Kununurra to Parry Creek Farm, Wyndham and El Questro

Day 58—Wednesday, 21st August (Kununurra to Parry Creek Farm 95kms)

After breakfast, we moved the van down to the back of the park where we found one other van in storage. The spot chosen will give our van some morning shade and probably in the early afternoon too. Once we got it leveled up, we opened the gas bottle and started the fridge on gas, locked it all up and off.

We needed a quick stop in town for a cheap pair of slip on shoes for yours truly. I guess for anyone else, that would mean thongs but yours truly can’t wear them! We also needed a visit to an ATM.

Once on the highway, though it was plain sailing. Without the two and a bit tons on the tow ball, the Patrol just wanted to fly and we soon reached the turn off to Parry Creek, about 20kms south of Wyndham. About 8kms of not bad gravel and we arrived about 11.30am.

The farm has two quite large areas set aside for campers, one unpowered and another for the power hungry! We were surprised at the extent of these areas, we were the only campers in the unpowered section, although, later another vehicle set up fifty meters away. The powered section boasted a handful of vans and given that the farm is only 8kms off the highway it would have been no challenge for them.

This will be our maiden voyage as far as tenting without an accompanying chef, so it’ll be interesting to see how much we’ve left behind in the van!
It didn’t take long to get the tent set up although a bit strange having it across the roof instead of along it. First big difference, was having the tent’s cover on the side, blocking access to the back seat area of the Patrol. Just have to get used to that! After the set up, lunch was taken. I do miss those cold roast lamb sandwiches!

Late afternoon at Parry Creek Farm

With lunch out of the way, we set off to explore. Parry Creek Farm is a small tourist resort on freehold land in the middle of Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve. The Reserve is 36,000 hectares of pristine wilderness listed as a Wetland of International Importance. The Reserve is a feeding and breeding ground for many migratory waders. It is also a drought refuge for all of the Kimberley’s waterbirds. Unhappily, after a poor wet season, the creek here at the farm is very low and water supply must be tight. The Farm’s web site states that the camping area is set on three acres of well maintained lawn. Not this year!

We found the creek behind the main building which also contains a restaurant and self contained guest rooms above. All of this linked by a raised walkway which extended out to, aross and around the creek, with more guest rooms at the end of the walkway on the far side of the creek. Although very low at this time, you could see where higher levels had left debris, quite high up the bank. Along the walkway, were a couple of “hides” where you could quietly sit and watch the bird life.

Even though there wasn’t a lot of water, there was still plenty of bird life. We saw magpie Geese, Pigeons, Willie Wagtails, Blue Winged Kookaburra and at the far end of the creek, (now a billabong) three Brolgas, strutting their stuff.

The Creek was very low!

As it was quite hot, we decided to visit the swimming pool in the afternoon. So all decked out in our new Targét swimwear we slunk into the pool area. Very cool with lots of shade trees and palms around the pool, plus a shade sail over the pool itself. We got as far as sitting on the edge with our legs dangling in the water! But it did cool us down.

Dinner was taken in the camp kitchen, where we used the gas BBQ to cook our snags and veges as well as the jug to make our tea. Also filled the trusty thermos, in case a late cuppa was required. Our first solo trip in the rooftop tent was given a pass mark after we both enjoyed a good nights sleep.

Day 59—Thursday, 22nd August (Parry Creek Farm to Wyndham 110kms)

The direct route to Wyndham would have been no more than 30kms but wait, there’s more! First up, I took a wrong turn (Oh for that Hema map and iPad) In the end it was all worth it.

When we set off, we were expecting to find Marlgu Billabong, which with hind sight meant we should have backtracked towards the highway. The tourist map we were using, made it look like the Billabong could be approached on a circuit going the other way. It didn’t take long to realise we were heading away from the billabong. Once we pulled over and got out the maps, we noticed that we were headed in the direction of Mambi Boat Ramp on the Ord River. In fact this track would eventually end up back in Kununurra at Valentine Spring!

So now that we knew where we were, we kept going and eventually found Mambi Boat Ramp. Not that we noticed a boat ramp but it’s certainly a great spot for a bit of camping and fishing. After a short look around and a few photos, we headed back towards the highway.

The Ord River at Mambi Boat Ramp

Backtracking, we soon passed the Parry Creek Farm and continuing on towards the highway, located the turn off to the billabong. Soon we were under the shade of a well built bird hide on the billabong. We were not alone, sharing the hide with two other couples. We had the ever ready thermos and a great cuppa was enjoyed while taking in the view. As at Parry Creek, Magpie Geese were well represented but also a flotilla of Pelicans sailed up and down. There were ducks, which we didn’t identify, lily trotters of two sizes and a couple of Bee Eaters flitted back and forward across the billabong. A first for this trip was a spoonbill strutting through the shallows.

The west end of the Marlgu Billabong

A Pelican sails down the Billabong

We soon got back onto the highway and covered the twenty kilometers into Wyndham, a sad looking, run down place. We checked out the loading terminal where a conveyor belt seems to continuously be pouring bauxite into the hold of a huge barge. The barge is then towed out into the Gulf for loading into a sea going vessel. There’s a regular stream of roadtrains, feeding an enormous stoclpile of the granulated mineral and a small fleet of frontend loaders, feeding the conveyor. Not sure how the bauxite is transferred from the barge to the ship, we’ll have to do a google on that at a later date.

The Bauxite loading conveyor

We also found a very interesting museum, which is housed in the old courthouse and run by the local Historical Society. Another site worth the effort, is the Five Rivers Lookout at the top of Bastion Hill, part of the 335m Bastion Ranges. From the lookout, a near 360 degree view of the Cambridge Gulf and it’s five rivers from the King round to the great Ord and including the Pentecost, the Durack and the Forrest. Easily the most breathtaking view for some time.

Back down to earth, we checked into the caravan park and got a nice, shaded, level, powered site at the caravan Park. We took a powered site because our auxiliary battery is doing a lot of work with the car fridge on freeze but we’re not putting enough kilomters on the clock to keep the charge up! With the battery charger set up, it was soon well topped up. This has been a regular problem, with the battery being asked to do too much and short travel times, then getting back to camp with not enough sun left to charge through the solar charger! To top it all off, the battery is only 80 amp hours, not the 100 I thought it was and it’s old!

Later, we put the camp kitchen to good use and enjoyed our dinner.

Day 60—Friday, 23rd August (Wyndham to El Questro via Diggers Rest 134kms)

A final wander round the park this morning and checked out the Big Boab, supposed to be some 2000yrs old! We also bid farewell to Wyndham’s resident donkey, Fuzzy. It seems Fuzzy was saved during a cull, some years ago and has become a town favourite, just wandering around the caravan park, keeping the grass down.

A very old Boab

Heading back down the GNH, we turned off onto the King River Road, for a look at  Aboriginal Art and the Moochalabra Dam, which is Wyndham's  water supply. This track crossed and followed the King River and eventually takes you to Diggers Rest Station. Along the way, at a signed turn off, we found the Art site and the dam. The dam was interesting because it’s built in the same manner as the much bigger Argyle Dam.

Aboriginal Art

Moochalabra Dam

After backtracking to the King River Road, we followed it along to the next feature, a Boab Prison Tree. We had met some travellers on the track, in both directions and caught up with a few at the tree, which came complete with a long drop toilet!

We had intended going only as far as Diggers Rest but here at the Prison Tree, we met a couple of Rangers from El Questro. The Rangers were conducting a couple on a 4WD circuit which covered all the features we’d seen this far but continued on the  Karunjie Track stock route. This is about 60kms wandering through El Questro and exiting onto the Gibb River Road just east of the crossing.

We’d heard of the track and had decided against it, intending to backtrack to the highway and driving to El Questro via the north end of the Gibb River Road. After a quiet chat to one of the Rangers, we changed our mind and decided that if they were on the track with guests, we could do it too.

So off we went, heading for Diggers Rest which we reached quite easily, passing the entrance to the Karunjie Track just before thr gates to the Station. We had a quick look around the Homestead but there were no sign of life. The Station had obviously suffered from the poor wet this year and looked very dry and dusty with no guests in the campsite that we could see. We more or less tiptoed out of there, quietly closing the gate behind us.

Back to the gate onto the Karunjie Track and off we went on a very slow but interesting two hour drive in 4WD towards the Gibb River Road. Along the way, we passed the Rangers and their guests being served a silver service lunch under the shade of a Boab Tree. We thought lunch would be a great idea but as it turned out, the Rangers had pinched the only decent shade along the track. Talk about local knowledge!

Silver Service Lunch

We just kept going, meeting every sort of challenge, creek crossings, rocky road sections and deep sand drifts as well as one section where a deep channel with water flowing, caused us to backtrack and find another way around. Not as hard as it sounds, others had been there before us and there tracks were easily followed. 

On the Track

We didn't like the look of this

There was very little signage and we were never sure that we were on the track or some 4WD track but we figured they would all be headed the same way. It would a trip like this where Andrew’s Hema maps would come in handy. Our in-dash mapping system was pretty useless, not meant for offroad uses, it did however find local places, like Home Valley, on the Gibb River Road, west of the crossing and El Questro, giving distances so we new we were getting closer by having a peep every now and then. Along the way, we were entertained by big mobs of El Questro cattle and lots of wildlife, mainly at the waterholes along the way.

El Questro Cattle

The Brolga's took no notice of us

Eventually, we arrived at the Gibb River Road, just east of the crossing, with another 21kms on the gravel of this great road, before the turn off and another 16kms into ELQ. There was some major roadworks happening on the GRR, not just grading, it looked like a major re-alignment.

We exited onto the Gibb River Road

Looking back to the crossing

Thumbs up to knowing exactly where we are!

Just can't get away from roadworks!

At ELQ, we had to hand over cash, as their phone line was down and they were not able to process card payments. So $70.00 later, we found ourselves on an unpowered site. Ten dollars was refundable when you returned your ID tag to the office, another ten for a park permit and $25.00 a head for the privilege. Getting real sick of paying double for everything up here just because they only operate half a year!!!! As it happens, we could have brought the van, because the road from Kununurra to ELQ is sealed highway, except for that last 16kms. We would have taken a two night stay but between us, lacked the cash needed. All up, quite a day.

Day 61—Saturday, 24th August (El Questro to Kununurra 109kms)

By morning, we’d decided to head back to Kununurra, realising our error in visiting here without the van. All the tracks here need 4WD and that would mean having to store the rooftop away for each trip. So we’ll have to come another time and do the gorges. We did make an early morning climb up the Telstra Hill, for a great 360 degree view around the area

As it turned out, they still had no phoneline service at the office and we didn’t have enough cash for another night anyway, so we took our refund and spent it on ice creams. On the way out though we met the Telstra truck, coming to the rescue.

Also on the way out, we turned on to the track to Zebedie Springs. This must be a sensitive area, as it’s only open from 7.00am to noon, when the gates on the track are locked. After the car park it was a short very tropical, 500m climb  to the Springs, which we found well populated at 11.00am. among lots of Pandanus Palms. 

Although the area is quite dry, these Springs bubble up from somewhere and the water temperature stays at a warm level. I guess in the wet season, water coming down from the escarpment would cool it down but who’s there then?

Now, after reaching the GRR first, then eventually, the Great Northern Highway, it was a relatively easy drive back to Kununurra and the caravan. We stopped off at Coles for a few groceries. At the park, we asked for another two night stay and were allocated a nice site just opposite where the van was stored, so a simple tug across the well grassed tenting area and we set up.

The site, on the opposite side of the park from our last stay, gave us a great outlook onto the well grassed camping area and the Mirima National Park, with it’s escarpment, overlooking us.

Day 62—Sunday, 25th August (Kununurra)

Another warm day and while I was trying to do some catch up with the blog, nearly two weeks behind, Helen got some washing done.

We’d noticed some smoke in the NP earlier but by lunch time it was very smoky and after our sandwich, the wind started to get up and we noticed flames on the edge of the tent area and in fact some tents being moved. The flames were moving toward the CP and we decided it best to get the awning down, however we had suffered embers on our EnviroMat resulting in holes in the mat but they can be easily repaired.

By now, things were getting serious, a couple of tents had burned, maybe because the owners were out and about and everyone was busy rescuing their own possessions. Suddenly there were fire trucks and hoses everywhere and they were able to control the blaze. The firies were there, mopping up for the rest of the day and in the end, the tent campsite looked a real mess. We’d been thinking about a walk in the Mirima National Park today but that’ll have to wait for another time too.