw the fishing lines into the river flowing past our campsite and although I caught a Barramundi - it was about 40cm (still 15cm short of the minimum size) – I had to throw it back.  It was disappointing to have to return it but at least I have now caught a fish on this trip.

Tonight El Questro had a gourmet buffet BBQ so we thought it was a good opportunity to fill Thomas up since he could eat all that he wanted. This proved to be the case as there was steak, chops, sausages, barramundi beaut,iful salads and wonderful deserts. At one stage it looked like Thomas would not be able to fit in deserts but he managed to find a bit of room he had in reserve.

Chamberlain Gorge

12 June

We woke up early this morning as we had booked a hire boat to cruise down the Chamberlain River to see Chamberlain Gorge. It is only possible to see Chamberlain Gorge from a boat or from the air so we picked up the motor, oars, life jackets and grabbed our fishing rods and drove down to the boats moored on the river. The motors are small electric ones that come with a small battery and after attaching it to the boat we cruised down the river. After avoiding the rocks dotted down the middle of the river we came to a small secluded beach where we beached the boat and explored the area while we had morning tea. The fish did not seem to be hungry again and after trawling on the return voyage our battery ran out of power and we had to row the last 100m to moor the boat.

After lunch Thomas, Declan and myself headed off to Fish Hole where we thought of all places we should be able to catch fish. Unfortunately the fish had other ideas and although we got a few bites we had to give the fish the points again.

13 June

Zebedee Springs

This morning we packed lunch and went to have a soak in Zebedee Springs – a thermal spring that has warm water cascading from waterfalls in to several different pools. This is a very beautiful area with the springs shaded by very old Livistonia Palms giving a tropical appearance. We spent about an hour in the pools and, after becoming quite wrinkly decided to get out and explore El Questro Gorge.

El Questro Gorge

El Questro Gorge was only a short drive away and proved to be the most challenging of the walks we have done so far. Although quite long (6.9km) the challenge came from the terrain we had to cross. The trail has some very large boulders that need to be scaled and water to be crossed. At the halfway point, an area a lot of people turn back, we had to remove our shoes and socks and carry our bags above our heads before clambering up a very big boulder so that we could continue our journey. We formed a chain with some other hikers and helped each other get our gear on to the large boulder without getting it wet. From there we continued our hike through some magnificent scenery to arrive at a waterfall at the end of the gorge. We ate lunch and I decided to have a swim before the return walk. The water was quite nice but when I got out the wind created by the waterfall quickly cooled me down. I think, although quite difficult, this has been the best walk we have done. The boys did a fantastic job of negotiating a very difficult walk.

14 June

Amalia Gorge

Today we decided to go and trek along Amalia Gorge. I think Declan was still feeling the effects of the long walk yesterday as he fell over a few times near the start of the walk and although it was nothing serious he took a while to get going. Once underway and on to the more difficult sections of the walk Declan was climbing the rocks like a rock wallaby. This walk has a difficult section where you walk along a narrow ledge about 4m above a rockpool. Once we had negotiated this section, it was a relatively easy walk to the now customary waterfall at the end of the gorge.

Upon returning to El Questro Township we had lunch and decided to drive up to Saddleback Ridge Lookout. After starting the drive we found the track was closed so we headed off to Pigeon Lookout to look out over much of the El Questro property. With the sun just starting to set it made for beautiful viewing.

Pigeon Lookout

Gibb River Road (Part 5) - Ellen Brae Station & Home Valley Station

9 June

Ellen Brae Station was our next destination and we arrived at about 4:00pm and quickly set up camp. We were warmly welcomed upon arrival and ushered to a very nice campsite. After eating dinner we all went down to the shower (with an old wood fired hot water system) and played cards. The whole campsite had a really nice feel to it and we enjoyed our stay.

10 June

We were going to have the very much talked about scones, jam and cream the next morning before exploring a gorge but the batteries in the trailer, although now charging whilst driving, had discharged to such a level that the fridge had turned off. This meant that we had to leave find somewhere to charge the batteries before all our food went off.

We left quickly this morning and headed for Kununurra to where we thought was the next place we would be able to get power. Fortunately we called in to Home Valley Station to check to see it would be worth coming back this far after charging our batteries. To our surprise Home Valley Station had powered sites and we quickly booked one for the night.

We decided that we would have a relaxing afternoon as the boys needed to recharge their batteries as much as the trailer so they spent the afternoon playing on the playground and swimming while Linda and I mapped out our travel plans and I made some more repairs to the electrics on the trailer. The Gibb has been very harsh on both car and trailer.

Dinner at the Home Valley Station restaurant looked really good so tonight we ate a lovely meal and listened to a local musician. After camping for this long you really appreciate someone else to preparing your meals and bringing them to you while you relax.

Gibb River Road (Part 4) - Manning Gorge

8 June

Manning Gorge

Galvans Gorge

After packing up we made tracks for Manning Gorge. Along the way we stopped at Galvans Gorge which required only a short walk before we encountered a beautiful waterhole with a waterfall cascading into it. We all jumped in and had a swim with Declan, Tom and I swimming over to the waterfall and climbing in behind the falling water. After this we climbed onto one of the higher rocks and jumped into the water. Tom decided to climb up a bit higher and, with Linda unable to watch, jumped off. Having done it once he re-climbed the rock and jumped repeatedly.

On arriving at Mount Barnett Roadhouse, which is where you pay for camping at Manning Gorge, we treated the boys to some good old fashioned junk food – some pies and chips. They have been eating sandwiches and wraps for lunch and thought all their Christmases had come at once.

We found a lovely shaded site in the campground and Linda and the boys went for a swim while I tried to work out why the batteries in the camper trailer were not recharging whilst driving. It seems the corrugations on The Gibb had taken their toll. 

Manning Gorge

9 June

The next morning we packed up the camper trailer and started hiking out to Manning Gorge. The first part of the journey requires you to swim across a deep river. There are foam boxes and tyre tubes provided in which we put all our backpacks, sunglasses, hats, etc. and floated them across as we swam. The next part of the 2km walk required climbing up and down some rocky areas and by the time we got there we were very happy to find a very large waterfall supplying plenty of water to a big waterhole.  Once again Tom, Declan and I jumped off the rocks the water was cascading from but this time the current from the waterfall was too strong for Declan to swim behind it. He decided that he and Linda should go back to the intial river crossing so he could play on one of the tyre tubes. Tom and I stayed a bit longer and explored around the waterfall before joining them.

Gibb River Road (Part 3) - Mornington Wildlife Conservancy

7 June

Sir John Gorge

We packed up this morning and left for Mornington Wildlife Conservancy, a property run by Australian Wildlife Conservancy. This group is buying up cattle stations and trying to conserve the native animals that usually occur naturally on the properties. On arriving at the turnoff to Mornington we had to stop at a radio point to book in and let them know we were coming. This lets them know if you do not arrive then they can search for you somewhere on their driveway that takes 2 hours to travel. After making the journey in we set up camp and drove down to Sir John Gorge Gorge. This pretty little gorge is only a short walk from the carpark and after clambering over rocks for some time we had a swim in one of the rockpools before heading back.

Sunset at Mornington Wildlife Conservancy

After eating dinner we decided to go and listen to a talk one of the rangers was hosting about the conservation work that is going on on the property. He talked about the effect of removing the cattle from the station and the

  After the talk I took my torch with me to go to the toilets when all of a sudden a Brown Snake slithered in front of me. As I was in the middle of a step it reared up at me only about a meter away. Taking exception to the names I was calling it it quickly took off into the long grass. I definitely needed to go to the toilet after that! I went and told Linda and the boys what had happen – Linda spent the next few minutes standing on a chair and the boys were directing their torches into the bushes at any sound that came from them.

Gibb River Road (Part2) - Windjana Gorge National Park

6 June

 We left Birdwood Station this morning and headed for Windjana Gorge National Park and as it was not a long journey, arrived early and had some of the best sites to choose from. This was another National Park that had great facilities that included flushable toilets and hot showers and were really well maintained. These parks are looked after by volunteers that camp on site also and are only too willing to help if there is a problem. While talking to the volunteers they suggested that we go to Tunnel Creek first and then come back and walk Winjana Gorge once the temperature had dropped a bit later in the day.

Tunnel Creek

Tunnel Creek

After setting up camp we drove the 30 odd kilometers to Tunnel Creek. Tunnel Creek runs from one side of the Napier Range through Western Australia's oldest cave system to the other side. Donning our head torches the walk through the caves found us wading through waist deep water (nearly neck deep for Declan) that was quite chilly but definitely worth it. There were stalagmites and stalagtites and even waterfalls inside the caves. At first the red eyes that were lit up by the torches were a bit disconcerting but upon closer inspection we found it to be fresh water yabbies. We had lunch by the river after walking back through the tunnel system and then headed back to our campsite.

Windjana Gorge

Winjana Gorge is a very pretty walk and only a short distance from where we stayed. The walk took us through some grasslands before entering a narrow crack in the rocks and into the gorge. At first we were walking along a narrow track next to towering limestone cliffs that belong to the same Devonian Reef we experienced at Geike Gorge. From there we found ourselves on a sandy beach where there were dozens of freshwater crocodiles making the most of the last of the suns rays for the day. They did not move for anybody and we could get up quite close to take photos.

Freshwater Crocodile

Derby/Birdwood Station/Gibb River Road (Part 1)

5 June

Boab Prison Tree

I headed off to pick up Thomas from Adam's house nice and early so we could be on the road early to head to Derby while Linda and Declan packed up our camper trailer. When we arrived back at our campsite Linda and Declan had finished most of the packing up and we quickly hooked up the camper trailer and made tracks for Derby. On the way we stopped at the Boab Prison Tree - a hollow Boab Tree where European Settlers used to keep Aborigines overnight after arresting them for killing the cattle that were ruining their waterholes.

Derby Wharf

 Our next stop was at Derby where we visited the wharf. It is a horseshoe shape that allows you to drive around one way and view where they load minerals on a barge to be taken to a ship sitting a long way off the coast. The water was flowing at an amazing rate as the tide in Derby has the largest variation in Australia and one of the highest in the world - at a particular time of year it can vary about 11.8m.

Declan and his horse Mighty Mouse

After looking around the town we decided to go a short distance down the Gibb River Road to Birdwood Station. This is a working cattle station and has campground accommodation. We decided on staying here as they offered horse riding as an activity. After setting up camp we made a booking to ride their horses but Tom decided that he would prefer to do something else. Declan, Linda and I were introduced to our horses and brushed them while they were being saddled. We then took a 1 hour ride around part of the property, that ended up being later than we had planned, and ended up watching the sunset on horseback. We all loved the ride and I think Declan would have loved to have taken his horse home.

Broome (Part 2)

3 June

Church at Beagle Bay

After finishing our spear making course we drove back to Broome via Beagle Bay to check out the church that the Missionaries built when they were trying to convert the local aboriginal population to Christianity. It is a beautiful church decorated with oyster shells and gives it a very unique appearance. We ate a late lunch - the boys were "starving" and then hopped back in the car for the return trip to Broome.

The 'road' from Cape Leveque to Broome

The road between Broome and Cape Leveque looks almost like a red river bed. It is very sandy with banked sides with plenty of corrugations and other obstacles. It made for very challenging driving especially when you are also looking out for kangaroos and wallabies as it approached dusk.
We arrived back at Broome to recharge our batteries and Adam and Bronwyn invited us over for dinner. We eagerly accepted as it was approaching dusk and they cooked us a very nice BBQ. We left Tom there to spend another day with Adam before we left for the next stage of our holiday - the long return trip home.

4 June
This morning we went shopping to stock up for the trip along the Gibb River Road - not particularly exciting but necessary as there aren't any well stocked shops in the next week of our travels. That afternoon we spent down at Roebuck Bay where we went to a water park. Linda lazed around in the sun and Declan and I squirted water at each other - a very relaxing afternoon.

Cape Leveque

1 June

This morning we left Broome and headed for Kooljaman at Cape Leveque – a well run aboriginal resort about 200km north of Broome. The road is unsealed, sandy and at times quite bumpy and required plenty of concentration. The trip though was very worthwhile for when we arrived we were faced with beautiful sandy beaches and the now very familiar blue skies. The campsite we were assigned for the night was shaded with flushable toilets and the showers hot. We set up camp and decided to have lunch and go down to the beach for a relaxing afternoon of swimming and exploring the rockpools. Ah yes – the simple things in life!
2 June

Declan's Golden Trevally

Declan and I decided to go down to the beach and fish the next morning. Declan caught a nice 33cm Golden Trevally and then spent the rest of the time running around keep the seagulls away from it with his impersonation of a dog. Upon returning to our campsite and showing off his prize catch, we packed up the camper trailer as we were lucky enough to secure a bush shelter for the next night. The bush shelters are private thatch-covered lean-tos located right next to the beach.

Bush Shelter

We spent the day fishing and playing on the beach before making a campfire and cooking Declan's fish with the rest of our dinner.



3 June
 The next morning we packed up and headed off to spear making course run by a local aboriginal elder (Bundy). We learnt how to straighten a branch in the fire while learning about the local aboriginal way of life. We also gained an understanding of their lack of care for the clock. After arriving for an 8:30am start the 2 hour course finally got underway at 9:00. After making the spears we were taken to a beautiful site where we attempted to use our spears to catch some fish – the local aboriginal boys pulled out some goggles and a spear gun and caught us some fish. By the time we had cooked the fish over a fire and learnt a bit more about the aboriginal way of life it was 1:00pm. It was a very enjoyable morning and the boys were rapt to be able to take their spears with them.

Bundy's spear-making course at Cape Leveque

Broome

Boab Tree

28-31 May

On our way to Broome we have entered the area where the majestic Boab trees thrive in this harsh climate. They are a fantastic architectural tree that make a big impact on the landscape. Although they thrive they are still just dotted throughout the woodlands. It is a shame people etch there names in them - it ruins what is otherwise a fantastic sight.

We have finally reached Broome and love every minute of it. I can see why people live here. We are 2 minutes walk to Cable Beach and each morning I having been running along the beach while Tim and Declan fish - still nothing. Tom has spent the all three days (and nights) with Adam.

The first night here we went out for dinner at Zanders. This is an open air resturant overlooking Cable Beach. They serve a beautiful meal and we enjoyed some WA wine. This was our first night not cooking in over a month so it was a refreshing break from routine.  Our first full day here we looked around the township of Broome and I did some retail therapy. Great shops with many original clothing designers and lots of pearls! Meanwhile Tim finished replacing the second fan belt that shredded in the Bungle Bungles when we lost the air conditioning belt. After a very cold swim in the pool we took dinner down to the beach. The north side of the rocks allows 4 wheel driving, so we headed down there with dinner and the fishing rods.

The next day saw us heading to Willie Creek Pearl Farm. Here we learnt all about how oysters make pearls and how they are harvested. We were then served home made beer damper, biscuits, fruit and refreshments before crusing down Willie Creek to take a look at the oyster racks and wildlife. Tim bought me a lovely salt water pearl ring, which I must say is stunning. (Thanks Tim) This was on of the most informative tours we have been on and was so different from many others

Cable Beach Camels

In the afternoon we took a camel ride along the beach - must for anyone visiting Broome. We all thoroughly enjoyed the 30 minute walk along Cable Beach and the guides were very helpful in providing information and taking plenty of photos.

The next morning we finally went to a market (Linda had been very disappointed that we seemed to be leaving a town whenever a market was on the next day). The Courthouse Market is held every weekend through the dry season and Linda eagerly searched through all the stalls - in my opinion spending far more time than was necessary. Declan purchased a Zebra stone necklace from the money he had been saving prior to this trip and now wears it proudly 24/7.

Fitzroy Crossing

27 May

Geike Gorge

After a long trip from Lake Argyle we arrived in Fitzroy Crossing, a town which obviously borders the Fitzroy River. This river has the largest flow rate in Australia.When it is in flood it flows at a staggering 27,000 cubic litres per second or would fill Sydney Harbour in 5 hours. When you see how wide it is and how deep it gets (you can see the silt attached to rocks and trees) you can imagine the amount of water that flows down it.
We decided to take a cruise down the 30m deep Geike Gorge, a limestone reef that was built by lime depositing organisms when much of Australia was under the ocean over 350 million years ago in the Devonian Period. The Fitzroy River has carved a gorge through the Devonian reef and it sits over 50m above the surrounding plains - this place is the equivalent of the Great Barrier Reef only above water.
Tom and Declan thought they would go for a swim in the pool at the caravan park when we returned after the cruise. As with most of the pools on our trip this one was very cold. Tom decided not to go in but Declan thought he would jump in and, after swimming to the other side, came out with a cold headache. Fitzroy Crossing does not really have any other features so we decided to only stay one night in the caravan park before moving on tomorrow.

Lake Argyle

24 May
After saying farewell to Edith Falls and the enjoyable time we spent there we made tracks for Lake Argyle - the largest man made lake in the Southern Hemisphere. We stopped at Victoria River for lunch (a town that consists entirely of a roadhouse with a motel attached) and continued on to Durack Homestead - the original stone house that was owned by Durack family that owned much of the land that was flooded when the Ord River was dammed to form Lake Argyle. Declan said it looked like new as they had recently painted inside.

Durack Homestead

The house was pulled apart stone by stone, numbered and put into 44 gallon drums, then transported to its current location. The family waited for some time before funding came through to turn it into a museum by which time the numbers had washed off the stones. The house was then rebuilt using the same stone in an order as near as possible to the existing house. The house contains much information about the way the family lived and some of the equipment and tools they used.

Lake Argyle from caravan park swimming pool

Our campsite for the night was the Lake Argyle caravan park which has an amazing  view from their wet edge swimming pool (which was so cold even Declan didn't go for a swim). The lake itself has had a remarkable effect on the wildlife with some of the animals on the endangered list being struck off since the lake was built (it also provides hydro-electricity).
Tim and Declan rose early the next morning to go fishing as we were still on NT time. So they were up at 5.30 and Tom and I got to sleep in (till 6.00!) Turns out we were a little early packing the sleeping bags away, being a bit further south it was cold at night (about 12 degrees).
Once again Tom and I packed the tent and waited for the fishermen to return. A nice gentleman suggested I should be rewarded for packing by being bought a diamond in Kununurra, Tim didn't agree.  I don't know why, pink diamonds were only start at $10,000!

The Bungle Bungles

25 May

Declan and I (Tim) woke up early to go fishing and (surprise surprise) we didn't catch anything before we returned to camp to find Linda and Tom well under way with packing up. Once finished we were on the road making tracks for the Purnululu National Park which contains the Bungle Bungles. After stocking up in Kununurra on the way (and Linda browsing the diamonds from a shop that are sourced from the local Argyle Diamond Mine) we made good time to the turnoff to our campsite for the night. From there the GPS told us that we only had 59km to go. After seeing a sign that told us to let our tyre pressure down to protect them we knew it was going to be a slow trip in. With quite a few creek crossings, mud, rocks and plenty of corrugations we finally finished the final 59km in two and a half hours – just as the sun was setting. This was not the best time to arrive at bush camping. Every site was taken and we had to squeeze between two groups (we weren't about to trek out and find somewhere else to camp). It didn't help when the boys started fighting and we were given long looks by our neighbours. After fights were settled we have become very routine and everyone knows what needs to be done to set up. This meant we we sitting down to a lovely dinner of butterflied lamb and veg with the hour. A great meal finished with a glass of port in a fantastic setting!

26 May 

We had planned to have a big day of hiking this morning but found out that a couple of the walks in the north of the park were still not open because of the amount of water still in the area.

While checking the health of our car batteries I discovered the remnants of our air conditioning belt and so spent the next hour under the bonnet replacing it with a spare that we had bought with us. Turns out our neighbours were very friendly people and even came over and gave us a hand. One of them was a pilot and had been flying tours through the area for years and had much information to share.

Finally underway we headed off to the Visitors Centre and then on to Kungkalahayi Lookout in the northern section of the park. The 360 degree views to the 500 million year old orange limestone cliff faces of the western escarpment of the Bungle Bungle Range were lovely but we were really interested in seeing the Bungle Bungles up close.

Kungkalahayi Lookout

After a 30 minute drive we were confronted with an amazing view from the carpark but the best was yet to come. We decided to do three walks in one hike which took around two and a half hours. The three walks were: The Dome Walk, Cathedral Gorge, and Piccaninny Creek Lookout.

The Dome Walk - Bungle Bungles

The Dome Walk took us past and around beautiful sandstone domes that rise out of the surrounding plains. It was only a short walk but whet our appetite for the sites to come.

The Cathedral Gorge Walk has now taken over from Kings Canyon as my favourite attraction on this trip. The whole walk is amazing with postcard-like scenery everywhere but finishes with a breath-taking amphitheatre that has to be seen to be believed. The colour and size of the gorge is fantastic and both Thomas and Declan loved the acoustics.

Cathedral Gorge Amphitheatre - Bungle Bungles

Cathedral Gorge - Bungle Bungles

Piccaninny Creek Lookout

We stayed in Cathedral Gorge for quite some time just taking in the serenity (punctuated regularly by the boys testing the acoustics and the shutter on my camera working overtime, Linda was speechless) before trecking out to the Piccaninny Creek Lookout. This is the longest of the walks with once again picturesque scenery everywhere. On arrival at the lookout the views over Picaninny Creek were amazing and I find myself running out of descriptive words for this beautiful area. 
Unfortunately the northern area of the park was closed due to flooding. So much water it has apparently destroyed much of the area and they are considering pumping the water out. It is not expected to be open till September or October - even then it will be the beginning of the next wet.

Piccaninny Creek Lookout