Wet in the NT ..... (and not where we thought we'd get washed out!)

September 22, 2022

Wet in the NT ..... (and not where we thought we'd get washed out!)

Tuesday 28 June - Monday 4 July

It was a big re-settling with both the boys headed off. It was just so good to have and enjoy the time together. We'd not seen Tom since March either and now won't see him till November ish. Leaving Adels we headed north towards and through Lawn Hill Station, our hope was to then head to the west joing up on Calvert Rd and through to the Old Barkly Stockroute.

Wetlands near Parry's Lagoon, south east of Wyndham WA

Extraordinary ! An actual Boab flower, flowering at a skewif time - usually flowers April or May I think ? So delicate and stunning !! Seen at the Old Telegraph Station near Wetlands at Parry's Lagoon

The drive through Lawn Hill Station was quiet, stunning and remote. Probably close to 4 hours from Mt Isa, and otherwise a few hours from Doomagee. We asked around at Adels (which is now under management of the Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Copororation), about whether a permit would be required to travel through the Waanyi/Garrawa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) on our way through to Calvert Rd. We got the all clear no probs and headed that direction towards Bowthorn Station and Kingfisher Campground. We arrived at Bowthorn to a double locked gate, and a relief we'd only have to go back 27km to take the other route into Doomagee. A very quiet and lovely drive only passing a few vehicles.

Creek crossing Lawn Hill Station

The Nicholson River crossing into Doomagee is like an enormously cement paved road across a black geological rock base. It's hard to imagine what these places must be like, in full flow during the wet season. Asked a lovely indigenous bloke at Doomagee who wondered where Chesney Pastoral was as he'd not heard of that one. Shared we were from Orange, it then made sense to him why we were wearing out shirts and jeans and not rugged up from the cold of 22 degrees like he was. I asked him about the IPA route and what we found at Bowthorn. He suggested that if we found the Bowthorn Gate locked that there would be other gates locked heading through the IPA too, there are now some mining leases through these areas and are being locked up more now. So we took a slightly longer route to the Calvert Rd via Hells Gate Roadhouse. A great stop that we had enjoyed before in 2017.

NT/QLD border, road train coming past in perfect timing !

The drive along Calvert Rd was lovely, we passed no one until that afternoon near Anthony Lagoon on the Old Barly Stock Route. Had lunch on the partially dry river creek bed of the Calvert Creek we continue heading west.

Brewing on the Old Barkly Stockroute

Heading off on the Old Barkly Stock Route we got just past Anthonys Lagoon (an AACO property) and ran into a chap on motorbike with collie dog, and another on horse educating weaners. He was a contractor who travels from station to station educating weaners, so they get used to moving together as a mob, and get used to the likes of dog, horse and motorbike using what appeared to be a types of low stress stock handling skills. Had a yarn with him as we were watching the weather which appeared to be brewing. We'd checked the forecast x3 or 4 sites that morning before we left service. All suggested 50% chance of less than 1mm. It was sprinkling as we set up in record time including awning of about 13 mins! We pulled in I thought about 45kms at Bore 1 Anthony Lagoon on a small gravel rised area. It lightly rained from 7pm - 3am at which point Stu had popped his head out to have a look, then said we picked a great spot as all he could see with his headtorch was water ! Oh holy f@*k, thanks for sharing that boyfriend , so sure to go back to sleep now!! The wind blew on and off really consistently all night and the rain recommenced at 5am - bloody hell, just lightly and very consistently. Now the trick was going to be getting the hell out of here before the real rain arrived 24hrs later.

Now really on the brew

No idea what this one was - beautiful flowers !

Red rocks and bubbly!

Whilst it rains......

Packed up and loaded, Stu had walked the track back out from where we were set up and onto the main road again. it was going to be a smidgey didge sticky ! Long and short, with some white knuckle action and simply a sensational drive the hell out of there, Stu got us safely to the tar again.... it was 34km, felt like way longer ! We had about 2-3 inches of a gap between wheel and mud on one wheel. for the next hour we all grabbed a stick/screwdriver and gently dumped probably over 100kgs + of mud of the camper and prado. So bloody relieved! I knew we'd get out ok, and have a completely new experience and respect for 'a slight shower of rain on a dirt road' in the NT.

Cleaned down and mostly good to go !

Cape Crawford to Daly Waters Rd - rain cleared all remaining mud off undercarriage superbly well !

After a velvety drive through to Cape Crawford, we then drove through a fair bit of rain through to Daly Waters. With rain settled, the camper set up it was great to run into Jack and Kimbo Harries (owners of Daly Waters Hi-Way Inn) and we had dinner with them that night. Great to see them and meet the rest of the kids. Amazing meals at the pumping roadhouse and a great sleep. We decided to pull up stumps the following day due to the weather as at that point we were still hopeful of heading south to Elliott and going across the Buchanan Highway through Top Springs and Victoria River Downs to Timber Creek. Laptop and Tablet out for a bit of a half day office run and then watching the weather we very quickly packed up booked a cabin and settled in for the night again. Our prospects of getting across to Kununurra as planned was diminishing and heading ther via Katherine pretty certain.

Realising the front was dumping enormous amounts of rain, and then some in QLD and Eastern NSW, we headed off to Timber Creek for the night on our way to Kununurra.

Victoria River near Timber Creek

As it ended up our night in Timber Creek was Territory Day, and it was pretty 'colourful' on many fronts through to 9pm when last drinks was called. Stunning to be back in Boab Kimberley country, and even though it's only 3 years since we last drove through here, it's amazing what you forget.

Historic Boab Tree and Sacred area

Augustus Gregory, an Explorer set up a base camp here on the banks of the Victoria River for a few months in 1858. This strategy is what made his northern exploration successful. To boot this area is also a sacred site of Malajagu a creation man, creating a songline and dreaming track as he went. When he reached here, he changed himself into this boab which stands as is today. Really amazing to experience both an indigenous and colonial area on the same site with different history and meanings.

Cockatoo Lagoon - Keep River NP

On Ginger's Hill walk - Keep River NP

So what is the above structure you ask ? This info was sourced from Keep River NP Ginger's Hill Walk info sheet. "A short walk leads to a traditional hawk-hunting hide. Built by a local Miriwoong elder, the hide utilised the hunting behaviour of hawks and other birds of prey. Aboriginal hunters would sit in the hide and light a small fire. As the smoke rose attracting the birds they would use a decoy to tempt the hawks to land within their reach. As the bird landed, it was grabbed, pulled in and killed." Incredible......

The majestic and magical Boab

Accomodation at Kununurra was interesting. Of course I hadn't booked here and we knew it would be a little busy. Unbeknowns to us was extra pressure was put on the general system with a caravan park near Purnululu on the highway closing due to a Covid out break in it's staff. Long and short of it we scored 3 nights in a great spot near the lake at Kununurra - with the sun shine and things warming up.

Mirima NP

Mirima NP is like a mini Bungle Bungles. It is spectacular. It was obviously popular with so many people in town. Mirima is literally 3km out of town. We've walked many paths and tracks in NP's across Australia, always more to walk and this is the only spot I have ever seen the words on the above photo. "Places of cultural significance can have a detrimental effect on your health and well being if approached inappropriately. Please respect these places and stay on the established trails." I only hope that this is the start of more requeste like this from different Nations Australia, I have always believed that these places energetically can impact you in some way depending on your approach.

The classic is this, (and we found about this from a Indigenous Leader at the Desert Park in Alice, and pertinent to place here) there is a room at Yulara near Uluru, in it has thousands of pieces of rock that has been posted back from all over the world. Why ? People who may have taken a piece of a culturally significicant site as a souvenir (in this story Uluru) then began to note more closely when the 'run of bag luck' may have started (eg loss of funds, car accidents), when the health problems began. This is when people then began to realise "may be it's the rock I bought home". This Indigenous Leader shared the room holding the rock pieces, that these have been posted back to Yulara/Uluru from across the globe and of course these pieces stay in a room and not get placed back out onto country. This makes so much sense to me, and how affected people became and then they placed 2 and 2 together to get to the point of being compelled to return it to site. Imagine if all peoples who posted bits back, then participated in a survey on how they're life may or may not have changed post 'the pieces' returning to Yulara. More on this story and conversation when we finally get to Alice .

Stunning rock plants

Looking towards Lake Argyle direction from Mirima NP

Heart shaped imprint at the top of a walk at Mirima NP

It was fabulous to have 3 nights in the one spot, and that was all I could get at Kimberelyland Waterfront anyway without having to move the whole shebang set up. We did a day drive to Wyndham, which we did not get to before in 2019. This was a fabulous day. We took a stunning little back road up there via the Ivanhoe Crossing, crossing the Ord and then up via Parry's Lagoon and through Ngamoowalem Conservation Park on our way to Wyndham. Stunning........

The Ord River between Kunurra and Parry Lagoon

Parry Lagoon

Wyndham and in particular the Five Rivers look out was extraordnary. You wind your way up to the final lookout and you feel absolutelly hight enought to be in a plane. It's amazing. A boat was arriving that evening for the live export of cattle and youcan just make out the look road in and out on the dock below.

Live Export dock

Wyndham Cemetary

So the mob went to the bakery to grab another mango smoothy whilst I walked the cemetary. This space was between the old Wyndham site and current Wyndham town. Very young average age of death overall and via a vast number of ways. Infectious fevers, dehydration, accidental death and on and on.... all cemetary's are different and this area felt deep levels of grief and mourning still. It was warm here, very windswept and fascinating to walk another sacred space.

Boabs at The Grotto

Last stop on the way back to Kunurra, via the highway was The Grotto. Geez 120m cliff face drop and 140 steps down to te bottom - no hand rail, classic WA OHS !! And it was steep, the troops were off and I was getting my breath at the top! It took a bit to head down there and was always going be easier coming back up. Superbly worth the trek down. The waterhole is whoppingly deep, and earily stunning. Pics speak for themselves....