The next morning I drove the 100 km from Wyndham to Kununarra dodging the large Nickel road trains that transport the ore from the mine in the Kimberley to the Wyndham harbor. The total unit has four wagons filled with more than 40 tons of ore each; a truly daunting sight when it comes thundering towards you. I slowed down every time and pulled off the road. Close to Kununarra  a long bridge fords the Ord river.

I stopped at Kununarra. This is a really pleasant town with lush green vegetation, good roads and services and its own lake, Lake Kununarra. There is much fishing being done as well as boating and water skiing.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Lake+Kununurra,+Kununurra+WA+6743/@-15.808885,128.7047026,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x2c998cab21689ee9:0x52f3228531800e34

Lake Argyle is a further 50 km from Kununarra. I did that in quick time as the road is all bitumen and reached the caravan park in the early afternoon. Lake Argyle has resulted from the damming of the Ord River and was built in the late 1960s. It is more than seven times the size of Sydney harbor up to the Parramatta River. The lake measures something like 45 km by 25 km. This is the largest man-made lake in Australia.

For some interesting links on Lake Argyle, see below.

http://www.lakeargyle.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Argyle

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lake+argyle&biw=1366&bih=639&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CDkQsARqFQoTCNuoqOzt9sgCFYfGpgod8dkBeA&dpr=1#imgrc=cJHCTK8jFCAI3M%3Ak

It is a really great park with tall trees offering shady sites. The park has a horizon pool that is situated on a hill overlooking a section of the lake. I enjoyed walking through the park and admiring the wide variety of caravans parked there; all shapes and sizes from camper trailers to massive off road caravans.

You can see forever

My humble tent in the shade

I decided to do the Lake Argyle cruise, an all day cruise, to get to know the history and engineering feat that created this biggest manmade lake in Australia. I purchased a ticket and lined up for the cruise the next morning at the office. We were taken by bus to the boat launch which is some 4 km away.

Our guide introduced himself and helped us board a large catamaran, the ‘Kimberley Durack’. Once the Ord River had been dammed and the project had been completed the lake was allowed to fill up. This process of rising water levels has created more than a 100 islands. Some of them have Euros living on them. They are marsupials like Kangaroos, only smaller. They occur only in the northern regions of Australia.

Miles of water and islands

A Euro trapped on an island

Many islands are occupied by fresh water crocodiles. The islands look magnificent as the sun sets across the water. Some islands have great looking geology. In one instance the island is bespeckled with small lava pipes that look like a bunch of caves in the hillside. Many trees had Hawks, Falcons and other birds of prey sitting in them.

Crocks (Freshies) are everywhere

Lava pipes

In the evening our guide stopped the boat in 30 foot of water so that we might enjoy the sunset and the braver ones were invited to take a swim in the lake (amongst the Freshies).  The water was pleasantly warm. A beer and snacks were also served. We returned to our camp after sunset having enjoyed a day that most of us would never forget.

The hills light up in ocher in the evening sun

Woodgate beach at sunrise

Canoe, watermelon, just can’t find the darn paddles.

Good work, don’t you think???

We stayed at the Woodgate Beach caravan park, The first impression of the caravan park is of the plants/foliage. It is lush and green with many tropical plants abounding. The park is across the road from the beach and what a beach!

It must be one of the top beaches near a caravan park in this country. The park is dog friendly and that suits us as we travel with our dog Lexie. The owners are relaxed and leave visitors alone. The park is very organized and professional. It has many really attractive and clean cabins. The park is large, but visitors do not sit on top of each other as the sites are spacious.

After a few long walks on the beach we went to the mouth of the Theodelite  River which is just 2km north of Woodgate..  A number of people were fishing, but I did not see anyone catch a fish.T he beaches grow a coastal pine tree that offers shade and protection from the wind. So it is possible to soak up some sun in a quiet spot.

Just to the south of the village there is access to the beach. This is great as the beach is wide and flat with hard sand to drive on most of the time. This allows one to get away from the crowds and have some solitude. Above the high water mark is the Burrum Coast national park so there is no traffic from there. The area is dog friendly and it takes about 10km until one comes to Walkers point and the adjacent Burrum river. It is a tranquil large estuary with the village of Burrum Heads on the opposite side of the river. Tucked away behind the national park, in the estuary, is the sleepy village of Walker’s Point. As one gets out the car the peace just enfolds one… and you relax as you walk along on the sands at low tide.

As for looking after the body beautiful, there is a Hotel that serves a good fare and cold refreshments. I could not resist the hamburger and chips. The hotel includes a bottle shop so there is no excuse for running dry. Down the road is the local Bowls club. They are set up very well with superb greens and a very active membership. The facilities are well maintained and have a great restaurant that serves really great food. Needless to say the bar supports the food offering. We have been there a few times already.

The other day we came back from an excursion and nearly ran into a mob of kangaroos that were lounging around the neighborhood spilling onto the street from the nature strips. All this in the middle of Woodgate. We slowed down and stopped so as not to run over the little ones.

On Monday 13/July the trusty Navara is having its 40k service in Bundaberg;  gee its come around quick!