Well it seems like only yesterday we started our journey but today marks the end of the first month on the road. we have traveled the Great Ocean road, sped through South Australia and lingered in Alice Springs for quite some time. Now our Kimberly adventure phase is in full swing or it would be if the car was fixed. Some minor change of plans had to be. The car is in the workshop tomorrow so fingers crossed “Sever” of East Kimberly Motors is the goods and we are back on track. Not a huge amount of choice here but Sever has some recent good reviews on Explore Oz website from in trouble travelers. The repair should be relatively straight forward and I am sure I could do it myself with the right equipment and tools.

Looking into the Grotto from the base

Today we ventured to the Wyndham area about 100Km from Kununurra. First stop was the Grotto an impressive gorge with permanent water in the bottom of it estimated to be over 100M deep. You access it via 140 stairs cut or placed into the side of the cliff. It would be impressive in the wet season with the waterfall flowing. Not wanting to miss anything we took the old road and did a bit of 4WD along the original road now bypassed by the bitumen highway. I was taking it very easy and it was a slow trip but I had complete confidence in my temporary brackets and the 2T snatch strap holding the long range fuel tank in place. We visited a nice billabong and an old stockman camp along the way. Sharon looked very nervous trying to take a photo of a nice water plant while looking for crocs with the other eye, it was not working very well. We thought we heard a croc slide into the water at the first river but did not see any. Apparently there are heaps here in Kununurra if we go out with the headlamps after dark.

Nice billabong on the old road

Trying to not looked scared of the crocs

After getting off the 4WD track and stopped stressing about every rattle I heard along the way we ended up at a wonderful water sanctuary called Marlgu Billabong which forms part of the Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve. There were some very interesting and quite large birds here. They have a viewing platform over the river you can sit in and compare the birds with a great information board. Some locals turned up and knew it all so they were telling us what everything was which made it easy in the end. We managed to see a Jabaru in the water and flying. This is a huge bird up close. The water was packed with everything you could imagine and under the shade cloth of the viewing deck it was quite pleasant out of the 32 degree beating sun.

Bird watching

Starting to see lots of these!

Wyndham is a major port exporting huge amounts of stuff out of the ground. Massive road trains with four trailers are constantly coming through the port and back out again. There was a boat loading what looked like iron ore in an interesting way. There was four barges next to the ship and the ship cranes dropped down and grabbed a load for the hold. Four bulldozers on the barges pushed the piles up to make it easier, yes these barges were BIG. The same lookout is the location of the merging of five major rivers into the Cambridge Gulf. Wyndham is the most northerly port in WA. Fantastic view up here so high up. Lunch on the picnic tables with BBQ’s and toilet and on our way again. Wyndham’s other claim to fame is the “big crocodile”. I was amused when we arrived and the local aborigines hanging around the information plaque. Nobody was game to get out and go over from the other car pulled up. I thought to myself this is a game they play so I strolled over and he readily stepped aside, I read the plaque and took some photo’s. Wonder if they keep a count for the day?

Loading from the barges

Cambridge Gulf

The late afternoon saw us head onto another gravel road and drive out to the Boab Prison Tree. The Boab tree is a strange thing and they get very large and very odd shapes. The prison tree is massive and had a window in the side that probably had bars on it for it intended purpose. I got inside and got the customary photo. There was a surprising amount of room inside it. Still plenty of ‘tools’ carving their names in it as recently as today. The carved out material was still fresh on the ground under the tree. A quick stop at some aboriginal art work on a cliff and a look at a dam and our day was done besides the drive back.

Boab prison tree

Let me out – the standard prison tree photo!

Right on dark we got back to the highway so we tucked in behind one of those massive road trains on it’s way back to fill up as none of the roads up here are fenced. About half way back the truck swayed a little as it avoided a black cow on the road! The cow moved off as it went past, pheeew. After the truck turned off I slowed and let some lead foot pass me and then sped up and sat behind them all the way back. We have saved all the Kununurra local within walking distance stuff for tomorrow while the truck is in the garage.

Week 4 stats:

• We are 3341Km from home in a straight line
• We have used about 750L of diesel so far
• Driven almost 6700Km since leaving
• Average fuel consumption for the trip is 11.92L/100Km
• Average fuel price $1.91, MAX-$2.489, MIN-$1.509
• My spread sheet currently estimates we will spend $4,500 on diesel for the trip!
• Welcome to our latest subscriber ‘Barry T’, hope you enjoy the waffle….