Tennant Creek to Alice Srings - 7-8th August 2011

Two long days of driving (about 500 km per day) brought us to Alice Springs.  Naturally we have beautiful blue skies, but with all the burning off happening in Alice Springs, and along the route, the sky was sometimes blanked out with smoke and the sun took on a mysterious, glaring metallic form.  Along the route we saw about 50 or more Army vehicles and all the drivers waved as they hurried past.

Yesterday, after over-nighting at Tennant Creek (where we took the photo of the Aboriginal Art centre), we came to the Devils Marbles. 

There is a National Park dedicated to all these amazing standing stones, balancing on other stones.  It was right on the track as we drove along.  Two prayers were answered as we prayed for the wind to stop so we could drive more easily, and it did – straight away and also the usual problem of finding somewhere to stop, as all the parks were full.  (Who can blame all the southerners coming up here to escape winter at home).  Well, the Lord found us a pleasant place to stop in Alice close to the gap between two huge rocky cliff faces. The van park provided $10 dinners and free drinks and it is quite cheap.

After a gentle beginning to the day, we headed out for the Desert Park.  I took a ride on a scooter as the park looked pretty big and the day was hot, but Graeme did all the walking.  It is a most interesting park, but all too familiar to us, who spent seven years living in, and exploring the deserts around Broken Hill.  We met many familiar animals and plants, including flowers of the desert.  It was lovely to see the Sturt’s Desert Pea, some with black centres and some with red centres. 

It reminded us of all the ones that used to grow in our front garden of our first home in Broken Hill, such a long time ago. We could grow nearly anything out there in that wonderful soil.  Graeme spotted the lizard in the garden at the park amongst the lovely desert flowers and both he and I had a ball photographing some of the birds there, some with amazing songs, like rattling a wire fence or crackling paper, or tramping through the underbrush, and sing as well.  Clever bird - he posed for my photos for a long time.  We could have sent lots more. I took the eagle along the road as we travelled.

Posing - almost a statue

Painted Finch - Emblema Pictum

In flight - by Pam

Mimic bird, photographed by Pam

Mataranka - 6th August 2011

We chose to come here rather than Katherine, because of the beautiful springs here.  The water there is warm and there are several places where you can swim.  The one we like has a current and carries you down the river gently.  We found we can swim against the current without too much trouble.    We wore our goggles to do the swim, which gives us such beautiful clarity in the pool.  

We had an insight into another world in there.  The stream is full of tree roots at various weird angles and vines, lots of small fish, river shelves, and of course my favourite, lots of waterlilies.    If you want to reach out and grab something to hold on to, you will get a handful of waterlilies, which are not much support.  Your head is bobbing along at the same level as the water lilly flowers.  The water is pristine, but every part of it is covered with lichens which move in the direction of the flow of the water. 

 

Dad’s take their tiny, small children down there in their arms without any difficulty.   One lady told me she saw a yellow snake in there, but since nobody else was worrying, she decided not to worry either and went in, regardless.   You only have to use your imagination to see all the little naked black children frolicking in the clear springs. 

I saw half of “We of the Never Never” as it showed an hour before the advertised time.  However, we don’t seem to find it easy to photograph it, so I got some post cards to show the scene.  At Mataranka you also have to imagine the Springs hemmed in by beautiful ancient Livistonia and Pandanus Palms and Tea Trees, which also like water and are useful to the Aboriginal people for making lean-tos.  Not sure how many live that way these days, but they try to keep their traditions as alive as they can.  It all reminds me of my half sister – she was probably one of the Stolen Generation – though we never had a name like that for the children who were taken into the white families.   Her name was Dorothy Rose Rowe.  She was a wonderful sister to me, that is all I can say.   I don’t have contact with her today, but I wish I did.  Last I knew of her around 1993, she lived at Parramatta.  Today she would be around 75 or 76 years old.

By the way, Katherine also has beautiful Springs, all open to the public to enjoy.  Its all free for everyone.   Katherine has the elegant and enormous Katherine River and Gorge, while Mataranka Springs has The Roper River.  Because we love to swim so much we enjoy them all, plus Berry Springs, 35 km south of Darwin, they are also a favourite.

The caravan where we stayed at Mataranka also had a lot of wildlife, peacocks, and 'pet' Barranundi, and the owner put on a demonstration twice a day of feeding them and catching them live with fish, quite spectacular.

Final Days at Kununurra and back to Victoria River - 2nd-4th August 2011

Tonight, 4th August, we are at Victoria River on the way to Katherine.  How nice for us to be able to meet up with Mary and Howard who are on their way for do voluntary work at HCJB, so we will have to enclose a photo which was taken tonight on the old road bridge at Victoria River.

Meeting up with Mary & Howard (right) at Victoria River

Yesterday, 3rd August, we took a 4WD bus into El Questro.   It was a most enjoyable day and we were delighted to be in somebody else’s vehicle instead of our own on the Gibb River Road.   Graeme bravely strode up the gorge to visit Emma Gorge.  A few of us chickened out for one reason or another.  It was quite a climb. 

Emma Gorge

Emma Gorge

We saw one lady who apparently broke her arm trying to do the climb, but she was not in our group, poor soul.  We had fun at Zebedee Falls.  The ridge in the red, rocky mountains contained a very interesting surprise, with tall Livistonia  Palms sheltering a warm spring and everyone had to find their own little pool to take a dip in the springs.   The dressing sheds were non existent, so we were trying to change out on the trail without much cover.    

Then we had a lovely lunch at the café and a cruise on the Chamberlain Gorge in the afternoon and fed the “spitting fish”.  It was quite lovely.  El Questro staff served champagne juice and fresh fruit on the boat.  

At El Questro

  

Chamberlain Gorge in the afternoon

Chamberlain Gorge

Chamerlain Gorge

In the big wet, the water in the Pentecost River where the homestead sits, rose 21 metres and they were fortunate that when the foundations were being washed away, a huge Boab tree got wedged between the ground and the floor of the $2,000 per night suite and saved the day.  Now, I’d like to know the chances that a huge Boab tree could wedge itself in that position and save the homestead from washing away.    I reckon someone who was caretaking there at the time, was praying like mad for some divine help.

Friday we head for Mataranka for the weekend, then we begin travelling south on the way home.  We will be taking in a few of the National Parks as we travel.

Lake Argyle, Bungle Bungles, Jacana, Grotto 1st August 2011

Latest pictures, show there is plenty to do in the North of the country.  Hire a little or large motor home from Darwin and take yourself to some of these wonderful places.

We have now been on the road two months. 

We discovered The Grotto while driving to Wyndham on The Cambridge Gulf.  Situation:  Sixty kms from Kununurra.  On the surface of the land it just looks like a big hole in the ground.  If you walk down 140 un-railed steps and climb over some rocks, you will find this cool gorge.  Some people were swimming in it.  In the wet, there are magnificent waterfalls falling into this underground chasm from the surrounding hills and the water would be many metres deep.  

The Grotto

The Grotto 2

The Grotto 3

Yesterday we called in to HCJB, a non denominational Christian company sending the gospel message and other helpful information into SE Asia, India and the South Pacific.  Everything is done by volunteers from building the towers to managing the stations and the program dispersal to the right country at the right time.  God has provided many miracles to set up this station.  It is received on short-wave radio on  small radios. Friends, Mary and Howard Jones have spent part of the last 3 years helping in this work and will arrive later this week for a further period. They also grow bananas and mangos at HCJB and would love some volunteers to help do all kinds of jobs.

Look carefully and you will see the tall HCJB antennae

Another view of HCJB

The Jacana bird is also known as “The Jesus Bird”, because it seems to walk on water.  Its finely spread toes allow its weight to be distributed so gently on lily pads and sea grasses, that it appears to walk on the water.  They are busy little birds, and Graeme captured this one as it was about to fly.  We have only seen them fly very low over the water and not very far.  So I call this one “the dancing Jacana”.

Jacana about to fly

Jacana reflection

Finally, a flight to the Bungle Bungles.  This also included The Argyle Diamond Mine - the richest diamond mine in the World.  The workers work for 3 weeks on site then go home for one week.  Half the people employed are Aboriginal, or this is at least a goal of the company.  One lady told me she had bought 5 houses in 2 years since her husband has been working on that mine.  She plants Chinese Sandalwood trees, which is a major industry in Kununurra.  These trees are parasites, so they have to be grown with other trees.  It takes 15 years from planting to harvest.  In the pictures you will also see Lake Argyle that we flew over today, the land forms, the dam wall of Lake Argyle, produce grown on the Ord River Scheme, and the Lake Argyle caravan park where we spent two days enjoying the dam. 

Bungle Bungles

The plane we flew in

Crops around Kununurra

Bungle Bungles

Mt Diamond Open Cut Mine

Lake Argyle

Crops around Kununurra

Spillway from Lake Kununurra

Lake Argyle and Kununurra 26-30th July 2011

Lake Argyle is on the site of the old Durak homestead and was the brain child of Kim Durak, who also gave the region its name – “Kimberley”.  Lake Argyle is formed by the damming of the Ord River.  There is a giant spillway, which can fill Sydney Harbour in just 4 hours in a wet year like this one.  They had 3 metres of rain in the most recent wet season.  

Sunset cruise on Lake Argyle

Sunset cruise on Lake Argyle

Sunset on Lake Argyle

Underneath Lake Argyle is a mountain range and only the tallest mountains can be seen jutting up out of the water.  We saw 16 foot crocs on Lake Argyle.   It is a huge dam, for the purpose of irrigation water and electricity generation.   The surrounding rocky walls to the dam are really red and extremely interesting and dramatic.  We cruised Lake Argyle and also the Upper Ord River. 

Kununurra is quite an interesting place with a population of about 7,000 it is also the site of HCJB, a Christian Broadcasting Station, broadcasting into SE Asia.  Our friends, Mary and Howard Jones have been coming up for three years to help erect the towers and assist in getting the programs into the right countries.  We will go over and visit the station tomorrow for “open” Sunday. 

Entrance to HCJB

They also grow bananas and sell banana jam or spread, very delicious.    Many of the wonderful things to do near here are on The Gibb Road, which can be a difficult place to negotiate, so Graeme does not want to drive to these places, instead, we will come back and do them from Perth, on another trip, where the road is better.

Sunst on Lake Kununurra

Ord River - cruising Lake Kununurra

Spillway from Lake Kununurra

Yesterday we went to Wyndham. An Aboriginal town with a great historical past.  It is a port and has seen many kinds of goods shipped out of Australia.  The Cambridge Gulf cuts a huge swag out of the Australian Continent right here, take a look on a map.  We are in the NE corner of WA.  The cutting is so wide it is mind blowing and it is surrounded with massive miles of mud flats on both sides.  It is hard to get your head around the size of the gulf.  Five of our rivers empty into the gulf: King, Ord, Durack, Forrest and Pentecost and you can see them emptying their contents there.  It was a bit of a hazy day for us to see well.  Just think Very Big.  We also did some 4 W-Driving to see some falls, springs, creeks and watery landmarks, as well as Parry’s Wetlands and Bird Hide, where we had a wonderful time photographing the birds.  The Highlight was visiting Parry’s Resort, in the middle of nowhere, where we had lunch and a very funny waitress to serve us.   Her husband was the chef there.  They use all the food in season from their garden and even had food that Graeme could eat.  What a joy.  I also picked up a new Christmas dessert recipe.

Birds at Kununurra

Jacana - 'walking on water' on Lake Kununurra

On Monday we have opted for flying over the Bungle Bungles.   Soon we hope to be in the Keep National Park on the state border between NT and WA.