Kununurra Floods

I would have to say that the wet season officially started a couple of days before Christmas.  Before that there was the heat which was generally accompanied by a storm front in the late afternoon.  The storm built up over the afternoon and was preceded by some very strong wind gusts which had us all scrambling to grab items that might fly away.  We had two major worries associated with our site.  One was our tarp which we had put over the caravan.  The other was the trees which towered over our site and gave us beautiful 'all day' shade but which had precarious dangling branches.  The tarp ballooned and flapped during these windy events and had us crossing our fingers that Steve's construction skills were strong enough to hold up against it.  Of course there was never much doubt and our shelter held up well.  Our neighbours, however, were less fortunate with tree limbs falling from the trees over their sites and piercing tarps or the wind causing their structures to collapse.  On several occasions there was a mad rush to help reassemble tarp covers before it rained......which it rarely did.  These were just dry gusty storms with all the thunder, lightning and drama associated with a storm but no or very little rain.
Then one night a couple of days before Christmas, the pitter patter of raindrops started falling on our tarp over the van.  I remember this because I was out in the annex doing some last minute wrapping after the girls' had gone to bed.  Those patters turned into a downpour which lasted nearly all night.  Although our tarps were tremendously effective, we found the rain driving in through our opening which looked out over the Mirima National Park.  We had left one side of our shelter open to let breezes through and allow us to sit outside and enjoy the view.  Unfortunately when it finally did rain with any great force, all of our barbeque area got wet.  As a fix for this problem, we used some clear plastic to stretch across our viewing window which we rolled up and down according to the weather at the time.  This worked well because on days when it rained for most of the day, it kept the water out but allowed light into the living area.  Our gazebo shelter wasn't completely dry but it did prove to be another area we could still use in the wet without being restricted to the caravan and the annex alone.
For almost the entire Christmas period until just before New Year, it rained every day for some of the day and most often at night.  It might sound depressing but when you've put up with 40+ degree heat for a couple of months, the overcast conditions and rain was such a welcome relief.  For the first time in ages, we started migrating outside.  We went for walks in the national park and were quite happy to do things outside, even if it was raining.  The temperature dropped to the low to mid 30's which was so much more pleasant.  After new year, the overcast conditions continued but the rain became more sporadic.  There were days when Kununurra had good falls of rain and there were days when we got hardly any.  This carried on for almost the entire month of January.  
We travelled to Darwin in January and had to be very careful driving the Victoria Highway to Katherine because of the water filled floodways.  Just because it was dry along a particular section of the 500 kilometre stretch, didn't mean that there weren't creeks flowing from more rainy areas and crossing the highway.  At one well known creek along the highway, we had to traverse fast flowing water at a depth of 40 centimetres which doesn't sound like much but only 4wds and trucks were crossing.  Several conventional vehicles like Commodores and Falcons were waiting on the roadside for the water level to drop before they could continue their journey.   A newly raised section of the Victoria highway was an island with both sides of the road underwater.  We were grateful that the job had been finished and understood the reasoning behind the roadworks as the highway would have become impassable. 

Entrance to caravan park

Lower road in caravan park

Road half way through caravan
park

On a Thursday night at the end of January, the pitter patter of rain started falling at night again like it had done on so many nights before.  By the next morning, it had been raining all night which was nothing unusual.  We actually had to use our umbrellas to get from the van to the car for the school run.  As the girls and I drove through the caravan park on our way to school the roads had turned into rivers and water was flowing down every roadway towards the main road.  The streets in town, although still driveable, had shallow water flowing along them.  When we arrived at school,  we followed the lead of others and took the girls shoes off and walked into school barefoot because the street and grounds were flooding.  I had to do three school pickups that day because Becca was doing half days at kindy.  When I went back out at lunchtime, the rain had still not stopped.  The streets in town were flooding and the going was slow as any oncoming vehicles created bow waves as they drove through the water.  The heaviness of the falls varied from torrential downpours to steady heavy rain and encroached on our site lifting the fake turf under our gazebo.  We had created trenches around this area and along the fenceline of our site so that water would drain where we wanted it to and run away quickly.

Coolibah Drive Kununurra

Messmate Way passing Target

Messmate Way past Kununurra pub

Incredibly our site remained relatively dry and became almost like an island as people and sites around us had rivers of water running through their annexes.  The gravel roadways bordering our site on two sides were rivers but split and ran around us.  While Becca had a sleep, I kept tabs on where the water was going.  It was running under the van intermittently but thankfully we had built a floor in the annex so any water ran under that.  When I went out to pick up Erin later that afternoon, it was challenging driving and quite scary.  The water in the town streets was up at bumper bar level on my car and the street at the school was so flooded in parts that there was nowhere to park.  Becca and I had to wade through almost knee high water and at one stage I had to pick Becca up as we walked through a driveway as it would have been up to her waist.  I met some friends briefly while rushing the kids back to the car and they said that sewage was a problem and to not allow the kids to play in the water. 

Dunham River looking north during
flooding

Dunham River looking south during
flooding

Dunham River level day after rain

Dunham River during Dry Season

Again, the trip home was scary and I hoped that the car wouldn't conk out in the high water.  Once back in the caravan park, I rang Steve and suggested he come home soon because the park roads were starting to overflow onto our site.  Steve had already been to his co-workers house earlier in the day to rescue the bottom level of their house which was flooding.  They had also been for a drive around Kununurra (while they still could) to look at the diversion dam and the rivers out of town.  It was decided that the chances of seeing customers or getting work done during this weather was unlikely so they shut up the depot early and came home.  It took Steve what would normally be a five minute drive to get home nearly half an hour.  He had to detour and divert down less flooded streets and avoid areas where the roads had washed away.  By this stage of the day, we knew we were witnessing something unusual for Kununurra.  Locals who had lived here for 20 years had never seen anything like it.  Much of the centre of town was under water and the shop workers were sandbagging.  A friends' husband had a river running through his office.

Lake Kununurra after level dropped

Diversion Dam picnic area under
water

Ord River flooding through
Diversion Dam

The rain continued until the early hours of Saturday morning but had slowed to lighter rainfall.  When we woke up Saturday morning, the rain had stopped apart from a few isolated showers.  The rivers of water were still flowing down the caravan park roads and the town was still flooded in areas.  The council had to drop the water level of Lake Kununurra so that all the water in town had somewhere to drain. The diversion dam had most of its gates open to full extension to release all the water into the lower Ord River.  We had wanted to drive around town the night before but knew it was a bad idea as it was quite dangerous.  We went exploring on Saturday (along with most of the town) to see the damage and look at the rivers.  An entire hillside of soil had washed across Weaber Plain road and swamped several houses like a mudslide.  Heavy machinery and construction crews were busy trying to clear the road and save the houses.  Many bitumen roads had been totally undermined and were unstable.  The Dunham River out of town was a raging torrent as was the Ord River.  Many of the water irrigation channels in the agricultural areas had burst their banks and blocked the roads.  Ivanhoe Crossing was completely gone under the raging Ord River.  Helicopters were flying everywhere, either showing sightseers the waterfalls or ferrying government workers who were trying to determine damage and where it was in order to plan for repair work. 

Ivanhoe Crossing in dry season

Ivanhoe Crossing flooded by Ord
River

At the back of the caravan park, a trench had opened up that was so deep that Steve could stand in it and just be visible.  The Mirima National Park, being rocky hills, had funnelled huge volumes of water down the ranges and straight through the caravan park via its roads and out onto the main road.  For weeks afterwards, residents could only use certain roads in the park and all the rubbish bins had to be transported to the front of the park because the garbage truck couldn't get in.  Some roads in town were blocked with detours because the bitumen had been undermined and some were covered with gravel to fill in the huge potholes until proper road repairs could be carried out. 
Kununurra had, over those couple of days, received 500mm of rain with equates to about 20 inches.  That is a remarkable amount of water in a very short time.  It wasn't so much that it rained for two days straight as I'm sure that's probably happened before.  It was the volume of water that fell in those two days which made it incredible.  During our experiences in northern Australia, we have realised that one raindrop up here equals about 100 drops in Adelaide.   The volume of water that falls out of the sky up here defies belief as has been demonstrated regularly by my 'drowned rat' look when caught in a brief downpour without an umbrella.
Slowly the town has recovered from this incredible event and life has gone back to normal for everyone. The repairs will be an ongoing task for all involved, however, as many jobs cannot be started until the ground completely dries out after the wet season finishes.  Lets hope that there isn't a repeat of the flooding next year (whether here or somewhere else if we move) or else Steve and I may feel jinxed as this is our second destination which has flooded on our travels.....remember Ingham!

If You Can't Stand the Heat - Go Camping October 2013

It is now 40+ degrees every day here in Kununurra and it's only October so the real heat hasn't even hit yet.  The radio's daily weather report has Kununurra listed as the hottest region in the state or very close to it.  So what else does one do in 40 degree heat but go camping.  Yes that's right.......we must be stark raving mad but we went camping.  It was an accumulation of reasons that had us leaving this intrepid adventure so late in the season but 'when in Rome' as they say.  Many Kununurrians go camping at this time of the year although even the most seasoned local finds it trying.  Everyone continues to carry on despite the heat because, at least, they can still be out and about.  Once the rain comes (if it comes this year) many outdoor activities are suspended except for perhaps a pool party where everyone sits in the pool all day.   Rain wouldn't really be a problem then....would it.  Many of the regions tourist spots shut down over the wet season because, in many cases, these places are unreachable after rain.  If the Gibb River Road didn't close over the wet season, then search and rescue would be very busy I would imagine retrieving people from their own stupidity. 
During the cooler and less humid part of the year, Kununurra becomes a tourist mecca as I've probably already ascertained in earlier blogs.  Although camping is undoubtedly more comfortable at these times, the overrunning of the Kimberley's tourist attractions and the need to book everything in advance just doesn't suit many people except tourists.  Once the tourists start to vacate the region it becomes easier and less hassle to enjoy wild places.  Our other main reason for leaving it so late is that Steve had been unable to get time off work because the dry season is naturally the busiest season for agriculture, pastoral and tourist businesses alike which all require regular fuel.  That's where Steve was busy as a truck driver delivering fuel.   The October school holidays was the only opportunity for us to get away which wouldn't disrupt Steve's work or Erin's schooling. 
Our next and ongoing issue was the pets.  We were planning to visit El Questro resort which allowed pets so the dog was ok but somehow the cats needed to be looked after.  There are kennels out of town but there are no facilities for cat boarding.  I asked at the local vet surgery for any ideas.  They offered to have the cats but they would be in an outside aviary and therefore exposed to the heat which wasn't ideal.  Their next suggestion was to get someone in the caravan park to feed them while we were away.  Our site is relatively secure (escape wise) so the cats could happily exist there while we were gone but who to trust.  Cats are such a polarising pet to own.  People either love them or hate them and it was important to make sure the right person did the job.  A fellow caravan park resident lost their beloved cat about a month ago and put a notice up in the laundry about information regarding its safe return.  Some particularly nasty comments were written on the notice about cats in general which upset the owners so I'm aware that there are some 'cat haters' around.  Thankfully our nearest neighbour Liz volunteered and even though she has a dog, she loves to talk to Pirie and Karki and give them a scratch and a pat when she walks past our site.  We also decided to leave the airconditioner on in the annex for the time we would be away so the cats had somewhere to escape the heat.
In the days leading up to our short holiday, we wondered how we were going to cope in the constant heat especially since we were able to sleep, eat and generally escape into a cool caravan and annex whenever we wanted.  Many people suggested we purchase a 12 volt fan to at least give us air flow in the tent.  I would spend more time outside while Becca was sleeping to acclimatise myself to the permanent sweat fest which awaited us.  By the time we were packing ourselves up to leave, we really weren't overly keen anymore and kept asking ourselves if we needed to prove our metal or whether we were just insane for camping in this retched heat.

Wren campsite at El Questro
Wilderness Park

Erin, Becca and Brindle watching a
cow that wandered through camp

We arrived at El Questro Wilderness Resort around lunchtime and I organised a private campsite on the Pentecost River where there was some water nearby for the girls to cool off in.  Thankfully the girl at the information desk was familiar enough with the sites to suggest a camping area where the water was shallow for swimming.  We looked at several sites and some waterholes, however, looked a bit deep so we ended camping at a site called 'Wren'.  All the private river campsites were named after birds in the region.  Then the fun started.  We hadn't set up the tent since Fraser Island almost 18 months previously and everyone knows that site choice and preparation are all important and genuine divorce creators.  By the time we got out the sundial and determined the solar tracking for the next two days and worked out the shadow percentage for the site, not to mention the approximate trajectory of Mars and Venus, it was time for a break before setting up the tent.  Luckily the girls were off with the dog somewhere poking a snake with a stick or whatever kids do while the parents are erecting a Tah Mahal.  Actually they were working on their tans in the river......another nice shade of pink or red unfortunately.

Ranges surrounding Zebedee Springs

Steve and girls in one of the
Zebedee Spring pools

Everything came together quite nicely and we ended up with a great little abode.  Steve rigged up all the solar powered and battery gear to keep our fridge running and give us lighting at night.  That night however, the stillness and the oppressive heat was very uncomfortable.  After a big chilli cook-off (Oelsner for bbq), we organised a pommy shower for the girls and us as the powdery dirt/bulldust had infiltrated our every pore despite a dip in the river.  Another good reason for camping close to water is the unlimited supply for dishes, hands and body washing.  We had drinking water in plastic 20 litre containers but it was limited so another water source was a bonus.  The girls were on the floor of the tent on top of the swags and Steve and I were on the camp beds.  We placed the 12V fan on a plastic tub at the end of the tent so it would blow over the girls first and hopefully drift our way.  What a horrible night.  None of us got any real sleep.  All of us were up and down at several stages during the night for pee breaks and the dog (who was supposedly asleep outside the tent) was constantly wandering around in the grass and keeping us awake.  I had also forgotten to bring nappies for Becca for night-time so I was half awake keeping tabs on whether she needed a toilet stop or not.  To top it all off, the sun started to rise at 4.30am which had us all up by 5.30am.  The morning was slightly cooler for making breakfast and the long shadows meant the sun wasn't bearing down on us quite yet. 

Zebedee Springs bottom pool

View from Saddleback Lookout
while girls slept

By 7.30 we were heading off in the car to Zebedee Thermal Springs.  This early morning organisation is unheard of in our family.  Now I know you are probably thinking why on earth would we want to visit thermal springs in this heat but believe me it was worth it.  Taking a dip in crystal clear water underneath a forest of palms and pandanus while lavish little waterfalls cascade over your body is a great way to spend a hot morning in the Kimberley, even if the water is warm.  It was actually cooler than the air temperature at the time so was quite tolerable.  We arrived at the springs carpark just after it had opened.  Zebedee Springs is only open to the public from 8am until 12 noon after which private guests staying at the $1600 a night homestead get exclusive access.  It also allows the area to have some 'down-time' so that the place doesn't get overused.  We spent two hours there enjoying the peace and quiet with only a couple of other people joining us.  At one stage Steve took Erin up to one of the top pools higher up the rockface while Becca and I stayed down the bottom.  The girls pottered around, Becca in her floaties and Erin with her goggles sussing out all the fish and critters in the water.  By 10am and with all of us looking completely pruned, we left Zebedee Springs.  Becca and Erin fell asleep in the car on the way back to the campsite so Steve and I took a drive up to a lookout behind the resort so the girls could benefit from some airconditioning while sleeping.  It was quite a steep climb for the 4-wd but the view at the top was great apart from the blow torch winds which greeted us up there.  We even managed to see our campsite from the viewing platform (well only just).

Explosion Gorge

Chamberlain Gorge and River from
Blanco's Lookout

When the girls woke up, we returned to camp for an early lunch before the heat got too intense.  Then we drove around after lunch to Explosion Gorge and Chamberlain Gorge past the beautifully positioned homestead on the river.  The car scrambled over large boulders to get to Explosion Gorge and we were greeted on the way out by a miffed tour guide who informed us that we shouldn't have been down there.  We had seen a 'no entry' sign further up the track but it was placed off to the side of the track and wasn't blocking access.  Oh well...too bad, we did it anyway.  As it was getting later in the afternoon, we decided to go up to Blanco's lookout which overlooked Chamberlain Gorge for a sunset view.  Even though the gorge walls were shadowed, the river shimmered and the surrounding landscape was beautiful and we were the only ones up there.  Perfect!
Once we got home, the girls had another quick dip while I organised dinner but it was still a hot night again.  We did the usual birdbath routine after cleaning up and would have sat around in the evening but the mozzies were ravenous and making it quite uncomfortable.  Only a force field of Rid would have kept them at bay.  We had a good day despite the fact that we hadn't had much sleep the night before.  The girls were even pleasant and did not test our already thin patience.  During the night, I found myself scrounging around half asleep in our clothes bags looking for a sheet to cover us.  The temperature had actually dropped to a point where sleeping was beautiful and we needed covers.  What a difference a day makes.  Apart from the fact that we were all exhausted, the cooler night meant that sleeping was much more pleasant and achievable.

Moonshine Gorge

We had decided to pack up camp the next morning as we had seen most of the attractions in the area but we'd also been told about Home Valley Station further up the road and so thought we should check that out.  On the way out of El Questro we detoured out to Moonshine Gorge.  This place wasn't open to the public when Steve and I had been up here years before so we wanted to have a look.  It was quite a long drive along a two wheeled track but the scenery was great as we followed some ranges.  Our neighbours in the caravan park had given us a brief description of the area including the swimming hole but when we arrived we were very sceptical about the possibility of crocs being in the water.  Yes, the waterhole and backdrop of red hills was magnificent and the managers of the wilderness park obviously thought it was ok to swim in however it didn't feel right to us.  The sandy beach disappeared into the dark water fairly quickly and much of the waterhole was covered with lilies which gave us an eery feeling so we decided not to swim there.  Better to be cautious than have a limb or child go missing.

Inside a Grass Castle at Home Valley
Station

Erin, Becca and Brindle on verandah
of Grass Castle accomodation

Onward we went to Home Valley Station about 60 kilometres up the Gibb River Road.  We only had one night left as Steve had to go back to work and when we arrived, although the campground was beautiful, we couldn't bare setting up again for one night.  We cheated and camped in a cabin for the night as locals get cheaper accommodation rates.  What a cabin it was.  They were called 'grass castles' after the book about the Durack family called 'Kings in Grass Castles'.  There were about 10 cabins all built on the banks of a local creek (way up the bank and away from crocs).  Each cabin had a verandah overlooking the water with double sliding doors leading indoors.  Inside there was a king size bed looking straight out of those double doors with a single bed and daybed lounge.  There was a false dividing wall behind the bed leading into the ensuite which was the full width of the cabin.  There were huge shower heads and elegant vanity sinks with a bar fridge and tea and coffee making facilties.  All other windows in the cabin were timber loovers which could be opened in the cooler months and let breezes flow through the cabin.  It was a surprising bit of luxury on a working cattle station. 

Cockburn Ranges from lookout on
Gibb River Road

A tidal Pentecost River with Cockburn
Ranges in the background.

We had dinner that night in a massive restored shed with polished cobblestone floors and memorabilia from a by-gone era hanging everywhere.  There was even a huge windmill blade suspended from one of the ceilings.  Along with our fantastic meal was country music entertainment which created a great background atmosphere while eating.  We had a buffet breakfast the next morning as well which was included in the price of our cabin.  There were two swimming pools to choose from and so we used them frequently in the afternoon.  We also took a drive up to a lookout at sunset which gave us a magnificent view of the Cockburn Ranges which follow the Gibb River Road for some distance.  After dinner that night, we drove down to the Pentecost River which, unlike at El Questro, is tidal and full of salt water crocodiles.  It's amazing up here how the same river can take on so many different forms in it's journey to the sea.  A river can be crystal clear and fresh water but further downstream it will become tidal with mud, mangroves and big bities.  We shone the car headlights out into the river to see if we could spot any reflective eyes but no such luck.  People were camping down at the river under manmade shelters but there were strict signs insisting people didn't camp beyond a certain point because of the crocs.

Bindaloo Gorge on Home Valley
Station

After the best nights sleep for the whole trip, we explored some of the local waterholes and gorges.  Bindaloo Gorge, in particular, had caught our interest but when we arrived, there was a steep climb down a cliff to reach the water which was too difficult especially for Becca so we decided not to attempt it.  Besides, the heat was again testing us and we were cooking on the exposed rocks anyway.  We stopped at another waterhole on the way home and spotted some 'freshies' but by this stage, the girls didn't want to get out the car because of the heat.  Sometimes you have to really push yourself to get out and explore an area because it is far too easy to stay in the car with the aircon running.  That is not to say that we didn't do that on some occasions but you've got to pick your times and places to do this.
In the end we survived two nights camping during the Kimberley build up season and cheated on the third night but then we have to experience all aspects of accommodation up here.   The choice though is, does one squeeze in around all the tourists when it's cooler or does the idea of being able to pick and choose your time sound more inviting.  I don't really know the answer but it was an interesting experience which didn't kill us but perhaps just made us stronger......who knows. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lake Argyle Weekend

The wet season up here is quiet.  'Quiet' meaning most, if not all, of the tourist destinations and facilities shut down mostly because they are inaccessible during the rainy season.  Those attractions which are still available to visit offer cheaper wet season rates for accommodation and activities.  This is to attract locals to use them and therefore keep the businesses afloat until the tourists flood into the region once again.  Not only are these cheaper rates a bonus for locals, the lack of tourist traffic through the area means locals can have a peaceful break without having to share places with hundreds of others.  It is a strange migration for tourists because personally the wet season is the most fantastic time up here and yet people avoid it in droves.  Yes it is hot during the build up before Christmas and it is hot again now in the lead up to the dry season but those three months in between are truly amazing.

Erin and Becca in Infinity Pool
Lake Argyle

View from Infinity Pool Lake Argyle

Although we left our run a bit late, we recently took advantage of the wet season accommodation rates and headed to Lake Argyle for a weekend break.  Being only 70 kilometres from Kununurra, it isn't a waterbag trip to get there so we organised ourselves to have two nights in a cabin so we could get down there on Friday night after Steve finished work, stay Saturday night and return home on Sunday.  I had also organised to do the sunset boat cruise on Lake Argyle on the Saturday evening.
I don't know why but organising a breakfast/snack box and 3 clothes bags always seems to take forever.  I put myself under the added pressure of making a pasta bake and salad for dinner because I didn't think we'd make it in time for dinner in the restaurant that night.  I rang the resort to let them know that we might arrive after closing time and they said that I should ring the bell out the front when we arrive and someone would come and show us to our cabin.

Homestead Falls on Lake Argyle

Wide open waters of Lake Argyle

Steve was late home (typical when you want to be somewhere) so we chucked everything in the car and headed off.  He'd had to take the dog to the kennels out of town after work and thankfully our neighbour was going to feed the cats for the two nights we were going to be away.  We got 20 kilometres out of town and Becca decided that she needed a pee stop so we pulled up on the roadside.  As the rest of the family was out of the car peeing, I was running my checklist through my head and realised that we had forgotten all the cold stuff like milk, yoghurt and margarine.  When everyone got back in the car, we turned around and headed back into town because it wasn't far.  Lake Argyle resort has limited stocks of basic condiments but we needed the extras.

First swim in Lake Argyle

Butlers Cove - site of first swim

As we got back into the town limits, Steve saw police lights up ahead and pulled to the side of the road and insisted we swap seats.  He'd never asked me to do that before and I'm ranting about what is going on as we are both doing yoga moves with arms and legs between the front seats.  Once in the drivers seat, I'm trying to get my seating and mirror positions right while being hurried to get moving again so it doesn't look suspicious.  Well within 50 metres of us leaving the gravel we were pulled up with flashing lights behind us so we must have looked suspicious.  As the policeman walked up my side of the car, I was praying it wasn't my friends' husband because that would have been really embarrassing.

Erin and Steve feeding catfish

Catfish in Lake Argyle

I was asked why we had pulled up back down the road to which I had no response so Steve came up with a BS story about the girls screaming because their DVD had turned off but this police officer wasn't buying it.  I'm a terrible liar under pressure and need at least 2 days to come up with a reasonable bending of the truth.  Anyway, he then asked why we had swapped seats which he couldn't possibly have seen from where they were but they must know when a car suspiciously pulls up before an RBT.  I had no idea about the 'breatho' station and neither did I care but Steve had obviously been keeping an eye out as we left town and was even more distressed when we came back into town.  He had cracked one tinnie when we left home which didn't bother me but the other two or three he had at work before coming home were the clinchers which I didn't know about until now.
After much stuttering and our looks of guilt, Steve was asked to step out of the vehicle and he and I were questioned separately while Steve was breathalysed.  When they had sufficiently scared the crap out of both of us, they let us go.  Being told that I could be charged with obstructing justice was certainly worth sh##***ing myself over.  It's hard to know whether Steve was over the limit or not and the officers weren't telling but because I was actually in the driver's seat when we were pulled up, they couldn't prove anything.  Anyway it's a known fact that if the police breathalysed everyone in town, there would be no-one driving at all, such is the Kununurra way.

Freshwater Crocodile

Euro on one of the many Lake Argyle
islands

We continued on our way back home to pick up the milk etc and now I was in the drivers seat of the Landrover which I'd barely driven.  As we left town again, I was having to worry about roos, owls and other night time critters on the highway.  One thing for sure though......there was no way Steve was getting back in the driver's seat for the trip to Lake Argyle.  I was suitably miffed about it all that my discomfort at having to drive an unfamiliar vehicle at night on a country Kimberley road was minor compared to the discomfort Steve was going to feel being in the passenger's seat.  By the time we actually got to Lake Argyle resort, I was satisfied that his body language and white knuckles were compensation enough for his indiscretion and that he would remember it for a while.  Nothing like a few floodways with water in them to get his heart racing.
Our cosy little cabin awaited us and had a lovely little verandah with outdoor lounge.  We had a beautiful view of the lake and we were the closest cabin to the infinity pool.  The girls were awake at 6am the next morning because the cabins' curtains didn't completely block out the light.  By 7.30, breakfast had been eaten and cleaned up and we were straight down to the pool.  The infinity pool is beautifully positioned on the edge of a hill so that guests floating in it have the illusion of being in the lake.  It also allows an uninterrupted view of Lake Argyle from your spot in the water.  After an hour, we returned to the cabin for a snack and then went back to the pool again.  What a way to spend a weekend.  Another hour or so later we headed back to the cabin and the girls watched a DVD while I read the local paper on our outdoor lounge.  After lunch, we all had a snooze and then went down to the resort reception area to wait for the boat cruise bus to pick us up.  As we were driven down to the boat boarding jetty, we were amazed at how high the water in the lake had risen since all the wet season rains.  We had driven down to the lake in January and it wasn't nearly as high as it was today.

Sunset

High speed ride on the cruise boat

Once aboard, we all enjoyed a fantastic afternoon and evening of cruising the lake.  Many of the attractions which Steve and I had seen 12 years before (when we were last up here) were still being shown but we also saw a waterfall which was a leftover from the wet season.  We also had the opportunity to swim in the lake on two occasions during our cruise.  Foam swim noodles were supplied and Becca and Erin were super keen to get in the water with me which was great.  Steve was less enthusiastic because he can't swim but he was official photographer on those occasions.  The water was dark as you'd imagine but was like a bath.  It was unbelievable that such a large body of water could be so warm.  There was no cold shock when you dived in.  We saw freshwater crocodiles, (not while we were swimming), fed the catfish and archer fish, and saw rock wallabies and euros which inhabit the islands scattered throughout the lake which were once hilltops.  We were given an incredible insight into the history of the region, especially the Durack family who were the first white people to inhabit the area and the building of the dam which was so interesting.

Erin, Becca and Andrea swimming
at sunset

Lots of people enjoying a sunset
swim at Lake Argyle

Just before sunset we moored at a buoy just offshore somewhere and took another dip while the sun set over the Carr Boyd Ranges.  Beer, wine and champers were handed out along with biccies and dip.  All those in the water didn't miss out with our skipper Mat regularly topping up glasses and floating the dip platter out to us on an upturned esky lid.  Ahh...this is the life!  Mat did quietly mention that we should keep splashing to a minimum because the catfish come around to investigate.   I made sure the girls didn't know about that one. Anyway with the sun well and truly gone and just a hint of colour in the sky, we headed back to the jetty.  The girls were looking at the stars in the sky as they started appearing and the water was flat calm as we skimmed at high speed over the lake in near darkness.  What an awesome afternoon we had.

Biccies and dip anyone!

Swimming in almost darkness

A friendly verandah cane toad

The bus dropped us back at the resort and we dumped our towels etc back at the cabin and then went to the restaurant for dinner.  I had pre-ordered our meals because we were going to arrive back close to the end of service so that ensured we had our meals fairly quickly once we let the staff know that we were back.  The food was fantastic and the girls watched Spiderman on the big screen tv.  Once we got back to our cabin and the girls went to bed, Steve and I sat outside on our deck lounge (along with 8 or so cane toads of varying sizes) and enjoyed the moonrise over the ranges.  Cane toads are funny to watch when you've got time.  They have the longest tongues which are fairly tough because they go thud as they hit their prey which were a variety of insects that were attracted to our outside light.  They are lazy though and spent most of their time waiting for insects to come to them.  Hopping only happens occasionally with them walking like any four legged animal to get around.
The next morning was another early rise although perhaps not quite as early as the previous morning.  Once breakfast was over, I took the girls back to the pool while Steve packed everything up ready for our departure.  At the pool, the girls liked pulling themselves up over the edge of the pool to look over but the 8 foot drop on the other side had me constantly telling them to get down.  A young French couple in the pool were told to get down because the guy was taking raunchy photos (Elle McPherson in Balinese pool style) of his girlfriend perched on the edge.

Spillway overflow creek for
Lake Argyle

Bridge over Spillway Creek

On our way out of Lake Argyle, we stopped at the spillway creek to look at the fast flowing water.  Spillway creek is the overflow waterway for the lake once it reaches peak levels during the wet season.  This spillway prevents pressure being put on the Argyle dam wall which would be disasterous for Kununurra if that burst.  As the region had 'a good wet', there was plenty of water rushing down and gave us an amazing comparison of water levels between dry and wet season.  The creek meets up with the Ord River further down stream and flows into Lake Kununurra and the Lower Ord River under controlled conditions.  Steve drove back to Kununurra (much to his relief) and we all felt relaxed after a great weekend away. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Where there's Smoke

The Hidden Valley ranges hazy
from smoke

It's my one bug bear about living in the top part of Australia.....fire and smoke.  When we first arrived in Ingham, I remember waking up for days to the delightful......NOT.... smell of smoke and a permanent haze in the air for weeks.  This was due to the burning off of the cane by some farmers although I was told that the practice wasn't common anymore or encouraged.  Could have fooled me with the amount of smoke lingering around Ingham in those first weeks.  Now we are in the Top End (WA's anyway), we are again being confronted with a constant smoke haze in the mornings.  It usually clears by the afternoon unless it's particularly bad or the day is still, however, by that night the smoky smell returns.

Note the distinct boundary between
the national park and the caravan park

Mirima National Park fire damage.

A couple of weeks ago, our caravan park was nearly consumed by a fire as we live right on the boundary of Mirima National Park.   We were out on a Sunday drive when the fire took hold and because we came home in the dark, we didn't realize the extent of the fire until I walked Erin to school the next morning.  Erin's teacher had driven past the caravan park during that Sunday and had been concerned for us as the fire had completely surrounded the park.  All trees and vegetation within the national park immediately adjacent to the caravan park were burnt. The neighbouring aboriginal women's community shelter and industrial area was also burnt both within and outside their boundaries.   The main footpath past the caravan park was burnt on either side but had been brought under control by the rural fire service which is who Erin's teacher had seen when she drove past.   
It's hard to put an exact cause or reason for these continual fires and I've asked locals around town and they aren't sure either.  Perhaps I'm asking the wrong people.  I have some theories but nothing really raises it's hand and says "me".  The Top End has two distinct seasons, a wet and a dry, with high humidity in the wet season accompanied by lots of rain.  This makes perfect growing conditions for grasses and I'm not talking your Sir Walter type either.  Grasses up here grow to six feet in height.  Of course they are green and lush in the summer (unlike Adelaide) but in the dry season, these tall grasses dry out and become perfect fire fuel.  My conservation management background has taught me that controlled fire burn offs when temperatures are cooler helps to prevent major wildfires from erupting mainly due to lightning strikes in the storm season.  It is, therefore, logical to expect that the local council or national parks service is doing controlled burnoffs to reduce the potential for out of control fires later on.  These fires seem to be happening at night which is the coolest part of the day and so easier to keep in check and control.  Fires are also easier to see at night.
Unfortunately grass isn't the only fuel around here and it's mainly confined to natural areas.  Hidden Valley Caravan Park is full of trees which drop leaves on a daily basis throughout the park.  It's a full time job for the park staff to continually rake up leaves and they had been disposing of them in the back corner of the park on the national park boundary.  To dispose of them at the local dump would be a daily job and cost a fortune.  I have seen local town residents burning their leaf litter in piles either on the council verge or in incinerator type enclosures in their yards, adding to the smoke haze.  Anyway, Steve saw a letter while in the office recently telling the managers to desist from dumping leaf litter in huge piles as they are thought to have contributed to the fires recently.  It's a catch 22 situation.  One either burns the leaf litter creating more smoke or dumps it leaving potential for uncontrollable fires later on.  Either way there's gonna be smoke.
During the years when Steve and I drove to Darwin in the truck, we would start seeing bushfires around Elliot in the Northern Territory and would continue to see them all the way to Darwin in the dry season.  The aboriginal people were also responsible for starting some of these fires as it is part of their culture.  Unfortunately the risk to life and property is greater these days then it was several hundred years ago.  I did consider the possibility that the local indigenous people in the town were lighting some of the fires.  Some still have campfires in their backyards or community compounds which could send sparks or embers into surrounding bushland areas.
Whatever the reason, an asthmatic would find it very difficult to currently exist in a place like Kununurra.  I'm not asthmatic and I struggle with the smoke in the air.  At night we run the airconditioner because it's quite warm and I've woken up with the caravan smelling of smoke.  That's because the airconditioner draws air in from outside to cool and night-time burnoffs just bring the outside inside.  Persistent coughing and snuffly sinuses don't help either.  Just when you think the burning has stopped, it starts again.  Hopefully in the next few weeks there won't be anymore grasses to burn off and so the smoke haze will fade away until next year.

Backpackers

It's that time of the year in the Top End and the agricultural regions around Kununurra attract backpackers from all over the world.  They come to take advantage of the fantastic weather and the ample work on offer from farms and also in the tourist sector.  Some have excellent language skills and others less so but they all manage to fit into the lifestyle and make the most of the money so that they can continue their travels to other parts of this great country of ours.  They also manage to live, while working, on the most shoestring of accommodation budgets and with very few luxuries.  In saying that, the backpacker always manages to make the most of what's available to make their home.
Almost all backpackers live in the campground at Hidden Valley caravan park and as we are just across the road, we get a bird's eye view of what goes on on a daily basis.  No other caravan park in town allows backpackers because they have a bit of a reputation as being disruptive and roudy however we have not, as yet, experienced any of that.  We have been told by other permanent residents about disturbances created by BP's but thankfully, we must be at the civilized end of the campground.  The social dynamic is made up of couples, groups of guys and groups of girls.  The groups vary in numbers from just two friends travelling together to larger groups.  It sounds like I'm describing a primate colony on a David Attenborough wildlife special.  These groups of BP's tend to keep to themselves but come together at meal times in one of the two camp kitchens available here and catch up on the days activities.
The main countries represented here are Japanese and French with an obvious sprinkle of other European and Asian nationalities.  Young Australians are also in the mix but they are not as prominent as the international BPs.  There was evidently some recent trouble between the French and the Australians, a kind of turf war I was told, which resulted in the French BPs being evicted from the caravan park.  The managers of the park are kept quite busy keeping everyone in check and there have been evictions since we've been here.  The reasons range from disruptive behavior, failure to pay rent and using power when they've paid for a non-powered site.
The exclusive accommodation in which BP's stay are tents, dome tents ranging in size from the two person variety right up to the family tent with several rooms.  Some groups have several two person dome tents in a circle with living space in the middle.  The next necessary item in the BP's arsenal is the tarp.  Tarps are strung up all over the campground usually in any nearby trees with tent poles being the other option for holding them up.  I have even seen tree branches holding up tarps.   These provide more shade than rain protection as the days get quite warm.   I have been told that some BP's stay as long as they can but the first rainstorm usually flushes them out of the area.  For those more upmarket BP's there is the temporary gazebo.  A 3 metre square freestanding structure which also shades a tent .

Tarps are strung up in trees

Note the clever use of a supermarket
trolley

Ok, so now we have the main structure of the house (tent) taken care of which means its time to look at housing accessories.  Despite the fact that we are talking about flimsy, thin, nylon tents, it is remarkable what BP's add to this simple structure.  Rarely are camping tables and chairs included in the furniture range but milk crates with wood planks, fencing wire or pallets on top make great tables.  Chairs are more of the same or just sit on the ground.  However, some tent owners have old lounge chairs, hammocks, computer chairs or dining chairs amongst their possessions.  The camp kitchen provides a number of communal fridges and freezers for the BP's to use but I have seen bar fridges inside tents at several sites.  One site in particular has a chest of drawers and pedestal fans under their tarp with several lounge chairs for entertaining out the back of the tent which overlooks the ranges.  It can look a bit like a third world slum where all ones possessions are under a tarp with no walls although I think the BP's would own more than most refugees.

Lounges are a popular verandah
accessory

This site has a telescope among their
meager possessions!!

My personal favourite - the chest of
drawers and bar fridge

There is usually a ground tarp for placing all sorts of cooking utensils on and the Japanese BP's across the road from us cook in a large pot on a single burner stove.  Most BP's carry their cooking pots and utensils over to the camp kitchen to prepare meals, wash their dishes there and return to their sites with clean equipment ready for the next meal.  The Japanese BP's across from us are quiet and well behaved.  One could say they are disciplined in their behaviour and keep to themselves.  The French BP's tend to gather in large groups, almost mobs, to socialize hence their more roudy behaviour.  This was perfectly demonstrated to me the other day.  An employee from the Kununurra vet practice had come to our van to photograph Derek the snake and Matilda the lizard for next years phone book advertisement.  They wanted to show that the vet deals with animals besides dogs, cats and horses and were looking for other pets to photograph.  I was holding Derek outside the van and talking to the photographer when all of a sudden I was confronted with 10 to 12 French BP's wanting to look and in some cases touch the snake.  There was an Australian girl amongst them who said that this wasn't something they saw in France very often so it was interesting.  I was happy to obligue but was briefly overwhelmed by the mob approaching me to start with.  As a contrast, a lone Japanese BP from across the road approached Steve earlier while he was holding Matilda and asked questions and held her but was unobtrusive and quiet.

Fire twirlers extraordinare.

Sometimes I feel like we are across from a permanent performance of Cirque De Soleil.  The Japanese BP's perform a routine with two metal balls on chains and swing them around themselves without getting clonked on the head.  I don't know how they do it but it's interesting to watch.  Their hands and arms twist and turn to manipulate the balls and keep them moving without touching anything.  It appears to take a great deal of concentration and discipline to achieve this and must take regular practice to keep their skill.  Down at the French quarter, they do a similar performance using sand filled cloth sacks attached to ropes or poles but they go one better by adding the element of fire.  Yes, Steve called us out one night to watch this amazing skilled light show whereby the men twirled and twisted both poles and ropes while they were on fire. 
Several BP's work for the caravan park mostly in the shower block cleaning department.  A friendly French couple called Caroline and Jeremy cleans the toilet blocks amongst other jobs around the park.  Recently they were both asked to clean out an onsite van which had been abandoned by it's tenant.   The inside looked like an episode of world's worst horders to the extent that both of them were dry reaching as they threw all manner of food and other items in the skip parked outside the van.  It was hard to imagine how someone could live that way and in such a confined space.
Transport choices of the BP are interesting.  Many of them are picked up and dropped off by the farms that employ them which is handy for them but during their down time, they find other ways to get around.  Walking is the obvious choice as well as cycling with many BP's having different grades of bicycles in their possession from the flashy sports version to the cycle stuck together with chewing gum and wire.  The variation of vehicles is quite astonishing.  Beat up Troupcarriers which serve as localized buses ferry around friends and aquaintences made in the park.  I've been walking along the main entrance into the caravan park and watched the 4-wd 'Troupie' pull up on it's way in or out and pick up whoever happens to be going somewhere.  Other 4-wds of varying ages are used by the BP but no late model machines.  Early Ford Falcon wagons seem to be the vehicle of choice with the odd early model Subaru or Pajero in the mix.  I was recently asked to help jump start a Pajero by a European BP so I drove over to their site as the jumper leads were waiting and ready to go.   After many thanks, they thought it helpful to give me a tip about fallen leaves under the bonnet blocking the heater vents.  As we are parked under trees with constant leaf fall, I didn't have the heart to tell them that the leaves would be back there tomorrow.  Steve also offered assistance recently because he couldn't bear to listen as the Japanese BP's cranked over the engine to click, click, click, sounds.  Although Steve couldn't fix a flat battery, he created 'white man magic' and had the Japanese BP's oohing and aahing at his ability to get the car started.
I don't think any of the guy BP's own a shirt as they spend all day wandering around without one on.  Lucky them I say......as the weather certainly makes it tempting to walk around half naked.  They make up for it though with some brightly coloured boardies.   The girl BP's all own bikinis no matter what their shape or size.  I only know this as I spend a lot of time at the pool with Erin and Becca.  Not all the girls are built like models and good on them for still wearing bikinis and not being self conscious.  Some of the girls are shapely and I have spied our neighbour nearly walking into a light post as he wandered past the pool area on his way home from work.  When it comes to work however, most are very sensible in their choice of work wear.  I've seen groups of BP's after a hard day picking in the fields returning to the caravan park in head to toe cover.  Water bottles are whatever is on hand, usually an empty juice bottle or some have descent cooler bottles with the taps.
When BP's aren't socializing with others, they are avid readers and game players.  Quite often when we go to the pool, we will see BP's sitting in the shade with their buds in their ears or reading a good book or playing a board game with others.  Two French BP's decided to have a game of checkers by the pool the other afternoon.  Another group play a ball game with silver metal balls about the size of cricket balls which they lob high into the air in order to get close to a smaller ball.  It's a bit like vertical lawn bowls where the balls get tossed up instead of rolled along the ground.   They usually play this game in the dirt somewhere in the campground.
It's good to see the consumption of alcohol continues in the good old Aussie tradition despite the different nationalities.  I have seen camps with scatterings of beer receptacles on most mornings after a good night.  I have noticed that most BP's prefer to drink out of bottles and not cans.  I was in the office one day when a box of French wine turned up in the post.   I was told that some French BP's just won't drink anything but their home brews to the extent where they get it posted from France for them to enjoy.  That's dedication to the home wine industry but perhaps a bit snobbish as Australian wines are world leaders too. 
It has become apparent to me that BP's work hard and play hard as well.  They are very good at relaxing, partying and working.  They don't arrive with much but make the most of what they have and enjoy their down time after working.  The work does fluctuate and so they have to take advantage of time off when it arises as they do get called into work irregularly as the fruit and vegies ripen in the fields.  Although they have a reputation as being roudy and disruptive,  they seem to be hard working especially in Kununurra's hot temperatures and don't ever seem to be bored with plenty of people to associate with and things to do.  Of course this is just my perspective since we arrived but living just across the road from the campground has given me some interesting insights into how these young people live while working in a strange country.  I suppose the main thing to remember is that they are young people experiencing life so they are going to act like young people do.   That last line makes me sound like an old person!