Across to Kununurra

Leaving Broome was very difficult as we had stopped for over a week and our gear was spread out all over the place and packing-up motivation was low. However, it was also getting very hot and would only get hotter as we had to move north towards Darwin. On the 2nd of September we left with the intention of stopping at Derby for the night because we had read that there was a long jetty and good fishing and crabbing, but after about an hour we decided to continue on. The jetty was lined with iron ore barges from mines on some of the islands up north and it didn't look like a lovely fishing spot after all. So, 500km later we arrived in Fitzroy Crossing and camped overnight at the Fitzroy River Lodge. Along the way the vegetation was fairly green and there were heaps of bizarre looking Boab Trees to keep us slightly interested in the drive. The next morning, after a swim in the very cold pool, we continued about 300km to Halls Creek where we checked into the very daggy and dusty caravan park and were shocked to find that our friends that we met in Warnambool Victoria were also here. Tanya, Luis and 2 kids had been stuck in Halls Creek for 2 weeks while their 4WD was being repaired in Broome. Poor people. But Luis had caught the Greyhound bus last night, picked up their repaired car, stocked up on groceries and alcohol, and was currently on his way back. Not only is Halls Creek a bit low on grocery stores and incredibly hot (38 degrees today) but it is also a dry town and not the place you want to break down in. The next day we stopped at the Doon Doon Roadhouse for lunch and met a bus-load of Greek people doing a 6 week tour of Australia, than continued on to Kununurra for one night. In the evening we went over to the nearby lagoon and spotted lots of Freshwater Crocodiles with our torches. The following morning, after stocking up with groceries, we drove to Lake Argyle and camped for 2 nights at a fabulous campground overlooking this amazing lake and the surrounding red mountains. Lake Arglye used to be Argyle station and was flooded in 1972 when they dammed the Ord River. We visited the original homestead that was moved, stone by stone, to much higher ground. The Lake contains over 18 times the volume of water that is in Sydney Harbour, irrigates over 13,000 hectares and generates hydro electricity for Kununurra and the Argyle diamond mine. The days were incredibly hot but we happily cooled down in the pool. This part of our trip is beginning to become a tour of swimming pools. At Lake Argyle we camped beside a lovely family from the Yarra Valley in Victoria with 2 daughters who quickly became playmates with Ashleigh and Hannah.

Broome

Arriving in Broome meant officially entering the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Broome is a very touristy town but it is also extremely beautiful and very multicultural as people came from far and wide when the pearling industry here took off in the late 1880s. Malay, Chinese, Japanese, Koepanger, European and Aboriginal cultures have all blended to create some of the most stunning looking people we have seen, with beautiful brown skin and deep dark eyes. We stayed in Broome for 8 nights and did a pretty good job exploring this town, except between the hours of about 11am and 3pm when it was just too hot and all we could do was sit by the pool. Most mornings were spent swimming at Cable Beach and of course we did the obligitory camel ride. One thing they don't tell you is that the section of beach where the camel trains take you is actually a clothing-optional part of the beach and there are many Grey Nomads sunbaking naked by the side of their 4wds. How nice for us all! In the late afternoon we dropped into Matso's brewery a couple of times for a Mango Beer and looked around town at the many art galleries and pearl shops. One shop assistant hung a $12,700 string of pearls around Ashleigh's neck and surprisingly she loved it!........and thought she might like one!! The annual cultural festival Shinju Matsuri was on while we were in town and we watched Dragon Boat racing at Town Beach one day while Ashleigh and Hannah played for a while in the water park (until we saw a little boy weeing in it). On our first night we saw the phenomena they call "Staircase to the Moon" where the reflections of the rising full moon on the mud flats at Roebuck Bay create an optical illusion of a golden stairway leading to the moon. It was quite amazing. Broome was also where we put the Digger on the plane and sent him back to Sydney and back to work. Ashleigh and Hannah balled their eyes out as Anthony's plane departed, and for a couple of hours afterwards. I don't think he was crying though.

Port Hedland to Barn Hill

From the magic scenery at Karijini we drove about 450 kms into ugly Port Hedland (Anthony called it a big Brookvale). The local fashion is high visibility fluoro safety wear and Daisy looks tiny alongside the rigs that roll in and out of this busy port. BHP Billiton export 70 million tonnes of iron ore per year out of Port Hedland and everything is covered in a fine layer of red dirt. Stockpiles of industrial salt also lie about the place to be exported by Dampier Salt. We stayed a couple of nights at a very expensive caravan park and listened to the rumble of very long trains (we counted 150 carriages) through the night.

On the 18th August we drove north along the coast for a couple of hours to the East Pilbara Council campsite at Cape Keraudren. For $20 per night it was a basic camp with no water, but it was right on the coast and we could have a campfire. This was the first place that we had been at where you couldn't swim because of crocodiles! Anthony and Simon did a bit of fishing and caught a Spotted Javelin fish which we ate for dinner.

Our next stop along this coastal stretch was the caravan park at 80 Mile Beach. The beach was beautiful and covered in masses of shells but this time we couldn't swim because of all the sharks! Anthony caught a sandbar shark and Simon caught a stingray and a catfish (all 3 were returned to the sea).

After a few days we continued on to Barn Hill station which is 120km south of Broome. For $25 per night we stayed at this great caravan park operated by the station owners that was right on a fabulous beach (where you could swim!!) and included hot showers, flushing toilets (with no roof) and power. The night we arrived was Roast Night where for $16 per person (BYO chair, table, plate and cutlery) we got a 3 course meal and were entertained by a local Aboriginal band. We loved it here.

Oh my Gorge!!

On the 9th August we reluctantly departed Kurrajong Campsite in the Cape Range National Park and drove East for a change. It was a very hot day and there was a lot of driving to do so the DVD player got a good workout. We stopped for very expensive diesel ($1.79 p/l) and ice creams at the Nanutarra Roadhouse where you could also buy a hot dog for $9 or a hamburger for $18! Our evening stop was at a free bush camp called House Creek Bridge that, like all the creeks round here, didn't have any water but there were lots of Snappy Gums for shade. The following day we did about 300km via Paraburdoo to the Rio Tinto town of Tom Price where we checked into the Tom Price Tourist Park for 2 nights, swam in their pool and did about 6 loads of red Pilbara-dirt washing. Finally, on August 24 we arrived at the spectacular Karijini National Park. Our first impressions were not so great as the wind blew red dirt everywhere, including over our sandwiches and through the van, but that afternoon we experienced our first gorge and it was amazing. Over the next 4 days we hiked through breathtaking gorges, admired picture-perfect waterfalls like Fortescue Falls, and swam in crystal clear swimming holes called Fern Pool and Circular Pool. On our last day we drove for ages along a very bumpy dirt road to Weano Gorge where we walked and climbed over rocks and through pools to the stunning Handrail Pool (a very boring name for an amazing place). The reward of a cool swim at the end managed to keep Ashleigh and Hannah happily walking for hours, which kept everyone happy!

Cape Range National Park

Our 7 day stay at Cape Range National Park has definitely been one of the highlights of this trip. From 6.30am we waited in line at the ranger's office until 8.00am when they started allocating sites. We were number 13 in the queue (Sean, Steph and Jonah were number 12) so we weren't very hopeful, but thankfully we made it in. Both campervans were offered a campsite at the Kurrajong camp which was a brilliant spot on a lovely beach for swimming, fishing and snorkeling and no generators allowed. Our camp hosts Tony and Marie were a lovely couple from Perth and made us feel very welcome. We spent our days exploring the snorkeling spots within the park, hiking up Yardie Creek and Mandu Gorges, windsurfing, fishing and swimming. At our campsite we met some really great people including Christiana from Germany who joined us each night either for dinner or after dinner for some singing (we introduced her to the coconut boat). Simon caught a Spangled Emperor and a Long Tom for tea one night, and Anthony caught a Cuttlefish with his bare hands! It was a great week by the Ningaloo Marine Park that we enjoyed very much.

Warroora and Coral Bay

After another washing and shopping stopover in Carnarvon we did the 4 hour drive north to Warroora Station. We had a lovely camp spot right overlooking beautiful turquoise water and a spectacular reef, but it was extremely windy which is only good for one thing........windsurfing!! Sean didn't waste much time getting out there! In the evening we cooked a turkey leg stew in the camp oven (2 legs for $4 from woolies...bargain!!) and Sean taught us a song in french that he had written called "Ou est la dinde?" (Where is the turkey?)

The next day we did a short drive to Coral Bay. This tiny holiday town consists of one main street, 2 caravan parks and hundreds of people. We had tried to book camp sites in advance but the first available sites were weeks away. Luckily we were able to pick up 2 unpowered sites (at 2 different parks) when we arrived on July 29th (Happy birthday Aunty Melanie!) There was still a bit of wind up so Sean went windsurfing while the rest of us swam and snorkeled at the main beach which was enclosed by a reef and full of huge Spangled Emperors. Coral Bay is at the southern tip of Ningaloo Marine Park and the white sand and blue waters were amazingly beautiful.

Carnarvon and The Blowholes

I apologise for the delay in updating this blog but it has been such a long time since we've had internet access and power (2 things I used to take for granted.....)

Carnarvon seemed like an oasis of colour and life after the very long drive through a dry reddish brown landscape from Shark Bay. Banana plantations and loads of other fruit and vege farms lined the roads as this area is very fertile due to its location at the mouth of the Gascoyne River (which is lucky to flow once a year - so I don't know how that works??) We gave the washing machines at the Capricorn Tourist Park a workout and bought up big at the local Woolies (much better prices than Denham IGA - $16 a kilo for tomatoes!) We spent ages in the showers and topped up our water tanks with lovely treated fresh water that was not the salty horrible bore water that we had in Shark Bay (another thing I have taken for granted.)

Our next stop was only about 65km north west at Point Quobba and The Blowholes. Here we camped for 3 nights by the beach for $5.50 per night. It was a basic camp but the beach was beautiful with warm water, a surf break and coral reefs to snorkel on. While snorkelling with Anthony, Ashleigh attempted to drown him when they spotted a Shovel-nose Ray gliding alongside them. There was a huge variety of colourful fish and many turtles. In the evenings we warmed ourselves around the campfire and cooked some delicious meals including roast pork with apples and a loaf of bread. Sean and Stephany taught us a song called "The Coconut Boat" that they invented on their 2006 Oz Odyssey Tour. Basically everyone took turns to sing a verse about what they did that day then we all joined in the chorus "la la la la, la-la la la la, the coconut boat".