Road Trip to Kununurra WA

Bit of a Preamble
Rose and I set off on Tuesday morning 16th August 2011 for a 4-6 week road trip in our trusty VW Golf 2.0TDI to Kununurra via the North West Coastal Highway thru Dongara, Shark Bay, Carnavon, Dampier, Broome to Kununurra and returning via Great Northern Highway thru Fitzroy Crossing, Broome, Karajini National Park, Newman, (maybe Mt Augustus), Cue, Meekathara, Paynes Find and Perth.

Tea Break already?

First stop on the way was "The Pinnacles", very eerie area, however it is now very easily accessed via the all new Indian Ocean Drive and then a fully sealed road to the Visitors Centre (a bit of a change from the last time we were here) - but I admit that was longer ago than I care to mention!

The Pinnacles

In Denham (Shark Bay) and yes there are sharks here, saw some today from Eagle Bluff and at Denham Lookout, plus a couple of shovel nosed stingrays.
Going back a couple of days - first stop was Dongara, just before Geraldton. Stayed in a cabin at the local Caravan Park and very comfy it was, fish and chips for dinner.
Greenough was the next point of call on the way to Shark Bay, young chap at Greenough bakes a mean cake! and makes a good coffee. Denham (Shark bay) was the next stop and we were there a couple of days, lots and lots of wildflowers along the way, got some great photos.



Shark Bay - 17th August till 20th August 2011

Denham at Sunset

Drove out to Francois Peron National Park, stopped at Little Lagoon (beautiful) then to Peron Homestead Heritage Precinct. This is as far as we could go with a conventional vehicle, but the homestead area is terrific to get the feel how a sheep station operated in the past, there is also a "Hot Tub" fed by artesian bore.

Peron Homestead
Holding Yards

From there we headed back thru Denham to Eagle Bluff for a picnic lunch and a walk along the boardwalk (this is where we saw the marine life) - great spot.
On the way back we stoppped at Ocean Park Aquarium for coffee, terrific cafe and coffee and cheesecake out in the middle of nowhere! it was lovely to sit on the verandah with a view over the bay sipping our coffees!
Tomorrow we are off to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins, hope we are lucky enough to see them at feeding time. Feeding time is random during the morning so here's hoping!
OK, off to the pub for some dinner (local pub advertises the best Pub Grub) we shall see!
At Monkey Mia today - there is not too much here apart from the Resort, beach and of course the dolphins (which is why we are here after all!).

Monkey Mia Dolphin Feeding

Arrived exactly as they were starting to feed in the morning - perfect timing! The feeding is very controlled so that the dolphins do not become dependent. They are amazing creatures.

Next destination - Carnarvon


Carnarvon - 21st August 2011
Not too much to say about Carnarvon! Long Jetty, nice fish and prawns on the BBQ for Dinner.
Next!!

Sturt Desert Pea near Karratha

Karratha/Dampier (Home of Red Dog!) 22nd till 23rd August
Next!! too expensive, too much like a mine site, too many fluoro shirts!!

Red Dog Memorial - Dampier

Next time we are here I think we would stay out of town, probably at Cossack or Point Sampson, both lovely little towns. Cossack is a collection of restored buildings with one given over to budget accommodation, a cafe and an annual Art Show which we just missed!.

Cossack

The monument to Red Dog at Dampier is a great idea, recently saw the movie and it brought back a lot of memories of the latest trip but also of about 304 years ago when I worked up there.


Broome - 24th August till 29th August 2011
Broome is a very relaxed town, they talk about "Broome Time" around here, just relax, things will happen in time!.
We are here for our 39th wedding anniversary and "Opera Under The Stars" which both fall on the same day. Staying at The Frangipani, relatively new and very relaxed accommodation fully self contained with a great BBQ area. We mainly self catered, except for dinner at the Zoo Cafe to celebrate our anniversary.
On one of our days in Broome we went to the Broome Bird Observatory located at the mudflats on Roebuck Bay.

Road to Broome Bird Observatory

"Where is the shore?"

Cable Beach

The road in is very rough and in parts sandy, but we were assured it was passable for a conventional vehicle, so off we set in the trusty VW Golf. In parts the ground clearance was only just enough and in the wet this road would be impossible, but we made it. It was a little disappointing because we had not checked on the tides and the tide was out, so all the waders were miles away!! but there were a lot of other birds about and we had lunch in the camp shade house/bird hide and made some observations.

Dinosaur Footprints

Rest of our time was occupied watching the sunset over the ocean on Cable beach and at Gantheaume Point. Discovering the dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point, The Broome Museum (fascinating), the Relationships Exhibition at the Old Convent - opened in 2007 to celebrate the work of the Sisters of St John of God in the Kimberley (fantastic collection of photographs and audio-visual media)


Broome to Kununurra via Fitzroy Crossing - 29th till 30th August 2011
I have always heard of Fitzroy Crossing (usually bad) but until you have been there you do not really know a place, as it is with Fitzroy Crossing and it is not all bad, we quite liked the place.

Termite Mounds

Stayed in a Safari Tent for two nights. These are a bit of upmarket camping, Wooden floors, deck and ensuite loo and shower.

Camp - Fitzroy Crossing

4.30 was time for a beer and snacks and watch the travellers arriving for the night (nice way to spend the early evening.

Will report more on the return journey (we have to pass this way again).


Kununurra - 30th August till 4th September
Our final destination before heading south again!!
The VW Golf has been running beautifully, on cruise control most of the time and plenty of oomph when required to pass a road train (which can have up to 4 trailers).

Lake Argyle

Kununurra of course is where Lake Argyle is located, admittedly a little out of town!.

Mirimar National Park

Mirima National Park is located virtually next door to our caravan park and it is a mini Bungle Bungles, similar rock structures, good bird watching and some lovely walks, but it does get very hot as there seems to be little breeze in the park.
Had a lovely morning tea with the sister of a friend, and the sister happens to be a Sister (Sister of St Joseph), terrific scones, jam and cream on the veranda, great!
Lake Argyle was my highlight so far, it is huge (an inland sea!). Took a sunset cruise on the lake, where we saw many crocodiles, birds and wallabies. At Sunset the boat stopped in the middle of the lake to allow the kids to swim and the adults to have a few snacks with a glass of wine as the sun went down, magic.

Durack Homestead

Durack Homestead evokes a feeling of the past (The Durack lease of approx 1M Acres is under the waters of lake Argyle) and the homestead was removed before the waters covered the area.
There are many things to see and do in and around Kununurra - Zebra Stone gallery, the agricultural areas, Hoochery Rum Distillary, Gibb River Road and Gorges.

Brolga at Parry Lagoons

Some great bird watching at Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve (Boardwalk and Hide) and Telegraph Hill.
The roads are not great (all unsealed) but the Golf took it all in its stride, as long as care was taken.
We actually did quite a bit of offroading seeing we did not intend too! but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and go if you want to visit a particula place.
Another highlight (strangely enough) was Wyndham (about 1 hours drive from Kununurra).

"The Grotto" - Kununurra

On the way visit "The Grotto" pretty hard climb but well worth it.
Wyndham has a diverse history of cattle farming and mining and has a wonderful museum of local history and a must is the Five Rivers Lookout for a stunning vista.

Five Rivers Lookout - Wyndham

We intended to go for the morning but ended up staying all day because the area had so much to offer!




OK, heading south again.



Fitzroy Crossing - 4th Sept till 6th Sept 2011
Back at Fitzroy Crossing. At the motel this time.
Bought a painting from a local artist and art piece from the local glassblower at his studio.
The Fitzroy Crossing Inn has a gallery attached but they also have a very good restaurant with excellant food and we stayed on for the film at the Tin Can Shed (an experience, but a very good one).

Geikie Gorge

Crocodile - Geikie Gorge

Next day took the 10am Geikie Gorge river cruise (which is only about twenty minutes out of town).
A very relaxed cruise, quiet, good commentary and heaps of wildlife!
Next stop - Broome again, but only to pick up something we left behind!
Overnight at Sandfire Roadhouse on the way to Indee Station, with a brief lunch stop in Port Hedland.

Sandfire Roadhouse

Indee Station - 7th Sept till 9th Sept 2011

Indee Station from the Hill

Indee Station is a working cattle station with some mining leases, and is also where an MMA Aircraft went down in the late 60's killing all on board, there is a very poignant memorial to the crew at Red Rock, which also has some spectacular aboriginal rock carvings,

Red Rock and MMA memorial

Red Rock is only accessible to high clearance vehicles, so the Golf had to stay and Colin (the stations owner) kindly loaned us a 4WD vehicle to find our way there (Colin also provided a bit of a "mud map") so we would not get lost, hopefully!

Aboriginal Rock Carving - Red Rock

As you can see from the photos the carvings are terrific.
Colin and Betty are very friendly hosts and our stay was more than pleasant (except for the wind, which was blowing very strong) and we were very comfortable in the cottage provided to us.




Karajini National Park - 9th Sept till 11th Sept 2011

Karajini Eco Resort

Formally known as the Hamersley Range National Park it was renamed in 1990-91 because of the traditional ties of Indigenous peoplein the area, and their involvement in the management of the park.
We stayed for two nights at Karajini Eco Resort - an oasis far from anywhere. The resort consists of Eco tents which again are upmarket camping, with timber decking and ensuite (private, but open to the elements) and a very comfortable king size bed with first quality linen.
The restaurant provides good meals and lunch packs, but this place is all about the landscape, and it is beautiful, the colours are magnificent and change according to the time of day, the gorges are spectacular and the waterfaals wet, and pools cold!

This is an eco resort, so anything you bring in goes out with you, which means your rubbish as well, works a treat, no unsightly bins etc to spoil the magnificent setting.
We are at the stage of the journey now where we feel it is getting to the end and it is home from here, but we have still the wildflower country around Paynes Find to have a look at since this has been a good season and there is an abundance of wildflowers.
OK, travel on!

Newman - 11th Sept till 12th Sept 2011
Nice motel - expensive, another mining town. Cannot buy takeaway alcohol at Pub unless you arrive and leave by car?? strange rules they have around these parts.

Opthalmia Dam - Newman

The lookout offers  aview of the town and part of the mine.

Who needs a 4WD when you have a Golf!

Opthalmia Dam is Newmans' water supply but also its water recreation area, we had morning tea there before setting off for Meekathara and it is a lovely place with picnic and BBQ facilities provided by the mining company, access is by unsealed road so some more offroading for the Golf!


Meekatharra - 12th Sept till 13 Sept 2011

One of many BIG loads along the highway

Well did not quite make it to Meekatharra we were sidelined by a "Coffee Here" sign about 60 kms before Meeka.
Actually went past but decided to turn around and rest for a while. The cafe is part of the Karalundi Boarding School for aboriginal kids from remote communities and has been only open for a couple of months (the cafe that is, the school mhas been here for about 25 years and was orriginally an Aboriginal Mission before that), however it was our lucky day when we stopped for coffee. The lady in charge of the cafe is married to David who runs the school.

Wildflower search at Karalundi

They are both very hospitable people and when we mentioned we were on our way to stay in Meekatharra for the night they said they had a cabin available if we wanted to stay there, we accepted of course, as the complex presents so well, it showed they had a passion for what they were doing.

Mulla Mulla

When we had settled in David knocked on the door and said he was going to take us to see wildflowers in his 4WD before dusk, naturally we jumped at bthe opportunity and got some great photos.

Sunset at Karalundi

At about 6.30pm again a knock on the door and Kheann (Davids wife) presented us with two plates of delicious Chicken Curry (which we had ordered earlier).
Next morning we had another trip out to the wildflowers and some more photos.
Passing through Meekatharra later in the morning we were glad we had run into such friendly people and were appreciative of their hospitality. Meekatharra may have a lot to offer but I do not think accommodation is one of its highlights.


Meekatharra to Paynes Find - 13th Sept till 14th Sept 2011

Cue

Not much to see along here, road very busy with roadtrains but Cue is a very pretty little town.
Most of the historic buildings have been restored and it presents a very nice picture of bygone days.
The display of photographs in the Shire Offices is worth a visit.
And the Icy Poles are nice and cold!!




Paynes Find - 14th September 2011

Tourist Accommodation - Paynes Find

Wildflowers - Paynes Find

Paynes Find, people come here because it promotes itself as the centre of Wildflower Country, but I would hate to think what a tourist would think if they turned up and had to stay at the only accommodation in the town (or what consists of the town!) it is absolutely shocking! a row of Donga's and washing facilities in which I would think twice about washing my dog! How can an area like Paynes Find present such sub standard accommodation for tourists? There are Station Stays before and after Paynes Find, but at Paynes Find itself? Forget it! They did have good TV reception at the Tavern though, so we could catch up with the news!

More Wildflowers

Homeward Bound - 15th September 2011
OK, last leg, Paynes Find to Perth!!

Wildflowers - south of Paynes Find

Planning on lunch at New Norcia (at the Hotel), but as for breakfast we will not stay at Paynes Find any longer than necessary to pack and get out of here!
Spoke to some people last night and they told us where to find the Wreath Flower, which is quite difficult to find and if I told you where we found it I would have to kill you!.

Wreath Flowers

Wreath Flower

Anyway we followed their instructions and we did find a whole heap of them! magnificent! see photos - but no GPS co-ordinates given!

Breakfast

Before this, however we stopped for breakfast in a beautiful area off the highway covered in wildflowers and I guess that made up for the terrible accommodation of the previous night.

New Norcia

The area around Paynes Find is a mass of wildflowers and we are very lucky to have been there and seen them (particularly the Wreath Flowers, which we were hoping to find a couple of years ago but without any success).

After lunch at the New Norcia hotel (on the deck in dappled sunshine - a great way to finish a roadtrip of over 9000 kilometres!) we headed home, and it was great to sleep in our own bed again!.


End Bit - 26th September 2011

Home

Well we have been home 10 days now and settled into normal routine (I have not gone back to work yet) and would we do it again? Yes, but not by car, although the Golf aquitted itself really well with 5.5l/100km and dealing with the unsealed roads but it is a looooong way!. We carried all our gear (camping, cooking, food, fridge, clothes in the car, no trailer, no roof rack) and for the two of us it worked out great!

When we visit the Kimberley again I think we will fly to Kununurra, hire a 4WD and then take off to the areas we could not visit this time due to the restrictions of ground clearance on the Golf (rough unsealed roads are not a problem, it is the ground clearance and sharp rocks that stopped us - and sand of course!)

The North West is a beautiful area to visit during the end of winter and early spring, the weather is mild, the flowers are out and the landscape is spectacular, we will definitely be back!.