WA (wait a while)

We’ve left the NT (not today,not tomorrow, not Tuesday, not Thursday) and continued into wait a while (WA). Its Friday. Our first task was to book a flight over the Bungle Bungles – not today not tomorrow but next Saturday, 8 days hence. Talk about wait a while. Not therefore a real option. 8 days in Kununurra does not present as a great way to spend our time. Nevertheless there were quite a few things to see around the area. Lake Argyle, the Ord River scheme, Wyndham for the river delta, El Questro, the Grotto, the Gibb River Road etc.

Our first outing was Wyndham. Some 90 km north west of Kununurra it is the meeting place of some five rivers – The Ord, The Durack, The Forrest, The Dunham and The Chamberlain. It is a majestic sight and photos can’t really do it justice as it is so expansive, but….

On the road to Wyndham is The Grotto, a massive earth fault with tessellated rock paving and a deep water hole. It is quite breathtaking ……

The sign says the water hole is believed to be 300 feet deep. It is just the strangest hole in the ground.

We were told by someone close to us that El Questro Station would be a great place to stay for a day or two. It is accessed via the Gibb River road, perhaps 50 or 60 ks in from the main highway but that this section of the Gibb is paved. Given that we were passing the Gibb River Road start on the way to Wyndham thought it might be wise to check it out in the Suzi before we brought the Winnie out. Just as well. The first part of the Gibb River Road is in fact quite good but the turnoff to El Questro, some 20 km is not – it is atrocious and precedes two relatively deep water crossings…..

and even the donkeys weren’t likely to get out. But, El Questro is a surprisingly lovely place. Certainly worth a visit but not in The Hovel. A very well set up resort in the middle of nowhere, but surprisingly well patronised. But we can say we’ve had a go at the famous Gibb River Road.

On the way into Kununurra we’d actually called in to the Argyle Dam Caravan park only to find it full. So, back to the dam and the Ord River for a visit – a beautiful spot as well as a fantastic vision for agricultural futures. Initially sat through a video of the building of the dam back in 1969 – 1972. A mammoth project in what then was the middle of nowhere. Kununurra was the township built at the time to support the development and subsequently the centre for the agricultural spin off from the dam. Lots of stories suggest that the project has failed but there is still new agricultural land being developed and we believe it will eventually prove viable. It is an ambitious project but no more so than we should be attempting all over this country. The dam itself is a very picturesque location….

covers approximately 1000 sq km and is reportedly equivalent in volume to 28 Sydney Harbours. We drove through some of the areas around Kununurra currently being cultivated but it appears the major crop now is just sandalwood. The sugar industry has closed down but there will be more agriculture when the next area is operational (some 45000 hectares).

Next stop the Bungle Bungles. In the Purnululu Ranges National Park some 200 km south of Kununurra. We opted to stay at the Bungle Bungle Caravan park just 1 km off the highway into the Mabel Downs Station through which the access road to the Bungles goes. Bloody expensive unpowered site at $35.00 per night, but the best option to access the Bungles.

The road in is terrible, probably the worst we’ve yet subjected the Suzi to. 80 or so K’ each way with 6 or 7 water crossings the trip took two hours each way. But, it was worth it. The Bungle Bungles are stunning…..

These are probably the most spectacular rocks we’ve yet seen. They’re weird, different but stunning. I remember that Dawson and Margaret McDonald, our long past neighbours at North Ringwood used to rave about this place as an artists heaven –  we can now understand their thinking. They frequently came here to paint – maybe they actually painted these hills.

We have booked to fly out to and stay at the horizontal falls out of Derby but can’t get on until the 30th July, so we’re now filling in time. There are a few places to go and things to see in the meantime.

We’ve now covered over 14000 km, 9000 in the Hovel, 3000 in Suzi and another 2000 or so in Robyns Prado. The one that matters is the Hovel – fuel consumption is now down to 19.3l/100km. Great. What we save on fuel is now being chewed up in repairs – $300.00 for the fuse problem which is still not right, 137.00 for the CB fix, 153.oo for the aircon fix in Kathryn and now it has failed altogether and a yet to be expended cost to repair the washing machine once again. Ah well! this must be the cost of retirement travel.