Saturday June 9
Kate tells me that I am being a bit lazy with the blog posts, but it is part of a plan and is very much a result of us having such a good time that I simply have not had time to write about it!

We have now arrived in WA and are currently in Kununurra, but as always, I will go back to where I left off and continue the journey.  I will apologise in advance for what will inevitably be a very verbose post – we have been to so many amazing places and continue to marvel at what an astoundingly diverse and beautiful country we live in.

As predicted, we duly left Darwin on Friday the 1^st and travelled back down the Stuart Highway to Edith Falls, or Leliyn as it is now properly known.  This is part of Nitmiluk National Park and is about 66 kilometres from Katherine Gorge as a raven would fly, or as the Morris-es would walk, as they did how-ever many years ago, along the Jatbula Trail.

I have to confess that we were unaware of what a stunningly beautiful place this is.  The campground is right next to the falls, which cascade into a huge paperbark and pandanus-fringed natural pool. Great Bowerbirds, Red-winged Parrots and Pied Butcher Birds seemed to be everywhere around the camp – more enjoyment! 



This Butcher Bird was sitting in the dust trying to cool down.

But better was to come!  Sue and Ian and Murray and I headed off on the 2km walk to the Upper Pool, with no real idea of what was ahead.  It was a little challenging for yours truly, but my human walking stick, Murray, made it possible for me to traverse the ridges and rocks of the Edith Escarpment and back down to the Edith River where the views of the Upper Pool were just magic.  If I hadn’t managed the walk I wouldn’t have known what I had missed, but having seen it I would be very sad not to have been part of the expedition.  Very fuzzy logic I know! Murrayenjoyed a swim  in the pools and managed to get up under the waterfall. 

We decided that rather than go back the same way, we should do the Leliyn Loop as it was only .7km longer.  Walked through some beautiful eucalypt forest dominated by gorgeous Woollybutts before arriving back at the river at the campground.

On Saturday morning, Murray left early and headed off on the Sweetwater Pool walk.  Once he was safely back it was into Katherine for fuel and then west on the Victoria Highway.  Great excitement as we drove through savannah grasslands and eucalypt forests and into the eastern section of the Gregory National Park.  Here the terrain really changed dramatically - spectacular dark red ranges and escarpments with eucalypt woodland between.  Spent the night at the Victoria River Roadhouse and a walk down to the river and across the old bridge brought our first view of a freshwater crocodile, which was sunning itself on the concrete pad of one of the bridge pylons.

Soon after we left Victoria River on Sunday we saw our first Boab – what incredible trees these are with their huge round trunks and myriad of bare branches.  I only recently learnt that they are deciduous. 

We did not get much further before we reached Joe Creek Picnic Area and decided that we just had to do the Nawulbinbin Walk, which took us up to the base of the escarpment cliffs.  As we climbed the vegetation became more lush and we were amongst the Livistona Palms which grow in the cool of the shaded escarpment cliff base.  The green of the vegetation against the red cliffs and huge red rocks was stunning.  There were even ferns growing where water trickles down through the cliffs and we were surprised to find some Aboriginal rock art about which my notes had said nothing. 

I could go on and on about this place, but will forsake the temptation and shift the focus to the Big Horse Creek campground, again on the Victoria River, in the western section of Gregory National Park, where we spent the next two nights so we could have a look at this part of the park. Murray managed to ‘acquire’ a large Barramundi frame from one of the fishermen nearby and one of themany Whistling Kites around was very pleased to take care of the tail and head of the fish.

Monday was spent exploring the park.  This section is less dramatic than the eastern part, but beautiful nevertheless.  We drove down to Bullita Station on the banks of the East Bullita River, which provided a fascinating glimpse into the lives of those who lived and worked in these areas – the floods of the wet and then the droughts of the dry.

 Before leaving Gregory NP we visited Gregory’s Tree, which stands at the campsite of Augustus Gregory’s North Australian expedition and which was commenced in 1885. Was so big I couldn't get the whole of the date in - wouldn't you have thought Gregory would have carved the elements of the date under one another instead of going round the tree! 

We were now relatively close to the border and by midday on Tuesday we were in WA and making for Lake Argyle.  The drive down to the caravan park at the lake was magnificent – surrounded by the most incredible red ranges.  The park is perched above the lake and afforded wonderful views across this huge body of water – check out this one across the infinity pool.

Murray and I took a sunset cruise and enjoyed having a look around the bays and islands of the lake, which is such a huge area of open water that it is called an inland sea.  Saw quite a few Johnsons Crocodiles and even though they are harmless, the size of a couple of them would make most swimmers pretty nervous!

Wednesday was taken up with walks to the Durack Homestead (relocated before the dam was flooded) and trips to lookouts and the dam wall – all very impressive.  Murray was brave and had a swim in the pool which was a little chilly – was nice lying in the sun beside it though!

On Thursday we were on the road to Kununurra very early as we were still operating on NT time and the hour and a half time difference was not yet registering with the body clocks.  Meant we were set up in the caravan park by Lily Creek Lagoon by mid-morning so were able to go shopping and replace all the fruit and vegetables we had gobbled over the couple of days before encountering quarantine officers at the WA border. 

Wyndham was Friday’s destination and on the way we called into Marlgu Lagoon, a Ramsar listed wetland which is in the Parry Lagoon Conservation Reserve.  What an absolutely astounding wetland – birds everywhere!  Huge flocks of Plumed Whistling Ducks, superb Radjah Shelducks, egrets of every size, Pied Herons by the score, a pair of Brolgas (surrounded here by a huge mob of Plumed Whistling Ducks), all sorts of cormorants and some stunning Green Pygmy Geese.  Even we amateur bird watchers counted 21 species!  To add even more excitement, there was a huge saltwater crocodile sunning itself on the opposite bank.

Next stop was the Bastion, which at 350 metres above sea level provided panoramic views of the estuary where the Forest, Pentecost, Durack, King and Ord Rivers enter the Cambridge Gulf.  It is impossible to photograph though as the area is so vast.

Yesterday was occupied with shopping and packing for our trip up the eastern end of the Gibb River Road.  We are leaving the vans here in Kununurra and tenting it for the next eight nights.  We leave tomorrow morning for Home Valley Station, after which we will travel up to the Mitchell Plateau.  From there we will come back to El Questro, where we will spend three nights.  It is all very exciting and as we are assuming there will not be any phone reception, this will be the last you will hear from us until Monday of next week.  Thank goodness everyone says as it will probably take until then to read all of this and I know that the frustrations of using this program will take until then to dissipate and in the interim I will try to learn the art of sharing this with our friends without going on so much!

I'll leave you with sunset across Lily Creek Lagoon, Kununurra.