Yet it wasn’t far down the road that the tyre on the caravan popped causing us to sway ferociously across the road before bringing it to a stop on the road’s camber. Fortunately it was just a tyre and even more fortunately it was the same wheel as the one we lost out of Clermont.

So, after a gruelling thirty minutes or so, with the unforgiving sun bearing down on us I managed to replace it with the spare and get back on the road. By this stage sweat was pouring off me and my hands had blistered as the jack handle heated up in the sun. It wasn’t a great moment and only became worse when the next roadhouse we pulled into had run out of iced coffee. Aaargh!

The remainder of the drive was very uneventful – the way we like it – and we soon arrived in Broome about lunch-time.

The first stop was the tourist centre to gauge which caravan parks to approach and after making a few phone calls Deb was able to garner another deal for us out-of-season-tourists. Then, as if God had placed it there Himself, a pearl shop was located in the same outlet which gave Deb a moment of family reprieve to lust over these delicious, ocean gems.

We tottered off to the Palm Grove Caravan Park, which was conveniently located a kilometre south of Cable Beach, and set ourselves up for the next few days. After some lunch and a quick dip in the warm pool we headed back into town to visit some of the shops – which we found many were closed due to being out of season.

Our final stop for the day was to visit Cable Beach, Broome’s famed swimming jaunt, but with signs of croc’s being seen in the area we decided to give it a miss.

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

I had been keeping an eye on one of the car tyres for a few days as it seemed to have a slow leak. I wasn’t sure whether it was due to the weight of the caravan or whether something else had gone awry. When I tested it this morning I found that it had deflated to below 25psi – 20 pounds less than its normal 45 running level. So, it had to be taken off and replaced with one of the spares. It was only then that I noticed we had picked up a nail that had pierced the tread and allowed the air to escape.

Then, just as I was preparing to re-hitch the van Deb noticed that the van’s brake cable was dangling on the ground. It seemed that we must had hid an object when doing some floodway crossings on the way in. Fortunately it wasn’t a hard job to fix it but it compounded our departure time.

Nevertheless we were on the road just before 11am and heading out to of Kununurra. The scenery was exquisite with vast ranges towering above us as we drove through the fairly flat valleys.

After filling up with some fuel at Turkey Creek (Warmun) we drove the short distance to the Bungle Bungle turn-off only to discover that the park had closed – we found out later that it was only closed 5 days prior and earlier than normal due to unseasonal rains. Needless to say, we now found ourselves at our predetermined camping spot in the middle of the day with the sun baring down on us. The only option was to continue driving.

So, off we drove passing Halls Creek and eventually Fitzroy Crossing as the clouds in the distance began to impose their weight upon us. You could smell the rain in the air and the lightning show before us was both spectacular and scary.

By our reckoning the road should have continued west, which would have taken us away from the storms, but instead it headed north taking us directly into its path. The 88kms to our newly devised night stop was a very hairy drive and lighting was crashing around us from almost every direction.

Fortunately we arrived safely enough as the storm continued north without dropping any of its payload in our vicinity. It was such a tease. One can put up with the deafening thunder and powerful lightning if one is recompensed with a rainfall that reduces the humidity and temperature. Alas, the night was another warm one and sleep didn’t arrive to easily.

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

We started at the base of the dam wall and noticed a couple of freshwater crocodiles lurking in the water beneath us before timidly taking off the closer we neared them. We had so wanted to see a saltwater croc but these little fellas highlighted that their bigger brothers were probably not going to be around.

Then we drove to the top of the wall noticing that the dam had actually been opened in 1972 – what a good year that was. The lake itself was immense and the claims that it is seven times larger than Sydney Harbour – I’m not sure why Sydney Harbour is always used as the benchmark for size – were obviously true, not that we took the time to measure it ourselves.

After being immeasurably impressed we headed back into town and out along one of the service roads to Ivanhoe Crossing. Apparently this is a great place for catching Barramundi, though I’ve only ever seen fisherman but no fish, and today was no different.

Our final spot to visit was Kelly’s Knob, a lookout that oversees the entire township of Kununurra. One of the key landmarks is a rock formation affectionately named ‘Sleeping Buddha’. I think it’s a very apt name as its one god that never seems to wake up. I guess his followers are okay with that

With the last of our touring done we headed back to the park and our ritualistic dip before dinner.

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

We headed off with our agenda to visit the following; Emma Gorge along the Gibb River Road; the Prison Boab Tree; Five Rivers Lookout at Wyndham; and the Grotto.

The first leg was to Emma Gorge. I first visited this delicious waterfall nearly twenty years ago and thought it was the best falls ever – until we saw all the ones in Litchfield and on the Atherton Tablelands. Needless to say I wasn’t too disappointed if we missed it until I saw a sign that now prohibits non-El Questro guests from entering the gorge. How can this be private land? How can a government allow such a natural feature fall into the hands of profiteers? Then I remembered the fairy-penguins at Philip Island….

Shaking our heads we hopped back into the car, wanting to leave a rude message on their even more rude signs, but we didn’t. Instead we headed back to the main highway and followed it north to the Grotto.

The Grotto is a waterfall just a short distance from the main road. It’s called the Grotto because the sides of the gorge are directly vertical and resemble an alley way with towering buildings overhead. The water is brown and murky and after being spoilt by the falls over east we weren’t about to risk taking a dip in this very festy looking water. But it was a pretty place for a picnic lunch and being at water-level afforded us some cool respite from the heat waves above.

Then it was on to Wyndham and the steep drive up to the lookout that offered some incredible views of the five rivers – don’t ask me to name them all! And finally our last destination was to the Prison Boab Tree about 25kms west of Wyndham. This enormously bulbous tree was almost completely hollow inside so Emily and Mim couldn’t resist the temptation and jumped in. Emily claimed it was the best experience of her life – standing inside a tree.

As an added bonus some caves with Aboriginal rock art existed just a short distance away so we drove the 600m or so before clambering over the boulders. The art was still in fairly good condition, considering that there were no protective barriers around it and surprisingly no graffiti – other than the rock art – had been emblazoned upon the rocks either.

With the sun beginning to set it seemed only logical to head back into town in time for another quick, refreshing dip before dinner.

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

So, we took our time and hit the road about 9:30. As we came to the border we noticed that the checkpoint was manned which was fortunate as it meant we didn’t have to sit around waiting until the staff turned up. We pulled into the rest area prior and ate as much of our fresh fruit and vegies as we could muster before emptying out the fridge and dry store.

Most quarantine checkpoints that we had encountered so far had been selective in what vegetables they removed but not this one and the cynic inside wondered whether this one had been sponsored by the Kununurra Grocers Association!! Regardless, apart from the items we had bundled up the search through the car and van failed to deliver any other contraband and we were free to go.

The final seventy kilometres into town were nail-biting as I hadn’t filled the fuel tank since Katherine and for some reason our fuel consumption had increased more than normal. However, we made it with a few litres to spare and filled up as soon as we could.

Our next stop was the local shops where we now had to restock our groceries and pick up our first West Australian newspaper in five months. While the Sunday Times wasn’t on offer – probably won’t arrive here until Wednesday – the Weekend West had to suffice.

There was one benefit to arriving in town early as it gave us the chance to “shop” around with the caravan parks. With about seven on offer it meant we could be a little choosey rather than finding the first one. In fact, the first one we visited was shut for the wet season – they obviously make enough in the dry!

The second option was a nice Big 4 on the lakefront where Deb decided that she was going to barter with the managers but to no avail. It seems it’s better to have no-one in your park than a family paying discounted rates – maybe they knew it was our family!! The third option was just as nice and closer to town and the rate initially offered bettered the Big 4 by $10 per night until they suggested the family rate which meant we were paying almost half the price of the Big 4. Sold!

We set up backing onto the pool area and then spent the rest of the day enjoying the cool water, reading the paper and generally doing little else. Jordan and I took the kayaks out onto the lake as we explored the lily pads and wildlife that surrounded it.

At dusk, one of the ladies that Deb had met in the laundry offered to show us some freshwater crocodiles that come up onto the bank each evening. They enjoy a small feed of chicken and little children but as we had no chicken….

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

So, in a whimsy we decided that driving to Kununurra in a day might be a worthwhile attempt – nearly 800kms of it. Once set up we headed out of the park and back onto the Stuart Highway and arrived in Katherine about lunchtime.

After stocking up on a few groceries we were back in the car this time heading west along the Victoria Hwy. We finally said goodbye to the Stuart Hwy which had played such a large part of our trip – first encountering it on the way to Coober Pedy and then picking it up again as we headed north to Darwin.

The drive for the rest of the day was fairly uneventful only stopping past Timber Creek to view the Gregory Tree. The date etched into the large boab’s trunk was 2nd July 1856 – the day the exploring party left the region heading back to Brisbane. [It’s humorous to note that if you write something on a tree in 1856 it’s considered history but leaving your initials carved into the bark in 1991 is frowned on as graffiti.]

With the dimming light we gave up the notion to reach Kununurra and opted for an overnight roadside stop about 100kms shy of the town. We had met a large thunderstorm prior to stopping that had reduced our speed limit to 40km/h and knowing there was a large road train behind us, but not being able to see it, was becoming scarier by the minute.

Fortunately we found the roadside stop before the truck met up with us as we tried to find the only small shelter on offer which had already been seconded by a French backpacking couple. Thankfully they were happy to share with us and we set up as the rain, thunder and lightning pounded on continuously. Still, it meant that the temperature had dropped considerably and sleep came quite easily.

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

I liked Barkley Homestead, it was a nice place in the middle of nowhere. We met some cool guys who drive army trucks, they were stopping for the night too. Daly Waters was an interesting pub in the bush. It had a lot of collections of weird and interesting stuff, like thongs on a thong tree, a hat collection, money from all over the world, t-shirts and even an undie collection (YUK!), and passport photos. My favourite collection was the money one, I wish I had that much money.

Finally we arrived in Darwin. When we got to Darwin I was feeling happy because it was the last capital city and I have visited them all. We went looking for a caravan park and found a nice shady one with a swimming pool called shady glen. In Darwin we did a lot of shopping and we went to the movies to watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Narnia Chronicles). We have been listening to the Narnia CD’s on our long drives and we all love the stories. We had actually just finished listening to “The Dawn Treader” so it was very cool to see it at the movies. In Darwin we also went to swim at the wave pool, and they have a free water playground with slides and stuff. We also went out for dinner at an all you can eat seafood buffet. I was nine years old, so dad and mum had to pay $9 for me.

I thought Darwin was a pretty cool place, but I wouldn’t like to live there.

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

Luc and Flu had bought a slack-line (like a tight-rope) with them and after demonstrating how to use it allowed the kids to have a go. Jordan, after a few attempts, made it all the way across while the others required a little more assistance.

Camping at the border of Florence Falls meant that it wasn’t going to take us long to get down to it and view this amazing set of waterfalls. So, once breakfast was done with we headed on down to enjoy the amazing spectacle. Just like the Buley Rockholes, the water was crystal clear and cool providing such a refreshing dip. We took the tubes in and wallowed about for over an hour before the first tour bus arrived.

They stayed for a good forty minutes or so while we made room for them and bathed near the rocks. Once they left we had it back to ourselves again before another tour bus turned up. By this time we had written the swimming off as a bad joke and returned to camp.

After lunch we hopped in the car and drove the short distance to the Rockholes again hoping to find a quiet spot to relax for the afternoon. Fortunately, one group of people were leaving our preferred spot as we arrived so we jumped in frolicked in the water until the rain began pouring. While we didn’t mind sitting in the water while the rain poured our towels, t-shirts and other paraphernalia took a beating so we hopped out and headed back.

The rest of the afternoon was very relaxing with the only interruption being two car loads of drunken teenage girls turning up with the intention to camp near us. We wandered over to them and politely advised that the Buley Rockholes campground was empty and they might want to spend the evening there – away from us!!

Fortunately they liked the idea and headed off as loud and as obnoxiously as they could only returning a few times in the evening to see “where the party was at!” After one girl crashed her car into a large rock on departing, some of the tourists followed them back to ensure they made it back safely and peace reigned in our campsite once again. The joys of camping on the weekend!!!

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

I made it back into the park and hitched up by 10:18am – eighteen minutes later than the “STRICT” deadline of 10.

After checking the tyres at a local service station we headed on towards Kakadu National Park. Our intention wasn’t to visit it all as we’d found out that most of the roads into the falls and areas of interest were now closed or cut off from rain. So we headed to the outskirts and visited the Wetlands Discovery Centre.

This was a very cool, interactive exhibition of the animals and features of tropical wetlands and even had a viewing deck with binoculars provided. We were able to see some of the water buffalo frolicking in the water some distance away from us.

Then we had to backtrack out on to the Stuart Highway again before pulling off at Manton Recreation Dam to put our new kayaks through their paces. The boiling sun was almost unbearable which made the trial run a little less than delicious but was still fun to try.

After lunch we were back on the highway again before turning off to Litchfield NP. We had been told that the Buley Rockholes and Florence Falls were the only swimming holes still open and so opted to venture towards that side of the park.

Our first stop as we entered the park was the Magnetic Termite Mounds. The mounds were quite different to the millions we had seen as we trekked across the top of Australia because they were thin and all were aligned the same way we preferred to park the van – east to west – in order to catch the most amount of sunlight.

From there it was off to find a camping spot and after ignoring all the “NO CARAVAN” signs we found an awesome site a few hundred metres from the falls. Once unhitched we were back in the car to visit the Buley Rockholes a mere 3km from where we were staying.

To say that these were the best falls that we had visited thus far was not an overstatement. The crystal water exposing the smooth rocks beneath it and the ambling nature of the plunge pools located in steps above the first hole was truly magnificent.

Our intention was to also visit the Florence Falls today as well but these were so delicious that we spent hours enjoying them.

Once we tore ourselves out of the water we headed back to camp and met a few touring Europeans; Kunderd (aka Steve) from Holland; Johannes from Austria; and Luc and Flu from Switzerland. We spent the night swapping tourist stories and sharing our opinions on a range of diverse topics – very cool!!

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -

Once it had finished we left Deb to spend a few hours Christmas shopping while we went off to the water playground that resided in one of Darwin’s suburbs. The park had been built by donations from the government and provided Darwinites with an awesome facility to cool down and enjoy their leisure time.

The playground consisted of; a rather large lagoon shaped pool; three water slides (two which catered for plastic tubes and multiple riders); a large interactive water playground and an undercover play area with the normal slides, swings and other children’s play equipment.

But for us, the attraction was its cost – or lack thereof. It was FREE! So while Deb enjoyed some space of her own we basked in the almost cool waters that this playground provided.

Then it was back to Casuarina to pick Deb up and settle on some fans. We had finally made the decision to invest in 240V justifying their usage within caravan parks while we continued to boil when free camping – you can’t have your cake and eat it too!

So, while the humidity kept the air outside warm we revelled in the beautiful air circulation that our fans now afforded and dreamt dreams of sea-breezes rolling into Busselton on hot summer nights.

Loading...

This post came from Aussie Road Trip -