Beach here we come.....Broome

Kununurra  12/08/12

Di was very keen for an early start this morning as she is really keen to get back to her caravan after nearly 3 weeks in the tent. She particularly wanted to wash the sheets before putting them on the caravan bed. We left the Bungle Bungles at 8.30am for the 1.5hrs of dirt road, corrugations and creek crossings until we hit the bitumen for the 2.5hr trip back to Kununurra. On arrival we had lunch at Subway (what a treat), and then called into and booked a site at the Lakeside Tourist Park, costing $42.50 a night. We then headed to pick up our caravan at the lady’s property and then headed back to the caravan park. You know you have been in the dirt and dust for so long when you look at the outside of the caravan and are amazed at how bright, clean and shiny things can be as we haven’t seen anything clean for so long. When we opened up the caravan door it looked like a five star resort and Di had a big smile on her face the rest of the day. The caravan park is located right on a lake so we had a nice outlook. In the afternoon we had to restock the cupboards at a real supermarket, & Dianne got the sheets washed & dried. Just before dinner Craig noticed that Braydon had a small tick on his back, & as we weren’t sure what treatment to use to get the tick off him, we headed up to the hospital for some advice. They were so quick, friendly and helpful that we were in and out within ½ an hour. It was only a bush tick and it removed itself while we were there. Di felt clean for the first time in 3 weeks as everything was so dusty and dirty by the end of our trip.

13/08/12

Off to buy a new laptop computer today as ours is still playing up. With very limited options we bought one at the computer repair shop that we took it to originally, as they seemed to have the best range of new computers in town. I got them to swap all the hard drive over and load on some new programs. Once back at the park I got to start the mammoth job of washing the car while Di did 5 loads of washing. We also had to unload all the camping gear and food out of the car and load it back in the caravan. It is still great to be back in the caravan.

Fitzroy Crossing (almost)  14/08/12

We packed up camp this morning by 8.30am (it is a very quick pack up compared to being in the tent) and headed back to the computer shop as our new computer did not recognise the mobile internet USB sticks, and we wanted them to load software for us so they would work. While we were waiting Craig was looking over the car and noticed that there was an oil leak coming out of the rear diff drain plug. He disconnected the caravan (Dianne, Braydon & Aaron stayed inside on the side of the road with the door locked) and raced to the local Toyota dealer to have it looked at. After a couple of hours he got the car back with the report that the sump gasket was pinched when they did it up at the last service. He must have been very lucky to pick this up now as the car was serviced 3 weeks ago. He then raced back and hooked the caravan back on, and with the new computer fixed, we were on the road by 11am, not exactly the early start we were hoping for. It seemed like a big drive today as we pulled into the Mary Pool (Camps No. 636) free camp site at 5.30pm. For a free camps site it was packed with about 50 vans of all shapes and sizes, and it was quite a nice spot with toilets. We travelled xxx km today. We were really hoping to get to Fitzroy Crossing tonight, but with our late start it was not possible as we are still 180km from there.

Derby  15/08/12

We were all up early this morning and were on the road by 8.30am. We arrived at about 2pm and stayed at the Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park, which cost $38 for the night. It is a very small town right on the coast, so we were able to have a good look around in about an hour. We had a nice walk around the jetty and saw a fisherman bringing in a shark on his line. This is a largely Aboriginal town and there is not really much to see other than mud flats and the jetty. Derby’s claim to fame is that it has the second biggest tides in the world, with the tidal variants being up to an incredible 11 metres.

Broome  16/08/12  Yippee we are at the beach…….

We were actually on the road by 7.45am this morning as Broome is extremely busy and all the caravan parks are as well, and as none of the parks take bookings, it is first in best dressed. We arrived in Broome at 10am and headed straight to the Roebuck Bay Caravan Park as it is centrally located and right on the water. Unfortunately we could only get a site in their overflow area, but we still had power and water and it is not a bad site compared to what we have been in recently. It cost $36 a night. We set up camp and proceeded to have a look around the town and go to the information centre. We had an ice cream at Cable Beach, and watched people getting bogged driving off the beach which is always fun when you are not involved. There is a lovely park that backed onto the beach and someone was getting married there. It is great to be by the water again in a beach side town, also & to see green grass again as we have not seen any for such a long time.

17/08/12

It was good to wake up this morning and know we did not have to move camp as it seems a while since we have had a relaxing day with nothing planned. Craig had to remove the back bar off the caravan as the bike rack was ready to fall off. The metal had cracked, and luckily enough it was still holding on with about 10mm left. He took it to a metal fabrication place and they reinforced the area that failed. Di phoned around to organise a babysitter for Aaron so the rest of us could go on the Horizontal Falls Tour. After much phoning around she found someone that could look after him and we booked the tour. This is an extremely expensive ½ day tour but everyone that we have talked to that has done it have raved over it. Craig also had to repair one of the rear air bags’ suspension on the cruiser as the hose had come off the bag. In the afternoon we checked out the wharf and the lighthouse and  did a bit of shopping.  Craig also had to buy a new tyre air compressor as his other one died, and also a new CB antenna as the old one had snapped twice and had fallen off and been driven over once on the Gibb River Road. Every time we see the ocean we are amazed at the beautiful colour of the water. We are also enjoying being in a town with all the conveniences after having nothing for so long.

18/08/12  

We decided we all needed haircuts, so the plan was to go into Chinatown as we were told there was a good hairdresser there. Firstly though, we checked out the Broome Saturday Markets which were your typical markets, and then went to the visitor information centre to find out about the road up to Cape Leveque, as we are planning on heading up there soon. The bad news for Di is that we will have to dust the tent off again and leave the caravan somewhere for a couple of days. We headed into Chinatown which was packed with people, and all the clothes shops were busy. We found the hairdresser but it was also full of people. Then we found out that the Broome Races were on today and most of the shops were shutting at midday. No haircuts for us, so after a bite of lunch, we decided we would have a drive on Cable Beach, as this is where all the Camel Tours happen. Craig had been told about the optional clothing on the beach, but he had forgotten about it until we reached the beach. Not a pretty sight, with grey nomads wandering around naked without a care in the world. The funny thing is that there were heaps of them……..Braydon loved driving on the beach and watching people get bogged. After a quick drive along the beach, we decided to head to the beach near the lighthouse, as we had seen that there were a lot of cars on the beach when we visited the lighthouse. There would have been about 70 four wheel drives enjoying this pristine beach, and everyone had clothes on. The temperature has been about 34 degrees during the day and about 15 degrees at night, so we would call it very pleasant. Craig put the bar back on the caravan, and then we all went back to watch the sun go down and the camels on the beach. Luckily this time when we drove on the beach everyone had their clothes on, and we had a nice time watching the sun go down. We booked a camel tour for tomorrow from one of the operators, and then had fish and chips on the beach.

19/08/12

We had a major breakthrough today with Aaron finally deciding to crawl. It has been so disheartening every day trying to encourage him to crawl with no results. We have been told that due to living in a confined space and having an older brother there has not been a need for him to crawl, but we are still relieved it has happened. Craig spent the morning at the park with the kids while Di did the washing, then we went on our Camel ride on the beach in the afternoon. We had a fantastic time, and were glad we opted for the 30min trip rather than the hour as Di and Craig were a bit sore after the ride, but Braydon was so happy he did the ride and wouldn’t shut up. Aaron was also happy on the camel and was quiet the whole trip. The fun and exciting part of the trip was when the Camels got up after you hopped on, and when they sat down after your ride, as it all happens very fast. Craig was on the Camel with Braydon, and Di was holding Aaron on a Camel by herself. You get led down Cable Beach enjoying the beautiful crystal clear water. The Camels were very well behaved and you can pat them without them biting or spitting.

Middle Lagoon  20/08/12

We decided to leave Broome and the caravan and go tenting for a few days. We have heard a lot of people say that there are a couple of lovely beaches north of Broome and are worth looking at, so we packed the tent & camping gear and headed off. We dropped the caravan off at the Broome Gateway Caravan Park as they do storage for $5 (unpowered) a day, and then tackled the sandy 4wheel drive only track up to Middle Lagoon. The campground is on a small headland overlooking the bay which is a beautiful colour. We did not arrive until  3pm; it took 3 hours to do roughly 134km. The road was at times like driving a boat in ocean swells, going up and down slowly rather than the usual corrugations that we are used to. The campground cost $37 a night. We look forward to having a good look around the beach tomorrow and just doing nothing.

21/08/12

Today was a nice relaxing day playing and swimming at the beach, and having a good look around the caravan park. Some nice people gave us some fish that they caught today from their boat, so we had nice fresh fish for dinner.

Cape Leveque / Broome 

 22/08/12  Di’s 40^th  Birthday

Yes Di turned 40 today and she woke up in a tent. We woke up to a really thick fog and everything was soaking wet, so we had to have a leisurely breakfast and let the tent dry out. We left at about 10.00am and headed back on the sandy track, and then turned north onto bitumen for about 100km to One Arm Point, which is an aboriginal community. You have to pay a $10 per adult entry fee, but for that you get to go to their hatchery and breeding tank display that has lots of fish and turtles, and it is right on the water. The tides race in and out of here but the water is still a nice colour. From here we drove 12km to Cape Leveque to have a special birthday lunch at the resort right on the coast. We had a lovely lunch at the restaurant overlooking the ocean while watching whales swim by. Unfortunately we knew that we had a long drive back to Broome, so we left at 2pm for the 100km of bitumen and then the 100km of sandy track back to where the caravan was left. We picked up the van at 5pm and then headed back to the Roebuck Bay Caravan Park where we got the same site in the overflow section again. We had a special dinner of Thai, and then early to bed after a huge day.

Broome 23/08/12

We moved site today into the main caravan park as you can see the water, and there is grass all around. We caught up on some washing and then we all got haircuts, and Di did some clothes shopping. In the afternoon we had to finalize the babysitter for Aaron for when we do the Horizontal Falls Tour tomorrow.

24/08/12  Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures

We had an early start this morning, up at 4.30am, as we had to drop Aaron off at the babysitter by 5am, and then be back at the caravan park by 5.40am to be picked up. Braydon was so excited as he was going to go on a bus, seaplane, and boat. We got picked up in the bus and driven to the airport with 7 other people where we were given a safety briefing and lifejacket, and then hopped into the seaplane and took off. We flew straight up to the Horizontal Falls, which took an hour, and then circled a couple of times over the top of them before landing on the water at their floating base. Their base is basically two houseboats joined together where the crew of about 6 people live & work. It was such a beautiful location and spectacular scenery as we came in for a very soft landing. We saw some sharks being fed before having a nice cooked breakfast on the top deck of one of the houseboats. After breakfast we hopped on their 600hp fast boat and raced to the first falls. We were able to drive through what felt like a washing machine before coming out of the other side. We must have gone up and down the falls a few times before having a look at the second falls. They had a narrower gap & due to the amount of water coming through the falls at a height of 2m it was unsafe to drive through it, but we could get up very close for photos and to have a good look at it. We then went back over the first falls a couple more times before slowing the pace down and going for a cruise through some bays and some spectacular gorges with tidal systems up to 18m high. After about an hour or so we hopped off the boat back at the base, and had some morning tea while waiting for our seaplane to come and pick us up again. Once the seaplane came back we all boarded it and took off on water which was very smooth, & then flew over many islands and Cape Leveque, & then right along the coast and beaches back to Broome. We arrived back at 11am after a fantastic tour which was so great it was hard to pick one highlight. Braydon was so tired he was nearly falling asleep in the plane coming home. After landing at the airport we then hopped back into the bus and back to the caravan park, where we drove and picked up Aaron and all went home for a rest.

Eighty Mile Beach  25/08/12

Regrettably it was time to leave Broome and start our way south to a place called Eighty Mile Beach. We have really enjoyed our stay at Broome as it has beautiful weather, fantastic beaches, and lots to see and do. We left at 9.00am and arrived at the Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park at about 2pm after travelling on bitumen all the way except for the last 10km which was a gravel road. This park is right on the beach but unfortunately we couldn’t get a powered site, but that is ok how we are set up. It cost $32 a night. We had a look at the beach and around the park which is very nice. It appears it is a real fisherman’s paradise as there are heaps of people with quad bikes set up with fishing gear. In the afternoon Braydon and Craig made Di’s birthday cake which is better late than never.

26/08/12

Braydon and Craig decorated Di’s birthday cake this morning and we sang a very late happy birthday and cut the cake. We then loaded up the car with lunch and drove down the beach to a nice spot and set up for a couple of hours. After a nice lunch, the kids had a play in the sand and Braydon did some shell collecting in which the beach was covered with every shape and size. When we got back to the van we went to the caravan park markets, which were just people from the park setting up stalls and selling your normal market type stuff, and a band was playing. We have never had markets in a caravan park before. In the late afternoon we went back to the beach and walked along seeing what all the fisherman were catching, while Braydon rode his  bike on the beach.

Karijini National Park  27/08/12

We left Eighty Mile Beach at 8.30am and headed south/west to Port Headland. We could not believe the amount of mine vehicles and new construction in this town. It looks a very wealthy town with everything looking very new. We had lunch next to the ship loading dock, got some fuel at a very cheap price of $1.56/L, and then headed south/east to Karijini National Park, which everybody raves about. It was not a real pleasant drive as there were road-trains, semitrailers, extra wide load semitrailers, buses and police cars going everywhere. Channel 40 on the CB was continually going with people passing etc. The pilot cars of the extra wide load semitrailers would drive on your side of the road coming straight towards you at 100km/hr and just force you to stop as quick as you can and get you into the gravel until the big trucks come through. One semitrailer with a huge piece of mining equipment on it had two trucks prime movers connected to each other pulling it. It was a long day for the kids and us as we didn’t pull into the Dales Campground until 5pm, but we were really lucky to get a site as the ranger said they are normally booked out at this time of the day. It cost $14 a night, & $11 for the Entry Pass into the National Park. We travelled 630km today.

28/08/12

It was time to investigate the much talked about Karijini National Park, so we packed our lunch and headed the 12km to the information centre. It was a large information centre with lots of displays on the area and the aboriginal traditions. We got the information on what there is to see, so we hopped in the car and travelled 43km on corrugated gravel roads up to the Weano Gorge day use area where some of the walks happen from. We first went to the Junction Pool Lookout and the Oxer Lookout which were only a short walk from the car park. These lookouts overlooked a junction of gorges 200m down with a nice creek flowing down the bottom. We then decided to tackle the Hancock Gorge which is a class 5 walk (the most difficult) but with the amount of walks we have done, we decided we would go as far as we could go comfortably. The first part of the walk you descended down into the gorge via lots of steps, then two ladders to get you down the steep bit of the gorge to the bottom. Once at the bottom you followed the creek along, sometimes wading through freezing cold water that Di thought she would come down with hypothermia. Braydon decided to fall over on the slippery rocks so he half went swimming. We then came to the narrow part of the gorge where you have to swim along the creek, so we chickened out of that, but Craig managed to climb the rocky ledge to see down the track a bit further, but it wasn’t suitable for kids. We turned around and climbed back up to the top, and were having some lunch when the ranger came flying in with his truck, jumped out and ran down the track. Another car followed with lots of rock climbing equipment. Apparently a group of backpackers that were heavily drinking when we passed them on our way out of the gorge, had fallen down a closed part of the gorge. The rescue team had to come in to get them out, but apparently no one was hurt. We then decided to do the Lower Weano Gorge which again was a steep descent into the gorge, but this time you again had to swim part of the walk, so we enjoyed looking at the pools before returning to the car. On the way home we called into the Joffre Falls lookout which is again a lovely outlook over a gorge and a lovely curved waterfall.

Tom Price  29/08/12

Today we packed up camp at 8.30am and drove a really short way to the Fortescue Falls car     park which was only 1km from the campground. We then had a look at the Fortescue Falls lookout before climbing down a number of stairs to get to the base of the gorge and the picturesque waterfall. The track then kept going to the Fern Pool which is a lovely little waterfall and large swimming hole full of fish. It was nice to have a relatively short walk this morning as it only took about 1hr to complete, but it did have many stairs. We are starting to get a little gorged out as we have lost count of how many we have seen now, & we are looking forward to a different type of scenery. We then drove another couple of km to the Dales day use area, and went to see the Three Ways lookout and the Circular Pool lookout. Both of these were worth seeing from the lookout but we did not do the 2.5hr walk to get down to them. It was time to leave Karijini National Park and head west for Tom Price which was about 100km away. Once there we had lunch & then called in to the information centre to see if there was a mine tour today that we could go on, but they were already booked up, but they told us that we could go to a mine lookout if we had a 4wd. Braydon’s ears pricked up when he heard about a 4wd track, so we unhitched the caravan at the base of the track, and made our way up the rocky steep road all the way to the lookout over the open-cut iron ore mine. On the way down we were in first gear low range for the 1km climb down stepping over all the rocks and washouts. It was a fun drive that Braydon loved. All the mining towns seem so well equipped these days with all the modern facilities that you would expect in a much larger town. We decided to push on, so we hooked up the van and headed 190km west to a free campsite (Camps No. 493), which was fairly busy with 10 or so vans. We didn’t arrive until about 5.00pm.

Exmouth  30/08/12

We were on the road by 8am this morning as we had a big drive west to Exmouth. We saw flocks of budgies flying across in front of the car which are amazing to watch in a big group as they dart around. Unfortunately a few of them were not quick enough and made contact with the bull bar. We saw whales as we were driving along the coastline into Exmouth. After a 445km drive we pulled into the Big 4 Exmouth Cape Holiday Park, which cost $51.85 a night, and set up camp at about 3.00pm. We checked out the information centre to get the low down on the area. It is a small town that is cashing in on the mining boom, with a big canal estate that had just been developed with blocks of land from $400 000. There appears to be a lot of dive companies in this nice and tidy town.

31/08/12

Today was the day to catch up on all the washing, cleaning the car, and inside of the caravan to try to get rid of all the red dust.

01/09/12

We had a chance to do some shopping today and have a look around. We went to the Game Fishing Club for lunch which is right on the boat Harbour. It was lovely to have lunch and watch whales play in the bay only a few hundred metres out. They were breaching and tail slapping so lunch was very interesting. After lunch we headed up to the lighthouse and the areas just out of town.

Cape Range National Park  02/09/12  Father’s Day

Today we headed to the Cape Range National Park where there is a series of campsites right on the beach. These sites are extremely popular & limited so we had to book ahead online to ensure we got one. Luckily it seems that the peak time for tourists is over and the demand is starting to drop for these camping sites. Before leaving Exmouth at about 9.30am, we called into the local bakery for a special Father’s Day morning tea. On the way you see Emus on the side of the road and lots of kangaroos. It was only an hour drive from Exmouth to our campsite at Tulki Beach (Camps No. 481) for a very cheap price of $14 a night compared to $51 at Exmouth. After having a look at the Visitor Centre, we arrived at about 11.00am. It doesn’t have any power, showers, or water but we are right to last about 6 days camping. The park has a camp host that looks after the little ground with only 12 sites. It is a nicely presented park with good sites that have just been all redone. We went for a walk along the beach which was a bit windy, and there were huge seas breaking on the coral reef out about 500m or so. We decided it was a good day to fly our kites. At 5pm there is a happy hour table where everyone gets together to have a chat and watch the sun go down. Craig had a nice Father’s Day with the family.

03/09/12

The wind had died down today so we headed to Turquoise Bay, which is the most popular spot to do some snorkelling in the Ningaloo Marine Park which is within the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. Ningaloo Reef is one of the largest fringing reefs in the world, & you can get to it just by stepping off the beach. Firstly we got used to snorkelling in the Bay area which is a lovely bay with coral and fish. Braydon and Aaron went for a swim while Di and Craig took turns at snorkelling around. We then had a bite of lunch, and then Craig headed to the next area to do a drift snorkel where you walk up the beach 200m or so and the current takes you along over the coral. The drift snorkel area had a lot nicer coral and some huge fish, but Di decided she would just look after the kids on the beach. The water was a little cool when you first got in but you quickly acclimatised. We then drove south and had a look around at some other bays and Yardie Creek where there is a gorge and a boat trip. There are some clouds in the sky this afternoon which is the first real clouds we have seen the whole holiday.

04/09/12

We woke up to rain this morning, the second bit of rain the whole trip (the first was a couple of hours at night), and it was very windy last night with the caravan rocking a bit through the night. It was a good day to catch up with the blog. We went for a drive to check out some of the other campsites, and all watched a DVD in the afternoon. The rain cleared up by the afternoon but it was still pretty windy.

Coral Bay  05/09/12

Today we packed up and left Cape Range National Park at 8.30am. We had to head back to Exmouth, and then south to Coral Bay, about 190km away. We arrived at 12.30pm and checked into the Bay View Caravan Park, as the Peoples Park Caravan Village was full. It cost $44 a night. It is a lovely little town with basically 2 caravan parks and 2 groups of shops / tour companies. Everything is in close walking distance, so we set up camp and had a look around at the beautiful bay and coastline. We were really lucky to get a powered site as the place is usually booked solid, but there is only bore water at your site, so it means carting fresh drinking water from taps. The bore water is from the artesian basin so it comes out boiling hot and is very salty. It is still a little windy today but nice and sunny.

06/09/12

We caught up with some washing this morning, & then decided to do some 4 wheel driving to some of the northern bays. We had to let our tyres down as some of the tracks were very sandy and steep, but the Landcruiser had no trouble getting us where we wanted to go. We found some beautifully pristine bays. We headed home for lunch, and then headed down to the beach for the 3.30pm free fish feeding. The fish are waiting for you to feed them, and as it is a protected zone the fish are not scared to come right up to you and they go around your feet. A lady comes around and gives you some pellets that you throw in the water and the fish swim up and eat them. Braydon just loved feeding them and they were all about 500mm long and are called WA snapper. We bought some clothes & jewellery from a nice surf shop, and booked a tour for tomorrow in the hope the wind might drop down a little.

07/09/12  Glass Bottom Boat/Snorkelling Tour

We had to be down at the beach at 10am for our 2hr Glass Bottom Boat and Snorkelling Tour. Coral Bay is also within Ningaloo Marine Park. Firstly we went around the harbour looking at the coral and fish, then we stopped at the first snorkelling site where Craig went in while Di looked after the kids. The water was cold, about 23 degrees, but there were fish everywhere. The coral here is not colourful like at the Great Barrier Reef, but it is healthy and interesting. After ½ an hour we moved to the second snorkel site which was called the aquarium as there are a heap of different types of fish. Di went in for a snorkel first and loved it, so Craig hopped in for the last 5 minutes to have a look. Braydon jumped in with a life jacket but hopped straight back out as it was too cold for him. We all had a great time as Aaron could see the fish through the glass bottom of the boat as well. In the afternoon we headed back for another go at the fish feeding on the beach. We loved this little town and could see why it is such a popular place to visit.

Carnarvon  08/09/12

We left Coral Bay at 8.00am for the xxx km journey to Carnarvon. We have seen a lot of wild sheep and goats on the road today as well as a lot of trucks. We stayed at the Coral Coast Tourist Park that is pretty close to town which is right on the coast. We arrived at      & it cost $35 for the night. We set up camp and went for a drive around to have a look. We went out to the One Mile Jetty which has got a small train that you can catch out to the end of the jetty. We walked out and caught the train back, then had a look through the museum of old trucks, trains, and boats. We called into the shops on the way home to fill up the cupboards. Aaron was sick a few times tonight; we think due to eating fish and chips we bought for dinner too fast, and too much grease.

Denham  09/09/12

We left Carnarvon at 8.30am & headed to Denham. We stopped at Shell Beach for lunch, which is a pure white beach that extends for 120km & has extensive deposits of tiny sea shells. We then continued into Denham, arriving at about 1.30pm, & stayed at the Denham Seaside Tourist Park, which cost $39 a night. It was a beautiful little town right on the coast. After setting up we did some washing, & then went for a walk along the beautiful foreshore.

10/09/12

When Aaron woke up this morning he couldn’t open his left eye. We had noticed yesterday morning that he had a red mark under his eye that we assumed was a reaction to having rubbed his eye the night before after being sick, but he must have been bitten by something. Craig noticed that his eye was a little swollen last night. We took him to the doctor first up in the morning but they didn’t open until 10.00am. He wasn’t showing any signs of pain, so we decided to stick to our original plans & head to Monkey Mia to watch the wild dolphins being fed. They come to the shore every morning up to 3 times a day every day to be hand fed, with the first feeding happening around 8.30am. They have visited the shores of Monkey Mia daily for more than 40 years. Monkey Mia is a resort that also caters for caravans & campers, & was only half an hour away from Denham. We had tried to stay there but they were fully booked. It is part of Shark Bay World Heritage Area. We arrived just at the end of the first feeding, but weren’t too worried as we knew there would probably be 2 more opportunities. The dolphins arrive at a time of their choosing, and the rangers give a talk about the dolphins & then choose a few people from the crowd to hand feed them a fish. The whole process is closely supervised by the rangers. We went for a walk around the resort & then noticed a crowd building on the beach as the dolphins were back after only about half an hour. After firstly listening to the talk, Braydon was very fortunate to be one of the 3 people chosen to feed a dolphin. He loved it. The dolphins didn’t come back for their third feed, so we felt extra lucky that Braydon had his experience earlier. We then had a lovely lunch at the resort restaurant. Aarons’ eye slowly improved throughout the morning & by lunch he could open it. On the way home we stopped at a lookout that had lovely views up & down the coastline. In the afternoon we went for another walk along the foreshore.      

Geraldton  11/09/12

We left Denham at 8.30am & hit the road for Geraldton. First of all on the road out we called into Eagle Bluff which has a boardwalk overlooking Shark Bay, & we were amazed at all the sharks & stingrays that we could see from there. It was a nice drive today seeing lots of wildflowers. We had lunch at Northampton & then continued onto Geraldton. We pulled into Geraldton at about 2pm & set up camp at the Big 4 Sunset Beach Caravan Park, which cost $37 for the night. We then hopped back in the car to drive around this coastal town. It is another nice town right on the coast.

Gibb River Road / Kimberleys



Emma Gorge

El Questro  24/07/12  THE GIBB RIVER ROAD

 It is finally time to tackle the Gibb River Road. We left at about 9.00am, & after dropping our caravan off at the lady’s property, we set off. This road is in the central Kimberley region & is approximately 700km in length from Wyndham to Derby. It was initially constructed as a beef road to transport cattle from surrounding stations to the ports of Wyndham & Derby. It’s a dirt road renowned for corrugations and sharp rocks that don’t agree with tyres. Punctures are a common occurrence. So Craig’s first job was to let our tyres down a little, & then our first stop was Emma Gorge Resort, about 25 km along the road, & only 2 km into the resort. Emma Gorge is part of the El Questro Wilderness Park, so we had to buy a permit to see the gorge. After a bite of lunch we tackled the 3.2km return walk. This was a little bit challenging as the path was very rocky, but well worth it as you came to a beautiful waterfall & swimming hole that was enclosed on three sides by 65m sheer cliffs. The water was freezing cold so we didn’t go swimming, even though there was a thermal spring that fed into the pool. The walk took about 2 hours. Then it was time to hop back in the car and head to El Questro Station where the camping grounds are. We didn’t arrive until about 4pm as the track in is fairly slow. It was another 11km along the Gibb River Road & 16km into the Station. This is a 4WD only track as there were a couple of water crossings that had to be made to get to the campground. For the price you pay for the permit ($20 per adult) and camping fees ($20 per adult per night), the camping area was a little disappointing, but it was clean.

25/07/12

We headed out this morning to investigate this vast property (1 million acres), firstly visiting Zebedee Springs, which is a series of thermal pools set in a lush and tropical landscape. It was lovely to relax in the pools which were around 28 degrees and take in the surroundings. The pools are only open from 7am – 12pm for guests so the tour groups can come in the afternoon. We then headed to El Questro Gorge where the road takes you through a 500mm water crossing and a sandy track. The walking track was again challenging as it took 1 hour to get to the half way pool, which was as far as we went, but the beauty of the palm and fern-clad escarpment made it worthwhile.  On the way back we decided to drive up to Saddleback Ridge Lookout which is a very steep track up to a platform that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding escarpments. This track was for experienced 4WD only, so it appeared a bit daunting at first when you see the track, but we enjoyed it and it wasn’t really that bad. Situated a further 8km from the Station is a place called The Homestead which is an exclusive retreat costing $2000 a night to rent. Unless you’re staying there you are not allowed anywhere near it, but we saw a picture of it in a brochure. It looked spectacular.

Home Valley Station  26/07/12

We packed up camp & left by about 9.30am. There is a lot to pack up when you are in a tent, & 9.30am seemed to be the average time we left, unless we had a big day ahead of us & we put a big effort in too leave earlier. It was an easy trip today with a 34km drive to Home Valley Station. This is a 3.5 million acre working cattle station. It has got lovely grassy sites with a huge undercover playground for the kids, along with a resort style pool, which cost $37 for the night. We arrived at about 11.00am & set up camp, and then went for a drive to the Bush Camp on the Pentecost River where there is a stunning backdrop of the Cockburn Range. On returning, we were a little disappointed that it appeared that there was nothing much to do here except fish or take a tour on one of their horse trails, which was very expensive. However we enjoyed the grass and the playground. For a bit of trivial information, this is where Sam from The Farmer Wants A Wife is living & working, & the 3 girls who joined him, & El Questro is where he took Jodie for their overnight date.

Drysdale River Station  27/07/12

We drove 240km today to Drysdale River Station, which is 59km north of the Gibb River Road on Kalumburu Road. This road is in a little bit worse condition than the Gibb River Road, but still ok. We arrived at Drysdale Station which is basically a homestead with fuel and a workshop. It cost $30 for the night. We have heard that the meals here are good so we headed up to the restaurant for dinner and had a nice roast meal.

Kalumburu  28/07/12

We left Drysdale Station not really knowing if we were going to go to King Edward River (70km from Mitchell Falls) or continuing up the less used road to Kalumburu, which is an aboriginal community that was set up by the Catholic Church right up the top of the Kimberley’s. The road condition leaving Drysdale Station was fair, but not as bad as some people had reported as the grader was working on the road. We made the decision not to turn off onto the Mitchells Falls road and to continue going north. The road started off ok but it soon deteriorated to the point where it was hard to see where the track was actually going.  We could not work out how this was the main road up to the community, but eventually we arrived on bitumen roads and the town. We were recommended to stay at the Catholic Church campground which is in the middle of the town. There were a couple of other campers there, but because it is Saturday nothing is open including the campground office. We picked a spot in this small campground and set up camp, then went for a small walk around town. Once back at our camp we had a visit from one of the locals wanting us to buy a painting, and he asked about the road coming up. Craig asked him how often he goes on the road and he said that he has never been on the road as they fly in a plane when they have to go somewhere. Roothy & his car Milo from Australian 4WD Action DVD’s are up here filming at the moment. They are staying here in cabins.



Kalumburu road condition

King Edward River  29/07/12

We had a chat and took some photos with Roothy this morning. Braydon loves watching their DVD’s, so was very excited to meet him, & he gave him a free DVD. They were in the process of fixing Milo his car which is just about had it. They had to push start it as the starter motor was broken. We then headed out of town to a nice camping spot called McGowan which is on the beach. We then headed around to Honeymoon Beach that everyone raves about, but we were disappointed. We went back to camp, had an early lunch, packed up, & left Kalumburu ready for the trek back down the goat track to King Edward River. The trip seemed to take forever as you have to go so slow as the road is so bad. It took 3.5hrs to travel about 150km. We finally arrived at King Edward River at about 4.30pm, & it cost $14 a night. There were no showers here so we had to set up the camping shower. The toilets were the non-flushing type, but were nice & clean. This is a lovely camping spot right on the river, with a nice little waterfall downstream, & quite a few little freshwater crocodiles.

30/07/12  Braydons Birthday

Our big boy has turned 5 today, so we decided we would stay put so he could enjoy his day. As with all birthdays he got to choose what he wanted for all his meals, but when you are camping those choices are pretty limited. He had a great day playing with his birthday presents and playing with some kids from the next camp. We made a cake in the camp oven which believe it or not tasted very nice when you haven’t had cake in a couple of weeks. We sang Happy Birthday with his new play mates and cut the cake.  

Mitchell Falls  31/07/12

This morning we packed up camp for the trek up to the Mitchell Plateau in the Mitchell River National Park, on a notoriously bad road. We did not find it too bad after doing Kalumburu, but it did take us a little over 2hrs to do 70km. When we arrived at the Mitchell Falls campground, costing $14 a night, we set up camp on the dirt as usual, but we did have some lovely shady trees to get out of the sun. What we would do for a grassy site to put the tent on. We also had to pay $11 for the Entry Pass into the National Park. There are no showers here either so we set up our camp shower, but the toilets were again nice and clean. We were amazed at the helicopters coming and going from the campground as there are 4 choppers available to view the falls. Luckily they are only allowed to operate between the hours of 8am-4pm to keep all the campers happy. We had a look around the huge park and then cooked dinner on the campfire.



Mitchell Falls

01/08/12

We left to do the Mitchell Falls walk at 8am this morning to try and beat the heat of the day, as everyone we talked to so far has only walked one way to the falls and got the helicopter the other way. This is a 6 minute ride for $95pp, which is probably pretty cheap for a chopper ride, but we thought we would give it a miss and save some money as we are hoping to do the Horizontal Falls Tour from Broome which is very expensive. From all reports this is a tough walk that takes 5hrs to go up and back (8.6kms return), so we were all geared up for a big day. The walk up seemed to go very quickly as there is lots to see such as aboriginal art, waterfalls, swimming holes and lovely creeks. Before we knew it we were at the falls with helicopters buzzing overhead. Unfortunately to see the falls you had to walk a further 1km and wade through a creek, but it was so worth it. This is one of those times that you are in awe of what you see and think it is just like in all the postcards. Di said that it was the highlight of the trip for her so far. After about an hour at the top it was time to start walking back. It was funny seeing an organised tour group crossing the creek, as they were all holding hands wearing their socks and no shoes as apparently this is the safest way to get across. I must admit coming back did seem a lot harder and my back was killing me from carrying Aaron, but Braydon did a great job walking all the way with only complaints coming in the last km or so. We are so lucky he loves doing his bush walks. Finally we made it back to camp and we were all exhausted, and it did take us 5hrs to complete the 8km walk. It was early to bed for all of us.

Drysdale River Station  02/08/12

We left the Mitchell Falls ready for a bigger slow drive today. We made the 70km, two hour trek down from the plateau on the sandy track till we reached the Kalumburu road. We then headed for Drysdale Station again which was a further 110km away and took us 2.5hrs. We set up camp and filled up the car with fuel and all the water containers with water.

Manning River Gorge  03/08/12

We left Drysdale Station at 8.30am and headed back down Kalumburu road and onto the Gibb River Road, heading for Mt Barnett Roadhouse and then onto Manning Gorge. We pulled into the roadhouse at lunchtime and we were amazed at the amount of items in the store. It was the first decent shop we had seen in such a long time. We bought some frozen bread and a couple of other things, and some hot chips, sausage roll, and a burger for lunch. It was so nice having bread after two weeks of having wraps every day. We paid for our camping fees of $18 a night, and then did the short drive to the Manning Gorge campground. The campground is not very well maintained, but it was a lovely position right on a creek. We set up camp, and Braydon and I went for a swim in the river that was cold but lovely, with small tropical fish everywhere. We then went back and made a fire and cooked a lovely roast in the camp oven.

04/08/12

We went on the Manning Gorge walk this morning, which starts off with a deep creek crossing that there is normally a boat on a pulley system that you pull yourself the 100m across the creek, but unfortunately the boat sank a couple of days ago. So it was either go for an early morning swim or follow a largely unmarked path downstream where there were some stepping stones of sort across the creek. We chose the stepping stone option which added a couple of km to the trip but we would not have to walk in wet togs. It was supposed to be a 2km, 1.5hr walk, but everyone we ran into on the track said it was a lot longer than that. We agreed, and think it would have been about a 4km, 3hr walk, as it was up and down and scrambling over rocks. It was all worth it when we arrived at the waterfall which was beautiful. Braydon and I had a paddle at the falls while Di and Aaron stayed on a rocky outcrop in the shade overlooking the falls, as it was a steep descent to get to the falls pools. Before we left on the walk we were thinking that once we got back we would pack up camp and move on, but we were all exhausted so we stayed an extra night.

 Charnley River Station  05/08/12

We left Manning Gorge and firstly picked up an ice block at Mt Barnett Roadhouse for Braydon as a reward for doing such a big walk yesterday. We then drove 50km south on the Gibb River Road, and then 43km into Charnley River Station, which is a working cattle station with a couple of creeks and gorges. There were only about 10 campers at the station, but it was a nice shady campsite with our campfire and wood supplied. It cost $35 a night. We set up camp and then went for an 8km drive to Donkey Pools, which is a series of rock pools in a river system. The pools were slowly drying up from the wet season, but the last one was a nice swimming spot where Braydon and Aaron had a good paddle. There is lovely wildlife here as well.

06/08/12

This cattle property is approximately 750,000 acres, with about 5000 head of cattle. They have handed back about half the property to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. We had to drive about 30km to get to the first gorge, Dillie Gorge, which was only a short walk from the track, & quite nice. We then drove another 15km to Grevillea Gorge, and walked a short distance to a nearly dried up river system. We climbed down an extension ladder that was tied up to get down the gorge onto the river system. We then, with the help of some people we had met at a few campsites, climbed down some waterfalls to a beautiful rock pool. The other people were scared off the rock pool as there were a couple of naked guys down there swimming, but with the help of Braydon cooeeeing  all the time on the way down, they followed us down for a closer look at the pools. The guys had put their clothes back on by the time we arrived and it was all good. We then drove 700m to Lillys Pools, & after having lunch firstly, we walked down to Lillys Pools which was quite pretty. It was great driving on the property as the cattle were calving so there were hundreds of newborns everywhere. The campsite also had peacocks and lots of kangaroos which was great for the kids. The camp hosts put on a sausage sizzle for dinner so many people at the campground sat around a bonfire and had dinner.

Silent Grove / Bell Gorge  07/08/12

It was a relatively short drive today and we arrived at the Silent Grove campground at about 11am. On the way we stopped in at the Imintji Store, where we again ran into a lovely couple that we keep running into. This time though, their Quantium Offroad Caravan independent suspension trailing arm had broken, and they were waiting on a tilt tray to take it to Derby for repairs. Luckily they had RACQ premium cover so they did not have to pay the towing bill, and as the caravan was fairly new, the manufacturer was going to supply them with the parts, but it would take two weeks for delivery. This was very sad as they had all the right gear and were taking it so slowly. As soon as we arrived at the campground we decided we would have a special treat and make some pikelets  for morning tea, but they started getting bigger so we made pancakes and called it lunch. This is a nice campground that has been packed out the last couple of months but has just started to quiet down in the last couple of days. It cost $22 for the night. We set up camp and then drove the 30min trip to Bell Gorge. The walking track was only 2km return so it was fairly easy until you got to the waterfall and had to climb down to the base pool which was rather challenging with the kids, but well worth it. The pools were freezing cold so we didn’t go for a swim, but just had a paddle. The Gibb River Road is a place that a lot of people are seeing the same things as you, so you tend to run into the same people all the time, which is nice.  

Windjana Gorge  08/08/12

We left Silent Grove and headed along the Gibb River Road before turning off onto yet another corrugated road heading down to Windjana Gorge National Park, which cost $22 for the night. We also had to pay $11 for the Entry Pass into the National Park. This is yet another gorge but the rock is like coral with fossils of fish in it. It is only a short walk from the campsite, but the other highlight was the freshwater crocodiles everywhere. These crocs were not scared of people as you could get within meters of them. We did see one crazy guy pick up one of the crocs tails for a photo, but the croc just got up and went for a swim. Talking to the ranger later in the day he said the problem is not if the croc bites you but the infection you get from the bite. So we have now finished the Gibb River Road (but not the dirt & corrugations), although it continues another 125km to Derby.   

Tunnel Creek / Halls Creek  09/08/12

We left Windjana Gorge at 8.30am and headed south for 37km to a National Park called Tunnel Creek, which is a 1km tunnel that you walk through. Tunnel Creek flows through a spacious, water-worn tunnel beneath the limestone of the Napier Range and features many stalactites. We all had torches and Braydon had his swimming ring as you have to walk through the creek which is in the tunnel. At times the creek got up to 500mm and the water was freezing, but it was just the most amazing experience and nothing like we have done before. We all came out with big smiles on our faces. We then got back in the car, and after about another hour of driving we finally hit bitumen. Craig found the driving so much easier with no longer having to dodge rocks & potholes, & doing 100km/hr felt so fast. We got fuel & lunch at Fitzroy Crossing and then continued through to Halls Creek. We did not arrive at the caravan park till 5pm, so it was just a quick set up, dinner, then bed. The Hall’s Creek Caravan Park cost $29.50 for the night.

Sunset at the Bungle Bungles

Bungle Bungles  10/08/12

Halls Creek is largely an aboriginal community with the caravan park being in the middle of the town, & it is very noisy from the locals yelling at each other into the night. We left Halls Creek at 9.30am and did a bit of shopping at the IGA on the way out of town, and headed for the World Heritage Listed Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park). After turning off the bitumen we took 1.5hrs to travel 53km, as it is up and down gravel corrugated road with a number of creek crossings. At the first creek crossing we met a guy from Holland who did not know what to do as this was the first time he had driven on a dirt road never mind a creek crossing, so we showed him how to do it. The deepest creek crossing was about 500mm but all the ups and downs got the better of Di and she felt car sick. We first of all went to the Visitor Centre where we paid $11 for the Entry Pass into the National Park, & $22 a night for camping fees. We then set up camp in the National Park at Kurrajong Camp, and then went for a small walk up to a lookout and watched the sun go down on the rocky escarpment. There are no showers at this camp site so it is back to the shower tent and the camping shower for us tonight.

11/08/12

We drove 37km from our campsite to the Piccaninny Creek car park. It was a most amazing drive to the car park through all the rock formations. The beehive-shaped sandstone domes are striped with orange and grey bands. You can’t describe in words what you see but it is definitely worth the drive in there. We did 3 walks in this area; one to the Domes, one to Cathedral Gorge which led to an amphitheatre, and one to a lookout. We really enjoyed the walks as they were flat and generally a lot easier than what we have done in the past, and it was so interesting. We drove back to camp and had some lunch and a rest, and then in the afternoon we drove 7km to the Echidna Chasm and lookout. This is a very narrow chasm that is only about 1m wide but it goes straight up on each side 200m, and continues for a few hundred metres. What a great day as you are in sensory overload.



Bath time camping

Gibb River Road stats

1 broken CB antenna

1 broken pair of sunglasses

1 broken Navman

1 filthy car with dust inside and out

No flat tyres

No broken eggs

No broken glass bottles



One Dirty Car