This was our first BIG ADVENTURE, a holiday
in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Western Australia is so BIG and we also wanted to see some
of the Northern Territory, so we decided on a tour, by coach, to see as much as
we could in 4 weeks. We will
mention here we had excellent tour director and driver from start to finish on
this long trip I feel we must have been very lucky and spoilt.
We organized our holiday with AAT Kings and all bookings and
information went smoothly. We left
on 5th August 2006 to fly to Darwin this seemed to take forever, due
to our excitement to start our trip. Even in August Darwin was a little steamy
but we could cope with the weather.
KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
On a very early morning start of the 6th
August we started our Kakadu National Park 3 day tour again with great
anticipation and excitement. We
left Darwin in good time and headed for the Stuart Highway for about 35kms then
onto the Arnhem Highway which takes us into the Kakadu National Park, this road
is sealed. Our first short stop
was Bark Hut Inn
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| Bark Hut |
for smoko, this is also a caravan park and has accommodation
for the road traveller, it was an interesting stop with lots of history going
back to the buffalo days.
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| Cyclone damage to trees |
Then
onto the Kakadu, we found the terrain flat and with lots of spindly gum trees
not as exciting as we quite imagined but interesting. The wet season before we started on our tour this area had a
cyclone come through which caused some damage to the bush area with trees
snapped in half or completely down leaving a lot of cleaning up to do. It is a good idea to know what to
expect before arriving in the park at first sight it can look disappointing to
visitors who have high expectations.
It is not a place to visit in a short time, to see and experience the beauty
requires some planning, to explore the park you need to travel off the main
road. There is plenty of parking
at the various sites we encountered lots of motor homes and caravans.
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| Kapok Tree |
The rock art at Kakadu is the most
significant of prehistoric art in the world and our stop at Nourlangie Rock is
one of the best known art sites.
Nourlangie features a 1.5km circular walk and ancient Aboriginal shelter and several art sites, we had a ranger who provided informative talks about the site and its history, we found this to be very interesting. The walk took us to Gun-warddehwardde Lookout where we had impressive views of Kakadu’s escarpment.
Nourlangie features a 1.5km circular walk and ancient Aboriginal shelter and several art sites, we had a ranger who provided informative talks about the site and its history, we found this to be very interesting. The walk took us to Gun-warddehwardde Lookout where we had impressive views of Kakadu’s escarpment.
We visited the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre and the Bowali Visitor Centre both these places were inspiring
and educational with lots of visual displays and stories. The visitor centre has park notes and
the latest information on ranger lead walks.
The Yellow Water Billabong cruise
was very exciting, the bird life, plants and of course crocodiles were everything we had expected this was very beautiful and awe inspiring.
was very exciting, the bird life, plants and of course crocodiles were everything we had expected this was very beautiful and awe inspiring.
After Yellow Waters we went to Ubirr where again we saw rock galleries of ancient art.
A lot of these drawings showed the food resources in the
area fish, lizards and marsupials and a wonderful lookout over the East
Alligator wetland. 
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| Add caption |
We were able to take a Guluyambi boat cruise on the East Alligator River which is lined with paper bark trees and these were used as a big source of material for Aboriginal needs. Lots of crocodiles and the rock formations were outstanding this cruise also took us into a small part of Arnhem Land where we had afternoon tea and had a talk on the Aboriginal people of the area and inspected some of the craft they make. We were fortunate to be able to take a flight over Arnhem Land this was so spectacular, seeing the river, rock formations and the wet lands from above. The cyclone damage was more evident from the plane as we noticed acres of flattened trees lying like match sticks on the ground.
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| Big George the crocodile |
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| The cruise boat |
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| Paperbark trees |
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| Arnhem Land birds view |
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| Rock formation-Dragon |
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| Aboriginal Talk |
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| Damaged trees by cyclone |
Our overnight stay in the Kakadu National Park was at the Kakadu Lodge we found
this to be comfortable and clean with beautiful gardens and lagoon style pool with everything a person should need. This was a magical trip and we enjoyed ourselves very much, back to Darwin to start our big trip south.
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| Caravan park Kakadu Lodge |
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| Kakadu Lodge pool |
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| kakadu Lodge |
DARWIN
On our return from our Kakadu National Park
trip we had two days before our big tour started on the 9th August,
so we hired a little Getz to drive around Darwin to see the sights.
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| Botanic gardens |
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| Botanic Gardens |
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| Botanic Gardens |
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| Botanic Gardens |
The Botanical Gardens were just beautiful,
it was very well set out with easy walkways, children’s play area something for
everyone. These gardens did not
have an easy time in the beginning severe storms, cyclones in 1897, 1937 and
Tracy in 1974 and record wet seasons had wreaked havoc but fortunately those
same monsoonal and sub-equatorial climatic conditions are helpful for rapid
regeneration and propagation. Much
of the restoration work after Cyclone Tracy was carried out under the guiding
hand of George Brown, who was foreman of the Botanic Gardens from 1969 to 1971
then appointed Curator. These
gardens are now called the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.
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| Minil Beach |
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| Minil Beach Sunset |
Mindil Beach has markets once a month but unfortunately we were not in Darwin at the right time and missed out on seeing the markets but we did go down to the beach at sunset and we were able to take some wonderful photos, the sunsets in the north western part of Australia are truly spectacular.
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| Minil Beach Sunset |
Stokes Hill Wharf is one of Darwin’s most
popular waterfront venues with a variety of dining options from casual to a la
carte. There are murals
(Australia’s World War II) and photographic display depicting events surrounding
the first bombing raids over Darwin.
It is also a working wharf for smaller marine industry users and
cruising yachts and harbor cruise vessels are moored there. This is a busy area with a great
atmosphere a great place to visit in Darwin.
It is also a working wharf for smaller marine industry users and
cruising yachts and harbor cruise vessels are moored there. This is a busy area with a great
atmosphere a great place to visit in Darwin.
The underground tunnels were built in 1943
after the Japanese air raid hit the fuel storage area at Stokes Hill in
1942. The tunnels were, on
average, about 15m underground and the longest 200m long. These tunnels were designed to hold distillate,
diesel and furnace oil. The
tunnels were lined with concrete and thin steel to prevent cracking on
bombardment but despite these precautions it became apparent in 1945 the
tunnels leaked and corrosion set in.
In the 1950’s the system became inoperable because of seepage and was
not used again. It now reopened
(1992) for the public to see how these operated during World War 11. These tunnels were awesome to walk into
and around the inside a great historical achievement of the time well worth a
visit.
Darwin East Point Reserve.
Darwin East Point Reserve.
The area was heavily fortified during the
war, with several large guns designed to protect Darwin Harbour.
This gun bunker was installed to defend Darwin Harbour from an assault from the sea.
The East Point Military Museum is now housed in the original
concrete army command post on 4 acres of tropical gardens.
The reserve has never been developed and is a pleasant place to watch the sun set over the sea. The entrance to the reserve is a popular picnic place.
This gun bunker was installed to defend Darwin Harbour from an assault from the sea.
The East Point Military Museum is now housed in the original
concrete army command post on 4 acres of tropical gardens. The reserve has never been developed and is a pleasant place to watch the sun set over the sea. The entrance to the reserve is a popular picnic place.
Fannie Bay Gaol Museum.
This was the only detention centre or
gaol in Darwin from 1883 to 1979. The original gaol composed of two blocks with
16 stone cells, a washhouse and a dirty kitchen.
In the late 1920’s there was a need for women prisoners and a structure was built for this purpose and soon after another area was established for the purpose of keeping Aboriginal detainees.
In the 1950’s a remand section, a watchtower and maximum wings were added. Today the gaol operates as a museum as the detainees were sent to Berrimah penal institution.
Fannie Bay Gaol Museum imparts the depressive environment of the prisoners who were detained there. The history of this detention centre is very interesting and you realize it was just as hard for the prison officers of the time.
This was the only detention centre or
gaol in Darwin from 1883 to 1979. The original gaol composed of two blocks with
16 stone cells, a washhouse and a dirty kitchen. 
In the late 1920’s there was a need for women prisoners and a structure was built for this purpose and soon after another area was established for the purpose of keeping Aboriginal detainees.
In the 1950’s a remand section, a watchtower and maximum wings were added. Today the gaol operates as a museum as the detainees were sent to Berrimah penal institution.
Fannie Bay Gaol Museum imparts the depressive environment of the prisoners who were detained there. The history of this detention centre is very interesting and you realize it was just as hard for the prison officers of the time.
DARWIN TO KATHERINE GORGE
As we had not been on a tour coach before
we were not up to the rules of what goes on, one of the rules being you had to
introduce yourselves to the rest of the passengers and crew which meant
speaking into a microphone, not my idea of fun. This obviously started at the front of the coach, as we were
sitting towards the back this took until the second day on the road to come to
us. Gil and I met after the breakup of our first marriages and had
being together 4 years and very happy we both wanted to see more of Australia
although we had both previously seen various parts of Australia but not Western
Australia, so why not start with the big state, unbeknown to me, Gil decided to
propose to me in front of everyone on the coach, I was embarrassed, but very
happy of course the answer was yes and yes the coach was in an up roar and
everyone was clapping and cheering it was great.
I would say this at the end of my writing
but would like to put this in here this was the most wonderful and awesome trip
either of us have ever had Western Australia is a magnificent state, its
diversity in flora and fauna, towns, people and land areas, from north to south
is exceptional and we saw places we may never have had the chance to see even
if we travelled by ourselves.
Would also like to mention here this really got the travel bug going and now we have our own caravan and really enjoy our getaways.
Would also like to mention here this really got the travel bug going and now we have our own caravan and really enjoy our getaways.
Heading down the Stuart Highway our first
stop from Darwin was the
Adelaide River War Cemetery, this is not an ordinary cemetery it is kept beautifully the layout is peaceful it is certainly worth a visit. This place pays homage to those who died during the war, not only soldiers and aircraft personnel also post office workers and other families who lost their lives when the Japanese bombed Darwin.
When you walk among
the headstones and plaques the ages are so young 16, 17 year olds who did not
get a chance to live.
Adelaide River War Cemetery, this is not an ordinary cemetery it is kept beautifully the layout is peaceful it is certainly worth a visit. This place pays homage to those who died during the war, not only soldiers and aircraft personnel also post office workers and other families who lost their lives when the Japanese bombed Darwin.
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| Cemertry |
Adelaide
River Inn Pub and Bistro this is also called The
Pub or 303 Bar there is memorabilia of every kind and on the walls you will
find pictures and reminders of days gone by.
It is situated behind the BP Service Station the Inn is surrounded
by lush tropical garden’s, shady trees and well looked after lawns.
There is one local residing at the Bar “Charlie” the Buffalo.
Charlie was in the movie Crocodile Dundee and passed away in 2000 and now stands on guard at the Bar. The Bistro is situated within the Inn.
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| Charli |
There is one local residing at the Bar “Charlie” the Buffalo.
Charlie was in the movie Crocodile Dundee and passed away in 2000 and now stands on guard at the Bar. The Bistro is situated within the Inn.
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| Old Katherine Rail Line |
Katherine
is an historic pioneering town and just outside of town is the Nitmiluk National Park which is the location of Katherine Gorge.
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| Add caption |
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| Jules on the old rail bridge |
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| Old rail bridge |
We went on a Nabilil Dreaming Sunset Cultural Cruise trip up the Gorge this was truly spectacular, high rock walls that in some parts feel like canyons, some people using canoes or kayaks to go up and down the small rapids, this was everything we expected just beautiful.
KATHERINE TO KUNUNUNA
From Katherine we turned off the Stuart
Highway onto the Victoria Highway through Timber
Creek over the Victoria River on our way to cross over into Western
Australia. Timber Creek is a small
centre which is rapidly growing as a stopping point on the journey from the
Territory to the Kimberleys.
We
actually stopped at the Victoria River Inn which is nothing more than a
roadhouse which is approx 282kms from the Western Australia border. The river was named after Queen
Victoria which mainly had more importance for the large pastoral property of
Victoria Downs.
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| Victoria River Roadhouse |
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| Victoria River Roadhouse |
Historic Durack Homestead Museum, this magnificent homestead
was originally built in 1895 by the Durack family on Argyle Downs Station (now
mostly submerged by Lake Argyle).
Constructed of handcrafted limestone blocks with crushed termites mounds used as mortar, it was a magnificent building of its time. The homestead was dismantled stone by stone with every stone coded in such a way so as to be able to be rebuilt with every stone back in its original position.
The homestead now lives on as a museum dedicated to the pioneering spirit of the Durack family.
The museum is open daily from April to October and is absolutely well
worth going out of your way to see this magnificent homestead.
Constructed of handcrafted limestone blocks with crushed termites mounds used as mortar, it was a magnificent building of its time. The homestead was dismantled stone by stone with every stone coded in such a way so as to be able to be rebuilt with every stone back in its original position.
The homestead now lives on as a museum dedicated to the pioneering spirit of the Durack family.
Ord River Irrigation Scheme, with one of the fastest
flowing rivers in Australia during the wet season, the East Kimberley boasted
all the right area for a successful irrigation scheme. Without holding back the waters there
was no chance the area could sustain the dream of an agricultural industry. The only way to transform the
semi-desert cattle country would be to develop a dam on the Ord River. In 1959 a Grant from the Commonwealth
Government was approved. This one
area if you are travelling in the top end of Western Australia you should not
miss out in seeing this is truly a magical, magnificent area, a flight over the
area puts this into better perspective, just awesome.
The construction of the Kununurra Diversion Dam across the Ord
River was completed in 1963, this completed the first stage of the Ord
Irrigation Scheme.
The Kununurra
Diversion Dam was built on Bandicoot Bar and was designed to divert water from
the Ord River onto the Ivanhoe Plain for irrigation. The Kununurra Diversion Dam comprised 20 radial gates
mounted with a concrete framework and spillway to cater for fluctuating river
levels.
During the wet season the gates open to allow the flood waters to pass through, whilst limiting flooding of adjacent agricultural land. In the dry season the gates close to allow for water storage and diversion to the irrigation channel.
In 1967 there
was another grant from the Commonwealth Government for a construction of a
major reservoir, called Lake Argyle
now one of the world’s largest man made water bodies and formed by an earth and
rock filled dam in the Carr Boyd Ranges.
Lake Argyle holds a volume of 5641 gigilitres (equiv to 11.2 Sydney
Harbour).
In the early 1990’s a
hydroelectric power station was built at the base of the Main Ord Dam. In order to guarantee a reliable supply
of energy a higher water level was needed to be maintained so a weir was built
across the spillway to safely raise the storage 6 meters which doubled the
volume to 10 763 gigilitres ( 21 Sydney Harbours).
From the Quarantine checkpoint at the border drive 7 km and turn left onto the sealed, Lake Argyle Road, a spectacular scenic drive into the Carr Boyd Ranges. The Resort and Caravan Park are in the village just 1km from the Lake Argyle Dam Wall.
On the eastern side of the lake amongst the black soil plains can be found interesting limestone formations, agates, semi precious crystals etc. On the western side of the lake is the massive Carr Boyd Range rising up to 300 meters above the lake, these ranges consist mainly of quartzite, sandstone and shale. The areas are rich in minerals with deposits of uranium, gold, copper and diamonds.
Lake Argyle has to be
seen to be believed this is an awesome size lake.
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| Kununurra Diversion Dam |
During the wet season the gates open to allow the flood waters to pass through, whilst limiting flooding of adjacent agricultural land. In the dry season the gates close to allow for water storage and diversion to the irrigation channel.
In 1967 there
was another grant from the Commonwealth Government for a construction of a
major reservoir, called Lake Argyle
now one of the world’s largest man made water bodies and formed by an earth and
rock filled dam in the Carr Boyd Ranges.
Lake Argyle holds a volume of 5641 gigilitres (equiv to 11.2 Sydney
Harbour). 
From the Quarantine checkpoint at the border drive 7 km and turn left onto the sealed, Lake Argyle Road, a spectacular scenic drive into the Carr Boyd Ranges. The Resort and Caravan Park are in the village just 1km from the Lake Argyle Dam Wall.
On the eastern side of the lake amongst the black soil plains can be found interesting limestone formations, agates, semi precious crystals etc. On the western side of the lake is the massive Carr Boyd Range rising up to 300 meters above the lake, these ranges consist mainly of quartzite, sandstone and shale. The areas are rich in minerals with deposits of uranium, gold, copper and diamonds.
Lake Argyle has to be
seen to be believed this is an awesome size lake.
Kununurra one of the youngest towns in Australia 35km from Lake Argyle road turn off and a service centre for the East Kimberley’s growing tourism, agriculture and mining. Kununurra is serviced by sealed roads from Katherine in the Northern Territory (500km) and Broome in the south western Kimberley (1000km).
KUNUNURRA TO EMMA GORGE
Purnululu National Park/The Bungle Bungles we had an option on
this tour to go to this beautiful range or stay with the coach and do something
else for the day, right from the start we wanted to see the Bungle Bungles and
we would have to say this is the most awe inspiring, spectacular place we have
ever seen in our lives, both from the air and on the ground, we only had one
day and intended to make the most of it.
We took a flight from Kununurra in a
small plane which was a little scary but exciting, it was a little cramped but
OK, and it took a bit of maneuvering to exit the plane after landing at the
Bungles on a small runway area.
Gil being at the back of the plane thought he would exit from the back door and jump to the ground which was OK, but did not take into account the loose gravel and of course did not make a very dainty landing, he was unhurt and gave us all a laugh to start our day, next time he will exit the best way.
A small mini bus was waiting
to take us from the airstrip to the beginning of our walk, here we were able to
have morning tea and a packed lunch was organized for each of us to take on our
walk.
The sight of the bungle bungles as we flew over was amazing as written in all brochures they are described as bee hives and it is exactly what they look like.
The rock formations have holes like sponges in orange to red color with black or brown stripes this is truly a wonder from nature, covering almost 240,000 hectares, the area has long been used by indigenous people during the wet season, when plant and animal life was abundant.
The Bungle Bungle range was not known until 1983, making it one of the best kept secrets in history.
We did the walk to the Cathedral Gorge which starts at Picaninny Creek Car Park, we walked along open ground then along an eroded creek bed it was beautiful where you could see water holes, weathered rock and the height of these beautiful domes and native plants growing from the sides of the rocks in very little or no soil truly amazing.
We took a flight from Kununurra in a
small plane which was a little scary but exciting, it was a little cramped but
OK, and it took a bit of maneuvering to exit the plane after landing at the
Bungles on a small runway area. 
Gil being at the back of the plane thought he would exit from the back door and jump to the ground which was OK, but did not take into account the loose gravel and of course did not make a very dainty landing, he was unhurt and gave us all a laugh to start our day, next time he will exit the best way.
A small mini bus was waiting
to take us from the airstrip to the beginning of our walk, here we were able to
have morning tea and a packed lunch was organized for each of us to take on our
walk.
The rock formations have holes like sponges in orange to red color with black or brown stripes this is truly a wonder from nature, covering almost 240,000 hectares, the area has long been used by indigenous people during the wet season, when plant and animal life was abundant. 
The Bungle Bungle range was not known until 1983, making it one of the best kept secrets in history.
We did the walk to the Cathedral Gorge which starts at Picaninny Creek Car Park, we walked along open ground then along an eroded creek bed it was beautiful where you could see water holes, weathered rock and the height of these beautiful domes and native plants growing from the sides of the rocks in very little or no soil truly amazing.
The Domes Walk is also along this track and
if you just stand and take in all the weather worn rocks and domes and let your
imagination take over you can almost see the water rushing over the rocks and
down the creek bed. The Cathedral Gorge is a huge natural amphitheatre. There are rock ledges where you can sit down and just absorb the atmosphere. The acoustics are just wonderful if there is a small number of people around, we had a lady on our walk who sang in the natural amphitheatre and it was truly beautiful.
There is a pool in the middle of the theatre and shrubs dangling from the very high walls. We only had the one day which was not enough to see all we wanted to see, so to be able to stay for a couple of nights would be truly wonderful. We flew back to Kununurra for another nights stay then move onto Wyndham and the surrounds.
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| Parry's Lagoon |
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| Parry's Lagoon |
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| Parry's Lagoon |
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| Telegraph Station parrys Lagoon area |
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| Boab Tree |
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| Gil at Wydnham |
Wyndham is the Kimberley’s oldest town situated on the mouth of the King
River and also it is Australia’s hottest town, this town has the highest year
round average hottest temperatures.
It is a small township about 100km north of Kununurra. Kununurra is a booming agriculture and
tourism centre whereas Wyndham has a population of only a few hundred and this
is getting less and less. Wyndham
is surrounded by tidal mud flats and nothingness but steeped in history. It feels and looks like it was a
bustling town but people have moved to the more bustling Kununurra. Wyndham was established as a port in
1885 and by 1886 the town was booming.
In the 1800’s the town was effectively controlled by the Duracks who
owned a nearby cattle station then the WA government began construction on the
Wyndham meatworks in 1913, due to WW1 it was not finally opened until 1919 and
this was the mainstay of Wyndham’s economy until 1985. The Wyndham port is still active and
ships cattle from across the Kimberley to Asia and Zinc to from the mines to
Korea. There are some interesting
attractions in Wyndham, the giant Crocodile,
Warriu “Dreamtime Park” in which
there are large copper and bronze statues, the male hunter with a spear
standing 5 metres in height, and a woman with a small child sitting behind, this
Aboriginal family complete with a dingo and kangaroo, just on the edge of this
park was a group of Aboriginals who sit here all day carving Boab nuts to sell
to the passing tourists and the carving on these nuts has a story they were
beautifully done, another interesting place is the Afghan Cemetery with its tombstones all facing Mecca, these are the
old camel drivers who provided the first freight service in the Kimberley. Five
Rivers Lookout on top of the Erskine Range or the Bastion is a must see you
can see all of Wyndham, the whole gulf and the five rivers flowing into it –
The King, Forrest, Durack, Pentecost and the Ord. There are two large tidal flows each day of between 7 and 9
metres which at low tide expose the banks that are edged by mudflats and
mangrove trees. This is a must see
lookout quite amazing to see these rivers all come together.
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| Bronze Statues in Warriu Park ( Wydnham ) |
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| Warriu Park ( Wydnham ) |
Our tour took us from Wyndham to Emma Gorge 52.6km on the sealed Great
Northern Highway to the Gibb River Road
turn off which is unsealed for 23.5km then to the Emma Gorge Resort turn off two miles in. Many of the main attractions that the El Questro Wilderness Park has to offer are close to Emma Gorge Resort.
The resort offers basic facilities and this is all you need
to help keep yourself comfortable so you can enjoy the landscape and natural
wonders.
If you want to be waited on and not move a muscle this is not the place to come to visit as you would miss out on so much, we found the facilities more than enough, the surrounds absolutely wonderful and awe inspiring.
Emma Gorge Resort features a swimming pool, a restaurant, licensed bar, boutique store and self laundry facilities.
The pool was quite cool but also very refreshing the whole place was just outstanding and we were very well looked after.
There are many scenic walks that can be taken including walks to large water holes and amazing waterfalls.
The Deluxe Tented Cabins are perfect we
found these to be excellent and a great change from a motel room. Emma Gorge is open during the dry
season 16th April to 30th September.
turn off which is unsealed for 23.5km then to the Emma Gorge Resort turn off two miles in. Many of the main attractions that the El Questro Wilderness Park has to offer are close to Emma Gorge Resort.
The resort offers basic facilities and this is all you need
to help keep yourself comfortable so you can enjoy the landscape and natural
wonders. If you want to be waited on and not move a muscle this is not the place to come to visit as you would miss out on so much, we found the facilities more than enough, the surrounds absolutely wonderful and awe inspiring.
Emma Gorge Resort features a swimming pool, a restaurant, licensed bar, boutique store and self laundry facilities.
The pool was quite cool but also very refreshing the whole place was just outstanding and we were very well looked after.
There are many scenic walks that can be taken including walks to large water holes and amazing waterfalls.
Chamberlain
Gorge cruise a beautiful 3 km fresh waterhole bound
by dramatic and towering escarpments, it is home to many plants and
animals. Aboriginal paintings can
be seen on the walls of ancient rock, as this gorge can only be reached by boat
there are no crowds and this is very peaceful.
We observed fish and turtles
coming up close to our cruise boat great to see in this beautiful
environment. As the sign says at
the edge of the gorge “take nothing but
photographs and leave nothing but
footprints” who would want to spoil our beautiful country Australia, we are
very lucky to have wonderful places to visit and take away the most awesome
memories.
We observed fish and turtles
coming up close to our cruise boat great to see in this beautiful
environment. As the sign says at
the edge of the gorge “take nothing but
photographs and leave nothing but
footprints” who would want to spoil our beautiful country Australia, we are
very lucky to have wonderful places to visit and take away the most awesome
memories.
EMMA GORGE
TO BROOME
The Argyle Diamond Mine, this was a great tour and a
must for anyone to have a look if you are in this region.
The guided ground tour went for approx
4 hrs including views of the Mine’s open cut operations from a well positioned
viewing platform and a drive through the processing plant.
This drive was absolutely wonderful we
were able to stop and various locations and watch the workings of this magnificent
plant.
The tour included a buffet
lunch at the Staff Village in their mess which was a wonderful experience, they
have the best of everything, hot food, cold food, sandwiches, salads, drinks, sweets
you name it, it was there then onto the Village Store where Argyle Diamonds may
be purchased, yes we did purchase a diamond ring as this was my engagement
ring, stunning jewelry, not only diamonds also beautiful polished stones found
in the local area.
The guided ground tour went for approx
4 hrs including views of the Mine’s open cut operations from a well positioned
viewing platform and a drive through the processing plant. 
This drive was absolutely wonderful we
were able to stop and various locations and watch the workings of this magnificent
plant. 
The tour included a buffet
lunch at the Staff Village in their mess which was a wonderful experience, they
have the best of everything, hot food, cold food, sandwiches, salads, drinks, sweets
you name it, it was there then onto the Village Store where Argyle Diamonds may
be purchased, yes we did purchase a diamond ring as this was my engagement
ring, stunning jewelry, not only diamonds also beautiful polished stones found
in the local area.
Just a little info on the mine, by the end
of the mine’s life, Argyle hopes to leave behind a considerably more robust
East Kimberley economy that offers a brighter future for all of its residents,
especially local indigenous communities.
The mine has provided training for the local indigenous community in career
opportunities, with over 200 traineeships and apprenticeships created.
Kunnunurra to Halls Creek
Kunnunurra to Halls Creek
Halls Creek this is not the town it used to be. In 1948 the town was removed from its
original site o its present location 15kms away, so there is Old Halls Creek
and Halls Creek. The reasons for
the change of location were a combination of lack of water and a rerouting of the
main Derby-Kununurra Road to avoid winding through he hills around the old
town. 
Today Old Halls Creek is nothing more than some remnants of buildings,
some street signs, the ruins of the old mud brick Post Office, a graveyard, a
well to celebrate the discovery of gold in the area and a modern
restaurant? The graveyard is not really of historical importance although the grave of James ‘Jimmy’ Darcy who made the front page of most Australian Newspapers in 1917.
Darcy was a cattleman and fell from his horse and was seriously injured his friends took him on a 12 hour journey to Halls Creek, the postmaster recognized he needed immediate medical attention. Dr J Holland in Perth diagnosed he needed to be operated on immediately and all messages were sent back and forth in morse code. The postmaster operated under Dr Hollland’s instructions, complications set in and the doctor was needed.
The doctor travelled by cattle boat from Perth to Derby, he then travelled the last 555kms by T-model Ford, horse and sulky and foot. He arrived a day to late but Darcy’s death was not in vain, his plight had focused the entire nation on the problems of medical services in isolated areas and out of it grew Flynn’s unique experiment in outback medicine, the Flying Doctors Service. One place of interest at Halls Creek is the China Wall it acquired this name because it somewhat reminiscent of the Great Wall of China. China Wall is a natural vein of sub-vertical white quartz rising up to 6 meters above the surrounding ground and then disappearing back into the earth again.
China Wall is located 6km from Halls
Creek accessed off the Duncan Highway.
It is important visitors shut gates as the access road is through a
pastoral lease.
The next stop was Geikie Gorge this was a 300km plus drive just outside Fitzroy Crossing, on the road we saw Wedge Tail Eagles eating a road kill, feral goats and sheep abound on the side of the road also looking for a feed, the country is never boring lots to see.
We stopped at Mary Pool for morning tea, there was some water in the pool and the trees, ghost gums, were full of bird life, cockatoos, corellas, rainbow bee eaters and lots more.
Caravans and campers were stopped for free campsites, the toilets were good compost toilets and you expect this when you move around in the outback, this was a great spot we enjoyed the area very much.
Geikie Gorge National Park
is situated at the junction of the Oscar and the Geikie Ranges, the Fitzroy River has carved a 30 metre deep gorge into the remains of ancient limestone.
When the Fitzroy is in full flood during the wet season it
covers the whole national park, the floods rise over 16 metres up the gorge
walls and he continuous rise and fall of the water has left the bottom of the
walls bleached white this makes a great photo, this is truly a wonderful sight
we really enjoyed this cruise, the alligators just lying on the rocks looking
at us.
There are several walking
trails and the opportunity to take a boat cruise. The best way to see the Gorge is by a guided boat tour and
these depart twice a day in the dry season.
There is also the Darngku Heritage Cruise, a half day tour which includes a guided walk. We stayed overnight at the Fitzroy Crossing Lodge outside of the town. Our next stop was Derby.
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| Geikie Gorge |
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| Geikie Gorge |
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| Geikie Gorge |
is situated at the junction of the Oscar and the Geikie Ranges, the Fitzroy River has carved a 30 metre deep gorge into the remains of ancient limestone.
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| Geikie Gorge |
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| Geikie Gorge |
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| Geikie Gorge |
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| Geikie Gorge |
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| Geikie Gorge |
There is also the Darngku Heritage Cruise, a half day tour which includes a guided walk. We stayed overnight at the Fitzroy Crossing Lodge outside of the town. Our next stop was Derby.
Derby is located on the edge of the King Sound in far north Western
Australia its claim to fame is the highest tides for any Australian port, 11
meters (36 fee) of tidal difference means there is an enormous amount of water
rushing in and out every 6 hours and with this is the silty outflow of the
Fitzroy River which makes he banks around Derby very muddy, mudflats, mangrove
swamps not your typical holiday destination, this is one of the places we found
awesome the mudflats they looked so big and so sticky and quite awesome in
size.
Despite its location Derby is surprisingly big, it is also very spread out, which makes it seem bigger than the 4500 population. The main street eventually takes you to the Derby Wharf built in 1885, where you can watch the tides rush in and out it is also a very popular place to watch the sunset, every evening a rush for a spot to watch this happening. The wharf is enormous and a working wharf during its early days for pastoralists and cattle then the war and decades of battling the enormous King Sound tides had taken its toll.
The new concrete and steel jetty has stood since 1964 and was reopened as an export facility in 1997 this is a big part of our history and a tourist icon this should be looked after. Derby calls itself he “Home of the Boab Tree” as these are used as street trees and give the town an original look as we don’t see these trees on the east coast they truly amazed us.
Seven kms out of
town is the site of the Boab Prison Tree,
a 1,500 year old tree that was use as an overnight lockup for prisoners. The tree is fenced today to keep the
public from destroying it and also this is declared an Aboriginal site.
Another historical site is the Myall’s bore and Cattle Trough, a 120 meter long cattle trough that could handle 500 bullocks at a time when they were bought into Derby for export by the pastoralists again you could imagine this happening the trough is amazing.
Despite its location Derby is surprisingly big, it is also very spread out, which makes it seem bigger than the 4500 population. The main street eventually takes you to the Derby Wharf built in 1885, where you can watch the tides rush in and out it is also a very popular place to watch the sunset, every evening a rush for a spot to watch this happening. The wharf is enormous and a working wharf during its early days for pastoralists and cattle then the war and decades of battling the enormous King Sound tides had taken its toll.
The new concrete and steel jetty has stood since 1964 and was reopened as an export facility in 1997 this is a big part of our history and a tourist icon this should be looked after. Derby calls itself he “Home of the Boab Tree” as these are used as street trees and give the town an original look as we don’t see these trees on the east coast they truly amazed us.
Seven kms out of
town is the site of the Boab Prison Tree,
a 1,500 year old tree that was use as an overnight lockup for prisoners. The tree is fenced today to keep the
public from destroying it and also this is declared an Aboriginal site. 
Another historical site is the Myall’s bore and Cattle Trough, a 120 meter long cattle trough that could handle 500 bullocks at a time when they were bought into Derby for export by the pastoralists again you could imagine this happening the trough is amazing.
Broome
is 220km north east of Derby and our destination
was the Cable Beach Resort this was exciting as we came closer to the coast,
this whole trip to date brought us so much excitement seeing places we did not
even envisage seeing in our lives.
How to describe the Cable Beach Resort Рwonderful, magnificent, awesome, the d̩cor is
wonderful, the gardens are just beautiful with fish ponds and wonderful statues
everything complimented each other.
The resort is right next to Cable Beach and this adds to a wonderful atmosphere.
The beach is very long and flat and the sand very white with
beautiful clear blue water, vehicles are still allowed to drive on the northern
part of the beach.
Sunset over the
Indian Ocean is like rush hour, visitors come from everywhere with their snacks
or dinner and sit on deck chairs on the beach or at the bar of the resort to
enjoy this magnificent sight, the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen.
Gil and I took a sunset camel ride along the beach it was everything the tourist adverts say, just great.
We were a little nervous at first as we were so high from
the ground but the camels are perfectly behaved and we even managed to take photos
as we moved along, a great experience.
Cable Beach is named as the terminus of the original cable used to send telegraphs between Java and Broome. The Cable House later became Broome Courthouse and this is situated in the centre of Broome.
The Broome township is a little way in from the Resort but there was always a mini bus going back and forth so we went into Broome to have a look around and to listen to a talk on the pearling industry and wander around a pearling lugger which was on dry dock, this is still a very important industry for Broome unfortunately we did not have time to visit a pearling farm.
How to describe the Cable Beach Resort Рwonderful, magnificent, awesome, the d̩cor is
wonderful, the gardens are just beautiful with fish ponds and wonderful statues
everything complimented each other. 
The resort is right next to Cable Beach and this adds to a wonderful atmosphere.
The beach is very long and flat and the sand very white with
beautiful clear blue water, vehicles are still allowed to drive on the northern
part of the beach. 
Sunset over the
Indian Ocean is like rush hour, visitors come from everywhere with their snacks
or dinner and sit on deck chairs on the beach or at the bar of the resort to
enjoy this magnificent sight, the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen.
Gil and I took a sunset camel ride along the beach it was everything the tourist adverts say, just great.
We were a little nervous at first as we were so high from
the ground but the camels are perfectly behaved and we even managed to take photos
as we moved along, a great experience. Cable Beach is named as the terminus of the original cable used to send telegraphs between Java and Broome. The Cable House later became Broome Courthouse and this is situated in the centre of Broome.
The Broome township is a little way in from the Resort but there was always a mini bus going back and forth so we went into Broome to have a look around and to listen to a talk on the pearling industry and wander around a pearling lugger which was on dry dock, this is still a very important industry for Broome unfortunately we did not have time to visit a pearling farm.
The Broome
Japanese Cemetery is an interesting piece of local history and is a tribute
the Japanese made to the Broome pearling industry and a sentimental reminder of
the dangers of the early days of pearl diving. Walking around this cemetery gives you a feeling of peace
even though the inscriptions were unable to be understood, it was wonderful
experience. The first recorded
burial in the cemetery dates back to 1896 and the cemetery is the final resting
place for over 900 Japanese pearl divers. The majority of deaths commemorated
in the cemetery resulted from the bends or drowning. The cemetery is an immaculate restored heritage icon with
unique headstones made out of colored beach rocks. Many of the divers originated from Wakayama (southern part of
Japan’s Honshu Island).
BROOME TO GIRALIA STATION
We left Broome
thinking we would make a return one day as we did not have enough time to see
or do all we wanted, so hopefully this will happen in the future. Our next stop was the Pilbara region a mighty 500km plus drive along the edge of the Great Sandy
Desert. To pass the time during
this long trip we listened to audio stories like Albert Faceys “A Fortunate
Life” and another character of the outback Len Beadell, who had a lot to do
with the building of the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory and the
original start of Woomera in South Australia, his story is absolutely marvelous
and a great story teller with lots of humor, there was also the stops for cups
of tea and the loo at roadhouses along the way. One stop which took our breath away 360km from Broome
and is 10kms off the highway, Eighty
Mile Beach, what a beautiful place hidden from the passing highway, we had
lunch and strolled around the beach area, beautiful white sand with water so
clear and clean, like paradise.
The caravan park and accommodation is basic but covers all your needs. It is also a wetland for
mirgratory birds half a million waders from the northern hemisphere.
All the
advertising shows us the Pilbara with rocky canyons and swimming holes but
there is more to this region,it is quite diverse.Port Hedland was our first stop on the coast on the edge of the
Pilbara, a very busy place. The
first views of Port Hedland are the salt piles, salt drying pans and the
massive trucks which transport the salt, the large shipping industry and the
very long, long trains which transport iron ore from the Whaleback mine in the
Pilbara to and from the coast. It
is also a great spot for fishing, crabbing, whale watching and turtle
nesting. If you are at Port
Hedland when there is a full moon between the months of May and October you
would be in for a show with the moon reflecting on the water which is called
“Staircase to the Moon”. We were
there the right month but not the right time of the full moon which was a
little disappointing and with only a one night stay it was a quick stop over
then onto Marble Bar. Marble Bar is a very small town which
was established in the 1800’s during the gold rush, it is also the hottest town
in Australia. We visited the
Doolena Gorge for a break, colourful rock formations,small birds flitting in
and out having a drink at the water holes. The rock has red, white and blue/black stipes and locally
this is known as “Bar”, early pastoralists thought it was Marble, hence the
name of the town it is Jasper or Silica.
There was one plant in which I really wanted to see growing in its
natural state, the Sturt Desert Pea, and I found one in Marble Bar I
was so excited. Newman was our next stopover, the BHP
Billiton Mt Whaleback mine. Iron
ore was discovered in 1957 and is now the largest single open-cut mine in the
world. Newman is a modern town
grown around the mine, it is clean and has available all the necessary
amenities and recreational facilities and it is very close to the beautiful
Karijini National Park. We were
very lucky to have an opportunity to do a tour of the mine and this takes
approx 1.5hrs and the size of this open cut mine is enormous.
Karijini National Park is
the second largest park in Western Australia and one of the most spectacular sights
in the Pilbara. The Karijini has
breathtaking gorges, beautiful rock pools in which you can swim, waterfalls and
the natural scenery is just wonderful.
There are excellent walking trails and picnic areas and from any of the
car parks there are easy short walks to the canyons. We had lunch under the well looked after shelter sheds
in the park and took in all the beautiful flowers and scenery around us, quite
spectacular. We walked to
the Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool, Joffre Falls, Kalimina Gorge and Circular Pool and
could not say any were better than the other falls, pools and gorges as they were
all so spectacular on their own. The Visitor Centre in Karijini National
Park in the remote Pilbara is set in one of Australia’s most beautiful landscapes. The cultural symbol chosen by the
aboriginal stakeholders for the form of the building is a Kurrumanthu
(goanna/lizard). The building is shown
as an assembled collection of freestanding overlapping weathered steel wall
panels which emerge directly from the red brown earth and are arranged in plan
to provide an abstract representation of the Kurrumanthu. Entry into the building is
through glass doors set between two of the steel wall panels, large frameless
glass windows show a strange landscape at every turn. This building needs to be seen to be believed it is quite
spectacular.
Tom Price is 50 km from
the Karijini National Park and we stayed here overnight. Tom Price is another mining town
controlled by mining giant Rio Tinto.
Tom Price is actually the highest town in Western Australia 747 metres
above sea level. Mt Nameless is
the highest (1128 metres abover sea level) accessible mountain by vehicle in
Western Australia and it provides spectacular views of Tom Price iron ore mine
site and the township. This is
also a modern town with amenities and recreational facilities as good as any
big city. The tour took us from
Tom Price and we went on a detour through Paraburdoo
this was what made our driver and tour director so wonderful, if they could
divert from the usual trail and add another place of interest to our tour they
would, this is what made our trip fantastic. Paraburdoo was another small mining town, the aboriginal
word Pirupardu, meaning “Meat Feathers” due to the very large population of
white Corellas again this was another town with very good amenities and
recreational facilities. The mining
companies looked after their staff and families very well in these areas, the
families had everything they needed.
Now we were on
our way back to the coast heading for Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef in the Coral
Bay. Before reaching Exmouth we
stopped at Giralia Station. This is a property 125kms south of
Exmouth located where the outback meets the coast, it offers great diversity of
land form and easy access to the outback and the coast. Giralia has its own accommodation, bush
tracks to take walks and watch the amazing bird life and is world renowned for
the unique fossils found on the property.
We found this property quite amazing we had the opportunity to see the
school of the air, have a small snack and a general look around the property.
EXMOUTH TO KALBARRI NATIONAL
PARK
Ningaloo Marine Park
protects the world famous Ningaloo Reef, Australia’s largest and most
accessible fringing reef.
Stretching 300kms from Exmouth to the north of Carnarvon, it extends 10
nautical miles seaward and encompasses 500 squares miles of ocean. The shallow lagoons and deeper offshore
waters create a diverse array of habitats for a multitude of colorful corals
and more than 500 species of fish.
Gil and I took trip in a glass bottom boat it is hard to believe there
is coral anywhere in Australia other than the Great Barrier Reef, we found this
quite amazing , the corals were different in color but absolutely spectacular
and the fish of all various sizes and color so amazing. The beaches along the coast are
pristine white with clear blue water, the only fishing is outside the Marine
Park and in designated areas.
From Coral Bay
we headed down the coast on the North West Coastal Highway through Carnarvon,
the destination being Monkey Mia.
This was another long stretch of driving 500 plus kms, there was a stop
at Carnarvon for lunch then onto Monkey Mia located in the Shark Bay World Heritage area, this was listed as a
world heritage area in 1991. The
area has the dolphins, manta rays, turtles, dugongs and whales and of course
most days the dolphins visit the
shore to be hand fed. The ranger
stands in the water to feed them and give a talk on the dolphins, it is amazing
to see them come in and swim around your legs. There are other things to do here fishing, taking charter
boats etc Gil was not well so I went off on a sail cruise in a catamaran
looking for dugongs and was not
disappointed, between Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay the area supports 10 percent of the worlds dugong
population. These animals are
often referred to as sea cows as they graze on sea grass and unlike other sea
animals they cannot hold their breath under water for very long, so they are
often spotted coming to the surface for air. Our cruise took us up to the sea grass area of Monkey Mia
and at first we did not think we would see any dugongs and eventually a mother
and calf surfaced and it was quite amazing and exciting to see these creatures
in their natural habitat.
Leaving, Monkey
Mia, we headed through Denham this
town is so picturesque with fishing boats and quaint buildings. In Denham there are a couple of
buildings made entirely from shells, the old Pearler Restaurant and St Andrew’s
Church, we visited the shell beach after leaving Denham. On the road again to Hamelin Pool to see the Stromatolites, what are these we say? The most strange, amazing living
creatures we have ever or will ever see again. We would say these creatures are very ugly but very good for
our environment they are examples of what life on earth was like 3.5 billion
years ago and are considered living fossils, this is so hard to even think
about in a time frame. A 200 metre
boardwalk gives access to the stromatolites and signs help explain these
intriguing fossils, the boardwalk is there for a reason to protect so let’s
hope everyone uses this. There is also
an old Telegraph Station museum from the days when this was operational for
communication before the 1950’s.
Approx 45km south of Denham is Shell
Beach, the coquina bivalve shellfish has no predator and have existed in
huge numbers for thousands of years, then died natural deaths then been washed
ashore. Shell Beach is covered for
a 60km long stretch to a depth of seven to ten metres, which gives the effect
of a snow white beach, aqua blue waters, a truly amazing and beautiful sight,
this is one of two beaches like this in the world. As mentioned previously two buildings have been built from
these shells how this has come about it was thought this cockle was first
deposited here about 4000 years ago and over time the shell deposits have
cemented to form soft coquina limestone, with rainwater repeatedly dissolving
small quantities of calcium carbonate of which the shells are composed.
Kalbarri National Park was
340 kms from Shell Beach we did not go into the National Park this was a quick
stop to check out the coast line and see some of the beautiful homes that have
been built here hopefully one day we will have the time to revisit this
beautiful place. We had a view
from Red Bluff which looked out over the ocean up the coast to wonderful red
rock cliffs quite spectacular.
GERALDTON TO PERTH
Geraldton is a beautiful
city on the coastline to the west, rolling hills and breakaway ranges to the
east. It was a quick overnight
stop but we had the time to visit the HMAS
Sydney II Memorial. This
magnificent memorial has become the country’s premier site for honoring the 645
Australian sailors who were lost off the Western Australia coast during WWII
Battle with a German raider in 1941.
This memorial features five elements, a silver dome of 645 seagulls to represent each of the lost
sailors, the wall of remembrance shows photographs of the
ship and the names of the Sydney crew. A bronze statue
of a woman gazes desperately out to sea as she waits news of the ill-fated
Sydney and nearby is the stele a single dramatic shape of the bow of the ship. The recently finish pool of remembrance ‘Closing the
Circle’ has now been completed (2011) which was in planning when we visited
this site. This is truly an awe
inspiring site and beautifully laid out.
Nambung National
Park and the Pinnacles is a must to
visit. These amazing natural
limestone structures, some as high as five metres, were formed approx 25,000 to
30,000 years ago after the sea receded and left deposits of sea shells. Over time winds removed the surrounding
sand leaving the pillars exposed.
It felt quite eerie walking among these pillars like living in another
world. Onwards towards Perth one more stop at the Yanchep National Park, 45 minutes from Perth, we visited McNess
House Visitor Centre and had the opportunity to experience and Aboriginal
Cultural Activity which was very interesting learning more about the Aboriginal
culture. We walked around the
gardens which were full of native plants in bloom, what a feast they were
absolutely spectacular and wonderful place to visit.
Our visit to Perth, this is a magnificent city, the
old blends in with the new, the Swan River and the amazing Kings Park we only
had a short time in Perth and will definitely return again for a longer visit. We had accommodation in Pier Street
which was not far from anywhere so we could walk to the Esplanade and the Swan Bell
Tower and along the waterfront of the Swan River, we also caught a ‘free’ bus
which travels around the city and allows the tourist to get on and off at
various places we also found this to be very good. The Swan Bell Tower
on Barrack St Jetty is spectacular, it is 82.5 metres high and six floors and
contains twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields from the 14th
Century. The bells are rung at
certain times in the day and also there are available times for Bell Handling
Demonstrations and we found this to be fun and very interesting. The
Esplanade was great, the layout with park area, tram and eateries around the
jetty on the Swan River. this is done very well. The only comment on Kings Park is magnificent, this is a truly well placed beautiful park, flora and
fauna, walking trails, landscaped lawns, Botanic Garden and the view over Perth
is absolutely stunning we totally enjoyed ourselves in this area.
PERTH TO MARGARET RIVER
After leaving
Perth we called into the Forest Heritage
Centre and Dwellingup, a lot of suburbs in the southern part of Western
Australia have an ‘up’ at the end of the name meaning ‘place of’ e.g Dwellingup
means ‘place of nearby water’.
This centre is a unique centre structured around the theme from ‘from
Forest to Fine Wood’ as a centre of excellence for artisan skills, design,
education and training. The Fine
Wood industry is a value added spin off from the timber cutting of the past. We walked around the gardens and viewed
some exquisite pieces of carved timber well worth a visit. There was a quick lunch stop at Busselton which is famous for the 1.8km jetty, originally build in
1865, on which you can take a stroll or ride a train and see Australia’ best
artificial reef from the
Underwater Observatory.
Busselton is a pretty place with the clear water, lush lawns and white
sands along the shore line, another place we will return to spend more time. Mammoth
Cave, natural light shows through the entrance and the exit to this cave
making it feel quite different to most of the other caves we have been in, in
our travels over the years. The
entry is made via a wide boardwalk into the first cavern, the cave is a natural
home to ancient fossil remains of extinct animals. Formations include the Mammoth shawl and the ‘karri
forest’ flowstone which has a distinct resemblance to the karri forests. The Mammoth is certainly worth a stop
and have a look if you have the time.
We arrived at Margaret River in the afternoon and our accommodation was
the All Seasons Motel this place has one of the most beautiful gardens we have
ever seen a large number of beautiful flowering gum trees and plants. Margret
River village is quaint with lots of boutique breweries, eateries, galleries
and fresh products from great cheeses to chocolates. The position of Margaret River is the best of both worlds
with the wineries all very close that produce 15 percent of Australia’s wines
and the surf beach of Prevelly on the mouth of the Margaret River not far away
so in summer it is a very busy hub.
After our first overnight stay in Margaret River we did a trip to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse on the most
south western point of Western Australia where the Indian Ocean and Great
Southern Ocean meet. This light
house was totally manually operated until 1982 by a clockwork mechanism and
kero burner, one of the last in the world. In 1982 it was converted to electricity. We climbed the seven floors and 186
steps to reach the landing at the top where the view was magnificent and we had
a keeper give us a talk on the light house and how it worked before and after
electricity.
Another part of
history for this lighthouse is the Cape
Leeuwin Waterwheel and wooden channel built in 1895 to bring fresh spring
water to the lighthouse keepers’ cottages and to supply water to the stone
masons who were working on the lighthouse. The fresh water was supplied by a spring in marshland
330metres away. The natural fall
from the spring created a flow over the wheel which revolved and activated a
ram pump that delivered water via a pipe to the lighthouse. The water wheel eventually became encrusted
with a coating of limestone and is now frozen in rock and time. On our return to Margaret
River we had a visit to a winery, but this was no ordinary winery, we were very
lucky to visit and have lunch at beautiful Voyager
Estate, this was another thrill to our trip. This winery is in beautiful grounds, manicured lawns, the
most gorgeous rose gardens and the Cape Dutch style architecture just
wonderful. We were shown into a
beautiful dining room and treated and fed like we were very special guests, no
wonder this estate has won multiple awards.
MARGARET RIVER TO ESPERANCE
Valley of the Giants is west of Denmark near the Southern
Ocean Coast and what an experience walking through these giant trees and the
wonderful birds that flew down around us as we walked around, just magic. The Gloucester tree has iron bars on which you can climb to the top of
this giant tree we did not climb far as the height was a bit scary. The tree top walk 40 metres high and
600 metres long and also a walk trail and boardwalk where you can get really
close to the great massive Tingle trees and in some cases walk through the
trunk. These giant trees are known
as an Ancient Empire of 400 years old and one special tree is the Grandma Tingle and I can relate to
this. We had a quick drive through
Albany which is located in a beautiful setting right on the Southern Ocean and
protected by the Torndirrup Peninsula then onto the Torndirrup National Park where we saw the Gap, a rugged granite channel and the Natural Bridge which was quite fascinating where the granite rock
has been worn away to form the bridge.
We were very lucky while we were here as caught a glimpse of a whale
coming to the top of the water off shore quite an experience. Another magic place we visited is the Albany Wind Farm that is open to the
public every day of the year it has a large car park and information panels and
good pathways. These giant
turbines are spectacular, so big, and from this area there are spectacular
views. Having seen other wind
turbines in various areas from a distance it was hard to believe how gigantic
they are and the whooshing of the wind when they are spinning in unbelievable. On Mount Clarence, overlooking
the town and the harbor, is the Memorial
to the Mounted Desert Corps, comprising Australian and New Zealand Light
Horse units, operated in the Middle East in WWI. This was a inspiring place and a wonderful view over the
channel. We visited the Whale World, Albany and surrounding
area it was very good. The
exhibits and talks and being able to board the Cheynes IV gave us a great
feeling for the days of whaling this history is part of our country. It is located on King George Sound in
Albany a great place to visit and take the family. After an overnight stay in Albany we headed for Esperance,
our first stop was Stirling Range National Park a beautiful range of mountains and when we were driving in
the top of Bluff Knoll was covered
in cloud it look really surreal.
The panoramic views of the park and the plains from Bluff Knoll lookout
were spectacular and this area is known for the enormous range of wildflowers
which are found nowhere else, we were a little early for these on our trip but
we did see some of the wildflowers we will return to this area most definitely,
it was awe inspiring. This
was another long drive but a very pretty drive we passed fields and fields of
canola and the color of yellow and green was just beautiful along the coast and
we saw a family of emus wandering along the side of the road, great to see them
in their natural habitat. Pink Lake near Esperance is a salt
plain which, in the right weather conditions, appears pink, sometimes it can be
blue and fairy pink this all depends on the salinity levels, the salt tolerant
algae is very high causing the color it is known to be 99.9% pure salt. Esperance
was an overnight stay but very pretty place we woke up early to have a look
at the sunrise very beautiful, there are a few jetties to walk on and just
enjoy the atmosphere very clean and welcoming. We left the beautiful Esperance to head to Cape Le Grand National Park this is the
most heavenly place we have ever been, the whitest of white sands and beautiful
turquoise water just a dream of a place.
Lucky Bay had a camp kitchen
and some wonderful wildlife we were walking around and out of nowhere came the
locals, a group of kangaroos posing and doing their thing for the photos so
great to see. With the rugged
coast and beautiful water and sand it was so peaceful and like a brochure.
ESPERANCE
TO PERTH
This is the last section of our trip and a
trip we have thoroughly enjoyed we have seen some wonderful places in the
Northern Territory and Western Australia, some we will see again but many
others we won’t but we have walked away with very happy and wonderful memories.
From Esperance we drove inland and through
Norseman an old gold mining town.
As legend says Norseman was
named after a horse named “Hardy Norseman” he was left tethered to a tree for
the night and when his owner returned the horse had unearthed a gold nugget
and a statue has been erected in honor
of Norseman, in bronze. On
the roundabout as we came into Norseman there was a collection of metal Feral
Camels these were a fascinating sight made from corrugated iron. Norseman is also the beginning or the
end of the Nullabour Plain depending on which direction you start or
finish. On our way to Kalgoorlie
we went past Lake Lefroy, which is a
stunning salt lake rarely containing
water. This can be seen from the
Red Hill Lookout.
Kalgoorlie, what a
magnificent town this is we had a great time we stayed at the Quality Inn
Railway Hotel, most of the buildings are old with beautiful architecture and
remind us of the pictures we have seen in the gold rush days. It is the biggest city in the
Australian outback and has a rich gold history. The main street, Hannan Street, named after Paddy Hannan who
struck gold in 1893 has cafes, restaurants and nightclubs. Standing beside the ‘Super Pit’ we were in awe it is one of
largest open cut mines and the biggest gold mine in Australia, the hole is
approx 1.5kms wide and 480 metres deep.
Guided tours are available or a free spectacle from the Super Pit
Lookout. To get the real feel of
the gold rush days a great place to visit is the Kalgoorlie-Boulder WA Museum that is laid out like a real goldfield
we found this so interesting.
Another place we visited was the Royal
Flying Doctors Visitor Centre and what a great place this turned out to be,
to see the hard work and time these people put into this service we were given
a guided tour and saw some fantastic footage and real life accounts of those
who used the RFDS. We were able to
go out into the WWII hangar and look over the airplanes used by the doctors,
but we were interrupted with an emergency, it was wonderful to see how quick
the staff move and get into action in a time of need.
On our way to Wave Rock of
which we had seen many pictures and never thought we would ever get the opportunity to see this unusual rock formation. First of all we visited the Wildflower Shoppe oh my goodness what a
fascinating place this turned out to be.
It is built of natural timber with vintage cars, a dray and old stoves a
real pioneer feeling about this place.
From the ceilings hung the biggest dried wildflower arrangements I have
ever seen they were truly amazing.
We had lunch here this was very enjoyable with a great atmosphere. Wave Rock is located near Hyden, wheat area approx 340kms from Perth and the
rock needs to be seen to be believed.
It is 110 metres long and standing underneath you feel its great
strength above you, there are walking trails around it and it is possible to
walk to the top of the rock and look down from its great height. On the move again we visited the town
of York, this is a real historic
town that should not be missed in anyone’s travels. The buildings have been restored to their Victorian and
Federation state and this makes a great backdrop for the antique and collectors
stores, cafes, tearooms and restaurants.
Fremantle is a beautiful
city, Perth’s neighboring port town is busy we visited the Markets with the
fresh produce, clothing and knick knacks with a crowd of people inside and
outside, buskers doing their thing on the pavement keeping people entertained
while drinking coffee or just resting on the seating around. We walked around visiting the
Roundhouse and the Fremantle Prison both have a lot of history and story
telling for the visitor.
Fremantle is another place we will come back and visit we did not even
touch the edges of our site seeing. Our final journey before setting off back
to Sydney was a beautiful cruise up the Swan River from Fremantle to Perth what
a glorious trip we had along this most beautiful river. Eyeing off Millionaires Row, the
Old Swan Brewery, Old Perth Mill and more it was beautiful sunshine and we
could not ask for anymore, we have our memories.
