On the way to Karratha

We stopped at Port Hedland again and after it, we headed towards Karratha.  When we were driving north we went inland to visit Karijini so bypassed Karratha.  We had a last coffee at the Silver Bullet in Hedland which is a cafe in an old railway carriage.  We rather like the town and have had some pleasant experiences there.

Entrance to Karratha - ornamental mulla mulla plants.

A welcome swim at the Dampier Peninsula - it is about 36 degrees at the moment.  We camped there 12 years ago and at low tide watched the staircase to the moon.  This is at high tide.

Miaree Pool rest area about 32 km from Karratha.  Another beautiful spot.

The wildflowers are starting to appear.  They will be more prolific as we move south.

This is one of the Ngajarli petroglyphs in the newly opened Murujuga National Park on the Dampier Peninsula where Andrew went for a walk.

The Red Earth Arts Centre at Karratha.  It is especially beautiful when it is lit up at night with the vertical lines changing colour.

View of Karratha.

Andrew wearing his birthday presents - a new bushwalking hat and vibrant pink gaiters for over his socks to keep pricklies out.

Barn Hill again on our way south

 We debated whether to stay somewhere else, for example Ana Station nearby, but in the end Barn Hill won out. There are few places that compare with the beauty of the beach and the campground with its views.

Some more of the strange rock formations along the beach as Andrew goes wandering around finding new places to walk to and explore.

On a rocky outcrop on the top of Barn Hill is a cairn which is an historical landmark left by Alexander Forrest during his exploration of the Kimberley in 1879.

The view of a small part of the campground in the distance.

A bird's nest on one of the rocks along the beach.

Leaving the East Kimberley and heading back southwest

The Kimberley is WA's sparsely populated northern region.  It was the last region to be opened up during the Covid regional border closures in order that the more vulnerable indigenous people not be exposed to the virus.  It is noticeable how many fewer vehicles, RVs and all we are seeing going northwards, in the direction from where we are coming.  In mid-August, the temperature in the Kimberley is climbing.  

We are re-tracing our steps back towards Broome and here we are spending the night at Mary Pool, one of the nicest rest areas.  We managed to get another shady spot, maybe even nicer than last time.

Misty the 14 year old cat who travels with her owners.  She is allowed out of the caravan and she never strays but stays put.

And at Ngumban Cliff Lookout again.  Windy but a lovely view.

Here we are back at The Lake at Ellendale parked right on the water on the other side.  We actually went for a dip which may not be such a wise thing to do when cows are near a waterway with the water not actually flowing, but when it is as hot as it is here, it is very difficult to resist going into any pool of water that does not have a saltwater crocodile in it.

We arrived back in Broome for a one day and night stay.  We headed back to our favourite haunt, The Dragonfly Cafe.

This is the most expensive bridge session we have ever participated in.  Not in terms of table money but in order to play on the very last Tuesday Broome bridge session, we booked into the insanely expensive RAC Cable Beach Holiday Park ($62 per day).  The bridge in Broome is only on while the snowbirds from the cold southern cities all migrate up the coast for the winter months and this week is the last session as most are heading back south.  It was an enjoyable afternoon of bridge and afterwards we headed back to our small camp site but able to enjoy the salt water pool in the park.

This is the reason we don't stay in caravan parks very often.  It is not just the expense, although obviously that has an effect.  It is the cheek by jowl living that we dislike.  The people who come here, book in for several weeks and have to live in such cramped quarters listening to their neighbours breathing, watching tv, or just talking.  At the rest stops we choose, we generally have quite a big space to ourselves which affords privacy.  At this expensive park, this is the smallest space we have had anywhere.  Two weeks ago when we were in Broome on the way north we stayed at Discovery Park at Roebuck where the camp sites were much more spacious, the park was on the edge of the bay but no swimming pool.

On the other hand, this is the reason we are here.  Not all caravan parks have swimming pools but this one does and that is the reason we are splurging.  And doing the washing and general ablutions which we certainly do not get at rest stops :-)

Wyndham - our furtherest northeastern stop

We drove to Wyndham for part of the day.  It is approximately 90 km from Kununurra and after this we turn around and start going back south.  Not before time as the temperatures are starting to rise here in mid-August.  Our fridge started to protest at all this heat and we were mortally afraid that everything in the freezer was going to melt.  But all is now well, fridge working but the days are getting very hot.

The giant crocodile at the entrance to Wyndham.  We went and sampled the meat pies at the Wyndham Bakery which is reputed to have some of the best pies and the largest variety in Oz.  We could have had a crocodile pie or a barramundi pie but we opted for our favourite, lamb curry, and the breakfast pie which included cheese,bacon and a hard-boiled egg.

Larger than life statues at Warriu Dreamtime Park in the town.

The view from the Five Rivers Lookout near Wyndham.

The view over the Cockburn Ranges which was one of the locations for filming of the movie Australia.

After leaving Wyndham we stopped at the gorge know as the Grotto which has a permanent swimming hole. Water seeps from the side wall.

This morning on our way south we stopped at the Doon Doon Roadhouse for the tallest hamburger.  It tasted as good as it looks.

Lake Argyle continued

 The East Kimberley scenery is just beautiful and we are enjoying every moment we spend here.

Andrew went for an early morning walk up to the Bluff Lookout.  This is the cairn at the top.

He managed to catch this pretty parrot among the cottonwood.

Later on in the morning all three of us including little Maxi, on her short little Jack Russell legs, did the walk just opposite the caravan park to the other lookout point which takes in the wonderful views of the Ord River gorge and the dam wall.

Maxi was pretty tired when we got to the top, as was I, and she took what shade she could under the legs of a fellow walker.

Last night around the campfire with one of the best views as the background.  The Lake Argyle Tourist Resort has been without a doubt one of the classiest caravan parks we have stayed at.  It apparently stays open all year around.  Some intrepid travellers come because they want to see the wet season with all the waterfalls working and waterholes filled.  One of the guys working there told me that there are about ten RVs stay there per day in the off season.

The Durack Homestead which is now a museum.

Two last shots of one arm of the reservoir below the campground. The Bluff where Andrew walked the day before is on the top left hand corner.

This virtual inland sea is a heavenly spot nestled in the Carr Boyd Ranges and a 45 minute drive from Kununurra.

Lake Argyle

 We left Kununurra to drive to Lake Argyle.  The scenery along the road was stunning.

We are having a treat and staying at the Lake Argyle Tourist Park for a couple of days.  Nikki is trying out the infinity pool which is the pool with a fantastic view.  Unfortunately being an infinity pool with water constantly flowing in means it can't be heated - it is not the warmest pool but perfectly bearable.

We went on a four hour lake cruise which was a fantastic experience.  The lake is Western Australia's largest freshwater man-made lake by area and Australia's second (Lake Pedder is the first).  The reservoir is part of the Ord River Scheme.  The lake flooded large parts of the Shire of Wyndham - East Kimberley.  There is 9 times the volume of water in the lake compared to Sydney Harbour at present and currently the reservoir is only half full after three below-average wet seasons.

The Ord River with the power station in the bottom right hand corner that has been added, 20 years after the dam was built.  

The following photos were all taken on the cruise and I will let them speak for themselves without any commentary except to say the land formations and the reflections as the afternoon sun was setting were all stunning.

Many of us on the boat had a swim which was wonderfully refreshing and about 6 degrees warmer than the infinity pool at the caravan park.  You are swimming with approximately 25,000 freshwater crocs but they are harmless to humans.

I have never had a glass of wine while swimming in a lake.

There are plenty of fresh water crocodiles in the lake but they are shy and not aggressive.  They also have long narrow jaws not like salties.  We are assured the aggressive man-eating salties cannot get into the lake.

These wallaroos are on an island in the lake and the people running the cruises make a point of feeding them.