The views on the drive into Kununurra
At the NT/WA border
Quarantine Checkpoint sign
Sitting at the lookout in Kununurra
Township of Kununurra
Wharf at Wyndham
Head of the BIG CROC at Wyndham
Looking North East from the 5 Rivers Lookout at Wyndham
Looking South West from the 5 Rivers Lookout at Wyndham
Lake Argyle
The water released from Lake Argyle into the River
View from our camp at Hidden Valley Caravan Park at Kununurra
The drive to Kununurra from Katherine was spectacular with some pretty awesome views and surrounds. The flora and scenery seemed to be constantly changing with some awesome ranges around us. The camera was out and it was a steady drive.
We crossed our 3rd border crossing. Coming into WA there is a highly contolled quarantine check. We had our fridges and food tubs checked for honey and any fruit and vegetables. The kids were fascinated with why and asked the officers a number of questions and came away with some pamphlets of information.
Crossing the border also gave us an extra 1.5 hours. We also discovered later that this also meant the sun went down very quickly and when it did it was dark by 5.30pm. It was also alot lighter in the morning with it being light before 6am.
Quarantine check was only 30km from Kununurra so we were on the home stretch. Once set up we came up with a plan of attack as the fridge was empty and no fruit or vegetables. We went for drive to see what we could find around Kununurra. We visited the town lookout and and again saw some pretty stunning views.
We finished off with a trip to the supermarket to get something for tea and supplies for the next day.
The Sunday after doing some washing and making a trip to the visitors centre to get a road report on the Gibb River and Kalumburu roads we went for drive to Wyndham. Somewhere we were told had nothing but we still had to see it for ourselves so we can say we had been there. It was 100 km away and not a bad drive (although I slept all the way). We explored the town and no it didn't take very long, although the town is quite spread out. It does have the BIG CROC which Hannah is excited about ticking another BIG THING off in her book that she has seen. After some photos with the BIG CROC, we explored the wharf area and found what we thought was a souvenir shop (it was more the local op shop). The lady was really nice and the girls made themselves at home (pulled up a chair and sat at the front counter) and chatted to her. She gave all the kids a Kimberly bookmark and I felt sorry for her (as I wasn't sure how many customers she'd had) and bought a 2015 calendar.
We found a really nice cafe where we had a drink before going and finding the 5 rivers lookout. This was magnificent and was something that is hard to imagine what it would be like during the wet season. It overlooked where the Durack, Pentecost, King, Forrest and Ord rivers came together. We had lunch up here and it would've been magic at sunset but there wasn't much else to see at Wyndham so decided to head back to camp slowly. Little did we know Strick and I would have to do a trip back there just after sunset because we left our backpack that had all our plates, cutlery, bathers and Strick's hat in it. We weren't expecting it to still be there, but lucky enough it was, meaning we didn't need to go shopping the next day.
Monday again we did a few house keeping jobs, kids updating diaries and blogs before heading out to Lake Argyle. We encountered road works and were required to wait a while. When we eventually arrived at the lake, it was quite large. We visited the lookout and drove over the dam wall. We had morning tea at the river that was where the water was released from the wall. While there we witnessed one (of 3) main release valves opened, there was a large amount of water being released. Lake Argyle is now a hydro power station and is the main water source for Kununurra and the Wyndham areas. This has led to a large number of crops being grown in the Kununurra area.
We got back to Kununurra where we needed to do a number of jobs to be prepared to go out on the Gibb River Road the next day. The plan was to be out of range from a supermarket or contact for about 10 days which was when we were due at Fitzroy Crossing. Kids were keen to visit a pretty cool souvenir shop we found the day before and of course go for a swim. While kids were swimming mum and I did some groceries, only to find a lot of our plans go out the window due to the supermarket having a lot of empty shelves. When we eventually got back to camp we discovered Strick had really done his back and couldn't do anything. The plan was to be pretty well packed up so we could get going asap the next morning as we weren't 100% with what to expect. We managed to do this fairly well in the dark but we go there.
Tomorrow was going to be a new challenge.
We crossed our 3rd border crossing. Coming into WA there is a highly contolled quarantine check. We had our fridges and food tubs checked for honey and any fruit and vegetables. The kids were fascinated with why and asked the officers a number of questions and came away with some pamphlets of information.
Crossing the border also gave us an extra 1.5 hours. We also discovered later that this also meant the sun went down very quickly and when it did it was dark by 5.30pm. It was also alot lighter in the morning with it being light before 6am.
Quarantine check was only 30km from Kununurra so we were on the home stretch. Once set up we came up with a plan of attack as the fridge was empty and no fruit or vegetables. We went for drive to see what we could find around Kununurra. We visited the town lookout and and again saw some pretty stunning views.
We finished off with a trip to the supermarket to get something for tea and supplies for the next day.
The Sunday after doing some washing and making a trip to the visitors centre to get a road report on the Gibb River and Kalumburu roads we went for drive to Wyndham. Somewhere we were told had nothing but we still had to see it for ourselves so we can say we had been there. It was 100 km away and not a bad drive (although I slept all the way). We explored the town and no it didn't take very long, although the town is quite spread out. It does have the BIG CROC which Hannah is excited about ticking another BIG THING off in her book that she has seen. After some photos with the BIG CROC, we explored the wharf area and found what we thought was a souvenir shop (it was more the local op shop). The lady was really nice and the girls made themselves at home (pulled up a chair and sat at the front counter) and chatted to her. She gave all the kids a Kimberly bookmark and I felt sorry for her (as I wasn't sure how many customers she'd had) and bought a 2015 calendar.
We found a really nice cafe where we had a drink before going and finding the 5 rivers lookout. This was magnificent and was something that is hard to imagine what it would be like during the wet season. It overlooked where the Durack, Pentecost, King, Forrest and Ord rivers came together. We had lunch up here and it would've been magic at sunset but there wasn't much else to see at Wyndham so decided to head back to camp slowly. Little did we know Strick and I would have to do a trip back there just after sunset because we left our backpack that had all our plates, cutlery, bathers and Strick's hat in it. We weren't expecting it to still be there, but lucky enough it was, meaning we didn't need to go shopping the next day.
Monday again we did a few house keeping jobs, kids updating diaries and blogs before heading out to Lake Argyle. We encountered road works and were required to wait a while. When we eventually arrived at the lake, it was quite large. We visited the lookout and drove over the dam wall. We had morning tea at the river that was where the water was released from the wall. While there we witnessed one (of 3) main release valves opened, there was a large amount of water being released. Lake Argyle is now a hydro power station and is the main water source for Kununurra and the Wyndham areas. This has led to a large number of crops being grown in the Kununurra area.
We got back to Kununurra where we needed to do a number of jobs to be prepared to go out on the Gibb River Road the next day. The plan was to be out of range from a supermarket or contact for about 10 days which was when we were due at Fitzroy Crossing. Kids were keen to visit a pretty cool souvenir shop we found the day before and of course go for a swim. While kids were swimming mum and I did some groceries, only to find a lot of our plans go out the window due to the supermarket having a lot of empty shelves. When we eventually got back to camp we discovered Strick had really done his back and couldn't do anything. The plan was to be pretty well packed up so we could get going asap the next morning as we weren't 100% with what to expect. We managed to do this fairly well in the dark but we go there.
Tomorrow was going to be a new challenge.
Looking forward to that post card. :-)
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