It was another glorious day when we set out to explore the hinterland of the Rainbow Beach and Noosa areas. We turned south from the Gympie road toward Kin Kin. The road is in good condition with bitumen through the fertile valleys and gravel through the rolling hills. Rain forests adorn the hills and market gardeners are active in the valleys.

Rolling Hills

Gravel road mountain pass

Long road

Farm house in the green valley

We came across a quiet little valley where the forest had been cleared and a rest area had been developed. We walked into the rainforest for a few hundred meters along a track and took some pictures of the tree canopy. It felt like another world.

Rest area in them thar hills

Inside the rain forrest

Filtered light under the green canopy

We eventually came across Kin Kin which turned out to be a charming little old village where one could sense the history of the area.  This history started with timber cutting and eventually moved on to dairy and small produce farming.  A coffee and some cake later we continued through this historically rich area on to Pomona. Behind Pomona a ‘Volcanic Plug’ overlooks the town. Volcanic plugs were formed by volcanic events some 5 million years ago. They are literally ‘Magma pimples’ that have been squeezed onto the earth’s surface by pressure increases pushing on cooling lava.

For more information visit the following sites:

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

http://www.inkinkin.net/

http://www.noosacountrydrive.com.au/country-drive-villages/kin-kin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomona,_Queensland

The ‘Country Life’ hotel at Kin Kin

Churches to be found at every place

The General store

A galery of historical pictures at the General Store

The Art school at Kin Kin

The products of the Art school (insect)

Along the way we drove through several other villages on our way home. We returned late in the day to our caravan park.

The plasma plug overlooking Pomona

…and the Locals are very friendly.

My son came up from Brisbane for a few days. The weather was just too good to not take advantage of.  We decided to have a late lunch at the Marina. After an enjoyable time we   sort of slipped into going for a sunset cruise. That was the best decision we made that day.

The Marina

No 3 son

As we approached the harbor we were once again impressed by the panorama in front of us.  The boat was spacious and allowed everybody plenty of room to spread out in.  Tin Can looks great from the bay/sea. There are boats aplenty that are moored in the channel.  All in all, the Fraser coast is a place we will visit again in the next few years.

By the time we got back the sun was creeping below  the horizon.

Tin Can Bay harbor and Sea Rescue

Pontoon

Tin Can Bay from the channel

Men’s secret business

The ‘old’ man

Sun / Sea magic

The Bay

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

El Questro is a very large property on which there are many spectacular spots that tourists visit. I did not have time to take in all of them. I will cover those that I had a look at.

The next morning I continued north along the Gibb River road. There were a number of Jump Ups to be negotiated. These are climbs to the top of mountain ranges many of which seem to run east to west. The final one offered a splendid view across the next valley. One could see right across the next valley to the upper reaches of Cambridge Gulf and the town of Wyndham. This town is a Nickle ore export harbor. I could also see a number of major rivers emptying into the Gulf.

View across Cambridge Gulf to Wyndham

A while later I reached the turnoff to El Questro.  Another good many kilometers I reached the grounds of this tourist resort and was impressed by how well developed it was. Great caravan and camping facilities. The general visitor area is impressive as well. The general visitor cannot get to the upmarket facilities.

After a while I carried on touring and went on to El Questro Gorge and to Zebedee Springs.Both destinations are spectacular. As I entered these gorges I could feel the air becoming warmer and more humid. It was like stepping into the sub-tropics. Palms replaced the normal vegetation and the water in the streams became clearer and warmer. Both these gorges were similar in the type of rock and vegetation. It was close to two km up the gorge to get to the spring. Many people were doing the same thing. The water at the spring came bubbling out of the rocks and measured 32 degrees Centigrade. The natural rock formations have created a number of pools where tourists enjoy a natural spa bath.

El Questro tour bus crossing the Pentecost River

Clear water

Start of Zebedee Springs gorge

Tropical climate, palms and stream with deep pools

The water comes out the ground at 32C.

Nothing like a swim!

On the return trip I had to negotiate the Pentecost River once more. That got the adrenaline going as the water was touching the top of the bonnet and I did not have a snorkel on my Patrol. I was aware that if the vehicle stopped I would have to wade through chest high water that was the home to many crocks.

Pentecost River, wider than 50 meters

Somewhere in there Crocks are lurking

Just across the Gibb river road is the turn off for Emma Gorge. This place is sensational. After walking half an hour up a hot canyon I reached this great pool that has a river trickling down an escarpment. The icy water is very refreshing and most people have a swim before heading back.

Canyon walls closing in

Petrified river bed; see the ripples on what was sand once

Yours truly having a swim

I returned to the Gibb River road and completed the last section to the Kununurra – Wyndham road. I decided to spend the night at the Wyndham caravan park which offers shady sites and clean facilities. Wyndham is located on the Cambridge Gulf. It has a large Nickle ore loading facility.

Wyndham ore loading facility.

Cambridge Gulf

 Fitzroy River

It was time to leave  Broome and say goodbye to my friends. The next morning, after a coffee I hit the road north into the Kimberley. Rugged country, tough country that is what I was expecting. Beautiful and stunning country that is what I got.

Some 140 km north of Broome there is a turn off that leads to the lower reaches of the Fitzroy River. There are no signs at the turnoff except for the Boab trees (baobab in Africa). The road quickly turns into a track that goes on forever.  Eventually one reaches the banks of the river. It is wide, especially at high tide. You can see the course of the river for a few kilometers. There are a good few tents and caravans camped in the bush on the banks of the river as the insiders know that this is a killer Barramundi spot. The place is littered with massive Boab trees and it is dead quiet here; very relaxing. There are heaps of big crocks in the river as well. Luckily the bank along the river is very high.

The land is privately owned/leased and there are many mobs of Brahman cattle running around so you have to be careful on the tracks as the Brahmans loom over your vehicle and do not always get out of the way.

Fitzroy river

The tracks follow the river bank for miles. I did carry on towards the mouth of the river and eventually found a great camping spot under some trees where I could set up my camp and roll out my swag. Conditions were perfect for open air camping. Had a look around the general area and as the pics will show, the river banks alternated with grassy areas and treed sections where one could find shade and shelter…and ants and other surprises. Read on.

Home sweet home (:-))

I walked around and found a few fishing spots. Finding firewood was a bit harder as it was late in the season and much wood had been harvested already. I made a fire, cooked some food and turned in. I was getting comfortable in the dark but it was very humid so I stuck my one leg out from under the sheet. I was just falling asleep when I heard and felt that ‘plop’ as something wet and cold attached itself to my leg that was resting in the fresh air. It felt like something slimy had sucked it self onto my leg. Not one to panic I Reached out for the torch (I never sleep in the bush without a bright torch and heavy stick next to  my bed). As the light switched on I saw the two eyes of a green Australian frog look at me from my leg; see pic. He left me and continued hopping around the camp for the rest of the night. Talk about strange sleeping partners.

My sleeping mate!

Several hours later I was woken up by the snorting and hoof thumping of a mob of Brahman cattle. Turns out I had set up camp on the trail for their nightly migration along the river bank. They were about to walk over me when the camp smell and the car spooked them. Once again my torch saved me. I switched on the bright light in the middle of the night and that shocked them and spooked them. They turned and fled as one.

I got up early and did some exploring and fishing for the mighty Barra. After losing most of my lures I eventually caught a decent size Barry on a crappy old lure I had purchased at Kmart for less than $4 some years ago. I apologise for the bad pic, but just to make sure I did catch & land one Barra.

I need to explain that I ate very well as I have a 40ltr car fridge that allows me to carry milk and meat etc for days without spoiling. The fish was tied to a tree branch with some rope and within an hour the ants had found it and had navigated to the fish via tree n\and rope, I had to wash them all off and store the fish in the fridge.

After another brilliant evening in the bush I departed early the next morning. I planned to get back to the main road to Derby and head for the Gibb River road. This iconic outback road heads north a few kilometers outside Derby.

One of the defining mountain ranges of Central Australia are the MacDonnell ranges. They run east to west for 644 kilometers with the town of Alice Springs almost in the middle. Along that range of mountains are many places worth visiting. One could spend 2 weeks exploring places of interest in these mountains. However I chose to visit Standley Chasm in the West MacDonnells as it is truly magnificent.

The website below says of this place: ‘The narrow chasm is truly spectacular. At lunch time, when the sun is right above it, the steep walls light up in orange and the bottom of the chasm fills up with tourists.’.

Please view these 2 websites for a few more details of this major tourist attraction.

http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/west-macdonnell-ranges.html

http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/east-macdonnell-ranges.html

After a good night’s rest in Alice I took off for Standley Chasm which is 50km west. I travelled along Namatjira drive which is named after the famous Aboriginal painter Albert Namatjira. The website tells me that the highest point in the ranges is over 1500 meters above sea level. The turn off is a distance from the actual hills that house the Chasm. The site contains a shop that provides food and beverage for the weary traveler. Don’t forget that this is Central Australia and it does get very hot here.

There is a path that leads into the Chasm. What struck me most is the diverse flora and foliage on the hillside leading into the Chasm. Many trees with amazing shapes and many coloured trunks are to be seen. Speckled amongst those are ferns, palm like plants with pale palm leaves and diverse shrubs. You can probably tell by now that I am no botanist, but I enjoyed the diversity of the plant life on display.

The hills on both sides narrowed into a gorge of sheer rock devoid of plant life. The walls rise up straight as the gap wound its way through the mountain. Often it seemed that the two sides of the chasm were reciprocal; that is to say they mirrored each other and could have fitted into one another.

It was glorious. I took many snaps, some of which I am sharing here. After that I wound my way back and had a cup of tea. On the way back to Alice I once again took in the splendid West MacDonnell Ranges. Day 5 was to take me north west of Alice onto the Tanami track.

Time at James Price Point (JPP)

My good mate Watto and I decided to spend a day visiting this spectacular destination on the Dampier peninsula. We got away fairly early and turned onto the road to the Dampier peninsula and JPP. When we left the bitumen and rode onto the red dirt the immediate impact was sensory. The color of the sky and the landscape changed and became more vivid. One also noticed immediately that the bush was dry. Much of West Australia is enduring a prolonged dry spell.

James Price Point shot to prominence when Woodside Petroleum wanted to level hundreds of acres here to build a harbor and gas refinery. It caused an international outcry and many hundreds of people involved themselves to either protest, camp and obstruct at the site, lobby politicians or collect signatures to send to their local members of Parliament. Even Sea Shepherd was  involved.

As you can see from the pics this place has stunning colors, has a thriving marine life and is close to the breeding ground of Southern Right Whales. At the southern end of this area turtles emerge during winter to lay their eggs on the beach at night, see pic.  Beautiful reefs exist just 50 meters from the beach where a multitude of shells live. I have seen massive clams, textile cones and many cowries when I dived there 2 years ago.

And this is the area that politics and business were happy to sacrifice for profit when there are alternate options available!!!

On this visit, my third, there are  signs still standing, maintained by dedicated protesters / campers who come here year after year to relax, soak in the natural beauty and just chill. I am sure they keep an eye on things too.

As this was my first visit in two years it was interesting to see the changes from the heyday of the protests. The major camp at the turnoff to JPP had totally disappeared. The smaller camp 2km from the coast had fallen into neglect. It had been used by campers during the winter season but was empty now. Campers fill this area during the winter months year after year. At JPP itself a few campers remained. By end of September it is getting quite hot already and the winter campers, who came to enjoy the benign weather, had gone back south over the last month.

We saw a Fish Eagle sitting in the tree and it was in no way concerned by us. The aboriginal elder / spokesperson (Janet) was no longer at JPP. She had left the place months earlier to return to Broome to live with family. I have included pics of the great spot she had used for years. Only a broken down panel van remains.

Our friend Dave still remains. He has been coming here for 9 years I think. He still rates this as one of the top spots in this area. See pics of his camp. He is known for finding dinosaur footprints amongst the rocks at low tide. There are some really good fishing spots in this area. Dave manages to catch a feed quite often.

We drove north along the coast on the gravel road to explore more of JPP. Pics of some of the stunning coastline below. At low tide many reefs emerge from the water and reveal great fishing spots. There is vehicle access to a great beach which leads to the next rocky point 9 km up north.

Also see this link:   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=144528419227958&set=ms.c.eJw9ybkRACAMA7CNOOw43%7E%3B6LUQQodYLkLJlXK2gL1%7E%3BQAez%7E_zyWzP73k8Y74OgNsQCw%7E-%7E-.bps.a.105255276488606.1073741827.100010124012478&type=3

Unfortunately I had to head back home after two more days. It was great to catch up, catch some fish and recharge my batteries.

By then it is pretty warm up here. We had 36 C most days but a cool breeze drops the temp by a bit at night. Pic below is at the turnoff to the Dampier peninsula and Cape Leveque.

I made a bean and beef curry the other night that went down with the  housies. Last night I made a massive fresh salad and we all had some chunky T-bone steaks and/or Rump steaks. Looks like we struggled to finish the meal. We had ice cream after; yum.

In the footy finals the wrong team won. Thankfully there is always next year.

Went fishing with my friends at Broome Port on the long jetty that services the port. The Broome tidal variance is up to 10 meters, so there is substantial depth at the right times. We caught some Queen fish. They came through for a time and we managed to hook a few. Back at home Jacko managed to convert the fillets into some beautiful sashimi (hope spelling is ok). This was enjoyed by all of us the next evening.

There is some big stuff swimming around the pier. We saw a massive shark jump out the water twice. It must have been 3meters +. There are some very big groupers at the jetty as well. They grab your fish if you don’t reel them in fast enough. The largest one is said to be the size of a VW Beetle.

Yesterday morning we did a spot of fishing on Cable Beach at low tide. It was very quiet, but I managed to reel in a massive stingray. It had green dots on its wings. We released it before we thought of pics. So sorry.   Back here in Broome it is beautiful to see the Boab trees that are grown on nature strips and in gardens.

I rode to the Cable Beach Club Resort to have a look at their accommodation options. I had been asked by good friends to find out more about the level of luxury and price for their premier accommodation. This resort is known as the best and most luxurious facility in Broome. I was not disappointed and walked away very impressed with their offerings. I thought I’d share some pics of the Suite here:

The Villas here

One of the four restaurants here.

I have had a lovely flight to Broome soaring above the clouds (check pic). There is an area south of Broome where the dunes in the landscape below look like a milky color sea. The dunes below look like the swells on the sea. I tried to take pictures, but they did not come out at all. After an uneventful flight we landed at Broome.  My mate Jacko picked me up at the airport and got me settled in at his house.

It’s good to be visiting the guys again. I said hello to the dogs and the bar fridge, haha!

Once I had unpacked things we went to Cable Beach Club for a sundowner and some pizza. It is a truly spectacular sight to watch the sun set over the ocean. The sun seems to float down to the horizon and then appears to stop, hesitate and then slip below the horizon leaving behind an afterglow that slowly fades through shades of pink until darkness. All of this against a backdrop of Palms and Frangipani trees; Wonderful!

When we got back home again we had a yarn about the old times, caught up with the other roomies and had a good few games of darts (compulsory).

The next morning I walked around Broome town, past the pearl shops and through China Town. Around the back is a jetty that leads into the mangroves and is used by anglers that are feeling lucky. It is known as ‘Streeter’s jetty’ and was used by the pearl luggers of years gone by to unload their pearls and pearl shells before they re-provisioned and headed back out to sea. This part of town is in line with the approach to the runway of Broome airport. So the jets come screaming across the rooftops of China town with bellies nearly scraping the ground. It is quite a sight!

I really liked the efforts by the shire to preserve local history. Statues have been erected honoring founding citizens of the pearl industry. One statue is of a diver in diving gear.

We sat on Broome beach and enjoyed a salad sandwich each and drank some bottle water.

Gantheaume Point

This morning it was low tide at 6:30am. I had wanted to go to Ganth point as it is known for the dinosaur fossil footprints that are  visible at the spring low tide. I had never seen them before. The tracks were laid down by dinosaurs more than 130 million years ago when they walked across the mud flats of that time. Whilst I looked at the tracks I got this feeling of vertigo, realizing that I had fallen into a time warp that took me to events of at least 130 million years ago; goosebump stuff. (see link and  pics below)  Look at the colors.

https://www.google.com.au/?gws_rd=ssl#q=broome+gantheaume+point

A side note is that there are numerous dinosaur prints at James Price Point some 50km up the coast. I have included pics from a previous trip.

Anastasia’s Pool

A special feature at Gantheaume Point is Anastasias Pool.

In Broome, see Anastasia’s Pool, a natural rock pool which is part of the history of the town and tells a touching story.

The pool was modified by a former lighthouse keeper, to make it easy for his wife, Anastasia, to access.

Anastasia suffered badly from arthritis and found relief in the warm water of the Indian Ocean which filled the pool at high tide.

Anastasia’s Pool is on the north side of Gantheaume Point which is well worth a visit for its dinosaur footprints.

Thought to be 130 million years old, the footprints can be seen at very low tides.

You can find out the times of the tides by contacting the Broome Visitor Centre.

For pics see link below.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=broome+anastasia%27s+pool&biw=1366&bih=639&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEAQsARqFQoTCLuT04uo_scCFaNdpgodrHUHSA&dpr=1

Inconvenient, bothersome and unhappy were some of the thoughts we had. I pulled off the road and changed the tire. Drove to a tire place and was informed that the tire had started separating, inner layer from outside casing. So a new tire was needed. Ok, $100 later I had another new tire. I also lost more than an hour on the trip.

Would you believe it, 10 km from our destination Dawn heard a bang and just saw smoke when she looked out the window. The spare tire that we used to replace the bad one with, had also exploded and was smoking as I drove. Pulled off the road again and put the new tire on. Just as well we had it fixed. So to-morrow morning early I will have to buy a new tire before we continue our trip. Another $100.  I can hear the gods laughing as I write this.

There is an interesting tree at the caravan park. I have seen a few of these along the way in Queensland. To me the trunk looks like the boab tree like one sees in the Kimberleys WA. However, the foliage looks very different. I have searched on the internet to find out that this tree is called the Queensland Bottle Tree. See pic attached. It really is a beautiful tree

The Qld bush along the way sports many trees > I was expecting the countryside to be very much drier and sparser. I have pics of some great vistas. The countryside here in NSW is just splendid. It is green and stunning where it was very dry when we went through here 10 weeks ago.

The road along the Newell Highway is very busy (as expected). There are hundreds of big rigs heading up and down. They varied in size up to the road trains that were up to 4 trailers long. The Newell is a major arterial way that connects the big centers of south eastern  Australia. Some other big haulers had massive loads that took up the whole width of the bitumen. They were preceded by police patrols that forced all else off the road.  See pic.