Broome to Darwin - Darwin, Australia
Darwin, Australia
After leaving Broome, where the local car hire company is called 'Broome Broome', we stopped at Fitzroy Crossing, in the shady park at Fitzroy River Lodge. There’s a pool and we were in it before long, enjoying a refreshing swim, followed by a long read, nibbles and a cool drink. Our continuing experience with The Kimberley would not be on the Gibb River. Our rig is not quite rugged enough to tackle that road without loss of vehicle and van bits. We drove into Geikie Gorge and went on the very reasonably priced, early morning cruise through this spectacular gorge on the mighty Fitzroy River, which had ample water, for the dry season. The markings on the cliffs and other evidence showed the height of flood waters through normal and very wet years. The geology of the Gorge was most impressive. There were freshwater crocodiles resting on limestone ledges and sandy banks. Hundreds of tiny fairy martins were building their mud nests in the cliffs. Debate is current about damming the Fitzroy for irrigation needs, or to help solve Perth’s water needs. The river does feed an aquifer. There are many indigenous communities in this area and many aborigines live in the main towns also. This is the case throughout much of WA. Fossil Downs Station is east of The Fitzroy River Crossing. It’s historic, very productive and has just been purchased by Gina Reinhart.
On Tuesday 18th August, we drove through rich pastoral country. Ngumpan Cliff was an impressive sight. We had morning tea at an excellent 24 hour free camp, Mary River. The old gold rush town of Halls Creek was our lunch and re-supplying stop. We had a quick look at The China Wall, a sub vertical quartz vein formation and were then on our way to the Bungle Bungle Station Homestay on Mabel Downs. Many stations operate as long term pastoral leases and are owned by the government. The reception staff are young and usually French, fulfilling working visa requirements. This is the case on many stations and in tourism ventures. We have also met many Dutch, French and German tourists in the north-west.
The nights at both Fitzroy Crossing and Mabel Downs were cool at around 9 degrees, being inland, but the days were certainly hot at 33 degrees. Stations in the Kimberley have been hugely affected by the live export trade ban of a few years ago. We added to our knowledge and understanding about the cattle industry and life in this great part of our country, from our bus driver and tour leader, Radar, who hails from Sheffield, Tas. We had decided to take an Expedition Bus into the Bungle Bungles, or Purnululu National Park. This was expedient as we felt we could achieve more in the Park and allow a vehicle other than ours to take the wear and tear on a largely corrugated rough road. Excellent choice! The tour enabled us to do 5 walks and explore each end of the Bungle Bungles. The Cathedral and Echidna Chasm are spectacular formations. Many people fly over this region either in helicopters or fixed wing aircraft, which have booming seasons for 5 months of the year. Doing this shows the vastness, but not the rich and beautiful geology. The Bungles was one of the most memorable tours we’ve ever done. The trip concluded with a shared dinner at the Mabel Downs Station Stay. Butter chicken if I recall!
On Thursday 20th August I tried to make an early start, but Tony protested by insisting we go for a walk around 7.30. By the time we returned from walking and chatting with a couple from Winnaleah, it was quite hot. This meant packing up in the heat. Eventually we set off for Kununurra. We’d decided to stay there for 5 days and explore the region without staying at Wyndham and Lake Argyle. We stopped at Warmun for our morning tea – cool drinks and cake / dry fruit these days. Our water intake each day is significant too. The Eastern Kimberley scenery is quite lovely – undulating treed, grassy country, with many boab trees. The road was rather windy so it took 60kms to pass a very slow low loader carrying a damaged motor home and small car. We had booked into the Lakeside Caravan Park, which was one of the best we’ve stayed in. Our site looked over a wetland Lily Lagoon. Once set up, we spent the rest of the day in and beside the refreshing pool, relaxing, swimming and reading.
Our days at Kununurra were glorious. The temperature was hot at 36 degrees. We had afternoon swims and relaxation around the pool, followed by the evening ritual from 4.30ish, of sitting beside the Lily Lagoon with drinks and nibbles, watching the stunning sunset and the birds. We would wait for the resident large freshy to slide by and at dusk watch the thousands of bats approach in a cloud, pass overhead and peel off as they found their trees in the park and beyond. We would walk the few steps to the water’s edge in the mornings to watch and photograph the numerous water birds.
We spent our first evening in Kununurra with our singing friend, Max, who is travelling the opposite way. We had dinner at the local hotel and had an excellent evening together, swapping tips and travelling stories.
On Friday 21st, we explored Kununurra’s rich and large agricultural district, with the many irrigation channels fed by the abundant waters of Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra, formed when the Ord River was dammed in 1971. We drove out along the Weaber Plains Road, where our neighbour Rowan once worked for 6 months. A visit to The Hoochery Distillery was a must! This is a very rustic establishment, built using recyclables and initiative. An iced coffee was accompanied by a piece of their famous chocolate rum cake. We had a highly spiritual tasting of their various rums, whiskies, and other drops. Since the closure of the local sugar mill in Kununurra, in 2008, the distillery has to import molasses from Queensland. Businesses here need support and continuously strive to be creative. The Sandalwood Factory, nearby is excellent – a thriving plantation of Indian sandalwood trees, with a large and diverse, retail outlet. The products are marketed under the ‘Mount Romance, Pure Australian Sandalwood’ name. It is ‘The world’s leading producer of Sandalwood oil and products’. We had a fantastic, healthy underpriced lunch there too. We visited the Artopia Art Gallery, one of several in Kununurra. The artworks were mostly indigenous, but more up market than other galleries. One of the artists was about to have an exhibition in Melbourne.
We travelled west to visit Wyndham and El Questro on Saturday stopping by at The Grotto, a deep waterhole in a large chasm. At Wyndham, we drove up the to the Five Rivers Lookout, looking down on the Pentecost, King, Ord, Durack and Forrest Rivers, and across the sandy shallows, taking in the port area and the separate township. There aren’t many places where you see 5 rivers converging. Highlights at Wyndham were, the massive boab tree in the caravan park, the Big Crocodile and our morning tea stop, The Rusty Shed. There are new jetties and an old museum, a Charles Kingsford-Smith disappearance and monumental landing, a police presence and a tired feeling. We were pleased with our decision to stay at Kununurra. The light was pale and skies were smoke filled as numerous fires added more intensity to the already smouldering heat of midday.
We drove along the eastern end of the Gibb River Road to El Questro. There is a small resort area at Emma’s Gorge, before the main resort. We paid and had our picnic lunch there, before walking and scrambling for an hour in the heat, up the rocky Gorge to the beautiful cool rock pool, where we swam in the clear pool, with warm springs, a long ribbon of waterfall and drippings from the overhanging rock faces. We swam and lay in the water till we were crinkly, with about 20 other intrepid walkers. It was a stunning spot. We didn’t venture further, because travellers we met seemed to conclude that Emma’s was the best part of El Questro.
The following day, Aug 23rd, we drove 70 kms to Lake Argyle, visiting the lovely Argyle Downs Homestead, which was dismantled and move in the 1970’s prior to flooding. This former home of the Duracks, is a wonderful museum and not to be missed. We drove around the vantage points of Lake Argyle, from the lovely caravan park, with its infinity pool, to the dam and picnic grounds. Some fellow travellers wondered why we didn’t do a cruise there. Well there’s a lot of Lake with dry hillsides / banks. We had a really good look, but felt our day in the heat would be more enjoyable not on a lake. So many tours are offered on the water and in the air and we are pretty selective. Returning to Kununurra we spent a relaxing afternoon by the pool toasting Erin on her 30th Birthday, which she and Andrew are celebrating in New York. We had birthday muffins and candles in the van.
On our last day in Kununurra we thought we would catch up on washing, emails and phone calls, housework and the usual lakeside activities. A quiet day soon became a visit to ‘Artlandish’ an outstanding indigenous gallery, featuring Central Australian artists. We also decided to walk to the top of Kelly’s Knob. This was not a quick climb, in 37 degrees. There were excellent rural and town views. We texted Rowan from the top to let him know we’d done it! It was absolutely necessary to divert to the Ivanhoe Café for an iced coffee in the shady garden, before a drive across the Diversion Dam to the Zebra Rock Gallery. Here we engaged in turtle watching and feeding the thousands of catfish and anglers in Lake Kununurra, while taking in the beautiful view of Elephant Rock amongst mango and sandalwood plantations. The unusual Zebra Rock is mined near Kununurra.
Tuesday 25th was a travelling day. We crossed the WA / NT border, definitely sad to be leaving both Kununurra and WA, and put our clocks forward 90 minutes. We drove through the large Gregory National Park, not stopping in the heat. We made a blunder in not stopping at Timber Creek for the night and joining in the croc excitement there, including a wildlife cruise on the Victoria River. The Camp at Victoria River, a further 90 kms towards Katherine had been recommended so we drove there instead. It was 37 degrees and not much cooler throughout the night. That evening we watched ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ – very entertaining. There is no TV, radio or phone reception there. We had cold showers by choice, a tasty meal at the RH, a sunset walk along the old bridge and the air con on all night to get a good sleep! Midgie season is happening in the Top End and this next week is one of the worst times – full moon, tides and the build up to the wet season / humidity rising, all conspiring to give me a hard time. (Tony is quite immune!)
We were headed for Darwin, and decided to stay only one night in Katherine. We came across a cattle muster and drive near Willaroo Creek / Mathieson Station, with about 10 drovers and a helicopter. This was next to the highway, so we pulled over to watch. Arriving in Katherine, we walked and drove around, as I remembered and Tony tried to remember the sights and ‘feel’ of the town. We had cruised The Nitmiluk, Katherine Gorge on our previous campervan trip 19 years ago. That was in late June when the water level was higher. Now, at the end of August, the high heat and humidity ruled out our ideas of doing a canoe paddle, cruise or Gorge walk this time. We ate ice cream, visited the Nitmiluk Visitor Centre and spent an afternoon in the Shady Lane Caravan Park pool, chatting with fellow travellers from all parts of our vast country.
On Thursday 27th August, we shared the driving from Katherine to Darwin. There was more traffic, fewer caravans and road trains, more cars and the 130 speed limit. (While towing, we travel at 90-95kmh or thereabouts most of the time.) We have a great deal at the Discovery Caravan Park in Farrell Street, Winnellie – 7 nights for the price of 5, a total of $234. The Park is close to the city and near the airport, which has no curfew. We experience the joy of large aircraft taking off at 1.30 am and planes and helicopters flying overhead most of the day. But you get used to it.
We arrived at Mindil Beach Sunset Market on our first evening. It is much the same as it was 19 years ago. There’s delicious food, mostly Asian, fire performers, clothing, trinkets, touristy stalls, whips, hats, indigenous souvenirs, a sunset, cruisers, lots of people and soothing tropical smoothies – we had 4. The best was mango, coconut and lime. We had forgotten to take our chairs. Last time we were here, Claire and Andrew bought several things, including dream catchers. Claire had her hair braided. They were 10 and 12 years old. After 3 hours, we had great difficulty finding the car, as the car park had grown
In Darwin, we spend the afternoons in the pool wallowing and swimming a little, again chatting with fellow travellers. The park is emptying as people leave to return home, east, south and west.
Tours to The Tiwi Islands are possible on Thursdays and Fridays. I was lucky to secure the last spot for Friday 28th. Tony was keen to have a quieter day. He took me to Cullen Bay to board the local Sealink Cat to Bathurst Island. I had paid and booked but had no information, so just went with the flow. As it turned out there were 18 on our tour, and another group doing a different itinerary. The voyage took 2 and a half hours, arriving at Wurrumiyanga where cars and families met the local indigenous people returning or visiting. Our group was met by a small bus, Noel the driver and Salvador our guide. He and Trevor were extraordinary young aboriginal managers, very proud of their home, culture and relationships.
The population of the Tiwi Islands is 2,500; they are devoted AFL followers and players, having 6 teams, one of which travels widely. There is a large cultural focus and presence on the islands. It is obvious that art sustains the people here as well as sport. We met and engaged with many people throughout the day, including a few outsiders who have made their home here for a long or short time, but many aboriginal women and some men and children. We visited or saw, the oval, museum, church, schools, health centre, cemetery and art centres. One has a painted ceiling. There was the printing workshop, pottery, weaving, large art workshop and studio, sewing and carving centres. We were given morning tea and damper, a smoking ceremony, mud mussel painting demonstration and cultural talk. The day was outstanding and I can’t possibly do justice to it in this small review. I would recommend it to anyone interested in visiting an indigenous community in an isolated setting. I paid $225, with seniors’ discount for the AAT Kings Tour. The other one was called ‘Tiwi by Design Tour’ and was dearer, but I thought ours was better! Of course I returned to Darwin with some beautiful baskets and a gift for Tony, a carved ‘Bird of The Day’. I befriended 2 other single female travellers – from NSW, but both with strong Tasmanian links. We all had a fabulous time.
Interestingly, my Uncle Col, Sally and David’s Dad, was the lighthouse keeper at Cape Don Lighthouse in the late 50’s. Cape Don is slightly northeast of Melville Island. It is so very remote even now, but especially for such a young family. They sent my sisters and me, 3 amazing aboriginal baskets full of shells, and a stuffed turtle from this area, when we were children. Certainly amazing presents and I still treasure my basket, shells and the turtle.
On Saturday we caught up on shopping at Casuarina Shopping Centre and visited the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery, which is open every day, with generous opening hours and no admission charge. There is also a large and excellent café overlooking Fannie Bay and the gorgeous jade sea. (Wake up Tasmanian Govt)! Some of the exhibits hadn’t changed much in 19 years, but that was because they are so good – the indigenous artworks, particularly paintings on bark are extraordinary. The boats and the Cyclone Tracey display were great to revisit. Other galleries are wonderful too. We returned to the CP for a much needed swim, before going to the flicks in the evening to see ‘The Last Cab to Darwin’ which we enjoyed. The busy restaurant strip was too hot for us that night.
Nightcliff Market is held on Sunday mornings and I managed to get Tony there. We felt it was more a local market than Mindil Beach. We enjoyed checking out the clothing and cure-all stalls and sampled some delicious street food and of course a couple of smoothies. I bought some ‘itch relief’ potion called Kakadu Blue, which feels and smells good and is just as promising as anything else I’ve tried. We toured around the port area and decided to visit The Botanical Gardens.
The Gardens were not really at their best, perhaps. Some weeding has not been attended to, and the labelling of plants could be improved. It is lush and cool in parts and has some flowering plants. I recalled our previous visit 19 years ago and thought that the plantings were more interesting then. Both times, there were few flowering species. A beautiful historic Wesleyan Chapel has since been relocated to the Gardens to help preserve it. This building has survived war and cyclones and is now the Gardens Restaurant.
On Monday, the final day in August, the Jeep was serviced by Kerry’s Auto Group. They were excellent. We had organised this several weeks ago. I spent most of the day catching up with housework, The Blog, emails and phone calls. Unlike other holidays, I’ve written very few postcards. Tony had a bike ride and visited the Aviation Heritage Centre, nearby. He was most impressed. After picking up the Jeep, via the courtesy bus, we visited the city area, the mall, Information Centre, Town Hall ruins, and the stunningly beautiful Parliament House, built in 1994. It is simply proportioned and elegant. We did a self- guided tour and were very impressed with the chamber and the Library. We went to Stokes Hill Wharf and took in the evening over a few beers, oysters and fish and chips. It was a beautiful and fairly entertaining evening. Today our mail from home arrived.
We reviewed our trip to date and planned the next and last part on Tuesday 1st September.
Eek! It’s September and we’ll be home in 5 weeks. It’s all down- hill from here – south that is! We’ll probably have 15 more stops / night stays between here and home, including Canberra, Bega and the Spirit of Tasmania. We recovered from the planning and drove to East Point for the views and the Military Museum. Throughout Darwin there are constant reminders of the devastation caused on the 19th February 1942. Ten weeks after Pearl Harbour, Darwin was attacked and the devastation was greater than we had ever believed. This Museum, existing for many decades, but revamped in 2010 is built around the Australian military frontline infrastructure. Tony thought it more meaningful than the National war Memorial in Canberra. We were both fascinated and learnt so much.
On Tuesday evening we visited the Darwin Sing Australia Group and had a wonderful sing with some very lovely and extremely interesting people. We hadn’t had a sing since Fremantle and found that our voices were still in fair condition, despite the dust and heat. Sing Australia has enabled us to meet up with people in different places to join in song and friendship. It’s an amazing organisation.
Our last day in Darwin, saw me writing this Blog and Tony doing nothing. In the afternoon things changed. I found a great hairdresser in Cavenagh Street and indulged in iced tea, a welcome massage, a new do and an hour of reading, while Tony did the supermarketing and other necessary retail tasks. He also did some sorting of photos for our Blog. We had our final fling in the Caravan Park pool later in the day, before driving to Cullen Bay for a lovely last dinner, at The Pizza restaurant. A perfect choice! Tomorrow we start the southern drive via Kakadu.