We’re home!!

It seems like yesterday that we just started on our trip  on the road,..but at the same time, it seems like forever.  But we’re HOME!

With only a few hiccups here and there, we made it.  We ended up bringing the Scout back with us from our stopover in Townsville.  We’ve picked the dogs up and both are very well behaved in this neighbourhood filled with dogs and kids.

We had a gas cylinder go missing, but it’s now been returned.  And the caravan is now empty and ready for detailing with a fair bit of Pilbara dust and Oodnadatta dust left in the wheel wells.  Chris has washed both cars, pulled all the drawers, fridge, and racks off the Cruiser.  I’ve managed to find a home for most things.

Our furniture arrives on Monday and the Telstra phone tech arrives to give us our new phone number.

Yes, we’re at home.  In the ‘Burbs”.  We’ve been  living rurally for quite a few years now and having neighbours so close will take some getting used to.  I just reflect back to Mom and Dad’s house, and our houses in Toowoomba.  This will be interesting.  New etiquette rules apply.  No loud music, no yelling from room to room, keep the dog’s barking down, clean up after your dog, no loud cars, the bins have to be used properly with garbage in one and recycle in the other. ….hmmm,..yes, this could prove interesting considering I like to be able to hear the music from all points of the house, we like to start our conversations when the other person LEAVES the room, and the Scout has such a sweet purr when the engine is revved up, …and don’t the dogs have a paddock to do their business?  Oh yes,..I think the training begins for everyone involved.

In the meantime, it’s Sunday morning, a day of rest and that’s just what i plan to do.

Relaxing in style in Townsville…

This is what I call relaxing in STYLE.  Rob thought of the idea of going fishing this morning at Magnetic Island.  So we both heartily agreed that a ferry ride to the island and a bit of a fish would be great.

Downstairs on the ferry, the cars were lined up ready for exiting on the island.

 

 

Robert enjoyed the ‘cool’ seats against his back, with only a minor twinge now and again.

 

 

We landed at Nellie Bay where there’s a pier that goes out about 300 metres.  This is the view from the right.

This is the view from the left.  As we looked down in to the water, there was large Gar fish  swimming around in the clear blue water.  I did see another type of fish, but I wasn’t sure what type.

This is the view of Townsville from the jetty.

It was a glorious day today.

 

 

This is one of my all time favourite things to do.  Even if we ARE only feeding the fish.

At the end of the day, we headed for the local pub to have a drink with some chips.  We spotted this bird and couldn’t quite figure out what it was.  We did finally figure out that it was a Curlew.

Beautiful bird.  It’s eyes are owl like and it’s colouring is similar to a bustard with stork like legs.  It was quite a beautiful bird.

The bus showed up and we were hustled back to the marina to catch the last ferry.  We also got to see the sun set over Townsville.

Maybe not quite as spectacular as Western Australia’s sunsets, but lovely, just the same.

 

We ended the day by having dinner at a Chinese restaurant close by Rob.  Great Food!!!  Rob raced home as Casey was on her way home tonight and we headed back to the caravan.

All in all, today was a wonderfully relaxing day.  Thanks Rob,..that was a great idea you had.

Messy roads and messy vans in Townsville

We were so anxious to get home . We had been traveling on some wonderful straight roads in the Northern Territory and Western Australia that we gave no thought to the roads...that is...until we hit Queensland. From the Queensland border the road turned into a molten mass of bitumen. You could actually SEE the waves in the road,..the deep RUTS from where the large 10 ton trucks drive, and the pot holes that were left from the cyclones the year before.

The worst part of the section was from Mt. Isa to Townsville. They have started working on it, but it could be slow going, as we're now in Queensland country and the " she'll be right" attitude is very prevalent.

And because we were at the end of the winter "tourist" season, we thought that the caravan park would be partly empty. Boy, was I wrong. They were full up, but we managed to get the last unpowered site they had. (Today, we'll change over to a powered site.)

And then when I opened the door to the van, there were books scattered across the floor, sugar on the bench and sink, and when I opened the fridge door, the glass shelf was broken with glass laying on top of the fruit and vegie boxes.

So while Chris is getting the car cleaned up, and a couple of shelves for the fridge. (another one broke at the beginning of the rough roads) I'll be cleaning up inside.

And in all of this, we managed to get over to see Robert, who seems to be doing very well. We brought salad makings and some steaks for dinner. And while he grimaces occasionally as the bandages pull, he's holding up very well. He's one tough cookie.



And before we head back over to his place today, I'll have another cuppa as I figure out which mess to clean first.

Detour from the fast lane.

Well, here we are travelling in the fast lane heading home….and we get THE phone call that all parents dread.  Something happened to one of our babies.  Okay.  So they’re not babies anymore, but still.

Robert, while looking at a friend’s car, lifted the bonnet (that’s HOOD to the American folk) and the radiator hose exploded.  This has landed him in the hospital with blistering burns to his back.  So our plans changed and we’re taking a detour straight to Townsville.

It’s amazing how fast things like this can happen in our lives.  Robert seems to be taking the whole episode on the chin, but I know he’ll appreciate the company.  He has a very positive outlook and is figuring out what he can do to fill his time in while he waits to go back to work. ‘REST!!’ says Dad.

This will also give Chris the opportunity to get the Scout, (hopefully) fixed.  There’s problems with the paint blistering and spots of rust coming through the paint.  This will help relieve Rob of the responsibility of the Scout as well.  He’s been worrying about that.  And while we’re there, Chris can get the car (the cruiser) serviced as there’s now 200,000 klms on the clock. 

Me?..well, while I’ll give my son a hug, albeit gingerly, ..I’ll take some time out to do some cleaning in the van and wash some clothes.  And just help Rob where I can.

Heading home....in the fast lane.

Today was a big day. We have travelled over 1200 klms in the last two days. Our goal? Mt. Isa. Why? .... I don't really know. But for some reason, Chris has it in his head that he needs to see Mt. Isa before we go home. And we'll be home early anyway. " And in Mt. Isa, we can have a rest!". Well, I've never been there, so I guess we can have a bit of a break from driving. But for Chris, well, he'll be able to travel down memory lane again. He hasn't been here since he was 18 yrs old looking for a job in the mines. That was.......?...a long time ago.

Today, we drove from Katherine to Barkly Homestead, which is roughly 700 to 800 klms. Barkly Homestead is roughly 200klms from the border of Queensland and Northern Territory. Today, we listened to John Farnham, ABBA, Dixie Chicks, and a medley of early sixties music. We've snacked on nut bars and mandarins. Chris cracked jokes and I laughed. We even made out our 'to do' list for when we get home. It even got to the point that we started counting the signs to the Qld. border! Both of us were numb when we stopped. The Barkly Homestead offered us $12 Roast Beef meals which was very nice. ( I didn't have to cook!)

Tomorrow, we'll land in Mt. Isa. It's only another 400 klms to go. Once there, we'll rest for a day, wash a few clothes and do a bit of looking around while Chris reminisces. After that, a beeline for home.

I AM starting to get excited about it too. We get to unpack, we get to pick the dogs up, we get to see the kids and start planning. So yes, it IS exciting.

Heading home a little faster each day.

As we head further east and towards home, I can feel Chris’s antsy-ness to get home.  It’s like a horse that wants to bolt back to the barn for a feed.

We stopped in at Wyndham the other day and once the vans were set up, we got back in the car and had a look in and around town.  Now mind you, we’ve been doing that in most places we’ve been, but now that the trip is coming to an end, it seems to stand out.  I can feel myself pulling back and Chris just wants to GO.

His reasoning is that we’ll see all this next year when we do the Canning Stock Route.  My reasoning is that we’re not finished and we should enjoy this now, while we ARE here.

So just to let you know, the pictures will be erratic and the blog will be erratic as we make our way home.  (Not to mention that the reception isn’t very good out here and it’s hard to upload anything.)

But, in the meantime, here’s some photos of Wyndham, the Ord River, and  Perry’s Lagoon.  Please enjoy as I strap myself in for the fast lane home.  This ride could be a little bumpy.

From the Bungle Bungle’s to Wyndham…

We started the second day of camping at the Bungle Bungle’s fairly early in the morning.  We left at 7am instead of 6:30, but it was still good.

We started our journey into the Mini Palms Gorge.  We followed the dry river bed right up into the gorge.  The palm trees seemed to come from nowhere, giving it a tropical appearance.

We climbed in and around boulders and over the tree roots.  This was really beautiful in this valley.

We got to the back of this gorge, paused,..and returned back.  This was the 5 klm walk.  In the shadows, it was great, but once back on to  the sunny river bed, the walk became a bit strenuous.

This is when the day REALLY started warming up.  The shade was very welcoming.  We headed into the Echidna Chasm.  (Echidna is a spiny anteater.)  This chasm was very interesting as some of the rocks were caught between the boulders.

and then in the middle of this chasm, there’s a wide open space and a bench, which Margaret and I took advantage of.

 

 

 

This was certainly a place worthy of visiting.  However!..it should be done in the coldest part of winter.  Because we’re at the end of the winter months, the heat has really hit us hard. 

Once our walks were done we headed back to pick up the van and head straight up to Wyndham.  I wasn’t sure what was up here, but it did surprise me.

In the heat at Purnululu National Park

With Fitzroy Crossing behind us, we headed up through Hall’s Creek and plopped our vans at the roadhouse further up  at Turkey Creek. 

The following morning, we stocked the cars and headed out to Purnululu Nat. Park for some walking and some camping……and more walking,…..and more walking……..…and more walking.

Fifty klms down the highway and  fifty klms into the park.  We ploughed through a few dusty potholes here and there.  This kind of bulldust is very fine and it’s very deceptive as you drive through potholes filled with it.  There was a couple of potholes here that could take the front end out of your car if you weren’t careful.

And if dust filled potholes weren’t a problem, then these guys would be.  These Brahmas are scattered through the desert area and they like to jump out in front of you when you’re least expecting it.  So when you DO see them, you slow right down.

There were also creeks to be forded as well.  It’s surprising when you come across water filled creeks as the area is so dry, you just don’t think there could be ANY water.

And the landscape starts changing.

 

The start of the Bungle Bungles as the day starts warming up.

 

 

As we made our way in to the Cathedral Gorge, the temperatures started warming up.  I just had to stop once we reached the shade of the rock.

This is the back of the gorge.  It’s called Cathedral Gorge because the sound of your voice carries just like a church cathedral.  The dark spot on the left is where the waterfalls come in when the wet season hits.  I talked to one tour guide who said when the waterfall is going you can’t hear yourself think!

Once we finished walking around, it was close to 40 deg temp.  We drove up to the other end of the park and made camp for the night before heading up to the hill for sunset.

We climbed up a hill and sat on the benches supplied by the park to watch the sun set over the Bungle Bungles.  The views were awesome.

We  headed back to camp for the night.  And with our new SINGLE mattresses to sleep on, we were both looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

 

Because the heat was so intense, we decided the following day that we would start at 6:30am to do some walking and touring.

The “ In between” times…..

We DID it!! It’s the first time in a LONG LONG time that we FINALLY got to WASH the caravan. It positively GLOWS! There really IS white under all that red dust. Ah,…so nice. Nothing makes you feel better than having a clean car, room, house, or.. caravan.

We stopped in yesterday at the caravan park in Fitzroy Crossing. We were told we could wash the car AND the van. Woohoo! So Chris and I hopped straight into it. And then this morning the hot water system had a hard time starting up. One of the wires caught fire, but was quickly extinguished and the water is now heating up nicely. That means hot showers!

So here, we will have a look at Geiki Gorge and have a bit of a cruise up the Fitzroy River. We’ll only be here for another night and then we head up to the Bungle Bungle’s. Another one of Mother Nature’s majestic masterpieces.

And just a short note to let those who are following this blog, that I’ve made a few technical errors in my facts.

I made note that the truck carriages can sometimes get up to 5?..well, it’s only 4. That’s all their allowed, so I’ve been told. So while I try to keep the facts straight, I may miss one or two of the CORRECT facts. I think Col said it was “EOE”…errors and omissions exempt. I guess that means “ she’ll be right” and don’t worry too much about it.

Anyway, I’ll finish my cuppa and check a few Scrabble games out and then we can head off.

By the sea, by the beautiful sea…

The Horizontal Waterfalls we were told, was a MUST SEE from all the people we talked to on our journey around Western Australia.  And believe me, the money was well spent.

This place is R..E..M..O..T..E.  There is NOTHING around this spot on the map, except some really ROUGH country.  This place is a hidden gem.  You cannot get to it by car.  Years ago you could only get to this place by boat.  Now, they have seaplanes, Xtreme boats, and small cruisers to see these lagoons and waterfalls.

We started our journey by seaplane.  There were ten of us on this flight, excluding the pilot.  It was a nice trip with only a slight bit of turbulence as we crossed over the floodplains and hills.

Views of some of the bays and lagoons tantalized us as we got closer to our destination.

 

 

This was our destination.  The Horizontal Waterfalls.

As you can see there’s water running into the lagoon.  The tide is rising, so the water is filling up the front lagoon.  As it does this, it creates what they call a ‘horizontal’ waterfall.  And of course, when the tide recedes, the waterfall reverses.  The amount of water coursing through here is beyond comprehension.  The depth of the actual inlet is 45 metres and the width of the gorge is 22 metres.  The water rushes through these two places with immense force.  Our plane was to land in the middle lagoon.

As we descended the mangroves become clearer with the white sandy bottom turning the water aqua.

 

We swapped places with the previous passengers, put our life rings on and ‘saddled up’ on the seats provided.

 

This is the highlight of the trip.  Zipping in and out of this narrow gorge with the waters rushing through.  And in this little ‘zodiac’ type boat, we were hurled through it several times.

The exhilaration was great.  The young lad that drove the boat, handled it extremely well.

 

 

Chris sat at the front, while i sat a little further back.  Both of us enjoyed this ride immensely.

 

 

We made our way to a larger boat where we had morning tea and settled down for some sight seeing as we cruised up Cyclone Creek.

 

The views were wonderful.  There’s too many to put here, but they will be on the slide show. (tomorrow morning)

Well, we had a tasty lunch of salads and BBQ barramundi.  Even tried our hand at fishing, but once again,..nothing…not one bite.  Ah well.

After a couple of hours, we headed back to the waterfalls to ‘play’.  We then headed up to the bay and waited for our plane to land.

The sea plane landed with passengers from Broome, where we once again, exchanged places and headed home to Derby.

This was an awesome day.  The money it cost was well worth it.  We may not have caught a fish or been able to swim, but it certainly was a great day out.

Tomorrow, we will relax and fill in the day.  I’m looking forward to sleeping in and just absorbing the events from the last two days.

A little jaunt to Winjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.

Because we’re getting so close to the end of our trip, we decided that we would bypass the WHOLE top end.  That means the Kimberley’s were out and,… Darwin and Kakadu is out.  To really do the top end justice, it would take about 3 months to see it all, so we opted to do the whole top end on another trip.

So with that thought in mind, we found a tour that would cover a couple of places like Winjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.  And I’m so glad we did.  Both of these places were awesome.

Looking like one of the trees from a Harry Potter movie, this Boab tree is around 2000 years old.  Yep, that’s right, two thousand years old.  It’s one of the oldest trees in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

And after stopping at the Boab tree, we headed off road to the Winjana Gorge.

 

 

And looking like most gorges as you walk in to it, the surprise beyond this short tunnel is evident in the “aw’s and ..ooh’s” as people walk through.  Because on the other side of this is a beautiful river bed and valley.

 

 

 

 

The river still flows through here.  The water is clear enough to see the sandy bottom in some spots.

 

This area was an ancient seabed millions of years ago as evidence of seashells are imbedded in the limestone walls.  The cliff face extends up to nearly 130 metres high as you walk through the gorge.

And this little guy reminds you that you’re in the tropics now.  This crocodile is a freshwater croc.  They’re much smaller than their saltwater brothers and a bit more placid.

And while watching the tourists come and go, they sunbake on the warm sandy beaches in the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’re so still that they almost look like rubber toys that somebody has scattered around the river.  We did watch some swimming around, but most of them were trying to get as much winter sun as they could.

Looking back to where we came in, the river extends out of the gorge on to the floodplains. 

And behind me, the river meanders back up through this rocky area where fish are abundant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even in the shadows, the water ebbed around this croc, whose tail was close to the edge of the sand.  And for some reason, everybody kept saying “Kathy, you just grab his tail, and we’ll take a picture”..”Yeah!..RIGHT!!”.

And as we made our way across the sandy beach inside the gorge, it started warming up.  It was time for lunch, so we headed back to the bus where lunch was served under a shady tree.

And while we had lunch, we discussed the merits of using one of THESE types of vehicles as a motorhome to get across Australia with.  It’s like a caravan, 4WD, and motorhome, all in in one.  We did find out later that it was a bit too expensive and WAAAY out of our league.

Well, after lunch, next stop was Tunnel Creek, 40 minutes away.  Chris and I had expectations that it was going to be more of chasm with water running through it.  But no….it wasn’t.

It was a cave with water running through it.  In the ‘wet’ season, the water fills this cave as it rushes through.  But in the last flood, that large boulder fell down and blocked the opening, so the flow is more controlled now.

Curving it’s way around like an “S” shape, we followed the water around to the middle where an opening lit up the cave.  This cave also came complete with frogs, bats, and even a freshwater croc.

This middle section of the cave had fallen in many years ago.  You can see the roots of a tree stretching down to the bottom of the riverbed.

 

We made our way out through the back of the cave as the bats squeaked their protest at the noise we were making.

 

The serenity of the place was invaded by the 30 people from our bus group.  But the picture was worth a thousand words.

 

As we made our way back to the main road, we stopped into this ruin of a little colonial homestead. 

 

 

The end of the day was fast approaching, so we headed home.  All up we did close to four hundred kilometres.  It’s been a big day out.  The bush fires that are burning created another beautiful sunset, but unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of that one. 

Tomorrow we head up to the Horizontal Waterfalls.  Another big day touring.