Heading north west from Kununurra we drove toward the small township of Wyndham for a day trip.
First though, a little detour en route took us to The Grotto, a pretty gorge reached by descending 140 steps with no safety rail for the faint hearted 😜
Wyndham was established in 1886 to service a new goldfield at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a population of 941.
During the gold rush peak however, the town was booming. It boasted three hotels and two taverns (the measure of any town’s wealth) and numerous supporting stores. However as the gold dried up so did the town and it dwindled to a tiny town from 1886 onwards until 1913 when the Wyndham Meatworks were established and the town’s economy rekindled somewhat.
That Meatworks subsequently closed in 1985 and Wyndham is now a small township supporting the ore ships that utilise the port.
We drove up to the Five Rivers lookout where the view was almost 360 degrees but not optimal due to smoke haze from fires in the area and we posed with the Big Crocodile.
After lunch in a tiny but tasty cafe we started the drive back, looking out for the turn off to Marlgu Billabong which the lady in the Kununurra Visitor Centre had recommended visiting. I don’t think we got there via the most direct route but it was scenic all the same and the birdlife at the Billabong was fantastic!
The following day it was back on the water again for a scenic cruise up Lake Kununurra toward the Lake Argyle dam wall, a journey of 55 kms. Once again we passed though very diverse scenery with towering gorge walls, crowded creeks and wide waterways. The birdlife was abundant and our very knowledgeable captain knew all the croc hangouts and shared a very informative and entertaining commentary about the region and the history of the dam project.
We returned back to the caravan park dock just after sunset which gave Russell and I time to scurry the short distance to the Pumphouse Restaurant where, thanks to a cancellation, we were able to enjoy an unexpectedly gourmet meal.
Tomorrow, we move on to Lake Argyle to swim with crocodiles with champagne in hand, well those of us adventurous enough anyway. 😉