Our trip 2008

Technical Details

CAR PRADO (auto) Estimated Real

Distance 14,297 16,416

Diesel used 2045 litres 2291 litres

Cost of fuel $3,490 $4,175.20

Fuel margin allowed $1,064 n/a

Cost per litre with 30% margin $2.21 cpl $1.822 cpl

Lowest price paid per litre n/a $1.64 (Port Augusta)

Dearest price paid n/a $1.999 (Tennant Creek)

Economy 7.00 km per lt. 7.16 km per lt.

Best economy n/a 7.8 km per lt

Worst economy n/a 5.85 km per lt

Av. Economy in Vic & SA 7.05 km per lt

Av. Economy in NT & WA 7.52 km per lt

Cruise control set on 85 kph

PARKS $2,427 $2,459

MEALS $3,840 $3,644 (about)

TOURIST FEES $2,560 $2,651

PHONE CALLS $ 490 $ 250 (estimated)

Useless information

Flat tyres None

Stone chips in windscreen One big one

Kangaroos hit None

Car serviced Twice

Longest distance in a day 710 km

Shortest distance in a day 0 km

Average km per day 168

Longest time in one spot 9 days

Shortest time in one spot 1 day

Photo’s taken 2000 approx

Biggest disappointment internet availability

Did we keep to our plan No

How much did we keep to plan 80% (approx)

Head winds Yes (day 1)

Tail winds Yes (fickle)

Did we enjoy ourselves YES

Did we have enough time NO

How much extra time One extra month at least

Week 14

Week 13

Travelled to Kalgoorlie today, it was only 400km but seemed to take hours, we left Esperance about 9.45 and got here at 3.45. On the way stopped at Norseman and booked in for Thursday, we were told by the reception it was a good move as they are extremely busy. Norseman is the starting point for the trip across the Nullarbor. As we were booking in at Kalgoorlie met up with Ken at the park, pure coincidence. Went for a short drive into town and hope the two days three nights we planned for here is enough. The temperature here today was 15C with tomorrow expected to be 22C after 3C overnight.

Today we went to the super pit which is a bloody great hole in the ground. It is about 3.4km long x 1.45km wide and 450m deep. The mine trucks take about 225 tonne of ore and take 2.5 minutes to fill, then to drive to the mill , dump and return for the next load 30 minutes in total, this is all tracked by computer. The excavator which costs $13 million picks up about 60 tonne in one load, their fuel tank is 14,000 lt. (that’s correct) On average the mining trucks(3,800lt. fuel tank) 1 in 6 has gold about the size of a golf ball and is valued around 100K. They work around the clock and collect about 500kg of gold per week.

Next went for a walk down Burt street which has present day shops with signage above the veranda as to what the original shopkeepers did. Then onto the museum where we saw history and gold ingots a 1888 Melbourne cup. Then we went looking for the knock shops, we found them and they were not what we expected. By and large they had up to six doors opening onto the street, we did not knock on the doors we just took for granted what happens after dark when you go a knocking (on the doors).

Temperature today was 31 the hottest day in the past 3 weeks. Managed to get onto the internet today, this has been frustrating all our trip and will look at 3G connection thru our mobile phone next time.

Went to the RFDS at the airport and got a personal guided tour. We were not at the scheduled time and were offered and accepted the tour. In WA they have 168 staff, 11 aircraft, 5 bases, and fly over 5 million km each year, they are short of pilots and always on the lookout for nurses. Then went to Boulder Town Hall and saw the stage curtain which is a painted curtain, believed to be the only one remaining intact in the world. We went into a grocery shop in Burt Street to buy sugar and travelling snacks we only bought the sugar. The place stank and the only thing on the shelves that was not marked with a price was the dust. The place was as dusty as a camels arse after sitting on a sand dune (and wet farting). The staff were idle and we went else where for the snacks.

The CP is full every night with a lot leaving daily, it amazed us the numbers still travelling.

Got Tim’s message that he had damaged his awning in windy weather last week and is held up in Perth.

We have been here 3 nights (2.5 days) and leave tomorrow morning.

We drove from Kalgoorlie to Norseman today a distance of 188km. We decided to rest up for the trip across the Nullarbor which is 1200km for which we plan to take 3 days. The temperature in Kalgoorlie over the past 3 days was 3 to 15 and we were rugged up, and last night 15- 31. As a result we are both back in shorts. Sandra has not been in shorts since Port Smith due to the sand flies that have attacked her legs. I have not since Perth due to the cooler weather although there was one or two days I could have been. Arrived here about 11.30 and was one of the first in, reception told us for the past week all town accommodation has been full booked.

Met a couple today from Noosa actually from Lake Corobya near Noosa Banks. They are on a 10 year trip and have been gone about a year, after renting out their house for 6 years. He is 56 and is working as a storeman for BHP at Kalgoorlie taking home $2,400 per week, admittedly it was night shift and said part of the night he watched videos. He had 8 years underground work experience and had trouble getting a job. We have been told often that the jobs for big money as claimed on some TV shows simply are not for the taking. Many people come to WA with high expectations only to go back home broke. He also told us that some of his work mates go to the knock shops in Kalgoorlie and spend $300 for the hour. He also told us that some skilled underground miners are getting $1,500 per day. Some training organisations give you the skills for specialised machinery but that is not all it is cracked up to be.

When we passed thru Norseman earlier in the week I noticed that I did not do up the nut/bolt on the jockey wheel clamp, to our amazement it was still there and had not fallen out during the previous 200km.

Both of us are now talking about another trip of between 6 and 12 months, what we would change (little), the places we would see, we would set ourselves up to be more independent so we do not use CP so much. Family, it is only talk at the moment………at our young age talk may turn into reality………prepare.

Our biggest day yet, our plan was to stop at Cocklebiddy over night a distance of 430 km when we arrived there at 2.00 one look and it was lets go on. We decided to get as far as possible before dark but did not know about the cloud front that was ahead. It ended up we arrived in Eucla just after dusk due to the cloud cover, 10 hours after leaving Norseman, our plan (amended) was to be here tomorrow night. The road across the Nullarbor has the straightest stretch in the Southern Hemisphere a distance of 90 miles or 145km. We also saw at least 4 sections of the highway that are marked as RFDS runways. We saw hundreds of dead kangaroos, more than up the centre and only two eagles (both dead).

We saw some interesting trees, they were kitchen utensil, hat, rubber glove, bra, and bottle trees. The relevant trees were adorned with dozens of each items. Along the way we came to a sign that advised us to change our watch’s to Central Western Time which is 45 minutes earlier than standard W.A. time. So effectively there is 4 time zones in Australia, we all know EST, CST. and WST and now the fourth CWT.

By fitting two planned days into one we are now two days ahead, this gives us the option of going via Port Lincoln, but we wait a couple of days before deciding.

Last night we heard the sound geese gaggling nearby, they were no where this morning. After breakfast we went down to the Old Telegraph Station which is near buried under the sand dunes. We then walked 800m. down thru the dunes to the Great Australian Bight to at least say we put our foot in the bite. While there we came upon on old jetty that was about 140 years old, it is now a roost for the sea birds. Fuel at Eucla was 14 cents cheaper than Border Village 12km away. About 11.30 CST we headed for Ceduna about 475km. Stopped at Nullarbor roadhouse for lunch (soup and toast), where they had a Cessna out front for whale tours. We could not see a runway so unsure where they took off. We are constantly passed by road trains heading west, I did not count them but they would be around 80 I guess. On our trip you expect to see animal road signs. We have seen signs and have actually seen kangaroos, emu’s, horses, cattle, camel, crocodile and wombat. Today on the Nullarbor we saw our first wombat (unfortunately he was dead). We listened to the same ABC station for the past 1200km, today it was the Grand Final. Out in the whoop whoops the ABC is usually the only radio station you can get.

A short day today driving about 110km to Streaky bay which is between Ceduna and Port Lincoln. We both needed a rest day as the past two days of driving (1250km) was tiring, considering towing a van. On the positive side at least we can have a look in Port Lincoln for 2 days instead of rushing thru. The solid driving has given us back a full day.

We again met up with Ken and Janice at our CP, last time we saw them was in Kalgoorlie, we are both heading to Port Lincoln tomorrow and have booked into the same CP there. Did the sums tonight and we have spent $3778.00 on fuel to date, this is well under our planned cost. We are averaging about 6.65km per litre or about 18mpg which is pretty good considering. Went out for dinner tonight at the pub with Ken and Janice ($10 main course special) but as we were on the sea I could not resist sea food.

Driving thru farm land it seems ridiculous that cropping can be profitable out here, it is marginal at best. Better left for the goanna’s, lizards and kangaroos to have.

At our park last night we had an old chap notice that our van had Bendigo on it, he made a point of telling us that there was a Bendigo Bank, he had an account with them, it was a good bank etc. etc. (it reminded us of someone else we know!!)

Week 12

Went to a BBQ with Irene, Rex and families last night, very relaxing night but I’m a terrible darts player, someone had to be last 4 times ( we only played 4 games). Then it was onto the putting competition where the results were completely turned around. Woke up this morning to the van being buffeted around, it was windy with rain. We headed for Margaret River first stopping at Busselton where they have the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere, it is 1600m long. We did not walk it as the weather was crap but spent time in the museum which was informative. The weather was so bad with no underwater visibility they had closed the submerged aquarium. We left Busselton via the scenic road to Margaret River and were surprised with the amount of development along the way.

Decided to cold call a CP but to our surprise the one we picked was booked out. Ended up going to the Family Friendly park and got a en suite site for two nights at $28 per night. Not a bad price when you consider what we paid for at places like Halls Creek. It looks like we will go back to booking ahead for the next few days. We were told they are coming into their tourist season and as a result bookings are advised. The amount of wineries in a small area around here is staggering, many with flash farm entry’s and very large lakes in front of a huge tasting sales shop or restaurant.

Since the weather has turned to either cold, wind or rain most vanners now do not put our the awnings or eat outside. We still see many people washing their cars and vans until they sparkle……..bugger that we want to see what we can, we want to see our faces in a mirror not on the side of the car or van.

This morning was spent in the town visiting book shops and general tourist things. My back is hell at the moment so I hope sampling wines on the wine tour this afternoon blots out the agony.

Hav just got back from the wyne 2 er. We went 2 a bout 4 wyneries and samp ald ate lest 4 wynes at every 1 of them. We must hav sampled at least 16 wynes and bort 4. Included with the tour was a visit 2 a choclate out let and a nuts and serials out let. The chocalate out let wear I thought the prices were 2 deer sow we took advant age of the free bees. The nut and serials out let was betta prised and we bort nuts and honey. The wyneries r smal boo tique 1’s that meny people do not visit, they do not give the 2 er operatar a kick back sow the 2 er gide said. 1 wynnery was a or ganic 1 that dus knott use eny spreys and little or know sulfa diox side as a perservative. Buy the whey I cannot feel my bak pane at present.

Today was significant we made a left turn……

Departed Margaret River for Albany which I estimated at 270km when I planned this trip, it was 395km but we also did a side trip to Augusta (32km).

We drove thru Pemberton and the tall Karri and Tinglewood (correct spelling) trees. I guess some of the trees are 180 ft (55m) tall. It was a narrow road, twisting road however well worth it. We stopped at Walpole for lunch and decided to come back this way in the next couple of days as there are plenty of things to see, it is about 115km from Albany, there is a days activities in this distance. Arriving at Albany around 4.00pm we are at perhaps the best CP on our trip, we have beach frontage, concrete pads, grassed areas, heated spa, solar heated pool, in town craft shops (for Sandra) and a 18 hole golf course (for me) about 100m away…………we are doing it hard !!!!!!!!!!!. Have booked in for four nights and will stay longer if needed. For those who are still wondering what it means turning left, perhaps you will know if the word left was changed for east.

It was a good day for washing…..it was raining. Went to Mount Romance sandalwood outlet. It was a surprise to see the size of the factory and the process that is needed to extract the oil. Sandalwood trees are farmed with a requirement that two trees must be planted for every one cut down. The factory is the biggest one in the southern hemisphere if not the world. Australian sandalwood is different from Indian sandalwood. The oil is used by some of the biggest perfume manufacturers in the world. They were just bought out by the company that has 3000ha under cultivation in Kununurra. Sandalwood trees are parasite trees as they cling onto the roots of other trees and use those roots for nutrients etc. We then headed to Mt Barker 50km away, it was a quick trip as there was nothing much to see. We witnessed a older couple arguing about the time the wife spent in the bookshop (she was there less than 2 minutes). She accused him of swearing at her, etc. etc. Headed back to Albany arrived back at the CP via the tourist drive to witness two whales feeding about 100m off our CP beach. One flashed a tail but I missed the photo. Temperature today is about 18C however we are still in winter clothes.

Woke up this morning to 6C and rain. We retraced our steps to the Valley of the Giants and the Tree top walk. On the way the rain pissed down by the time we arrived it was drizzle. We were 40m up in the tree tops on a swaying “one lane” walkway with the Tingle tree tops way above our heads. Then onto a toffee factory we were hanging out for a cup of coffee. Then onto an ugg boot factory where we both bought a pair and asked for a discount, we got $30 off (I love asking for discounts). Went to Green bay which was turbulent due to the weather but we could see what it would be like in better weather. Next was the cheese factory and were delighted to sample two lots of chilli cheese and chive and garlic ,yes we bought one of each. For those of you reading this don’t expect us to save any. Then onto a puzzle outlet, it was a puzzle to us as to how they survive, next was a craft shop we left within 2 minutes, both of these were down a muddy road and both were crap. Arrived back at the CP at 6.00 to find only a couple of vacant sites which has been the same since we arrived, even though about 6 - 10 leave daily.

Heard on the radio there was 28 whales in the harbour today.

Since we arrived in Albany we see paddocks wet and farm dams full, there appears to be no drought in this part of WA. Today we went out to the old whaling station and spent most of the day in and around that area. The whaling station is closed and has been for about 30 years. It was very interesting to see photo’s and equipment used during its hey day, some still in working order, thousands of whales were killed when operational. The factory employed 121 people who could not get any workers compensation, however were well paid. Saw the skeleton of a blue whale which was 22m long, the biggest whale recorded was 33m long. The main food source for whales is squid with the biggest ever recovered from the stomach was 10m. Sharks were a constant problem for whalers with a 5.6m being recorded. Three whaling boats were used for about 8 months every year.

Next we went to the Salmon holes where Sandra once again came face to face with a snake, she nearly stepped on it, this time we photographed it. Then onto the blow holes where the wind was near gale strength, we didn’t get to the blow holes but close enough. Next was the natural bridge and the gap, when we arrived the wind pushed up a wave and it sprayed about 100m inland. We stopped the car 100m back and struggled into the wind for a few photo’s. On return to the car the spray reached the car and salt had dried on the screen due to the howling wind. I estimated the wind gusted up to 90kph, walking into it at times pushed us to a halt. We had to hold each other on the rocks to avoid being blown off balance. We both agree that we could spend more days here if we had the time. We have decided to head for Esperance tomorrow and pass up Wave Rock which is a round trip of 400km, we do not have the time.

Tonight finds us in Esperance after travelling about 484 km that took 7 hours. We had planned to stop overnight at Ravensthorpe, we stopped for coffee that took 25minutes to get and as we drove on one look at the town and CP verified our decision to go to Esperance. We were confused when we arrived at our CP it had changed from Big 4 to Top Tourist about 2 weeks ago, we were not told but we are in, (we had booked thru Big 4 24hrs. earlier). Went to the lookout and talked to a local retired farmer who told us the past week was very windy……..we arrived to calm sunny weather. The parks are still heavily booked as we got the second last site, there seems to be quite a few Victorians here……probably on the way home.

What a difference to yesterday, it was cold (10C) wet and damned windy. We went out to Cape la Grand National park about 65km east. Went to Le Grand beach which was dirty from the turbulent seas, cold and not very interesting. Went onto Hellfire bay which was quite good. The sea was wild with the beach clean and a local fisherman hauling in a 600mm salmon. As we left the sky got black and before long we were buffeted around with wind gusts to about 100kph. I calculated this speed by looking at the speedo and how fast the clouds shadows were travelling. Then onto Poison Bay which again was worth viewing, the wind and rain were so strong 2 kangaroos were sheltering behind trees, we drove up to 3m of them. They decided to move when a stupid female (probably a towny) decided to get out of her car and approach them.

We headed back to town for late lunch and went to see the fish leather factory (Mermaid Leather). Two guys have set up a factory tanning fish skins, they get the skins from local fishermen after the fish are filleted, remove meat remnants, remove scales by dipping, add colour, dry, tan, soften and sell the final product. Most fish skins can be tanned, we even saw sting ray skins. The finished product is quite expensive but very unique, a bit of tanned fish skin about 70mm x 200mm sold for $8. Other bits of fish leather averaging 25mm x 50mm $1.00.

Then went for a 50km drive around the coast (wild weather) to pink lake which is not really pink any more. On the way went to the wind farm (good location here for a wind farm), also scenic coastal views with white surf crashing up against the rocks. We have the time to spend 3 days here but feel we have seen enough after 2 so tomorrow are off to Kalgoorlie (gold country, where we expect to strike it rich). We are in the van with the heater on, rugged up, wearing ugg boots, its bloody cold. I can hear you all now……

Week 11

Week 10

Headed for Kalbarri today stopping at Shell Beach about 50km from Denham, the shells on the each are about 10m deep. They are “mined” and sold as road material, mulch, ground covering to stop dust, etc. There would have to be trillions x trillions of them, the beach we saw was about 100m wide and some km’s long. Next we stopped at the Stromalaties which are about 300mm - 500mm high and they have taken 6000 years to grow to this height (very patient little suckers). They are difficult to explain but could be described as porus living rocks. The country has changed and we now see more and more wildflowers, we were a bit disappointed to see cultivated land (cropping) as the natural vegetation is unique. The wildflowers are now seen covering big areas and range in colour mostly white, blue, pink and yellow. We are in Kalbarri for 3 nights and will spend time in the national park. Travelled about 400km today.

Bought a national park pass ($5.00) for tomorrow. Went to a sea horse sanctuary which was fascinating. They sell between 5000 - 10,000 sea horses per year Australia wide and have an export market. They sell wholesale for $16.00 air freighted to retail outlets. When they are born they are about 3mm long and have a life span about 5 -6 years. They have about 70 - 90% live success rate. Sea horse jewellery are sea horses that are killed then gold or silver plating, his sanctuary condemns this practice that as it requires the need to kill healthy animals. We then went to Rainbow Jungle which is a parrot breeding facility, they have just about every parrot known in Australia and a few from overseas. They are bred here and if you do not like birds in captivity think again as this breeding plays an important role in keeping endangered species from disappearing all together. We also learnt that some parrots take over the habitat of fellow parrots and this puts those into the endangered league. It is one of the best aviaries for birds that we have ever seen. Two of the worst parrots that take over the habitat of other parrots are the Galah and the Cockatoo. We spent the best part of 4 hours between both places. Had a brief look at the “town” and the millionaire row (guess only).

Went to Kalbarri National Park which was a round trip of 65km on corrugated sand roads, which was not too bad. You drive thru scrub, wildflowers, grass trees (we know as black boys) etc. but basically no trees taller than 12 feet (3.6m) and you come to the Murchison River Gorge which is not evident until you drive onto it. We opted not to do the loop walk which we found out later was extremely hot and tiring. We went as far as the Natures Window took the usual photos and then drove onto the nearby lookout. The views are spectacular with sheets of rock forming the walls etc. Wild goats could be seen on the opposite side, they are a pest. We drove onto Z bend about 10km away and walked the 1.2km return to another lookout, this was awesome again we opted not to do the longer walk as you needed to walk along rock ledges and in parts climb down ladders to proceed further.

At Z bend car park I noticed the bull bar had a bit more vibration, checked out the bolts and found that 8 had rattled loose. Taking a quality socket set on the trip payed off and 15minutes later they were tightened.

On the way back to the main road the UHF aerial snapped, that was the 3^rd one that has broken all due to the rough roads and vibration. Then went to the wildflower park which was a bit disappointing as all we saw was scrub, scrub and more scrub, it was a 1.5km walk the highlight was a red kangaroo paw and a few other flowering plants, we were probably 3 weeks too early for what they had on offer.

Got back to the CP and found that a further 4 bull bar bolts needed tightening. I have booked the car in for a 75,000km service in Geraldton tomorrow.

Fairly uneventful day, used the 40lt of diesel in the jerry cans today. Did the numbers at Geraldton and found that the economy has declined using the fuel from the jerry cans, this fuel was purchased in Bendigo. This confirms my suspicion that fuel in northern Australia gives better economy, I believe the fuel in the north and the west comes from Singapore.

Got the car serviced which cost $136.00, better than expected. The weather is cooler and we have left the shorts in the cupboard, it was 21C today and breezy. Forecast for tomorrow is rain.

Saw a funny thing today, a Rottweiler ran out from a car park up to a vet’s door and pissed on it then ran away.

What we both find difficult is to understand why some CP have a 4 star rating when in our opinion they do not deserve it…….we are in one of those now.

Spent the day in Geraldton, went to the HMAS Sydney monument which is very impressive. It sits on a hill in the centre of town and features a dome that is made from 645 stainless steel seagulls, one for every sailor lost when the ship went down. Ran into Kevin and Janice by chance, we have by coincidence stayed in the same CP since Exmouth (overlapping stays). This time they are in a different park but we saw them whilst having lunch. They are heading to Kalgoorlie, we are heading south but could be in Kalgoorlie at the same time (about 2 weeks). Went to the old jail which was a disappointment, it was free entry, they would not have wanted to charge. There was a grumpy old prick complaining about non fitting keys. Onto the museum which we were impressed with, ran out of time so will go back tomorrow. This place is windy, no one has their awnings out, the park nearly vacated this morning but is nearly full tonight.

Did not do too much today went into town to the art gallery and saw the Moran Prize exhibition. Very interesting, then on to the museum where we spent the afternoon, it is one of the best regional ones we have seen. We saw Princess Mary arrive in Geraldton today, we are not sure how long she is in town for.

You see some anal people at CP’s the bloke behind us commenced cleaning his camper van early this morning. We left 2 hours later and he was still at it, needless to say he was still in the same spot when we got back after 5.00pm. He is not alone as many do it and they just sit in the CP all day. Another couple nearby get up and read or whatever; they do not appear to go anywhere. CP are full of experts, everyone watches you as you arrive, reverse into place, unhitch, etc. admittedly most are friendly. Old women complain about their aches and pains trying to out do the other, many old men just fart, snort and clear their nose. Isn’t human nature odd………………both Sandra and I ………….well we are perfect, but we will admit to watching people back their vans.

PS Princess Mary is a ship.

Week 9

Went out to Thomas Carter lookout and Charles Knife Gorge and we drove along and around the rim of the gorge with its very deep valleys ragged rock ledges etc. In some ways the ground features reminded me in part to the grand canyon in the USA. We drove onto a rough track to the lookout which was best handled by a 4WD. The lookout was a bit disappointing but the gorge was spectacular. We must have taken about 75 photos as every bend was different from the last. Exmouth is a place where you can spend a week if you wanted to enjoy everything it has to offer. We now own some real estate from Exmouth, we also acquired real estate when in Cable Beach (Broome).

Sandra bumped into a couple from Echuca, they are camped about 4 bays up from us (small world).

I decided to eat outside tonight, gorging myself on prawns purchased from Kalais Fisheries, I paid $17 for 500grams , they were cooked and peeled. Sandra cannot stand the smell of sea food, Guess what I am having for lunch tomorrow. We have got into Coral Bay for the next 2 nights, we have been told by those beside us they turned up there and were turned away as it was full, it is now paying off to book ahead.

Late today went to the marina to see the prawn boats heading out for the night. The wild flowers are starting to appear and when in full season will be spectacular.

The first requirement this morning was to ring and wish Grace my granddaughter happy birthday she is one year old. Kylie told me that she is pregnant with her second and is due 8^th April 2009. It was a lovely surprise, not unexpected.

We drove to Coral Bay a distance about 150km and found a lovely sea side village which is an extremely popular destination, we could certainly stay here again. I can understand why people have trouble getting in if they do not plan ahead. Unfortunately we need to make up 9 days in the next 6 weeks and cannot stay more than the two days planned, we found the Exmouth area very enjoyable.

Went to the beach for a swim and saw many fish about 500mm long swimming amongst the swimmers. I do not know the type but do know they were not string rays or sharks. The water was sharp and very refreshing with the daily temperature about 28C, night temps are around 14C, better than the temperatures that Victoria is currently facing. There are two CP here the other one called Peoples Park which is as near to beach frontage as you can get, both CP’s are full. It is interesting that our kids do not really know (Kylie excepted) anything about the region or even where it is,………. kids expect maps in the post in the next week or so.

Today was rather cool about 23C we have not seen the sun all day. I had a back problem that slowed me up but I still want to have a look around. We went for a two hour 4 x 4 quad bike ride thru the sand dunes and along the beach looking for turtles, along the way saw a couple of red kangaroos. We found about half a dozen turtles and a reef shark. It was an experience hammering up and down steep dunes all in 4x4. We got up to 50kph and I got stuck in sand trying to climb a steep dune , Sandra made it up. The water at this CP is bore water hot and salty you do not use it in your van or wash your car with it. They have a couch grass here that is salt tolerate and they use hot water direct from the bore. They use a fine sprinkler (commonly available) that results in the water cooling down before it hit’s the grass. Saw a number of big fish being filleted, the biggest a 1.2m mackerel.

Drove to Carnarvon this morning and checked into the Retiree’s and Seniors CP. Don’t laugh you avid readers of this blog, it was the best rated park here and possibly the cheapest, besides they gave a good discount. We went into town to do a bit of grocery shopping and were quite disappointed with the CBD, but then weare not here to look at CBD’s. We walked up and down the main street and that took about 45 minutes. We bumped into the couple from Echuca and they are at the same park. Got back to the park and we are rear to rear with another couple we met recently.

The weather is a bit overcast but a comfortable 24C. I have noticed that up here (inc. NT) the houses do not have gutters to catch the rain, it just runs onto the ground. The water supply in most cases is artesian.

We will have a look around tomorrow and expect to see most things in a day as it is mostly a horticultural area.

Quite a mixed day, Sandra lost a filling, part of a tooth, the lens cap off the camera, and her favourite black slacks. She found her slacks six hours later in the back of the cupboard after swearing she had washed them and hung them up. My back is no better and I have an appointment with a chiropractor, the local dentist will not take any more clients and the indigenous dentist comes once a month and today is not his day. Chinaman’s Pool is not worth the drive to look at it. On the other side of the coin the one mile long jetty is not a mile long, someone burnt 75m in the centre so you can only walk half a mile. The first farm shop did not have banana’s, W.A. does not have Friday night shopping and the Indian Ocean is not close by (its about 5 km). The Gascoyne river is dry and sandy, they have a space satellite dish, a memorial avenue to all the sailors that went down with the HMAS Sydney, not a very exciting place, but they have about 6 caravan parks so someone must like staying here.

Left Carnarvon today for Denham, stopped at a roadhouse on the way and the operator complained that the vanners that stopped a bit earlier than us had bought all the pastries they had to bake more. I told her “you can only sell it once”. Hell it does not matter when you sell them as long as they sell, Quite a few wildflowers are out which we photographed. We had a look around Denham this afternoon and tomorrow we must be at Monkey Mia by 7.30 am which is 29km from here to see the dolphins feeding; by 9.00am it will be all over for the day. Went out to Ocean Park and enjoyed the beauty and tranquillity of the place. Our site at the park is on the upper level which has magic views of Shark bay, but we have just put the awning in as it is quite windy. The ground we are on at the park is shell grit not the red sand we have been accustomed to for the past seven weeks. Found a beach today that has millions of shells quite different from sand. The days are now cooler with a top temperature about 23 degrees and night time around 14, when you have experienced 30 plus these local temperatures are quite cool. (you reading this are probably saying “you poor barstards). Your just jealous.

Up at 6.30am for a short drive to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins, it was bloody cold with the wind coming off the ocean but well worth the experience. Feeding time began about 7.30am with 100 people watching. Eight dolphins came in, one with a calf 4 days old and swam to within 3m of the beach. The dolphins were nearly upstaged by the Pelicans who were the comedians of the show. The feeding takes place on the beach with no stage or anything man made to spoil the situation. There is the usual eating places, tour operators and accommodation but on the beach just you the sand and the dolphins and of course those comedians. There are 3 feed times up to about 10.00am then its all over for the day. We left there at noon after having breakfast on site and wandered back to Denham. Drove into a few side roads to look see and found this tidal creek with its crystal clear water, you could see the bottom which I think was about 10ft deep. After lunch we went to the Ocean Park again as this time we could go thru the aquarium which featured sharks, sting rays, snapper, sea snakes, turtles, stone fish, etc. etc.

Two days is enough here as you can see much of it in that time unless you want to take every off road there is and see much the same over and over.

Our park is the most westerly park in Australia or the closest one to India and they are getting closer. I know because its often Indians who ring from call centres (ha ha ha).

Week 8

Week 7

Left Fitzroy Crossing at 7.30 arriving in Broome about 12.30pm after driving 400km. We have booked in for 9 days but were charged for only 8. Drive was pretty uneventful but did notice a lot more vehicles on the road, going both north and south. The country has changed as we left the Kimberley country. The Kimberley region is unique and offers so much variation. Broome has changed in the 4 years since we were last here, the change is for the better. We purchased shade cloth for the bare ground at our van site, the dust and dirt just gets in everywhere. Many shops close at 4.00 which surprised us. Went to Cable beach for the sunset and it was packed with hundreds if not thousands of tourists. On the beach we estimated there to be around 150 4x4’s spread over a distance about 1km, when the sun sets they all head in. We will take the Prado for a beach drive in the next few days.

Rang Tim Robinson last night and he is still here, I expected him to have shifted on. We will play golf in the next day or two; our CP is opposite the course.

We are looking at how much we need to pay to own an apartment here.

Met up with Tim and Sue Robinson for coffee this morning, we are playing golf on Thursday. Booked a tour to Cape Leveque for tomorrow, Sandra has been really looking forward to this trip (me too). Got my hair cut cost $20 which I thought was OK for Broome. Spent most of the day in and around town, we have heard the temperature in Victoria is about 12 degrees, (you cold buggers) we are enjoying a pleasant 29 C. We have had a better look around and the development from last time here is very obvious. We looked at the prices for apartments and a very good one in the right location is going to leave no change out of 500K.

Our CP is short on showers and the men have only 2 and 2 toilets for about 20 vanners, the females fare better they have 4 showers (so I have been told). Put the shade cloth flooring down along with the side screen for shading, it works well although the dust still makes its way inside.

Went to Cape Léveque a round trip of about 400km. Left at 7.00am and returned just after 7.00pm, 200km of corrugated road. The best was the Beagle Bay church with the mother of pearl alter and hand made bricks. The church also has mother of pearl shell imbedded into floor tiles, as well as mosaic surrounds on the pictures on the walls. Then it was onto a fish breeding “farm” where we saw Mangrove Jack, clams, Barramundi, plus reef fish. He breeds the Trochus shell which he puts back into the sea to replace those pinched by the Indonesians and others. Went onto Cape Leveque for lunch and a swim for those who wished. Went onto a aboriginal community (Lumbadina) where we saw a paper bark clad church. The structure was made from mangrove with openings in place of windows, it is the last standing paper bark church in the region. We both enjoyed the day but felt a bit disappointed as we were led to believe the Cape was not to be missed under any circumstances.

Played golf today with Tim and Sue Robinson from Bendigo, we had arranged to play in Broome if we were both here at the same time. My score was not the best went around in 80 nett, considering I have not played for 6 weeks and carrying an injury I was pleased with the result. Sandra decided to do her needle work while I played. We went into town to lunch and pick up her pearl ear rings which were valued at double what was paid 5 years ago.

Drove down onto Cable Beach and joined the 75 or so other cars on the beach to see the sunset. Yes there had to be one naked dick showing off IT WAS NOT ME. It amazes us that there is always one naked male walking around amongst hundreds of clothed persons. That part of the beach is reserved for 4 x 4 and nude bathers. It is common to see both sex’s naked during the day before the 4 x 4 arrive however most are gone before the sunset brigade arrive.

We had an easy day, went to Cable beach this morning however it was a bit windy. Picked up our mail……once again thanks Toni. Had a look at real estate and we need to win the lottery so we purchased a ticket. Went back to Cable beach this afternoon and saw a few wrinkled older men and a couple of older women that still think they have bodies that are worth displaying, if they could really see themselves or know how ridiculous they look. We booked into the Mangrove hotel for dinner next Tuesday night so we can get the best view of the staircase to the moon. This happens once per month over 3 nights and for a very short time a few minutes each night. We missed it last time so have extended our stay here to see it this time.

We received a phone call this morning from Alan and Linda Threllfal, they were in Broome and wondered where we were.

Went to the local market this morning where there was 100 stall holders who are primarily locals, the itinerants get there chance tomorrow. As a local you must display 10 months of the year or loose your site.

We met up Alan and Linda at 2.30 for coffee, they are part of a tour group and travel back to Alice Springs via the Bungles tomorrow. We took them for a sprint along the beach before dropping them off for their camel ride. During our travel today a group of locals were in the medium strip and a girl decided to step out in front of us, the boys in the group stayed, I would have been 20 ft. away and had to hit the anchors, without breaking she would have decorated the bull bar (in black). She was fully aware of what she was doing and it was arrogance……..bitch.

An easy day today, we went to the Sunday market which was not a patch on yesterdays. Then to the town beach and saw the tide in and the water thru the mangroves was a mixture of colour from pure blue to red where it was up against the shore. Went to the museum and found it quite interesting, we may go back tomorrow to finish looking thru it, as it closed early. Drove thru Roebuck Estate to see the type and quality of homes that built there. We looked thru the windows of one under construction and found the inside fairly basic, we were surprised at the simplicity but it is only one house. The buildings here do not have gutters to catch the rain, it simply runs off onto the ground. I guess that when it rains it pours and the gutters cannot take the volume.

Tonight we are going to the Sun open air picture theatre, You sit in the open and view the screen , you are interrupted by the noise of aircraft taking off or landing as they are directly above you at around 1000ft. The airport runway approach is directly over the town and as the runways are on the edge of the CBD the planes are quite low and noisy. The volume in the theatre is drowned out by the noise as they pass overhead.

Rang Hamish tonight and they are in Derby and will arrive in Broome the day we leave.

Week 6

Decided to have a rest day today so did very little, decided to stay here at Kununurra until Thursday. The Broome cup is next weekend and impossible to get any accommodation there. Our best chance is to arrive next Sunday or Monday. You see strange things at C.P.

Temperature was 35 degrees, hot with little humidity.

Bats fly over our C.P. at dusk there must be millions of them, they do not worry us. We have a fresh water crocodile a metre away from the bank of our C.P. it is about 2.4m long. Fresh water croc

Still re generating our batteries, this holiday travelling can tire you out!!. The two grumpy old men left this morning. They spent a good few hours yesterday setting up, arguing and washing their van, etc.

I forgot to mention that when we were at El Questro they told us last year they had 55,000 visitors, this year they are expecting 60,000, that indicates the increased percentage number who are travelling this year. They are open for 7 months of the year.

Went into town today to see about travel into the Bungle Bungles, it is a very popular spot at the moment so we will travel to Turkey Creek on Thursday and decide our next move. Kununurra is an odd town as the shops, commercial and industrial areas are a bit disjointed. I do like the sign posts on the roads indicating what business is down the road. There are not many people in town it looks a bit deserted for tourist (tour pest) season. There are not as many locals today, I guess they come in pension day. Quite a few houses are clad in corrugated iron which you would think is crap but with colour bond and good design can look OK. The reason for this cladding method is to let the houses cool down very quickly in the heat. Our itinerary is out the window at the moment (it was not set in concrete) we did plan to be in Broome by now. We are about one third into our trip and have travelled about a quarter the anticipated kilometres, still we think we can make the October 4^th function in Mildura.

We spent the day reading and doing sudoka. Went into town to stock up our fridge as we will be back on the road tomorrow. Kununurra has let us down……they do not have stout. I rang our next CP (Warmun) today to be told “we do not take bookings”. Again this is typical, we were told first in best dressed, when asked the best time to arrive I was told “can’t tell you mate it can be between 10.00am and 2.00pm.”.Our plan is/was to stop and spend a day in the Bungle Bungles tomorrow. We spoke to a couple that went in yesterday in a 4x4 bus and were told. “The corrugations are rough and it shook the shit out of us, on the way out we broke a spring in the trailer and had to leave it behind.”

One thing that surprises me is the number of older women (65+) that travel. While they are not a dime a dozen we often see them, the other is the number of young families, Mum Dad and the kids aged around 8 years old. Of course the vast majority are the retired or those on long service leave and on holiday.

One observation I have noticed is that up here you seem to go further on a litre of diesel compared to back home. I do not know if it is my imagination but the fuel tank tells me so. The fuel up here I am told comes from Singapore where as back home it is from the local refineries.

We arrived in Kununurra July 21 planning 5 days but spent 9 of which 2 were in El Questro. We are both ready to leave.

An interesting day and it is only 3.30pm. Firstly I got pulled over by the WA police at 8.30am for a breathalyser and license check, this was 45km out of Kununurra at the junction of the Halls Creek and Wyndham intersection. For those of you reading this it is in the middle of nowhere. At Warmun (Turkey Creek) we caught up with a couple from Kerang, we met them in El Questro, and a number of times since. Their tour had finished and their tour bus was going back to Darwin, they were going to Broome, the tour company sent a driver and car from Broome to pick them up, a distance of about 1000 km (Melbourne to Sydney equivalent). They told us they lost a wheel while doing about 120kmh. Their driver did a great job to stay on the road. We purchased scones and coffee (one coffee was free) the scones tasted like they were 3 weeks old. We decided not to drive into the Bungle Bungles due to some stories we heard and lack of experience 4x4 driving, we will drive in on our next trip up here.

We planned to stay at Old Halls Creek about 15km from Shit Creek (I meant Halls Creek) we headed out there but the corrugations had us doing 20kph so we changed our mind and went to Shit Creek C.P. where they slugged us $28 for a crappy stay. Decided to waste some time and walked into town, we were back in 45 minutes, we saw it and that included 20 minutes in the Tourist Information Centre. Everything in Shit Creek (I meant Halls Creek) is fenced or barred to avoid theft. To date this would have to be the second worst park we have stayed at. Temperature is about 28 and diesel has dropped by about 5 cents per litre. Anyway what ever we think of this place we still look on it as an experience.

We woke last night to locals yelling, dogs barking and a gun shot, thank goodness it was not near our CP. We were up at sparrow fart and got away before he finished (6.25am) the earliest we have ever left a park but then that was Shit Creek (oops Halls Creek). In a hurry to leave Sandra went to finish her coffee and grabbed my cup which was finished and half full of wash water; the result was funny, for me anyway. We were on the road for an hour before we saw any vehicle. The country side changed from escarpments to undulating open country, then just for variation a range of rocky outcrops. Our plan is to stop for two or three nights in Fitzroy Crossing Lodge CP, we arrived to a very good park with spacious sites. We washed the van, the first since leaving before heading out to Geikie Gorge for an hours boat ride. It is very different from other gorges with grey, orange, white with shots of pinks, etc. in the walls. The walls of the gorge are not very high but well worth the visit. There are plenty of fresh water crocodiles here but no salties. We have planned to go to Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge tomorrow. Tonight we will splurge at the restaurant.

Went out to Windjana Gorge today 155km north west of Fitzroy Crossing, 45km of tar and 110km of corrugated road. On the way stopped to watch a king brown snake (1.8m) got within 2m., we were brave we stayed in the vehicle. Arrived at the gorge about 10.00am after travelling 3 hours. Saw up to 60 crocodiles with approx. 30 crocodiles over a distance of 25m. They were fresh water ones so we managed to get within 2m of the closest (we were on foot). The gorge has water holes which held a few barramundi, archer fish, etc. In the trees there were bats, kingfishers, etc. Left the gorge and headed back to Tunnel Creek, this is a tunnel about 1.7km long with water holes, fresh water crocodiles, bats, eels, cat fish. We needed torch’s and walked the entire length at times in water up to 500mm deep. The tunnel averages 15m wide and head height from 4m to 15m. It is rocky in parts but mostly quite sandy & very cool. It was the highlight of the day, it was surprising the amount of cars (4x4) heading out there I guess there was about 60 and 2 brave souls on bikes, it was 32 degrees and they pedalled 155 km. (they must have been mad). It is surprising the number of cyclists you see in the middle of no where.

Great news, after about 12 phone calls we have managed to get into a CP in Broome tomorrow. We have constantly rang all parks at least three times with the typical reply, booked out, we have a waiting list, first in best dressed. This may be OK but we are about 6 hours drive from Broome at the moment. Our plan is to stay about 10 days to see the stairway to the moon. We missed it by a day when we were up here 4 years ago.

Spent the day reading , washing (cloths and car) and we went into town this afternoon to get a few basic groceries, the “supermarket” is pretty basic and Sandra thinks that groceries are about 50% dearer than home. As it is Sunday it shut at 1.00pm which we didn’t realise, it was just pure arse that we got there before it closed.

Purchased fuel at the Shell 4c discount service station although the nearest Coles supermarket is at least 400km. away. Fuel was $1.96 per litre which is reasonable for the remoteness. While filling the car I spoke to a local who runs an art gallery in a local community about 60km away, his wife does admin for the CDEP. They are getting out due to the violence that is happening, yesterday a friend was hit in the head with a shovel and his wife threatened with an axe.

We met another traveller at the CP who put their car and van on a truck, hired a 4x4 and will do the Gibb river road. They will pick up their car and van from storage in Kununurra in about 3 weeks.

Week 5

Sandra’s mum’s funeral in Rochester

Family commitments after funeral

Family commitments and train back to Melbourne

Departed Melbourne at 7.10 am for Darwin to resume our trip. Arrived at Darwin 12.30pm and toured town before we collapsed dog tired about 5.00pm. (The only flight to Kununurra left at 10.40 this morning). Thank goodness for frequent flyer points as we used them for both of us to get as far as Darwin. Short notice air travel is not cheap. Went out for dinner and went to see Dark Knight the movie with Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker (film was about Batman)

Left Darwin for Kununurra about 45 minutes flying time. The car was where we left it in an unsecured part of the airport. Went to our van and got the items required for tenting it in El Questro. It is about 103km from Kununurra and you do not take the van in as it is rough, corrugated and requires 2 river crossings. There are plenty of people at the camp site I guess about 70 tents here. You pay $15 entry permit and $15 p. p per day just for an un powered tent site. We are here for two nights on the Pentacost river. This report is being put on computer from under a tree in El Questro station.

Woke early ad decided to take the tour to Explosion Gorge and view the sunset from a high point. Well it was a tough 4x4 track that required 2 rough river crossings. The track was strewn with rocks as big as a bucket and we hopped and bounced over/down ridges about 300mm high. We eventually reached the gorge and went for a boat ride up the gorge. Explosion gorge is named because the owner landed his helicopter on a ledge and threw gelignite into the water as a means of catching fish (expanding bait). We re traced our track bouncing etc. to see the sunset over the Chamberlain and Pentacost rivers. We could see the homestead in the distance, the closest any one can get unless you pay $2,100 per night. Tonight we feasted on Barramundi (me) and Kimberley steak (Sandra). Both meals were fantastic, it was a three course dinner for $29 each and you could eat as much as you liked.

Left El Questro this morning for Zebedee thermal springs, spent an hour there before heading back along the Gibb river road to Emma Gorge. We walked, crawled for an hour to the gorge which was well worth the effort, the water fall was going and fell about 60m to a large pool. We didn’t go swimming as some others did, the water was bloody freezing, you could see the nipples standing out, (Sandra dabbled her feet). We picked up our van from storage and booked into the Kimberley land C.P. in Kununurra. We plan on staying for two days but may stay for more just to re charge our batteries after the rush and stress of the past 10 days. Rang Hamish tonight he and Betty plan to be her on Wednesday, look forward to catching up with them.

Week 4

A short drive today about 75km into Kununurra where we will be for the next 5 days. Staying at the Kona C.P. who had not put our reservation (made two days prior) into their computer, they recalled the conversation and fitted us in. Our park is on the lake, quite pretty and shaded, bought a small tarp to put under our annexe, plus a padlock and chain to secure the generator to the car. We are quite concerned about where we park the car around town as there are dozens of locals just sitting around. Everything in the car is covered as extra security. We will take a flight over the Bungle Bungles in the next day or so, there looks like plenty to do. Went to the zebra rock gallery this afternoon, Kununurra (Argyle) is the only known place in the world where it is mined, collected a bag of rocks as they can be turned on a wood lathe. Good news we managed to get our Week 2 and 3 happenings onto our web site.

Had an exciting start to the day, went for a walk at our C.P. and we stopped to watch a Jesus bird. This bird is so named because he walks on water lilies and from a distance it looks like he walks on water. While watching him Sandra went to walk forward she brushed a large snake with her foot. It was about 5 - 6ft long making for the water, she gasped, didn’t scream however it frightened the crap out of both of us (visualise Munch’s art “The Scream“). It went past us less than 300mm away. We went to the office to ask what type to be told “we have poisonous ones, but it may be a python”.

Went out to Ivanhoe crossing to watch 4x4’s fording the water about 75m. distance The water was running and about 500mm deep. Onto the Hoochery (rum distillery) went for tour and purchased two bottles. Had lunch at the melon farm which is closing as it has been bought out by Sandlewood growers. Back to town and went thru a zebra rock outlet, some fascinating natural colours. Had a call tonight to say that Sandra’s mum is not too good.

Went to Wyndham about 100km from Kununurra for a visit. The thing that saved the day was the lookout which gave a fantastic view of the port and the surrounding countryside for about 40km. The best part of the town was leaving it, if it was not for the port the place should be abandoned except for the die hards. Went to the loo in Wyndham and kept my hands clear of all surfaces and Sandra told me in the female loo the brown marks on the walls were highly suspicious, needless to say she didn’t touch anything either. On the way back we went to the Grotto, a ravine that has a 300ft deep pool, the 149 steps to the bottom then a rock obstacle course were too much for me (scared of heights) but for Sandra no problem, she climbed down for a few photo’s. The past few days it has been very windy at various times of the day (pleasant temperature wise). Went to the Kimberley diamond shop in town, we could only afford to look with the prices ranging from about $700 to $95,000 with the typical price range was about 3 - 8K. The cheapest diamond was about as big as a pin head. The free reading material was about the best we could leave the shop with, we chatted with a lady who works there and came from Daylesford; her hubby we met yesterday (he is the distiller at the Hoochery). They came up two years ago and love it.

We have noticed that many shops do not have windows or are barred up, signs saying children not allowed inside unless accompanied by a responsible adult. Many homes have big fences and security bars are very common. Even some dunnies are barred and locked at night where larger towns (Alice Springs) charge you 50cents to use them. The country side is vast, colourful, (a kaleidoscope of desert colours with bursts of green) awesome, for ever changing, etc.

To date we have taken 569 photo’s

Received a call late last night 11.30 EST (9.30 WST) that Sandra’s mum has passed away.

Our morning has been spent organising flights back to Melbourne. We fly out of Kununurra Saturday afternoon to Darwin arriving in Melbourne about 5.20am on Sunday morning. We expect that we will be in Victoria for a few days before returning to resume our trip.

Spent $9.80 for 2 coffee’s (ouch)

Today we flew out to the Argyle Diamond mine (owned by RIO) for a ground tour of the facility, it is the largest diamond mine by volume in the world. It is also the worlds only known source of pink diamonds. About 4 diamonds are found per tonne of ore. The ore is crushed into15mm rocks and the average is 1 diamonds per 400 rocks. We were told the largest shareholder of RIO is the queen she owns 49%.

Every person received a diamond (miniscule) We flew out in a Airvan made in Gippsland, it has very uncomfortable seating. We left Argyle and flew onto the Bungles which looked very spectacular from the air. The time in the air was around two and a half hours. Sandra who does not like small aircraft fared very well. We paid for today’s activity before getting the news about Sandra’s mum. You do not get a refund if you cancel.

This entry is being entered from Darwin airport. We flew from Kununurra to Darwin and have a six hour wait for the red eye to Melbourne; leaving at 1.15am Sunday morning. The plane was late leaving Kununurra. We are attending Sandra’s mum’s funeral and after the official requirements are finalised we will be returning to Kununurra to resume our trip, we have left our van and car there in what we hope is secure storage.

While waiting for the plane we spent the day looking at art galleries (2) and got details on El Questro where we will spend two or so days camping on our return. We cannot take our van in there as it is a 4x4 track, we brought our tent for such experiences. (no laughter from the peanut gallery) and yes we will be in 4x4 mode as we cross water filled creeks to get there.

Week 3

Had to laugh this morning, Sandra was looking for her glass’s and become concerned that they had been put down. She eventually found them, she was wearing them.

Today we drove to Katherine about 104 km. we are staying at Knotts Crossing C.P. with an en suite site, at $30 per night it is OK. Our thermometer on the van shows 35C.and it is a bit more humid than expected. We are now in shorts day and evening. The car is booked in for the 70,000km service tomorrow, this was arranged from home about 3 weeks ago. Many people we meet tell us they are travelling while they are able too. As well many seem to have a medical condition. We are here for four days before heading to the Kimberleys. We have been here before and the town is much tidier than previous trip/s. Checked out the golf course and I may get a game in. Toni our house sitter posted our mail to us utilising express post pre paid satchels, it arrived today………thanks Toni.

How could I forget today (I didn’t) it is Sandra’s birthday. I organised a brass band, a street parade and a fly past by F18’s. Unfortunately they all failed to come so we were left with dinner out last night, breakfast in a rush this morning and a single match substituting as a candle on a chocolate cake bought at the local supermarket. Our car had its 70K service costing $290 (budgeted $400) but the windscreen repair may cost about $75. We found a coffee shop of sorts, it has reasonable coffee but lacks the finesse that other towns offer. You can see the township in 15 minutes, that is 7.5minutes each side of the street, so we will relax by the resort pool (part of the van complex). We are having trouble getting our second week updated to our web site.

A lazy morning reading and this afternoon went out to Katherine Gorge for lunch, photo’s and a general

look around. Did not go on a tour as it was $102 and we had done it before. Went to the Cycad gardens and found it quite interesting. A senior discount was requested and we got it (we don’t feel senior). We were speaking to the owner and were offered jobs “I can put you work”. The F18 fly over for Sandra’s birthday eventuated and four jets did a double formation fly over albeit a day late. And none of you believed me yesterday. One of the locals told us there are a lot more tourists than usual and that many parks are full/near full; that generator is looking more likely.

Day 17 Thursday 17^th July

Another day lazing about, it is a bit hot to run around. Went into town this morning and purchased a generator. Too many people are saying that powered sites are hard to get. Darwin is fully booked out and the local paper is saying that tourist numbers are up by about 4,000 and that Kununurra is also booked out.

I got the big chip in the windscreen repaired today, it cost $80 which I thought was a bit rich but “your in the territory and you are prey for the local business’s”. Tomorrow is Katherine show day and the town is closed so purchased fuel this afternoon using my last 10c litre discount card, paid $1.81 per litre. Our itinerary had us going to Darwin for the next four days, it was an option planned for if we wanted too but have decided to give it a miss.

Saw a few of the locals squabbling in the park today, they just sit around town including in the medium strip. They do not bother us but you always make sure that the car is locked and everything covered. We planned to see Dark Knight the Batman movie tonight but due to the start time and our free phone calls coinciding we will have to see it another day another town. Sandra’s mum is not at all well and we use our free time to make calls. As we will be heading west tomorrow towards Kununurra (will take us 4 days ) and most likely out of mobile range for the next couple of days we feel the need to keep in touch.

Left Katherine about 9.30 headed west on the Victoria Highway. We went thru escarpment country which is quite different from the past couple of weeks and stopped at Victoria River roadhouse for a break, two iced coffees and 2 ice creams took $15 out of our pocket. Although we do not need to buy fuel we saw that unleaded was $2.20 per lt. They did not have a diesel bowser which surprised us. We had just left the roadhouse when “Awol you on channel” came across our UHF radio (we have AWOL UHF 18 on the van rear). It was a local road worker behind asking if we are enjoying the scenery, we were travelling about 70kph (we were in road works speed restrictions) while Sandra took a few pictures. He also told us that one of our van brake lights was not working. We pulled in Timber Creek (after travelling 280 km) and there are two van parks (sort of) we looked at the one on the east side of town (grassy)and decided that the one on the west side was best as it had plenty of shade. Powered site was $20 and they do not issue receipts a feature we have experienced at a few parks; there would be about 30 other vans here tonight.

We decided to do the Victoria River sunset cruise costing $80 each, we went 30km down stream saw and photographed about 12 saltwater crocodiles, sea eagles, kites, wallabies, corellas, etc. The sun set was very good setting behind the escarpment (not great) but the surprise was the full moon that rose over the trees and gave us a stairway photo on the river opportunity. The temperature today got to 32C. We have taken about 150 photo’s today.

We are now in Western Australia. Had a late departure from Timber Creek as we had to turn the clock back an hour and a half once we crossed the border. I got out my golf driver today and attempted to hit 3 balls over the Victoria river at Bradshaw bridge, it is about 250m and the best I could get was around 216m.

Had to go thru a quarantine check point at the W.A. border, they checked the car and van pretty thoroughly for and thing like honey, potatoes, onions, etc. We had cooked all the potatoes, ate the fruit last night so that it would not be confiscated. Arrived at Lake Argyle tourist park after travelling about 230km (made a booking 2 days ago) in 32 degree temperature. Had a look at the Durack homestead which we were glad they charged no more than $3 each then we drove over the dam wall to view it from the lower side. Met a chap a few minutes ago who could not get into any park at Kununurra so he came out to here and will commute into Kununurra for sightseeing about 150km round trip. We are being told there appears to be more tourists on the road than previous, so it appears the fuel crisis is not stopping them. The country side has changed, we are now in Kimberley Country with different rock formations, vegetation, etc. Saw 3 runners in the middle of no-where doing a relay, they can have that on their own (32 degrees). The scenery is awesome and changes every corner you turn. Watching the moon rise tonight was spectacular.

I have collected a rock from the dam wall for Bob Perkins (he was one of the engineers who designed the wall) and shall collect a sample of water from the lake as well.

Another lazy day at Lake Argyle Tourist Park, we do not want to rush around like a blue arse fly, we are on holiday.

It is interesting who you meet on your travels, we have a couple from Cohuna at the rear of us, they sold the water off their farm for 600K about 5 years after buying the farm for 85K. They still own the land selling only the water. We have just met a group of travellers who left Perth on July 4 and are now here (Kununurra) towing vans with Chamberlin tractors. They travel at 50kph do about 300km per day and are heading to Katherine then Darwin raising money for RFDS. There are 10 tractors in the convoy, they have modified their fuel tanks to hold 200lt. Met another who are heading home in October after 3 years on the road.

While on the subject of people many travel with pets (dogs) and this limit’s the van sites they can get into. Another couple near us are travelling with their pet Galah. Last night we rang 3 van parks in Kununurra before we could get a site for next week, they are heavily booked as we had been led to believe.

We are always sweeping red dust out the van even though we keep to sealed roads, it just finds its way inside. We are in desert country and the amount of dripping taps and no water restrictions is unbelievable.

Here the sun rises about 5.30am and sets about 5.45pm.

Technical stuff

Diesel Alice Springs $1.99 ($1.89 with our 10c lt disc. card) filled with 117 lt.

Diesel used 117 lt. averaged 6.22km/lt

Distance travelled 780km (Coober Pedy to Eldundra 477km onto Alice 199km touring Alice 104km)

No winds but some slight undulations into Alice

Diesel Tennant Creek $1.999

Diesel used 74 lt. averaged 6.84 km/lt.

Distance travelled Alice to Tennant Creek 506km

Basically flat country

Diesel Katherine $1.81 (utilising the 10C discount; our last)

Diesel used 110 lt averaging 7.49 km/lt ( a bit of town travel, no van)

Distance travelled since last refuel 824 km

Flat country

Week 2

And on the seventh day there were tail winds……….slight but they were there. I drove to Marla and Sandra drove onto Eldundra each leg was about 235km. We changed drivers at Marla and noted the price of diesel to be $2.18 per litre. We will easily get to Alice Springs on what we have on board. We have purchased fuel at most towns on the way although we could easily get to the next town. We have observed that nearly every service station has a sign up saying the pump is out of order. I guess it is really telling us they have run out of fuel, we do not want to risk it. We stopped at the NT/SA border for lunch about 1.35pm , last time we crossed the border there was only a road sign, now they have a rest and pit stop. Wildlife seen today was one kangaroo (live) and about 20 eagles. Road kill is limited to a few kangaroo’s here and there. There is not much for them to eat. Temperature today is about 18 degrees and a cloudless sky. Eldundra is at the junction of the Stuart Highway (north/South) and the turn off to the rock (Ayres Rock to the old farts and Uluru to those who like the aboriginal name).

Scrabble results Sandra 2 Doug 1

Again signs were out showing Out of Order on the diesel bowsers, we did not need or plan to refuel here. (Diesel at Eudunda $2.18 but they were Out of Order)

Last night we dined with Hamish and Betty at the Eldundra roadhouse, they are heading to the rock where as we are heading to Alice Springs. We exchanged cards and may catch up with them somewhere in W.A. We woke up this morning to a bitterly cold morning. The thermometer on the van showed it to be MINUS 7 and it felt it. Sandra drove the 199 km to Alice Springs arriving about midday. On arrival we received a phone message that her mum had been admitted to hospital in Rochester with a heart attack, we phoned her at the hospital and she is comfortable.

Although we have an itinerary that is very flexible we are travelling to it. We are running pretty much below our estimated budget although fuel is about on budget (thank goodness I built in the 30% margin)

Scrabble results Sandra 2 Doug 1

The first week

Countdown : 10 days before we leave

Planning for the trip