Sat 13 Aug 2011 Fitzroy Crossing

At Windjana Gorge

0845 (10048 km) Breakfast of cereal and toast. Left. Got onto 100km of dirt road (not too bad) and some water crossings to Windjana Gorge National Park.

1130 (10203 km) Windjana Gorge National Park. Saw an Olive Python on the walking track. It was just minding its own business. There were crocodiles swimming around and basking in the sun. There were quite a number of them and people were taking photos of them, including HM with her new camera. They were fresh water crocodiles and so they are not as dangerous. Did not see any salt water crocodiles in the area. Also saw lots of fish, including the Archer Fish. Chatted with 2 couples we had met several times since Katherine - what a coincidence we keep bumping into each other. Had lunch of chicken sandwiches.
1400 (10203 km) Left.
1445 (10240 km) Tunnel Creek National Park. This is an amazing creek that has formed a tunnel under the limestone Napier Range. Armed with torches, we walked and waded through it to get to the other side of Napier Range. At certain sections, the water was waist deep (or armpit deep for MH). Everyone enjoyed the challenge of going into the darkness and water. We found lots of fish and crustaceans in the water. There were also bats hanging from the ceiling, and little waterfalls.
1630 (10240 km) Left, passed heaps of cattle.
1830 (10359 km) Back at caravan park. Dinner of fried rice.


Going through Tunnel Creek



Fri 12 Aug 2011 Bungle Bungle Caravan Park to Fitzroy Crossing

0815 (9635 km) Left Bungle Bungle Caravan Park.
0930 (9747 km) Halls Creek. Quite a rough place. Had to search for diesel - the main petrol station had run out. So we had to go to the other one, and there was a long queue of campers, motorhomes etc. Roaring trade at $2.00 per litre!
1245 (10039 km) Fitzroy Crossing River Lodge. Nice caravan park. Site 85.
1515 (10040 km) Went to check out the town and shopping. Expensive - cheapest bread was over $5.00. Rough looking town although the government stimulus program is working - new housing and shopping centre. Lots of Aboriginals hanging around.
1520 (10043 km) Information Centre.
1620 (10045 km) Filled up with cheaper diesel, after finding out the Shell station had run out of diesel. Obviously diesel is in demand.
1630 (10048 km) Back at caravan park. Had dinner of sausages and falafel.

Thu 11 Aug 2011 Bungle Bungle National Park to Bungle Bungle Caravan Park



The sun streaming into Edhidna Chasm
 for a few minutes each day



0830 (9545 km) Left Kurrajong camping ground.

0900 (9559 km) Mini Palms Gorge car park. It was a hot 2.5km walk to the gorge. We got to some boulders that appeared to be blocking the path. And we had to go under, go over and squeeze through the boulders. The path kept going until we got to some steps. The steps led up to a platform that overlooked the spectacular Mini Palms Gorge - except there was hardly any palms - probably destroyed in the last wet season.

1115 (9561 km) Walked to Echidna Chasm. The towering conglomerate walls of over 100m opened up a gap for us to squeeze through. In some areas, the kids could stretch their arms out and touch both sides. At around midday, the sunlight streamed into the narrow chasm creating a fantastic view.

1230 (9561 km) Left Echidna Chasm.

1300 (9531 km) Back at Visitor Centre. Had lunch of bread, corn, ham and cheese.
1400 (9531 km) Left Bungle Bungle National Park.
1550 (9633 km) Got back to caravan park. Dinner of indomie and spam.

Wed 10 Aug 2011 Bungle Bungle Caravan Park to Bungle Bungle National Park

0800 (9432 km) Left caravan park and our camper trailer behind as the road was going to be too rough. Drove 2 hours along a 53 km 4WD track on a cattle station (the only access road) to get to Bungle Bungle (Purnululu) National Park.
1000 (9484 km) Purnululu Visitor Centre.



'Bee Hives' - Bungle Bungles NP

 1100 (9512 km) Lunch of sandwiches. Went on Piccaninny Walk - very hot, cloudless day. Walked amongst the 'bee hive' stripey domes. The domes are caused by the different layers laid down millions of years ago when it was a sea bed. Some layers are more porous and the orange is caused by the iron. The other layers are darker because of the lichen/moss that grow on the surface. The walk took us on a hot walk and then into a cavernous amphitheatre. An amazing sight indeed. Just trying to imagine it in the wet season with water gushing down the gorge walls and the water obviously swirling around to form the huge cavern. Met Christian, Taija and their grandma, Rhonda. Our kids started to skip stones across the waterhole in the middle of the gorge with Christian.



In the cavernous Cathedral Gorge amphitheatre



Panoramic photo of Cathedral Gorge - doesn't do the real thing justice

1315 (9512 km) Left the Southern area of the National Park.
1410 (9545 km) Got to Kurrajong campsite (north area). Set up tent etc under a lovely  shady area. Kids played with Christian and Taija. Met Glenn.
1730 (9545 km) Dinner of spaghetti.
2000 (9545 km) Rhonda made some ginger damper and cake in the fire! No need any special temperature control. Turned up quite nice. Nights quite cool - Ming Kim asking for a jacket! And this is the child that goes to school in shorts and t-shirt all winter!

Tue 9 Aug 2011 Kununurra to Bungle Bungle Caravan Park

0830 (9095 km) Left Kununurra.
0915 (9145 km) Arrived at Halls Creek turn off. Dropped off the camper trailer at the rest area as we didn't want to take it on the corrugated roads into Emma Gorge.


At Turquoise Pool



1015 (9179 km) Emma Gorge Resort. Looks very nice. The walk to the gorge was hot in places, rocky, crossed the stream a few times. Then we got to Turquoise Pool. And the water was clearly turquoise. A bit more climb and we got to the Emma Gorge plunge pool. It was big. It was cold. We jumped in any way and swam to the right side of the pool and the water got warmer! There were hot springs that came out of the right cliff that warmed the water. There was even a pool of warm bath temperature water. Then some of us chickened out of swimming through the cold water to get back to shore and clambered over rocks to get out.

Emma Falls

1330 (9179 km) Got back to Emma Gorge Resort - all hot again, and had lunch at the car park.

1440 (9213 km) Back at the Halls Creek turn off. Fortunately the camper trailer was still there. Pumped up the tyres and hitched up the camper trailer and away we went.

1630 (9375 km) Warmun. Filled up.

1730 (9432) Bungle Bungle Caravan Park - a very new and basic caravan park just at the turn off to the National Park. Site 15. Dinner of rice and chicken.

Mon 8 Aug 2011 Kununurra

0900 (9020 km) Breakfast of toast. Left.
0930 (9037 km) Went to Zebra Rock Gallery. The Zebra Rock was amazing. The stripes and patterns in the silt rock were very interesting. It is mined in a place nearby - there's only a few sites around there, and no where else in the world. Some of those sites have been 'flooded' during the recreation of Ord River Dam, so it is pretty rare.There was another similar type of rock called primordial rock that was lighter and had more colours. Bought a pack of small  Zebra Rocks. Another highlight was feeding the fish. The river was frothing with black catfish waiting to be fed. Then, showed the kids archer fish. Held some bread out over the railing and  within a few seconds a jet of water shot out from the water and hit the bread accurately. It is the archer fish spitting at the bread to get it to fall into the water so it can be eaten. Didn't see any crocodiles, apparently they turn up from time to time. There were also other animals there - talking cockatoo, peacock, etc.

Boab Tree

1045 (9037 km) Left. Stopped by a large boab tree with a hollow big enough to fit a person. Can just imagine people in the past finding places like this to stay in. Also had a look at the Diversion Dam. It was releasing an incredible amount of water. There was a huge difference in water level between one side of the dam and the other. At the Celebrity Tree Park, we saw the tree planted by Alison Lester, the author of the children's book "Are we there yet" that is the inspiration of this trip. Through some miraculous coincidence, we stumbled onto this tree out of all the trees scattered through the park.

1330 (9073 km) TFS Sandalwood factory.
1350 (9073 km) Left. Went shopping.
1420 (9091 km) Filled up.
1445 (9095 km) Back at the caravan park. Dinner of pasta.

Sun 7 Aug 2011 El Questro to Kununurra

0700 (8895 km) Pack up. Breakfast of bread and muesli. Washed up at the station. We have been leaving early as the days are soooo hot - gets hot by 9am.
1015 (8911 km) Real 4WD track with deep river crossings, deep bull dust tracks, rocks to El Questro Gorge. After an hour of scrambling over rocks, we found a really clear refreshing pool with a small water fall. This was the half way point of the El Questro Gorge and was called the Half Way Pool. Spent some time there cooling off and looking at fish. Really refreshing. To continue on the gorge, you had to wade through waist deep water and there was a huge boulder to climb over and that wasn't easy.



El Questro Gorge

 1300 (8911 km) Got back to car - hot and bothered again and had rolls for lunch.
1330 (8911 km) Left El Questro Gorge.
1530 (9017 km) Back to Kununurra. Went shopping.
1600 (9019 km) Caravan Park. Had dinner of burgers.