Darwin Delights

After Katherine we stopped a night at Edith Falls giving us time to do a couple of good walks along the river to picture perfect swimming pools before heading north to Darwin. Peaceful Mt. Bundy station made a good base from which to explore the extensive Litchfield NP with a range of short walks to various waterfalls and gorges.

Pine Creek a former gold mining town led us on to Darwin the capital city of the NT and subject over the years to destruction by cyclones, WW2 bombing raids and in 1974 almost complete destruction by Cyclone Tracy. We spent a few very enjoyable days at the excellent museums, military displays and newly developed wharf areas and were surprised to learn of the extent of military activity in the area as the nation feared a Japanese invasion. The oil storage tunnels and massive gun emplacements were remarkable and the conditions at Fannie Bay Gaol thought provoking whilst another exhibition conveyed and recorded the enormous destructive force of Tracy which almost wiped the city off the map.

We enjoyed our dose of civilisation including a stroll round cosmopolitan Mindil market and stayed an extra day so now head off to the more natural wonders of Kakadu which will loop us back to Katherine in a week or so.

Latest photos here and locations here.

The slides come from NZ once more.

Top End Treats

From Kununurra we travelled the short distance to Lake Argyle - Oz's largest man made body of water currently several metres above its normal level and covering a vast area with islands, coves and headlands stretching away in all directions. A massive torrent was pouring down the main spillway as we arrived at the camp ground for a couple of nights giving us time to enjoy the sunset cruise courtesy of Triple J Tours and their knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. A few freshwater crocs were seen plus marsupials on the islands and birds of prey overhead all set against a setting sun and rising full moon. A walk to the relocated homestead provided an insight in to the former station's harsh beginnings when cattle were walked here several thousand miles over three years from Queensland as well as the more recent changes when following the dam's completion the lake filled far more quickly than anticipated during a very wet 'Wet' season.

A night at the excellent Victoria Road House camping area brought us to Katherine and its gorges where we stayed in the national park and enjoyed a couple of good walks out to viewpoints over the dramatic main gorge and down one of the side gorges. A wind had blown away the smoke from bush fires and cooled down the days which were reaching the high 20's whilst at night it was pleasantly cool to enjoy the spectacle of thousands of flying foxes or fruit bats leaving their tree roosts.

Katherine's museum filled us in on much of the area's history and the damage caused by extensive floods in 1998 and 2006 whilst its shops enabled us to fill up with food and fuel, enjoy lunch out and then stay here at Spring Vale Station where Elvis the freshie lives apparently benignly in the billabong - quite a cool character.

The van is booked to leave Perth on August 26th and we fly out the same day so return to the UK in ten weeks time giving us plenty of time to finish off up here, drop south through Alice Springs and meet up again with friends in both the south and west before we leave.

Photos at this link, locations at this one and the slides come from our journey through SA and WA back in May.

The Kimberley

Our stay at Barn Hill was topped by a trip in a tinny for some conservation fishing courtesy of Mark and Kerren before we set off on a longish stretch north towards the Kimberley region. The ancient baob prison tree near Derby was fascinating and we enjoyed a night at Birdswood Downs Station which gave Sarah a chance to enjoy a ride early the following morning.

We then skirted south of the Kimberley as the Gibb River Road had only just reopened after twice the usual wet season rains and the crossings would have been beyond our scope. Such has been the extent of the danmage that none of the side trips are yet open and remote Kalumburu will not be accessible until next year at the earliest.
Two nights at roadside rest areas were made memorable by the company which included a night of music around the fire courtesy of four other van based travellers. At Hall's Creek we took a side road to view the Wall of China quartz outcrop before turning on to the northern end of the Gibb River Road to approach the million acre station of El Questro.

The station was reached by a rather challenging crossing of the Pentecost River which was 100 yards of submerged slippery stones with the water at the far end rising above the door seals - a very loose last few yards and a steep climb out nearly saw us scuppered but again the van rose to the occasion and we pulled up at reception with water draining out all round - not surprisingly we were the only two wheel drive vehicle around!

Staying was relatively expensive as the station charged a daily admission fee on top of camp fees and considering that they had a million acres the camp area was small and rather busy. However it was in a wonderful location and provided some good walks over the next couple of days with a memorable last night as we met up with a couple we'd first met in the Pilbara who are on a trip to Europe by dirt bike. Whilst a great place to stay at this time of year the whole place shuts down for the wet season when torrential rain, high humidity, soaring temperatures and damaging cyclones make life much harder.

After safely negotiating the Pentecost River a second time we did both Amelia and Emma Gorges before dropping in at Wyndham to admire the view from Five Rivers Lookout with river deltas, estuaries and flood plains extending way in to the distance and the rugged ranges of the Kimberley reflecting the hot sun off their striking red flanks.

A commercial site in Kununurra has given us a chance to chase up our shipping and flight arrangements and catch up on news from home.

Photos sit here this time and our positions here with slides coming from Tasmania

Balmy at Barn Hill

Following the successful resolution of our braking woes we pushed on northwards calling at Port Hedland to thank the Repco manager and Savannah Engineering staff for their help and stopping down at the waterside to watch two vast ore carriers being loaded and a bulldozer shifting a vast stockpile of salt for export.

Cape Keraudren provided a good spot to stay the night with simple coastal camping on a scenic shoreline - croc warning signs were posted but the beasts themselves remained elusive.

A long stretch of mostly empty road took us via Sandfire Roadhouse to the turning for Barn Hill Station which provided camping at the end of a sandy 9km long track. To our complete surprise it was a large set up with around 300 pitches - many tucked under the shade of trees, others with perfect sea views and for us some quieter spots further along that had good views but no power. The station must have had a good water supply as flush loos, hot showers and a washing machine were available as well as water at every pitch. Hook ups were also available even though the place was off grid and although some 100 miles from Broome an internet signal appeared intermittently.

Just after setting up a couple we had met at Coral Bay hailed us as a result of which we have spent the last five days here enjoying good company, perfect weather, refreshing swimming and walks along the beach. A 200 mile round trip to Broome was required for shopping but that merely reflects the scale of WA where distances between centres are huge.

We have really enjoyed the break from moving on almost constantly and the chance to meet and make new friends but will be on the road again tomorrow and heading for Derby. Local advice seems to be that the Gibb River Road will be beyond our scope so that and many other adventures will have to wait.

A few pics and the spotty Spots as ever.

The slideshow returns to SA.

Down, downs and ups

At Karratha we watched a safety video to enable us to be issued with a permit for the private mines road to Tom Price which ran alongside the railway that runs for several hundred miles in to the Pilbara iron ore deposits. The ore trains are several km long and carry 23,000 tonnes at a time to the huge ships waiting at Karratha and Port Headland. Having enjoyed the peace and quiet of Millstream Chichester NP with good bush camping at Snake Creek and a Park's site at the old homestead, we stayed in Tom Price to give us time to do a tour of the world's largest iron ore open cut mine site - an awe inspiring operation that is driving the local economy at a break-neck speed.

The walk to the summit of Mt Bruce gave us a good view down in to another mining operation before we headed in to Karijini NP to explore the numerous impressive deep and red gorges that cut deep in to the landscape. The convoluted geology of Hammersley Gorge was remarkable after which we stayed at basic and rather over rated 'eco' camp site. This then gave us the chance to explore via ladders, handrails and scrambling the various other gorges that characterise the area. Some wading and swimming was required in the cold waters rendering the experience very similar to caving especially as in places the sky was totally obscured by the towering cliff sides. In the past fatalities have occurred and recue efforts have been prolonged due to the isloation and inaccessibility- the volunteer rescue services come from the mining sites and the roads are rough and slow with very poor communications. However it was all an amazing experience after which we moved on to the Dales camp ground near the Weano Gorge. This provided good walks as well including a sighting of large bats roosting in the trees, some lovely swimming pools and a chance to enjoy the hot sunshine.

After leaving Karijini we drove a fair way to stay at Indee Station en route to Port Hedland where we had ordered new brake pads for the van and spent the night on their workaday yard amidst 400,000 acres of outback running only 2000 cattle due to the drought.

In PH we picked up the pads but discovered whilst fitting them that we had a seized caliper cradle ( the cause of the premature wear) on one side, the same on the other plus a seized caliper itself. Working in a supermarket car park was less than ideal and a sheared bolt added to the fun. A small engineering company managed to remove the trapped shaft and I sourced a suitable bolt to effect a repair but the seized caliper was beyond our roadside ability. With replacements apparently only available from VW in Germany and taking 3 weeks, or from a motor factors in the UK which would need sending by air we were faced with a situation so returned to Indee for a rethink. Today we were able to use their workshop area to dismantle things again and in better conditions than a car park were in fact able to unseize the cradle, caliper and a handbrake cable putting us back on the road again against all expectations. I think the caustic substance used to disinfect the van at Sydney and applied by a powerful jet washer was the cause of the problem as I had overhauled all the brakes prior to the start of this trip.

Anyway we are now good to go so will head to Broome and then Darwin (still 1500 miles away) and see how the access to the Kimberley is following the late summer rains.


Piccies here and locations here.


Slides this month from the Oz Alps.

Coral coast capers.

After the change in plan and an extra night in Carnarvon we reached the delights of Coral Bay in good weather and were soon off to snorkel in the clear warm waters with an amazing variety of fish and marine life just yards offshore. A downpour late afternoon was followed that night by a mighty thunderstorm that tested the repair to our possum damaged roof - watertight thank goodness unlike a number of caravans who had left roof lights open in the humidity.

Moving on to Exmouth and the Cape Range NP we passed hundreds of large termitaria, lunched on the deserted beach near the wreck of the SS Mildura and then booked in at the campsite below the Vlaming Lighthouse.

Cape Range Park gave us the chance for even more rewarding snorkeling with a large ray or skate and a sea turtle providing fascinating images - Sarah also saw a metre long reef shark and now holds the 100m splash and paddle record. The ease of access, warm water and good visibility made for some memorable experiences.

Up in the hills we enjoyed a hot but rewarding 8km walk to Shothole Canyon and then stayed overnight at moving Girallia Station - flattened by a cyclone in 1999 the family rebuilt but have never really recovered and are now living on as hosts to a few campers, fishermen and the very occasional coach party in a vast area devoid of livestock. We were the only guests and were rewarded with a true outback sunset and a full orange moon rising soon after.

A long drive today has brought us near to Karratha in the Pilbara where Oz's resource boom in the shape of large iron ore mines and gas plants is well underway.

We have found a peaceful bush camp area on the coast decorated with the first croc warning signs we have seen so neither of us are likely to venture in to the sea again for a while despite the daytime temperatures reaching the mid thirties.

Finally after much mulling over and consideration of the numerous options we have decided not to return to Oz after this trip just yet. The uncertainty over visa extensions, shipping and carnet issues, expiring passports and the high mileage the van has covered means we will now return to the UK in September 2011, ship the van back, enjoy Christmas with family and then head to Southern Europe for the rest of the winter whilst a new base vehicle is on order.

Then it will be a conversion over the summer and probably another European based test trip before a return overseas in 2013 to include at some stage a return here in what should be a relatively youthful 4x4 that will enable us to do the remote bits of the 'Top End' we will miss this time.

It feels good to have made some decisions so we can now concentrate on our remaining 3 months here - up to Darwin and then back to Sydney via Alice Springs and Adelaide means we still have loads to look forward to.

Fishy pics here (I hope to be able to provide a link to some video I took soon) and the locations here

A slide show covering Tasmania (now a much colder place) is also included.

Rocks and shells, blocks and wells.

After the harsh but picturesque attractions of the Murchison Gorge we stayed at Kalbarri and spent a day exploring the sandstone cliffs and inlets leaving the bike at one lookout to enable us to do a one way cliff top walk.
A return south briefly took us to gorgeous Port Gregory passing a beta carotene works on the shore of the highly saline and bright pink Hutt Lagoon. Hutt River Province is a legal quirk of circumstance being a principality separate from Australia and exempt from its legislation and taxes. This arose from a dispute over wheat quotas forty years ago and Prince Leonard now aged 86 welcomes visitors to the homestead that also provides camping in the arid outback environment.
Hamelin Station on Shark Bay provided a memorable base from which to explore up to Denham visiting the old Hamelin Pools Telegraph Station and adjacent stromatolites. Also here was the remarkable quarry used to extract blocks of compressed shells used locally in construction. These same tiny shells form Shell Beach where they lie up to 10m deep and stretch around Shark Bay for over 100 km.
The shallow waters of Shark Bay contain huge areas of seagrass that support mantra rays, dugongs and a wide variety of other marine life - 4WD only tracks give the best access so we will have to return one day. However we were able to get to the old Peron Station which used to run thousands of sheep - the old woolshed and shearers accommodation stand by an artesian bore that produces 170,000 litres of water a day at 30 degrees C now used in a free standing hot tub.
A second night on the half million acre Hamelin Station that runs 10,000 sheep (do the math)* set us up for the journey north to Carnarvon where we stayed the night at Quobba Station on the coast with a memorable sunset after lunch in town and a look round the heritage precinct at One Mile Jetty.
Today we set off in heavy rain (a surprise after the last few weeks of scorching sunshine) for the Kennedy Ranges 150 miles inland but decided after an hour that there was every chance of the road being closed behind us as the downpour was torrential.
Thus we returned to a proper site in Carnarvon to do the mundane chores such as laundry, water refills, battery charging, shopping etc. and will shortly watch a DVD with the heater on for the first time in months : the Tropic of Capricorn is less than a hundred miles away so we expect this to be only a temporary unsettled spell........................

* one ewe per 50 acres!

Click for Photos and our Whereabouts.

The slide show returns to the start of this trip with NSW in October