We arrived in Kununurra, all set to cross the border into the Northern Territory, meet up with friends in Darwin and Katherine and slowly head back towards the east coast and home. Then, we had a big rethink and decided it was a much better idea to stay in WA for a further three months. It is safe here, in splendid isolation from the dreaded virus wrecking havoc back east. There is no real reason to hurry back and we are unlikely to get another chance to explore this beautiful, vast state. If we stay until December we can retrace our steps and get a chance to explore the southwest, which the Covid lockdown deprived us of back in March.
Kununurra is 3,300 km from Perth by road. It was gazetted as a town in 1961 as the new town for the Ord River Irrigation project. The town was built on land resumed from the Ivanhoe Station pastoral lease before 1961 as the town for the scheme.
Kelly's Knob at sunset. This shot is taken from the City Oval where we are staying.
It is a lovely shaded spot with enormous shade giving trees, hot showers and right in the heart of Kununurra for a fraction of the price of the caravan park right opposite.
Kelly's Knob closer up just as we are about to climb it to get a view of Kununurra at sunset.
The view of the town.
The view over Mirima National Park, located just minutes from Kununurra was declared a NP in 1982. It is often referred to as the mini Bungle Bungle Range and we will go there tomorrow and will do a separate blog posting on it as it is spectacular.
The city park with a few boab trees.
The rock formation across the lake opposite the city park, which is referred to as the sleeping Buddha.
The swimming beach at Lake Kununurra.
Sadly, Kununurra, unlike Broome, is missing out on the tourist boom involving of West Australians travelling post-Covid lockup. There are all sorts of travel packages being offered from every part of the state to Broome, and people are taking advantage of them all. But only the more intrepid travellers go as far as the Kimberleys, especially given that most of the attractions on the Gibb River Rd remain closed. And with travellers from the NT not being able to cross into WA the tourist trade to Kununurra and the Kimberleys is down. Yet Broome is blooming.
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