17-18 Coober Pedy

What an unusual place. Middle of no where with odd cone shaped mounds as far as the eye can see stretching across the desert plain. The cone shaped mounds are from the over 1 million holes in the ground that have been created by the opal miners since 1915. It is a tough job being a miner. One miner that Tim spoke to said that his best day was when he found $50,000 worth of opal. His worst was when he found only $270 worth of opal in a year!
Some opal miners have also created homes that they have dug out of the earth because living underground helps to beat the 50+ degree heat of the summers. We decided to stay at an underground hotel for our 2 day stay in Coober Pedy. What we hadn’t realised when we booked was that the hotel also had some above ground rooms. We ended up in the above ground (cheaper) rooms so missed out on the underground sleeping experience. Never mind we still got to eat, shop and tour underground which was enough for us.
We have had a busy day in Cooper Pedy, shopping for opals (kids are rock mad), visiting an underground church and an underground bookshop, visiting the “Big Winch”, going on the Old Timers Mine tour, going to a mine machinery demonstration and a bit of noodling (term used when looking for opal amongst loose stones). Pheww! The highlight from Tim’s point of view would have to be the access to a television so that he could watch the Bledisloe Cup (I hope the Aussies win).
This is the last of our sightseeing stops before we reach Mudgee on Tuesday. We will be driving 1,900 km over the next 3 days! We are looking forward to catching up with the Nicholls and Bairds for a few days of playing in Mudgee before heading home on Saturday.

Relaxing after a long day of driving

13-14 July Uluru and Kata Tjuta (ie Ayers Rock and Olgas)

It was bloody cold last night (excuse the language kids). The thermometer in the car said -3 degrees. Too cold even for the dingoes to wander around the camp! Tents were a wee bit more challenging for Tim to pack up this morning because of the ice. Give me the hot days of the Kimberley!
We reached Uluru just after lunch with a stop at the “false” rock called Mt Connor. Don’t know why it isn’t in the guidebook because it is a beautiful site. Our first views of Ayers Rock (Sammy managed to lift her head briefly from her book) were very exciting. Since then I have taken about 10 photos at different times of the day. The Yulara Resort is about 10 km’s from Uluru, and caters from the budget camper (us) to the high end traveller. It is well segregated so that anybody staying at the upper end doesn’t have to suffer from looking at our three filthy children.
After setting up camp, we headed out to the Uluru culture centre for a bit of education, and then a drive around the rock. The rock is certainly more imposing from a distance, but impressive nonetheless. We then managed to squeeze into the sunset parking area with 200 other cars to watch the colours change on the rock. Well, change from light to dark!!
The next day we headed back to Uluru and had a 1 hour tour around a part of the rock with one of the rangers. It was an interesting talk giving an insight to the mythological aboriginal view of the rock. There are signs posted all around asking visitors not to climb the rock, so despite constant nagging from the children we decided not to climb.
After the walk, we drove 50km to the Olgas, another striking rock formation. Kata Tjuta means “many heads” in the local aboriginal dialect, and it is clear to see how the name came about. We did a short walk to a lookout, but were stopped from moving on further by Lara and her somewhat dubious claim of urgently needing to return to the carpark to go to the toilet. Oh well, at least she’s learning some street smarts on the trip!
The Webbs and Serisiers had finally left Alice Springs after 11 days as the Webbs car was now road worthy again. It was great to have a final night dinner at the Outback grill with everyone, and to top it off, the boys were able to kick back and watch the final origin game.

11-12 July Kings Canyon

Packed up and the kids said goodbye to their new friends. We stopped to do the walk up to the lookout that we had missed the previous afternoon which was well worth the early in the day effort. There were views down into the valley and across to the next one. There was also a large towering rock formation at the end of the path that the kids thought looked like a frog winking. Can you see it?
Back in the car and we drove on to the Mereenie Loop, a 190km dirt road to Kings Canyon. Not one of the best dirt roads we have been on but certainly not the worst. Best thing about it was that it was likely to be the last dirt road we go on this trip. Cheers could be heard around the car once we reached the bitument. 20kms further on and we reached the Kings Canyon Resort and set up camp. Thanks goodness we got in around lunchtime because by 4pm the place was packed. In the afternoon we did a short walk to Kathleen Springs. It is a gorge that was once used by stockmen to coral cattle and to provide. Before that it was an important hunting area for the local Aboriginal tribe. Now it is part of the National Park and the sacred Aboriginal areas along the gorge, including the spring, are fenced off but still possible to see. We saw a Kangaroo along the path and enjoyed the tranquillity of the spring. The silence only broken by the non stop chattering of Nick.
During the night we woke to the sound of rain on the tent. Rain in the desert??!! In the morning the skies still looked ominous and the temperature was struggling to get above 10 degrees. For the first time in 4 months we got out the raincoats. This must mean our trip is truly coming to an end.
We decided to do the Kings Canyon Rim walk which is 6.5km. Before going I had been a bit concerned that the kids might not be able to do it. Well actually I was sure they could do it, just not sure whether they could do it without whining of tired legs and hunger. Needn’t have worried. The cool temperature was perfect for walking and there was enough scrambling and variety to keep the kids interested for the whole walk. I find that if a walk is a bit more adventurous the kids can walk for ages. Boring hot walks and they can hardly go 50 metres. The Kings Canyon walk was certainly interesting with Bungle like domes, sheer cliffs and great views. Probably rates in our top ten walks.
Back in camp in the afternoon and we caught up with a family that we had previously met in Palm Valley. They had all the fun toys like Nintendo so kids were well occupied.

9-10 July Finke National Park/Palm Valley

We spent the afternoon of our arrival at Palm Valley hanging around the campsite and enjoying the views while the kids made friends and played in the dry river bed. They had found large supplies of small paddy melons along the river bed which soon became the source of much play. Smashing, hoarding, counting, comparing sizes and ultimately as weapons in a melon battle. Surprisingly it didn’t end in tears and they all seemed to have fun.
The next day, after a sleepin and a BBQ breakfast we were ready for the 2 hour walk around Palm Valley. Palm Valley is known for the 12,026 (yes there are people who have actually counted them) Red Cabbage Palms that manage to survive despite being located in the middle of the desert. They are “relics from millions of years ago when Central Australia was much wetter and more wooded” and are found nowhere else in the world. Added bonus was the unexpected 4km 4WD track to get to the start of the trail. Quite bumpy, rocky, sandy and fun. The kids managed the 5km walk well with many “scooby” snack stops and word games to keep them going.
I wanted to do the 45min lookout walk in the afternoon but it looks like everyone is going to boycott. So I will try and entice them out in the morning. This afternoon it seems they would rather read books and play with the paddy melons. Fair enough.

9 July West MacDonnell Ranges

The West MacDonnell Ranges start only a short drive out of Alice. We stopped first at Standley Chasm which the guide book had highlighted was best seen at midday. Apparently everyone else had the same guidebook tip as the place was Wynyard station at peak hour when we arrived. Ahhh well still best to support the local aboriginal community so we handed over our $$ and went on the short walk through the chasm. Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me…We made it past the crowds taking photos of the chasm to the far end where we could clamber up the valley away from all the people wearing name tags. Worth the climb as we had great views back over the chasm and valley. This area was also of interest for me because a number of the ladies I hike with back in Sydney would soon be walking the Larapinta trail out of Alice Springs through the West MacDonnell Ranges. It was nice to think they will be walking through here in a couple of weeks seeing these beautiful views.
Stopped at Ellery Creek Big Hole for lunch, should have been called Ellery Creek Stagnant Hole.
In the mid afternoon we arrived at Ormiston Gorge and got what I think was probably the last campsite. The canvas on our tent almost touched the people next to us. We quickly changed our plans of staying here 2 days and set up for a 1 night camp – this involves putting up only 1 tent and Nicky sleeping in the car. The gorge, which was only a 5 min walk away, was worth a visit if not a swim. The colour and temperature put the kids off. Still a beautiful spot.
Did a leisurely pack up in the morning and then went on the Ghost Gum walk that skirted the rim of the gorge. Well worth doing.By lunchtime we had left the West MacDonnell Ranges behind us (a very quick visit) and drove onto Palm Valley. Here we have a shady campsite by the dry creek bed with views of the red cliffs. Now this is more like it! Think we’ll stay for a few days to do some walks…

5 July – 8 July Alice Springs

Alice Springs is the largest town since Perth. 20,000 people feels like a big city. Not only is the fact that we are in a city a big change but the temperature! Gone are the hot and sweaty nights of the Kimberleys. I now think of them quite fondly as I sit at the computer updating the blog in the evening dressed in my thermals, beanie and about three layers of clothing. The days are a pleasant 20 degrees but the evenings get down to 1 degree. Sleeping bags are holding up well!
Pottered around the local markets on Sunday morning eating mango smoothies and cupcakes. Spent the afternoon at our dodgy campsite where the only spot left for camping was next to the pool filter. Kids were desperate to go swimming so we set the 20 degree rule. Kids were only allowed in the pool if the day time temp hit 20 degrees. They spent every few minutes checking the temp gauge we had in the car 18 degrees, 19 degrees, 19.5, 19.7…didn’t hit 20 but so close!
Monday we were able to shift campgrounds to the nearby Big 4 caravan park. A big hit for the kids! To some extent I think a Big 4 caravan park is more of a holiday for the kids than wandering through the beauty of places like the Bungle Bungles. Hard to beat a good jumping pillow, Pinnacle of Terror and swimming pool.
On Tuesday we went to the Alice Springs Desert Park which was a nice afternoon with lots of bird life, a bird show and interesting facts on the desert.
We have decided to stay for Tim’s birthday on the 8th and then head off towards the West MacDonnell Ranges as we are now in countdown until we get home in 2 weeks time. As you can imagine he was spoiled rotten with presents and lots of cards from all the kids. The Webbs are continuing to have more trouble with their car so it is likely that they and the Serisiers will be spending a few more days in Alice waiting for parts and repairs. We may catch up again with the S&Ws in Uluru depending on how they go with repairs.

3 July – 4 July Tanami Track -1000 kms of dirt road

The Tanami is a desert track that provides a bit of a shortcut to Alice Springs from the Kimberley. The guide book suggests the track can either be a nice dirt road or full of corrugation and washouts depending on when the grader has been through. Fortunately it looked as though the grader had just been through so we had a pretty smooth trip. What can we say about the Tanami??? The vistas included numerous burnt out cars, blown out tyres and termite mound fields. Not a place to linger so we just booked it through the 1000kms in 2 days.

2 July Wolf Creek Crater

Wolf Creek is at the beginning of the Tanami Track. Wolf Creek is a meteorite crater that is 300,000 years old in the middle of nowhere. It is second largest meteorite crater in the world. It is quite impressive to see. We had been eagerly awaiting our trip to Wolf Creek not so much for its natural significance but rather for its significance as a setting for a really creepy Australian horror film called “Wolf Creek.” Sam and Tim had been looking for a copy of the movie since Broome. To no avail until we reached Halls Creek. Halls Creek is a tiny town at the start of the Tanami. At the visitors centre they sold copies of the Wolf Creek movie with a “free” T-Shirt with a picture of a knife dripping in blood and a skull for $40. Apparently this deal had been so popular that there were only size 22 and 24 T-shirts left. Sam couldn’t resist (especially with a bit of encouragement from Chris and Tim) and bought the movie/Tshirt package. Gee he looked so happy as he went into the centre to make his purchase.
Everyone refused to watch the movie except Sam, Chris and Tim. In case you don’t know the film, it is about a group of backpackers travelling days through remote Australian desert to Wolf Creek and their car breaking down. A man offers to “take them back to his workshop” and it is blood and gore from there. Watched under the bright moon next to Wolf Creek crater added to the ambiance. Unfortunately, and some how not surprisingly, the movie was crap. That didn’t matter because the boys have had a lot fun quoting scenes from the movie and making creepy suggestions. Even spookier, the next morning we couldn’t get into the boot of our car due to a problem with the boot lock. May have been a moment for the guy from “the workshop”… Instead Chris saved the day and sorted out the problem. Unfortunately Chris was starting to have even more problems with his car so fingers crossed the road to Alice wouldn’t be too bad.

30 June -1 July Bungle Bungles

Didn’t get away til late in the morning as the Webbs and Serisiers still had a bit to do in Kununarra. We filled the morning with an outing to a local café for breakfast by the Ord River. The Ord River feeds Lake Argyle which is a man made lake bigger than Sydney Harbour. After breakfast we went to the Zebra Rock Gallery where the kids added to their ever growing rock collection (the kids at Manly West are going to see a lot of rocks at News) and fed the catfish that linger or should I say swarm in the Ord River. Have a look at all those hungry mouths! (Amanda doesn’t it remind you of something?)
We arrived at the Bungle Bungles in the late afternoon. 200km of highway followed by 50 kms of rough road, winding hills, dust and river crossings. Set up camp while the kids (all 10 of them) got the fire going. We’ve certainly got the whole setup of camp down pat so we were sitting down having a drink before the sun set.
The Bungle Bungles are a natural wonder discovered by “white” people only in the mid 1980s and now registered as a World Heritage site. The Bungles have formed over 20 million years and have created beehive dome shaped mountain ranges. There are walks into a few areas but the park is best seen from the air. So we have planned to take a helicopter flight (sans children) tomorrow.
Our day kicked off with a drive and a walk to Cathedral Gorge. We wanted to get an early start because the days here are mid 30s and the kids can only handle so much walking. The walk to Cathedral Gorge winded through a valley of beehive domes. The “beehive” look is caused by the orange and black layering of the sandstone that forms in orange and black layers. The black layer is due to the presence of cynobacteria in the sandstone. We rested by the waterhole at the gorge while the children created havoc (we thought they were well behaved) in the eyes of a couple of older folk.
Tim, Sam Kate and I booked a helicopter flight while the Webbs kept an eye on the kids. The 18 minute flight was spectacular and gave a wonderful perspective on the beauty of the area.
After our flight we squeezed in a visit to the rangers centre to get a couple of postcards off to Granny and Grandma before heading to Echidna Chasm.
Echidna Chasm was yet another beautiful walk. It was 2 km (ish) return walk through a shady chasm where the walls were so close you could almost touch both walls at the same time. The walls probably rose 80 metres and were made up of conglomerate rock. The entrance to the valley had tall palm trees the contrasted against the glow of the orange chasm walls. By this stage I think the kids had well and truly had their walking quota for the dayBack to the campsite for what may be our last campfire as we are heading of WA for the NT over the next day or so. Celebrated with a crumble cooked in the campoven.

26-29 June - Kununurra

After leaving Emma Gorge we travelled onto Kununurra, our first town in almost a month. Caught up again with the Serisers and the Webbs (who have now decided to travel with us to Alice Springs). Kids loved seeing their friends again and were quickly busy at the campsite making tepees from hay and dirt towns from rubbish they had found. Not the most hygienic way to spend their time as Fred wasn’t averse to picking up anything, including old nappies.
We had heard a great deal about the Kununurra markets (although now that I think about it I don’t know who from) and had arrived in Kununurra especially to be there on a Saturday. It turned out to be a very small affair with none of the bull testicle beer holders that Tim had set his heart on (last seen at the Drysdale River Station) We all enjoyed the fresh mango smoothies. Very fruit and veg deprived after a month in the Kimberleys. We spent the afternoon cruising around town and restocking supplies, which seemed to be the pastime for Saturday in Kununurra as the shops were packed. In the evening we went to see the movie “Dean Spandley” at the local drive-in movie, which although rated G was more an adult movie. It starred Sam Neil as a minister who, after a few sips of Tokay, would entertain the dinner guests with stories of his prior life as a dog. Although the grown ups enjoyed it, I don’t think the kids would rate it in their top 10.
On Sunday we went on a day trip to Wyndham with the Serisiers and Webbs. First up on our journey was an exciting river crossing across the fast flowing Ivanhoe river. We spent a while there taking photos and watching others cross the deep water. Further along the track we drove into Parry’s lagoon, where we all stopped for a drink and the kids swam in the pool. Then on to Wyndham with a stop at the 20 metre statue of a crocodile and the up to a spot overlooking the joining of the “5 rivers” – Pentecost, Forrest, Ord, King and Ivanhoe. We had lunch here and it was a spectacular view over the rivers. Stopped at the “largest” Boab tree in the local caravan, and spent all of two minutes here. We’d seen hundreds of Boabs by this time, so yet another one…
The Serisiers and Webbs had some work to do on their cars, so we spent the next day touring the industrial areas of Kununurra picking up tyres and looking for “stuff”. The kids spent the day perfecting their backflips into the pool. Looking forward to hitting the road again tomorrow

23-25 June El Questro Station

The last stop for us on the Gibb River Road was El Questro Station. Here the accommodation ranges from $30 a night for camping to $1000 a night for the fancy homestead style accommodation. Guess which one we went for? However, before arriving at ELQ, we had to yet another river crossing. This one was a bit of fun (could I really be starting to enjoy 4WDing??). Crocodile infested, rocky and probably the widest yet. Crossed without a hitch.
We arrived at ELQ early in the day which turned out to be good as it turned out to be a very popular place. Set up camp in a shady spot by the river right next to a rope swing and close to the station swimming hole, where we spent a great deal of our time.
Also found that some families we had met in our travels were also camping nearby. Had a great time catching up with the parents and kids around the campfire. Kids were thrilled to find playmates who enjoyed playing 500 as much them.
The next morning we rose early to beat the crowds to the Zebedee Springs. The springs are warm, around 32 degrees, and crystal clear. We soaked in the pools in the cool of the morning surrounded by palms and cascades of warm water. Gotta love the Kimberleys!
El Questro gorge was next on the agenda, which turned out to be the nicest gorge walk we had done in the Kimberleys. It was a 3km round trip walk along a creek bed within a narrow gorge. As is customary, Nicholas had raced off to lead the way. Just short of the middle pool, we heard an almighty scream and were confronted with the sight of Nicholas racing back towards us with a look of sheer terror on his face. He had stumbled across two tree snakes, about 3 meters long, entwined around each other. Nicholas sense of self preservation rose to the surface as he bundled straight past Lara, almost shoving her into the creek – ah brotherly love!!
The remainder of the time at ELQ was spent lazing around the homestead swimming hole doing a couple 4wd tracks. Tim and I even managed to enjoy a lovely lunch while the kids picnicked on the lawns outside (and came up to us every 5 minutes asking for ice-cream). It was still very enjoyable.
Left ELQ to head for Kununurra, and stopped at Emma Gorge on the way through with some of the families we had caught up with at ELQ. Another pleasant walk ending at a large swimming hole. The water here is reputed to be the coldest in the Kimberleys, but we all had a swim, and climbed on the rocks where a thermal spring seeped into the pool. Finished off the walk with lunch back at the Emma Gorge Resort with the other parents, while all the kids swam in the resort pool. A fantastic way to end a Kimberley trip.

21-22 June Home Valley Station

Tim and I decided to move on down the Gibb River Road towards Kununurra and Home Valley station whereas the rest of our group is going to stay on at King Edward River and then head further up Kalumbaru road to the coast and the Aboriginal community of Kalumbaru for a few days.
Weird to be travelling solo again. The kids will miss their friends. Especially the Webbs as we may not see them again until they come through Sydney sometime in the future. We will catch up again with the others in Kununurra in a few days time.
The scenery as we got close to Home Valley is very reminiscent of scenes from Australia – the movie. Home Valley is apparently where many of the Kimberley scenes were shot. They even have an Australia – the movie tour. Yikes!
Home Valley station certainly gives a sense that we are now back to civilisation. Very glitzy, green oasis with a swimming pool and playground. We opted to stay at the homestead camp (next to the swimming pool) rather than the bush camp by the Pentecost River so that the kids can swim. The Pentecost River is a haunt of the saltwater crocodile so no swimming there!
As a bit of a treat and to supplement the dwindling food supplies, we had dinner at the homestead which was lovely with a didgeridoo show for entertainment. Did you know that it is Aboriginal custom that only men are allowed to play the didgeridoo? Tim and Nick both got up on stage and gave it a go, with mixed success.This place really is a few notches above anything we have stayed at since we left Derby. For example, I am writing this blog while sitting in the shade by the pool sipping a skim flat white! Wouldn’t have been able to that anywhere else in the Kimberley. Although Home Valley is very nice, the bush camp we stayed at by the King Edward River near Mitchell Plateau is our preferred style of camping –basic, remote, waterfalls to play in, river to swim in and a campfire to spend the evening by.

Lara enjoyed spending time perfecting her mud pikelets recipe whilst Sammy cooked up some edible pikelets for afternoon tea.

3 months on the road and having a great time though looking a little worse for wear...