Week 5 – Litchfield National Park to Kununurra…farewell NT, hullo WA.

This week saw us finish our bit up the middle of the country and head over in to the northern part of WA where I find myself sitting in Kununurra where we have spent a couple of days getting ready to leave civilization as we know it (ie coverage for phones and internet) and head in to the Kimberleys proper for the next 15 days.

But first to bring you up to date on the last week…

Litchfield has by far had the best swimming spots .  After a nervous start by both boys in Florence Falls where they were a bit freaked by the falls, the deep water, the rocky bottom and the fish eating the dead skin off my feet we all settled in for one of the days of the trip at Wangi Falls the next day. This was magnificent…two waterfalls cascading over the rock face in to a large pool below.  We swam out to the rockface and clambered up it a couple of metres where there was a little rock pool perched beside one of the falls, room enough just for about 8 people and warm from the sun with its own little waterfall trickling in to it.  It was deep so we held the sides and looked back out across the larger pool below.  Alex and Bronnie swam over and under the bigger waterfall while I took Lachie back to the shallower edge on the other side.

A 1.8km walk up and around the top of the falls gave us views out across Litchfield National Park above the tree canopy and then back down for another swim made for an awesome day.

On our way back to camp we stopped at the Bulley Rockholes, another swimming spot we had run out of time the day before.  This was meant to be a take a look cos we are there stop…an hour later we had swum in each of the 5 rock holes, climbed down the small waterfalls between each rock hole and enjoyed some of the cleanest and freshest water I reckon I have ever been in.

If I compare Kakadu and Litchield…Kakadu was amazing for its floodplains, wildlife and vastness, but you were well and truly a spectator, unable to swim and truly jump in and enjoy the best parts (although in fairness all the 4wd tracks to the falls and gorges were still closed due to the wet season).  Litchfield on the other we got to play and in 30 plus degree temperatures these days were brilliant.  Not sure why the crocs don’t go to Litchfield to cool off, no one could tell us but sshhhh, lets hope they never figure out that across the highway is a whole bunch of tourists swimming that I am sure would provide for a tasty!

From Litchfield to Katherine for a few nights.  Here we did the usual stuff…cruise on Katherine Gorge, bushwalk up to one of the lookouts (all of which was spectacular) but much of Katherine was spent riding the bikes on the bike paths (even if Bronnie and Lachie got lost and rode 5 kms out of town heading back to Darwin) and swimming in the springs down the hill from the back gate of the caravan park. 

The highlight of Katherine though was a morning spent at Top Didge, a cultural experience where we were lucky enough to be the only ones there for the morning.  Manuel, an Aboriginal bloke of  maybe mid to late 40’s was our host for the morning, telling us of stories of his childhood, some of the Aboriginal customs and more sadly how he had 6 children, one had died, two were in foster care after being taken away from him following issues on the drink and the others grown up.  He had been dry for about 4 years now and hoped to get his kids back…a stark reminder to where cultures have not mixed with the best results.  Manuel told us how he loved to pick up fresh roadkill as wallaby was his favourite food and it saved him from hunting, he  showed us how to do the painting style of his people, the Dalabon people.  We each did our own postcard sized paining, through spears (Bronnie got the closest to the cardboard kangaroo) and made fire.  The boys were enthralled and it was great for them to see that life in the big city is not the only type of life there is.

And so we drove to Kununurra on Monday, crossing the WA border.  A town of 6 thousand people, swelling to 20,000 this time of year as tourist season starts and the muster on the weekend featuring Kasey Chambers, Paul Kelly and Black Sorrows (we were a day too late!) starts to fill the caravan parks with people keen to explore the region.

Which is where we are at now.  Bron and Alex in doing the shopping to make sure we have food for the next 15 days, Lachie and I charging all our batteries so we have power for cameras, the fridge etc, water in the water tanks and jerry cans, spare fuel in the other jerry cans (must make sure I don’t get tehm mixed up!) and I think we are just about ready to go.

We head to the Bungle Bungles tomorrow before coming back up to the Gibb River Road.  All things going well we should be in Broome on the 24^th June so until then let the adventure continue….