Half-lap Day 58: Kununurra

Our plan was to leave for our Lake Argyle Cruise at 6.30am – with the sun coming up around 6, that wasn’t a problem. We all had a quick breakfast, and packed swimmers and sunscreen and snacks, and drove out to the lake, about 70km from Kununurra. The road in from the highway wound between tall rocky hills with scrubby brush. As we got closer we caught a glimpse of the Ord River down in a valley, then spots of blue as we saw the lake.

We pulled up at the Resort/Caravan Park and they said to wait outside for the bus. We had a bit of a wander and looked out over the lake – so big and blue! – and at the infinity pool at the resort – the water flows over the edge so it feels like you are actually swimming right up to the mountains and the lake. The kids browsed the gift shop and Millie bought a curly straw with a crocodile on it.

The bus came (with people already on it from Kununurra – that would have cost extra) and took us down to the boat ramp. We had a view of the dam wall as we drove, then the bus went down a steep (13% grade) road to the boat, we all got out of the bus and onto the boat while the driver reversed back up part of the road, turned around, and reversed down again so the bus was ready to go when we got back.

After a quick safety talk and letting us know that there was a toilet, as well as tea, coffee, biscuits and water available at all times on the cruise, we set off and went around the first point to see some wallabies. They were quite small and extremely agile, leaping around on the rocks in huge bounds. The driver threw some food onto the rocks and a couple of them came down close to the boat – the kids were so excited and the wallabies were very cute.

From there we went around closer to the dam wall – a very impressive structure, made of a clay core and then rocks (no concrete). The dam was built in the late 1960s to give a permanent water supply to the farmers in the Ord Irrigation Area – the Ord River before that would dry up a lot in the dry season. Now it is at a constant level year round and provides enough water for everyone in the region. The lake is 21 times the volume of Sydney Harbour – really massive. The islands throught the lake are the tops of more of the hills like the ones we drove through coming in. Some are just little rocks sticking out of the water, some are still massive hills in their own right.

We went to the deepest part of the lake (42m at this point), seeing a freshwater crocodile on the shore along the way, and heard a bit about how they’d decided where to put the dam wall. Then we moved on to some of the islands, where we saw several crocodiles and the boat was able to get quite close to the shore where they were sunning themselves. A couple of times one of the crocodiles slid into the water – so silently and gracefully we wouldn’t have noticed it move if we hadn’t been looking at it. The boat moved around into a little bay where we are able to feed the fish – holding out bread above the water so that the archer fish could shoot it with their little jets of water (lots of fun and something I’d been so keen to do ever since I heard about it) and dropping bread into the water for the archer fish, catfish and black bream. At one point I was standing and taking a photo of a freshwater crocodile and the driver sneaked up behind me and grabbed my leg. I shrieked and fell onto the seat – everyone thought it was pretty funny.

We continued further into the lake, and soon came to places where we couldn’t see any land in a couple of directions. During the tour we covered a quarter of the lake’s distance and we didn’t ever see the ends even on the horizon – it is massive. We cruised past a male jabiru standing on his nest up on top of a little rocky island, and saw lots of pelicans, cormorants, kites and other birds. We saw a wallaroo on one of the islands, much bigger than any wallaby we’ve seen anywhere up in this northern part of Australia. Before the dam was flooded, people came up and removed as many of the animals from the hills as possible, with some of the bigger hills that would become big islands, they left the animals as their island would be big enough to sustain a population.

The lake was so massive we couldn't see the end of it

Cruising to a few more parts of dam we learnt more about the history of the area and the farms that were here before the dam. People made cups of tea as they felt like it, and the kids had several biscuits from the tin. LiAM also had a cup of tea. Millie got her fingers jammed in the toilet door – she had indents in both sides of her fingers and they swelled up quite quickly – luckily I had my first aid kit with me and a bit of arnica and strapping helped them to feel a bit better.

Caitlin had been worried about the idea of a swim as part of the cruise – on the shore of one of the islands would feel risky because of the crocodiles, but swimming out in the deep part of the lake would feel scary because of the unknown nature of all that water below us. This cruise stopped in a deep part – around 22m deep – for us to swim in an area safe from crocodiles –they don’t come out that deep. Tony was the first person in off the back of the boat. Caitlin was still unsure and I suggested she just jump in and climb straight back out. Once she’d done that she felt more comfortable and was able to go back in. They provided pool noodles so we could hang on to them and feel even safer, not having to worry about the depth of the water. About half the boatload went in for a swim (there were only 10-12 other people on the cruise). LiAM went in and loved it and I joined them – the water was beautiful temperature and it was amazing to be swimming in this large lake with all the rocky mountains around. Millie was unsure about whether she wanted to swim or not. She ended up sitting on the top step of the ladder and putting her feet in, and she was happy with that. LiAM was the last one out of the water when it was time to get back in the boat, he really loved the experience.

We heard a bit more history of the area then headed back to the boat ramp and back onto the bus, which took us to the resort again. We all loved the cruise and were happy that we’d chosen this one instead of paying more for the sunset one. The driver was funny and friendly and so knowledgeable about the area (and the owner of the cruise company).

Back at the resort we wandered around and looked at the views a bit more. We enquired about the day use fees – they were $25 for the family, which felt like a bit much to pay just to use the pool, as cool as it would have been. Millie was extremely disappointed when we decided not to swim there – I forgot that she hadn’t swum in the lake and so was really wanting a swim, and it was such an incredible location. I do wish that we’d just spent the money and let at least Millie use the pool.

Looking at the Infinity Pool and Lake Argyle

After we looked at the view and explored the grounds for a while – and saw a helicopter take off on a scenic flight, and dip excitingly down into the valley immediately after takeoff – we drove down and over the dam wall, which was pretty incredible. There was a picnic area alongside the Ord River on the far side of the wall, so we sat in the shade at a table there and had some lunch, then the kids and I went for a wander down to the river where some people were fishing. They soon left and we had the area to ourselves. There was a great view of the base of the dam wall and the outlet pipes, and along the river between the very tall cliffs. We watched the river and the fish in it for ages, then LiAM discovered lots of tiny little frogs jumping around on the edge of the water, which kept us fascinated for a while. Eventually the sun got too much for us and we headed back up to the car. On the way out we drove back down to the river’s edge so Tony could see the view and the frogs – LiAM caught one and as he was showing me it jumped into the car, it took us a little while to get it out.

We drove back into town and went to the op shop, catching it just before it closed. LiAM bought a water bomb set – with a bottle and spray nozzle to fill up the water bombs, and the girls and I found a t-shirt each. Tony checked at the post office but his wine still isn’t there. We went around to Target because LiAM wanted to get more of the cheap Skylanders – he and Millie bought some each, Tony found a t-shirt, I bought more swimmers for myself and LiAM as ours are starting to disintegrate, and we bought more of the cheap bags of lollies, great for in car snacks. We also went to the discount store next door and got some paints (Caitlin wants to do more dot painting), snorkels and masks to replace the 2 of ours that have been broken, and a box of cup-a-noodles at a third of the price we can get them, on special, at Coles.

After our very satisfying shopping trip we went back to the caravan park, and I asked if anyone wanted to head in to the National Park to see if we could get up to the top of the rocks and see the views. Millie wasn’t keen, and I’d been a little way in the day before, so Tony went with Caitlin and LiAM. Millie and I went for a swim, then went back to the tent to play some games. The others were gone until after dark, then went straight to the pool to cool off. They had made it up to the lookout and seen a cool view across Kununurra – the path to the lookout was a long walk through the National Park from our tent, so it had taken them quite a while and they were pretty tired.

 Back at the tent the kids played on the computer for a while. We had pasta, bacon and pesto for dinner, and Caitlin was very keen to get to bed quickly as she was getting up early for a horse ride in the morning. We went to bed and started to read Inheritance, until Caitlin fell asleep in her tent.

Half-lap Day 31: Daly Waters -> Mataranka

I was awake often during the night. It was hot, and I was worrying about our dog at home (he’s having some issues with the chickens) and about crocodiles. I’ve never worried about or been scared of predators before, but this latest crocodile attack has freaked me out a little. I felt less worried when I woke up though, around sunrise. It was cool outside, but still warm enough for us to have all the windows open in the tent and not feel cold.

We packed up as quickly as we could, which included not getting out our saucepan tub so Caitlin didn’t have her usual baked beans on toast and I didn’t have my usual porridge – this made sense in terms of getting away more quickly, but it meant we were both a bit hungrier than usual all day, so next time we do that we need to also eat something with protein as a replacement. While we packed up the kids played with the 2 year old girl camped near us, and Millie’s 6yo friend came over to play while her mum packed. We were ready to go by 9.20, our earliest getaway so far. It was already pretty hot by the time we left.

On the way out we stopped at the Stuart Tree – Stuart the explorer came through here on his final and successful attempt to walk from the south of the continent to the north – crazy to think of those early explorers navigating this tough, hot terrain, with no idea of what lay before them. Apparently he stopped at the waterholes and named them Daly Waters, and carved his initials in a tree. The tree is still there – well, it’s a dead stump now, with a fence around it, and it was a bit sad looking really, but I like wandering around the area and thinking of Stuart and his team being there nearly 200 years ago. We stopped next at the airstrip – it was built in 1927 and was a leg in the plane journey from the east coast to England, so is Australia’s first international airport. It was also used in WWII as a launching place for planes to fly to Java.

We were back out on the highway before 10, driving with windows down and listening to Harry Potter. Because we’ve done 3 stops in a row of only 1 night, I haven’t been getting in to the trailer to pull out extra food, and our snack supplies in the car had run low. We only drove 160km but it was our hottest and most uncomfortable so far. We saw several dead cows on the side of the road, and the live cattle we saw were large and skinny, like the kind of cows I think of being bred in Africa.

We arrived at Jamulark Campground, in the Elsey National Park just near Mataranka. We found a campsite that looked like it would have good shade, and had a swing hanging from a tree nearby, then realised that under the dirt was bitumen so we wouldn’t be able to peg in the tent. We looked around for another site and moved the trailer, then decided that everyone was way too hot and cranky to eat or to set up, so we changed into swimmers and headed for the Thermal Pool.

The walk to the pool from the Homestead was lovely, through tall palm trees, and the pool looked amazing, blue and clear and cool in among the trees. There were quite a few people there, but the pool wasn’t really crowded. We went in at the first steps and it was very deep – Millie was a bit scared and a lady who was getting out offered Millie her noodle to float on, and told us her site number at the caravan park for us to return it later. We floated around and LiAM, Caitlin and I explored the full length of the pool, discovering it was shallower around the corner and it ended with a small waterfall flowing out into the creek beyond. There was quite a strong current, swimming back up to Tony and Millie took quite a lot of effort. We swam around for a while – the water was quite warm but very refreshing, then Millie had had enough, so she and I walked back to the car to get food. She was really quite unhappy and didn’t want to go back in to the pool. After we’d all had some nutella sandwiches and a drink of lemonade everyone felt better and went for another swim, even Millie. We chatted to a few people and floated on our backs – very cool to look up through the trees into the sky and clouds far above.

Millie’s friend was staying near the other springs so we thought we might head there later in the day. By the time we got out of the pool it was nearly 4pm and we tossed up whether to go straight to Bitter Springs, or go and set up the tent first, or some of us go to the springs and some to the tent – after much discussion we decided we were all too tired and hungry to go anywhere so we’d go back to the tent, set up, have something more to eat, then go to Bitter Springs.

It was cooler back at the campground than it had been, and setting up didn’t take too long, although the ground was so hard that we couldn’t get pegs in even though we were on dirt. The beds hold down the end of the tent and we attached guy ropes to trees, so the tent is stable even if it’s not exactly the right tension. We had some sandwiches then drove back to Bitter Springs, stopping for milk at the little supermarket on the way through and catching them just as they were closing up at 6pm. It was still light and there were still a few people in the springs, which were much more natural than the Mataranka ones. There were metal steps and platforms and no other modifications, the Mataranka pool has stone walls and places to sit in the water. The water was beautifully warm and it was also deep, although there was a rock where Millie could stand up. We swam for a little while and soon were the only people left. It was getting dark and even though I knew logically there were no crocodiles in this water, it started to feel extremely spooky and every ripple sounded like a crocodile. We had a real fright when someone swam around the corner from further down the creek! We got out and walked further down the path to another platform – normally the current can carry you from the first platform to this last one, we might come back in more daylight hours and try it out. We saw 2 turtles in the water, quite large, who swam away when we got close. Tony and Millie had one last swim then we headed back to the car before the mosquitoes got too bad.

The drive back was slow as there were so many wallabies by the side of the road. These wallabies are small, with really narrow heads, unlike any we’ve seen so far. We saw a frog sitting in the middle of the road, and thought we saw a cane toad crossing the road – later Tony and Caitlin saw a cane toad at the campground. We also saw some wild cattle. When we drove in during the afternoon we saw a dingo. We had soup and noodles back at the tent, and heard the wild donkeys braying in the bush around us.

We were all as tired as we’ve been on this trip so far I think, so after we ate we very quickly got into bed and read for a very brief time before crashing.

Half-lap Day 13: Flinders Ranges -> Pimba

We woke to another sunny day and began packing up our campsite. We didn’t rush, enjoyed the scenery and the morning and got things done as we could. I went for a walk with Caitlin and LiAM to see the things they’d discovered in their explorations – a tyre in the dry creekbed they’d named Wombat Tyre (as it looked like a wombat from a distance), Sun Fence Hill, and Magpie Mountain. It was very pleasant wandering through the trees and rocks of the hills surrounding our campsite, and we came across several wallabies as we walked.

Exploring near our campsite

We left in the late morning, and enjoyed the views of the Flinders Ranges as we drove away. Even in the light of the middle of the day they were impressive. As we drove south again we saw many more ruins of stone houses and barns – I’m guessing the droughts of the early years of farming out here meant that most people left and their buildings fell apart.

We stopped in Quorn when we saw the steam train from the Pichi Richi railway was in town. We ran over to the station in time to see it reverse out of the yard, heading down the line to get water. It wouldn’t be back to leave for it’s trip to Port Augusta for another hour or so, so we didn’t wait around for it. Millie and I had a browse in a little art gallery/homewares store, and saw some beautiful paintings and photos of the surrounding area.

Driving from Quorn to Port Augusta (listening to Harry Potter) we crossed the railway line several times, seeing some cool bridges and driving windy roads through the hills. It was exciting to see the gulf as we approached Port Augusta – we haven’t seen much water at all on the trip so far, and won’t see much more until we get to Darwin (although the 2^nd part of our trip will involve much more ocean). We stopped in Port Augusta to get fuel and groceries, and the kids played along the foreshore for a little while.

Heading out was exciting, especially once we passed through the intersection where we could head to Darwin or to Perth – we’ll come back to that spot in a few months time. For now though we were heading up the middle to the outback. The terrain became very flat, and there were large areas without any trees. Suddenly the land dropped away to our left and there was a large lagoon (with some water in it) and a couple of large hills poking out of it like islands (it’s called Island Lagoon). It was unexpected and quite breathtaking. We also started to see road trains – huge trucks with 3 trailers.

We stopped at Spuds roadhouse at Pimba – a free camp, where we set up in the large parking area with lots of caravans. The ground was too hard for our pegs, so we tied the guy ropes to the fence, and put LiAM’s bed across the bottom end of the tent to hold those corners down. The girls were happy to just sleep on the thermorests and not get their beds out. 

Train at Spuds roadhouse, Pimba

We had hot chips for dinner at the pub (when we arrived the smell was so enticing, and it was fun sitting in the beer garden eating chips and drinking soft drink as a treat). We saw a great sunset across the plains, and a couple of trains went past while we were setting up. Caitlin had a shower then we all settled in for some Brisingr and tried to get to sleep while battling off mossies.

Half-lap Day 11: Flinders Ranges

I woke early and settled into a spot on the rocks overlooking the Flinders Ranges to drink my cup of tea and write my blog. I was up in time to watch the sun rise over the mountains which was quite spectacular. LiAM joined me after a while and we went for a walk down through the hills surrounding our camp. We saw lots of interesting rocks and plants, and 2 wallabies camouflaged into the hillside – their fur is almost exactly the same colour as the grass!

Sunrise over the Flinders Ranges (taken from our campsite)

It was a lovely sunny morning and soon warmed up, the warmest we’ve probably been on the trip so far. Once everyone was out of bed we opened up all the windows in the tent, as there were still some damp patches from Monday. Millie enjoyed sitting up on our bed colouring in, while the sun came in the windows. We spent the morning hanging around the campsite – the kids dug a hole looking for gold, they explored more of the paths leading off from the camp, I sorted out the washing and enjoyed being in the sun, Tony strung up some ropes to dry all our annex canvases on. Caitlin and Tony tried riding their bikes around the campsites but the tracks were a bit rough for Caitlin’s bike. It was so lovely to just take our time and enjoy the beautiful spot.

We saw pairs of wedge tailed eagles a few times – we could see them maneuvering through the air – stopping and dropping backwards then catching another draught of air, and starting dives then pulling out – we see eagles often at home and had never seen this behavior – then realised that we were up so much higher than usual on our hill, and were seeing the eagles much closer to their full flight height so could see more detail. Normally when they are that high they just look like specks to us and we can’t see what they are doing.

In the afternoon we headed out to explore the national park a bit. We drove out to Sacred Canyon – 13km along a very corrugated dirt road, so that wasn’t overly comfortable, but it wasn’t too bad. We saw lots of emus on the way, including a dad (probably) with 2 juveniles. It was amazing how dry the land was, creek beds still dry, hardly even any puddles, given they’d had 40mm here only 3 days ago.

We reached the canyon and headed off on our walk – an easy walk along a dry creek bed between two rock walls. The rock formations were fascinating, including areas of completely vertical layers of rock. My geography is a bit hazy on how they were formed, but it’s something I want to look up when I can. There were a few rock pools in amongst the rocks, and ants everywhere at times. We saw ancient engravings in the rocks – circles and emu tracks and little people. No one knows how old these engravings are – incredible to see something that has been there for so long we can’t even imagine. We reached what looked like the end of the canyon, and there was a little cave to the side – the kids thought it was like a little chapel so they performed some mock wedding ceremonies in there. Then they clambered up the rocks at the end of the canyon, and discovered we could keep walking along the creek. Tony and I followed (it took me a little longer than all of the others…I’m amazed at how agile Millie is on rocks, and she’s not concerned about heights at all. She seems to have Tony’s knack of seeing the easiest path and taking it confidently)

Sacred Canyon

We kept going up the creek until we reached open pasture. There was a giant gum tree in the middle of the creek bed that had long ago split in two, and the 2 halves were growing as separate trees. We could stand in between the halves of the trunk and see where they used to be joined, it was incredible. After playing in the field and creek for a little while we clambered back down to the end of the canyon and had some lunch, while the kids climbed the walls of the canyon (the slopey bits, anyway.)

A gum tree split in 2

We walked back to the car and drove back to the Visitor Centre. We listened to Wild Born and a very exciting battle scene made the drive seem very short. We filled up our water bottles (there’s no water at all at our campsite) and got a National Parks map. We considered doing a walk to the Hills Homestead but everyone was a bit tired. On the way out we stopped at the Solar Power lookout walk and walked out to see the Solar Power setup that powers the visitor’s centre and other parts of the park. The late afternoon sunshine was on the cliffs of Wilpena Pound, the rocks were almost glowing red and it was spectacular.

Back to our tent where we closed up all the windows and then got the fire going. Tony roasted potatoes in the coals, Caitlin cooked donuts (jam and bread fried in pancake batter – delicious!) and the kids roasted marshmallows. It was a cold evening but beautiful sitting up on the hill around the fire. At one point we heard a car (ute?) down below us and then heard a few gunshots – they echoed around the valleys and hills for ages and it was a bit scary the first time, then figured that someone was out hunting and it was quite normal for a country night.

Sunset from our camp

Once we’d all eaten we snuggled in to bed – LiAM tried to wear a beanie and neck warmer to bed to see if he felt warmer, he’s been quite cold – and we read Brisingr until we fell asleep.

Half-lap Day 10: Clare -> Flinders Ranges

It rained a bit overnight, and then continued to drizzle on and off throughout the morning as we packed up. I got up early and blogged and checked email etc (sitting in the car as we hadn’t put the annex up for a 1 night stay) then packed up what I could while the others were still asleep. When Tony woke up he rigged up a tarp between the car and the tent for us to sit under to have breakfast. While they were eating the kids and Tony played Grandma’s Undies (where you ask questions and the answer always has to be ‘Grandma’s undies’ and no one is allowed to laugh) and ‘I went to the shop and I bought…’ memory game. They started with 1 and were up to about 15 items (1 shoe, 2 elephants etc) when they stopped. Caitlin then practiced some gymnastics and the others ran around and then they played ‘Why are you late?’ and ‘Dumbledore’ – some of Caitlin’s youth theatre games.

Pack up was a little tricky because of the rain, but we eventually got it all sorted and on our way. As we headed north the rain started to ease. We drove over one very long stretch of roadworks which was slow going, and we passed several large harvesters being towed by massive tractors. The terrain changed a lot as we travelled – out of wine country and back to cleared pastures with lots of sheep or grain, then low hardy looking trees, then lower grey/green bushes which made the hills look like they were covered in hair.  We saw several wild emus, including 2 who were crossing the road and we had to slow down for. Lots of wallabies, kangaroos and wallaroos too.

We stopped in Jamestown to grab fuel and groceries, and had a quick look at the river that flows through the middle of town, and has a fountain in the middle of it. The pedestrian bridges across the water were really well designed and attractive too. From there we headed to Orroroo, which my dad had (rightly) thought we would enjoy because the name has only 2 distinct letters, with 4 Os and 3 r’s. Everyone thought it was worth stopping at taking photos of us with the entry sign. The buildings through the town were beautiful too, very old and ornate – although there were hardly any people around, all the towns we drove through felt a bit deserted.

We also saw many many ruins of stone houses and barns – I’d really love to know more of the history of this area, as every farm seemed to have ruined buildings on it. As we drove we listened to Wild Born – the first of the Spirit Animal series, another book which is keeping us all intrigued.

As we neared the Flinders Ranges the terrain became rockier and the hills higher. I was very excited and also a bit anxious – my anxiety always increases when we go somewhere that I REALLY want to see – I worry that the others won’t like it and will be annoyed with me for taking us there, or that it won’t be as good as I was hoping and I’ll be disappointed, or that no one will want to do any of the cool things to do…. Once we saw the ranges though I felt much more relaxed, excited to finally be here (I’ve wanted to come here for a very long time) and happy that I could enjoy my time here. Tony and I were increasingly impressed at the red layers of rock in the ranges around us.

We stopped at the Visitor Centre and looked at pictures of animals we might find and at some of the walks we could do (kids are happy to do easy walks but don’t want to do another hard one…) then carried on through the park to Upalinna Homestead. Mija met us at her gate and gave us a map to the campground – Upalinna is a sheep farm which has an area set up for bush camping, only $15 a night. It was fun chatting to her and seeing her animals – black chickens, golden chickens, a dog and a cat – exactly what we’ve got at home! We headed over to the campsite and were able to pick the site with a view straight across to the ranges – I was so relieved, as I’d started to worry that by staying out of the National Park we wouldn’t have the full experience of being at the Flinders Ranges.

It was a bit of a challenge to find a flat enough space for our tent, then when we put it up we discovered that the tent had shifted on it’s poles a little (probably during the storm on Monday) and so the poles were not lining up properly, and combined with the slope it was hard to get it tight and flat. Caitlin and I had similar problems with the annex while Tony cooked tea and LiAM chopped wood. Eventually we had everything set up well enough, ate spaghetti bol for tea, then into bed to read Brisingr. It was a cold night so we snuggled with hot water bottles and were happy to go to bed as soon as we could.

(I'll try to get back to this post and upload some photos once I've got them on the computer)