21/08/2004 - Stage 2, Day 85, Page 2 of 3 - Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater Reserve to Nanutarra Roadhouse, WA

After looking at the crater we headed north again and parked up for the night about 100km north of Halls Creek in the rest area beside the Ord River. Next morning (4/8/2004) we drove about 7 more kilometres up the highway and turned down the dirt track leading into the Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles). It was about a 50km long track into the Visitor's Centre and we were travelling really fast for the conditions, yet it still took us 1½ hours to get there. We met people later that had taken 3 hours to drive in. I can assure you, you will either need a four wheel drive vehicle or an aeroplane to get into the Bungle Bungles, but it is sooooo worth it! The Bungle Bungles turned out to be one of the biggest highlights of our trip away.

We started our tour off just north of the Visitor's Centre at the Walanginjdji Lookout. On the way up the lookout I saw a tree with yellow flowers and some green bush-tucker looking things on it, so I took a picture of a branch - I know how excited you'll all be about this picture!


The track up to the lookout passes through some pretty nasty porcupine grass. It's got nasty fine needle like spines on it which are not good to brush past! Clearly worth a photo though!




Then of course there was the view of the west side of the Bungle Bungle Range from the lookout.


Drove to the north end of the park next to see Echidna Chasm. Apparently the chasm got its name because an echidna was found there, not because it's spikey or anything like that. The area is full of livistona palms though which are very pretty. Here're some pictures of us on the short walk leading to the chasm.






The chasm was spectacular! It was really narrow and tall and it went on for ages. It's actually been gouged out by running water and the base of it is a dry creek bed (in the dry season anyway). We followed it all the way to the end and found ourselves standing at the base of a sheer wall which is actually a waterfall in the wet season. Well, here's us in the chasm anyway.






After some tasty lunch, we drove around the corner to Mini Palms Gorge. It was about a 40 minute walk in to the gorge along a rocky creek bed. Nice walk though. The gorge is filled with livistonia palms and it's very pretty. Towards the end of the gorge are a few stair cases up to a final viewing platform which you aren't allowed to pass. Up the end you're looking into a dark cave.




On the way out I took a pretty crap picture of the gorge.


Then Bradley climbed up a big rock and found a great spot for a picture, but the damn camera ran out of batteries! If that's Murphy's Law, then Murphy was a prick!

Anyway, from there we drove down to the south end of the park for a look at Cathedral Gorge. The south end of the park is the spot with the bee-hive rock formations that the Bungle Bungle Range is famous for. I took a few pictures on the way there and then some when we got there. You will have to scroll right to see all of this picture, because it's VERY wide!








The walk into Cathedral Gorge was heaps easier than the others we'd done because the creek bed we had to walk along wasn't filled with loose rocks, but rather it had a solid rock base which didn't try to twist your ancles! It was pretty late by the time we did this walk though and the light was getting too poor for clear photographs. Nevertheless, we still got a few pictures along the track in.






The actual destination at Cathedral Gorge is staggering! It's the most amazing suspended rock ampitheatre with a lovely clear pool of water inside. Sorry for the lack of pictures though, but it was just too dark to even attempt a photo.

That night (Wednesday 4th August) we stayed at the Walardi camping area in the southern end of the park. We'd checked out the other one earlier and this one was definately the best.

Well the next morning saw us speeding out of the National Park (53km in 1.5 hours) and then north on the bitumen up to Kununurra. We ended up having to stay in the area for 4 nights though because I had to do a very keen fit-for-work physical for my new job. Lucky Kununurra was a nice spot. Did a fair bit of bugger-all while we were there and it was very relaxing. We found a distillery called the Hoochery which made some pretty rough rum from the local sugar cane, so we got a bottle and posted that off to uncle Freddo for his birthday. Also found some barramundi leather (yes, that's right, leather made from fish skin)! We got Tracy some of that from Barra Barra Banana - a lovely little market-garden place which sold very local souvenirs and refreshments made from their home grown tropical fruit. They also sold Ball Bag Stubbie Coolers, which we just had to get for stinkie. These stubbie coolers are made from a bull's scrotum - they stink and they are all bristly! We checked out the Zebra Rock Gallery which was pretty ordinary, but their competition, the Top Rockz Gallery, was worth a look. Bradley found Nigel a cool sketch of two boab trees having a beer together.

On Saturday 7th we drove out to Lake Argyle for a look. It seemed to be a pretty popular spot for the boating sort, and we thought it was worth a look. We drove over the dam wall and down to a little picnic area near the outlet. Nice shady green spot for lunch, but it was too early for that. I did see a pretty little bird though.


On our way back we took a panorama shot of the lake from the lookout.


After Lake Argyle we drove back through Kununurra, crossed the Ord River at the Ivanhoe Crossing (that was fun) and then we drove out to Wyndham along the Parry Creek Road (unsealed, rough and very boring). Wyndham wasn't much chop, so then we drove out of town a few kilometres and turned off to go past the dam and along the King River Road to the Boab Prison Tree. Apparently these huge hollow boab trees were used by early white settlers to imprison people. What a lovely bunch of coconuts they were! The tree was ace though. I even convinced Bradley to climb inside for a photo, amid lengthy complaints about it being filled with hungry mozzies and all manner of other creepy-crawlies.






After the prison tree we checked out nearby Diggers Rest Station to camp that night, but the place sucked really badly so we drove back to the rest area on the junction of Great Northern Highway and Victoria Highway to camp. One really good thing about travelling on the cheap in WA is that they supply stacks of rest areas for campers. Some of them even have water and toilets. Most have great shade and are beside lovely creeks (although this one sucked in that department).

Next day (Sunday 8th August) we drove out to El Questro's Emma Gorge, but they wanted a big pile of money to look at their gorge, so we gave it a miss - there are hundreds or gorges in this area and most of them are free! So why pay these wankers?? They did have a restaurant there which looked really nice, although we'd have needed to morgage the car to eat there. To fix up our tummies, we ended up heading back to Barra Barra Banana for a lovely paw paw smoothie and a stack of fresh fruit. Lazed about for the rest of the day and stayed with some very friendly local mosquitos at the Kimberleyland Holiday Park.

At last we could finally head off! In the morning of Monday 9th August I had to go and do the last of the fit-for-work medical stuff which had held us in Kununurra in the morning and then we were off! We'd run out of time to do the Gibb River Road, so instead we had to head to Broome via the Great Northern Highway. The afternoon was basically just a long drive with little to report except a pretty countryside. That night we pulled into Fitzroy Crossing just after dark and we both thought it was a hole. There were two caravan parks and both had big locked cyclone gates - they locked you in! We drove back out of town over the river to the fancy looking resort which wanted $198 for a basic room for the night! Things were looking pretty grim, but then we found out that they also ran a caravan park so we got a tent site without a cyclone fence for a reasonable price. Had a drink in their bar, an average meal in their restaurant and then it was lights out for us!

Next day (Tuesday 10/8/2004) we headed off at about 6.30am for Broome. Got there in the late morning and had a wander round. Broome was a lovely place! The ocean was a stunning blue and the beaches were lovely white sand (unlike Cairns where the water and beach are both brown). Stopped for lunch at the Matso Cafe (I think that's what it was called). This place brews their own beer and it is fabulous! The food was stunning too! Bradley had a middle eastern flavoured lamb burger, while I had a rocket, melon, procciuto and blue cheese salad with an olive oil and aged apple vinegrette - it was to die for. So if you go to Broome and you like good food and beer, you just have to go to this place!

After lunch we headed out of town towards Perth. We had been told by other travellers months ago that when we were in the Broome area, to camp at a place called Barn Hill station, about 120km south out of Broome along the highway. We finally found the turnoff which was nothing more than a half burried tractor tyre painted white on the side of the road with Barn Hill written on it. No further information - not even a sign saying that they had camping available. We weren't sure if it was the right place, but we turned off anyway to check it out. It was about a 10km drive along a well made sand track (fine for normal cars).

This place turned out to be the BEST place we'd camped on our entire trip! We camped in the bush over looking the Indian Ocean. It was stunning. There was a short track down to a beautiful beach which had awesome rock formations behind it. The water was really deep and great for both fishing and swimming. This place was even far enough south that there were no crocodiles here! Next morning at first light I went for a 2.5 hour walk to then end of the beach and back to watch the sun rise. It was just too beautiful to describe - you'll have to see it for yourself! I took a panorama shot of the beach before heading off that morning. You'll have to scroll to the right a long way to see it all.


Sadly, we couldn't stay at Barn Hill any longer because we really needed to get back to Melbourne. So off we went after Bradley had played a few quick games of lawn bowls on their little green. I even had one game and beat him, but refused to have another so as to make sure I was the overall winner!

The next couple of days were essentially spent driving south to Perth. We didn't really do any sight seeing on the way as we were in a hurry. At one of our lunch stops though (Nanutarra Roadhouse) we did see some lovely wild flowers, so I took some pictures.