Broome to the border

Travelling east from Broome, we made tracks for Fitzroy Crossing along the Savannah Way. Another place made famous in song and legend, and home to the Geiki Gorge (Darngu is the aboriginal name). We spent two nights in a park on the banks of the mighty Fitzroy River and used up half a day taking a boat trip up the gorge with a guide from National Parks. Here we sighted our first freshwater crocs (Johnston River Crocodile) in the wild.

Freshies catching some rays

Geiki Gorge Fitzroy River

The Fitzroy during the dry is a gentle flowing stream.
In the wet this river swells up this bank and across to the far shore.
In one hour as much water courses between these banks as fills the Sydney Harbour.

Mike will follow up with some interesting anecdotes on our stay at the Crossing Inn, in one of his unique pub entries in an upcoming blog.

From the Crossing we drove through Hall's Creek, stopping for a coffee and a look around before reaching a farm stay in a park situated on the Mabel Cattle Station, a few ks outside of the Purnululu National Park and the awesome Bungle Bungle Range. We took a 4WD day trip into the NP and drove along and within the Range. It just happened to be my birthday which was pretty special and a birthday I won't forget. We did the southern Cathedral Gorge walk which took us through striped domes, towering cliffs and honeycomb rocks that lead to an amphitheatre. Then we drove to the north of the range to narrow and rocky Echidna Chasm walk. All in all a great day, but we were a bit foot sore by the end of it.

The track to Cathedral Gorge



Cathedral Gorge

The Cathedral.

Echidna Chasm.

Echidna Chasm - a tiny Mike!

The cool upper reaches of the Echidna Chasm.

We continued east towards Kununurra, driving through some great countryside, with many ranges in the distance and to our left and right. Kununurra lies only about 36 or so km from the border with NT. We stayed there for four nights in a great park in the Hidden Valley, surrounded by large, red, rocky hills. We caught up on washing, cleaning, blogging and reading (and a bit of sleeping in too). It was great just to relax and do nothing much around camp for a few days.

From there we visited the Ord River Dam and Lake Argyle, famous for its diamond mine. My uncle Barry Gale was the resident engineer on the Ord River Dam when it was first built, so I had to go and check it out.

The wall my uncle built!

You can't see it very well, but Uncle Barry's name is at the bottom on the right.



A few kms into the Territory, we turned south to an operating zebra stone mine, which had camping facilities and operated tours on the upper reaches of Lake Argyle through some very beautiful wetlands accessed through a cattle station on private land. These tours have only been going for a short while, and it was amazing to go to a place that very few have seen. It was pretty special.

Upper reaches of Lake Argyle - NT  side.

Lots of fresh water crocs in the Lake.

My first Jabaru in the wild.

As the sun begins to set we wend our way out of the wetlands. 

A divine sunset ends a magical afternoon on the Lake. Now home for dinner.



Mike and I have loved our time spent in the Kimberley. I will never forget the landscape as we drove through it in its dry season. The colours of the wattles, grevilleas and other flowering trees and shrubs abloom in bright yellows, oranges and reds, the washed out yellow of the dry grass, and patches of green where systematic burning of spinifex and savannah grasses makes way for new growth for cattle feed. The smell of smoke pervades the landscape right across the Kimberley.

Here is a taste of the Kimberley in song by the Pigram Brothers from Broome.

And what can be said about the boabs that line the highway and evoke images of wizened crones and aged wizards, always watching the way - keeping an eye on us people relentlessly coming and going from year to year. I found them enchanting.

They say that this tree is over 2000 years old.


Be careful young lad!

Goodbye WA. NT here we come!!

Victoria River! Matter of fact I've got here now!

While on the road through the Pilbara and the Kimberley we jotted down the odd poem. We haven't had much time to refine them, but we thought we'd pop them in anyway.

PILBARA/KIMBERLEY POEMS

Alana:


Arm's Length

So many miles as the crow flies
much further than the arm's length
the distance yawning wider
than my grief would wish

You over there in a sphere
too small to cross by borders
me over here, in a place unfamiliar
changed by time and wisdom

Our history laid down in tenderness
set and shaped by happenstance
still bound by a stronger cord
stretching way beyond this passing sorrow

Haiku (with apologies to the masters)

Bloated bovine corpse
Big yellow signs warn of strays
pity cows can't read


From West Kimberley
Along the Savannah Way
Boab, she watches

Bungle Bungle hike
On the day that I was born
Was it a mistake?

Roadside sentinels
Over ancient Pilbara tracks
Eagles on their watch

Mike:

Stopping at rail line
The two speed economy
Ore cars are endless