Day 57, Sunday 29 May, Derby to Fitzroy Crossing
Early departure down an unsealed road to the Munkajurra Wetlands. It appears that the birds had wind of our arrival and had left and hordes of mosquitos have taken their place. Eventually we beat a strategic retreat to the car and get back on the road.
Our lunchtime arrival at Fitzroy Crossing Lodge is too early for check-in and we drive out to Geike Gorge for a a self-guided. Eventually the heat gets too much, and we return to the resort and instead walk in the local area including across the Maturwarra Fitzroy River.
Day 58, Monday 29 May, Fitzroy Crossing to Warmun
A long driving day is planned. We leave early for a stop in Halls Creek for the usual coffee and recharge, this time at the local Toyota dealer. We are well taken care of by a Sri Lankan refugee working in this remote region to assist in his visa application.
The navigator receives coffee advice from one of a couple of teachers who have moved to the area from Melbourne and are enjoying the remote life. We walk the town, well known for its indigenous car bonnet art. We visit the Yarliyil Arts Centre and are fortunate to chat at length with one of the local artists, Susan Peters. We drive on to Warmun for our overnight at the local roadhouse.
Day 59, Tuesday 31 May, Warmun to Kununurra
Kununurra is our last stop in WA and we are keen to make the best of it. After a quick stop at the Visitors information Centre we drive out to watch crazy four wheel drivers crossing the causeway at Ivanhoe Crossing.
Our accommodation for three nights is a delightful cabin overlooking what is referred to as Lake Kununurra. It is part of the Ord River but gains the title of lake because it is dammed at both ends. There are two local fresh-water crocs, one named Gummy, apparently from poor dental hygiene, who are regulars on our bank, but not during our stay. Swamp hens are more social, particularly one bordering on being intrusive.
The Ord River scheme goes back to 1962 when the Diversion Dam was built and in 1979 the main dam. The early crops of cotton and rice did not do well, the former due to local insects and latter providing unexpected feasts for flocks of local Magpie Geese. The project is still regarded as a commercial failure but is certainly a tourism goldmine.
Day 60, Wednesday 1 June, Kununurra
A morning walk along the shoreline, then into town for breakfast before driving the 45 kms out to Lake Argyle for our afternoon and sunset cruise. The lake was formed following construction of the second dam in 1979 made from blasted rocks with a core of earth. No concrete was used in the dam wall construction.
Our guide Cameron is a wealth of local knowledge and takes us to various parts of the northern end of the lake. There is local wildlife in the lake with two notable exceptions, crocodiles and barramundi. The lake walls are probably too steep for crocodiles. Interestingly, all barramundi are born male and need to reach salt water for some of them to turn female. Obviously, barramundi did not survive long after the dam wall was completed.
We drive home in the dark keeping a keen eye out for wildlife and stray cattle and horses.
Day 61, Thursday 2 June, Kununurra
Today’s activity is a daytime cruise on Lake Kununurra this time with young guide, Dylan who is a wealth of knowledge and does his best to show us wildlife as we make our way up to the dam wall. He locates fresh-water crocodiles, various bird species such as a Striated Heron, a pair of White Bellied Sea Eagles, Pied Cormorants, Darters, Purple Swamp Hens and others and also the elusive rock wallabies.
The cruise ends at the dam wall where we are left with some useless facts – the base of the wall is 300 metres thick tapering to road width at the top, the wall is 98 metres high and 385 metre long at road level and the dam holds 21 times the quantity of water in Sydney Harbour, up to 42 times in a major flood.
We transfer to a coach for a short stop on the wall road. We head off to the Argyle Homestead, dismantled and moved before the original site was flooded and, after some years delay, reconstructed and now used as a museum. At the site is a Great Bowerbird pair with a fully completed nest.
After 33 days, today is our last day in Western Australia and we are reluctant to leave. We have always regarded Queensland as a big state, but WA is BIG. The distances are large, but the roads are in excellent condition. There is a lot to see and the sights are beautifully presented by WA’s Parks & Wildlife Service. Hopefully we’ll be back.
Next The Northern Territory