With two nights allocated to explore Lake Argyle itself, we hit the ground running. After checking in to the Lake Argyle Caravan Park (and possibly being allocated the only two sites in the park with no shade) we drove a short distance to visit the Argyle Homestead Museum, housed in the original Durack Homestead.

“When the Ord River Dam was completed, in early 1971, Lake Argyle began to fill more rapidly than anyone anticipated. The Homestead was dismantled stone by stone, stored in Kununurra, and rebuilt towards the end of the decade, 15km from its original position. In 1979 the building was opened as a museum, dedicated to the pioneering spirit of the Durack family.” ( https://argylehomesteadmuseum.com.au/)

We were lucky enough to arrive when wonderful caretakers Rod and Lyndal were looking after the museum and we enjoyed hearing the story of the Durack family and looking around the building with its fascinating photos and artefacts as well as meeting the local bower bird and his charming abode which included an eclectic collection of white pebbles, glass and plastic all aimed at impressing the future Mrs. Bower 😉

We drove down to view the dam wall from a lookout and peered over the edge to see where our sunset cruise would depart from later that day.

The sunset cruise came highly recommended by Steph and John who had done it before and the afternoon sun was at its warmest when we set off so hats were the order of the day. On the water we were amazed again at the vastness of this lake, this ‘inland sea,’ but were glad we had had the chance to view it from the air earlier as you really couldn’t conceptualise the size of it from the boat.

We cruised amongst islands, viewed some of the ‘freshies’ sunning themselves on the shore – including this fellow with part of his lower jaw missing – and spotted wildlife and birds.

As the sun began to go down we stopped for the much anticipated sunset drinks and swim. The water was glorious and a large number of us took advantage of the champagne or beer on offer to cap off what was an amazing experience….

whilst others bravely looked on…… 😜

The next morning I was off to the much photographed infinity pool in the caravan park at opening time trying to beat the hoards of Instagrammers but still had to wait my turn for the iconic shot 😎

The caravan park has recently changed ownership and apparently there are big plans underway for its updating which we all agreed is much needed. Hopefully we will get to see the changes one day in the future.

For now though we continue to push east and tomorrow will cross the border and enter the Northern Territory.

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. 😉

We had arranged to meet with John and Steph at a free camp known as Ellendale Lagoon, situated on a private cattle station and a couple of hours drive south east from Derby.

It was a very picturesque spot and by lunch time we were parked at water’s edge next to John and Steph and becoming acquainted with ‘Millie,’ one of the locals.

There was abundant birdlife for Russell to identify and photograph and plentiful firewood for a camp fire that evening.

Over the next few days we travelled steadily eastward, discovering (or rediscovering in John and Steph’s case) picturesque free camp spots and beautiful outback landscapes. We weren’t the only ones though, with Fitzroy Crossing now open, nomads were on the move and many of the free camps were quite crowded by sunset.

Our next destination was Purnululu National Park previously known as the Bungle Bungles. The park entrance is accessed via a 53 km rough 4WD track which traverses many creek crossings and is definitely not motorhome friendly! The nearest (seasonal) caravan park had not yet received the necessary permit from local landowners and so remained closed (and still is I believe) so the solution was to park up at Spring Creek free camp and spend the day in the Park with the tow cars.

Purnululu National Park is World Heritage Listed and even before the 350-million-year-old, striped sandstone domes come into view you can appreciate why.

The Bungle Bungle range was only ‘discovered’ in 1983 when a (helicopter) muster pilot tipped off a TV crew in the region filming a documentary that he knew of an unusual geological feature in the area. The ranges had of course been known to the local people for much longer but their remoteness had largely kept them a secret from the rest of the world.

Huge public interest in the discovery meant that by 1987 the area was protected as part of a new national park before becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003.

There is so much diversity in the park, from towering sandstone chasms, lush palm valleys, abundant birdlife, flora and fauna and then of course the postcard domes themselves.

Unfortunately, by the time we reached the southern part of the park and the Domes themselves, the shadows were growing long and mindful of the long drive back we made the decision to leave Cathedral Gorge for next time.

The drive back was relatively uneventful and we arrived back to camp to find the RV population at Spring Creek had virtually tripled whilst we had been out and we had a caravan almost parked on top of us 😒

On the road again the next day we headed toward Kununurra where we would spend the next few nights on the edge of Lake Kununurra.

We had a waterfront site and were set up in time to enjoy sunset and meet one of the many freshwater crocs that call the lake home. Initially it was slightly disconcerting to have a crocodile sitting about 10 metres away from our motorhome but as I became better educated about them (they are generally quite timid around humans unless acting in self defence and rarely go far on land) I figured we were safe for the time being.

Having both agreed that an opportunity to view Purnululu National Park from the air should not be missed, the next morning we were up at 4.30 am to catch the first scenic flight of the day and it did not disappoint.

After about 45 minutes (which included flying over the actual Bow River from the Cold Chisel song) the Bungle Bungle Ranges came into view.

Once again my aerial photography is not the greatest but getting an aerial perspective after having visited on the ground was really worthwhile.

On the way back we flew over the Argyle Diamond Mine.

Rather fittingly, diamonds were discovered in the area by a female British geologist, Maureen Muggeridge, back in 1979 😉

The mine was decommissioned in 2020 but it is expected site rehabilitation will continue through to 2025.

Despite the considerable outlay for this flight we both felt we had gotten great value for the $$ spent and we happily headed back to have breakfast.

Next up, billabongs and birdlife ….

I had managed to secure a great discounted deal for another bucket list activity – Horizontal Falls – but it wasn’t the tour that departs Broome, instead leaving from Derby.

After checking out of our Broome CP it was a relatively quick drive 220 kms north to Derby including several kilometres of unmade road where the worst of the recent flood damage is still being repaired. We had made a booking at one of the two caravan parks in town as our trip would include staying overnight on the pontoon so after checking in we headed out to explore the town. Derby has about 4,000 residents of which almost half are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders and is situated on the edge of the tidal mudflats of King Sound. It has the highest tidal range of any port in Australia.

The boab tree is a major feature of Derby and they are used as an entry statement on the main road into Derby and one is particularly notable as a sunset shot along with several of the Sculptures on the Marsh. This project, a series of sculptures depicting life in the town are situated about the marsh area and well worth seeking out.

The next day we were picked up by the tour operator and driven to the Derby Airport where we boarded our seaplane for the flight to Horizontal Falls. The scenery en route was spectacular and we had a great view of the Horizontal Falls themselves before coming in to land in Talbot Bay next to the pontoon.

As soon as we landed it was into the jet boats and out to the Falls as the tide was already on the turn.

After the boat ride we were shown our rooms, quickly had time to change for the swimming with (next to) the sharks and then enjoyed bubbles and hors d’oeuvres before dinner. Dinner was served on the deck, beautifully cooked and locally caught barramundi and was accompanied by lively conversation amongst the twenty four of us staying overnight.

The next morning there was time for another quick ride through the Falls before breakfast and then our flight back to Derby, passing over more stunning scenery that is totally inaccessible by land. We felt very fortunate to have seen such a beautiful part of Australia.

Landing in Derby we were dropped off at the Caravan Park and by 10 am were on the road again, this time headed toward Ellendale Lagoon where we would reconvene with John and Steph.

We had originally booked a week in Broome but scrolling through tourist brochures that I had picked up in caravan park laundrys along the way, I had begun to think that wasn’t going to be enough. Subsequently we had rung and extended by a couple of nights and I was looking forward to being in the same place for an extended period as well as finally having good internet.

The RAC Cable Beach Caravan Park was very busy but we scored good sites next to one another and close to the pool 😂

Unfortunately, the internet was crap, no catching up on the blog here. Quickly getting over that disappointment we headed down to Cable Beach for the quintessential Broome sunset.

It would be the first of many beautiful sunsets that we experienced in and around Broome.

One of my favourite spots was Gantheaume Point. A lighthouse was erected here as early as 1905 and the current one is still operational albeit on mains electricity, nowhere near as romantic as the need for a lighthouse keeper and kerosene fuel but infinitely more reliable I’m sure.

Gantheaume Point is also famous for its dinosaur footprints. The fossilized footprints are located on the flat rocks 30 meters out to the sea and can only be seen at low tide. The tracks are 130 million years old and extend in patches for 80 kilometers along the coast. We didn’t see them but there are (somewhat tacky) plaster casts more easily accessible to the everyday tourist.

For me though, the stunning red sandstone cliffs juxtaposed with the pristine turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean were the real attraction.

The following night we had booked a sunset cruise aboard the 42 foot yacht ‘Ballena’ – equipped with an onboard bar that served delicious mango daiquiris 😉 and canapes whilst cruising off Cable Beach for a few hours. We also saw the iconic Cable Beach camels which we were to see up close and personal the following evening.

Steph had done the camel tour some years previously and had ridden “Alice” but unfortunately Alice is getting on in years and not up to taking two passengers any longer. We were therefore mounted atop Mufasa, a handsome camel with a penchant for biting so he was sporting a muzzle ‘as a precaution.’

The sunset tonight was unfortunately impacted by ongoing fires in the area but we still enjoyed the experience overall.

The next day we ventured north, stopping at Willie Creek Oyster Farm (no purchases except ice creams) and then continuing further along a (terrible) dirt road to James Price Point.

James Price Point is home to more dinosaur prints. A 2016 study of the footprints here by the University of Queensland confirmed they are the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world and contain the world’s largest single print. We didn’t know this at the time but the striking red cliffs made the trip worthwhile anyway.

The next day for a complete change of pace, Russell and I decided to tick another thing off of our bucket list and we booked a fishing charter.

 

My first catch was a Red Emperor, apparently beautiful eating but which unfortunately was undersize. It was the only one I got a photo of though as the pace was fast and furious. We would anchor, lines overboard and fish until the sharks found us and started following our catch in then lines out and move on to another spot. The deckhands were great, helping with any problems and assisting with hauling in some BIG fish as well as cleaning them in between stops when I could hardly stand upright let alone fillet fish 😂

In between stops we would trawl for tuna and Spanish Mackerel (my new fave fish) and when a fish was “on” we all had a turn at reeling in the really big ones. This was back breaking! The deckhand explained that normally you would let the line play out and let the tuna tire itself out but in our case the sharks were loitering and we had to get them in as quickly as possible.

The tuna (5) and spanish mackerel (2) were divided amongst all of us and at the end of the day Russell and I went home with 5.5 kg of fish and a grin our faces. Hopefully that won’t be our last fishing trip.

On our last day we found another picturesque beach near the town jetty and managed to get the drone in the air for a short while until the local brown kites got a little too friendly and I had to land for safety reasons! Mother Nature’s wardrobe in this part of the world is so so beautiful, I don’t think I could manage the climate in the wet but the scenery is as good as anything I’ve seen in my travels so far.

As our nine days in Broome came to an end we completed our stay in Broome as we had begun, with a final sunset watching the camels on the beach and the cruises off shore.

Tomorrow, off to Derby and Horizontal Falls….