Week 9 – North of Broome …. Beach Camping and Cape Leveque

We have two nights to fill in before our booking at Kooljamin so decide on a spot of beach camping somewhere up the coast.  Milton, Rowena, Ryan and Ella decided to come as well, which is great because it means we can go where the tourists are not…there are a lot of tourists clogging up the good spots!

But first, a trip to Wyllie Creek Pearl Farm where we hear and see how the pearl is formed, how they are farmed and get to go out on a boat to see the naughty oysters in the creek…these are the ones that haven’t produced good pearls.  The creek is the most astonishing blue, a light blue not like typical sea blue but more like a pretty turquoisy blue...if that makes sense.  And on the bank on the other side of the creek is a saltwater croc…just a gently reminder that they are still about.  The tour itself was great, and perhaps the highlight was damper at morning tea, which not only was yummy but we got the recipe to make some ourselves….the excitement was too much.

Now to a beach camp, some 40kms odd up the cape we find a nice little spot out of the southerly and set up camp, just over the back of the beach beside a creek that has a bit of water in it but due to the low tides has stopped flowing through to the ocean for now.  Ahh the serenity, a fire at night, the wind died down and just us and the sound of the ocean.

Morning arrives and the wind unfortunately has turned in to an Easterly and is blowing straight through the area we are camped.   The toilet tent is sacrificed and pulled down, the tent is tied down to full jerry cans half buried in the sand and the spare tyre out of the car but we are secure and nothing is going to blow us away.

Now what you are about to read will potentially scare you away from beach or bush camping for life.  We have with us two toilets…a proper chemical toilet which we have used in places where the pit toilets are disgusting and there is a disposal point for the waste…and a collapsible toilet seat that we borrowed from Annie and Ron (they had never found a use for it in motels and hotels so it was not a pre loved seat) that you put a bag underneath and then bury your business.  At the beach camp we are using the latter, or at least the rest of the family is.

You see, mid morning rolls around and I can’t wait another two days to get to a proper toilet, so I grab my collapsible seat and shovel and off I head up over the sand dunes and find myself a nice little spot where I can see the ocean, tucked in out of the wind.  All in all turning out to be quite a successful journey when suddenly….splash.  I found out that the collapsible toilet seat is not called that because it folds up but more so because it doesn’t hold nearly 100kgs sitting on it.  Given I was nearly done, I now found myself in a right royal mess…and yes sand does stick!  So after cleaning myself up as best I could and burying everything, I went for my first swim in the Indian Ocean to remove any last souvenirs of my one, and only use of my dear sister in laws and brother in laws collapsible toilet.

Moving on, the wind did die down in the afternoon and we had a little drive up the beach and a swim and a play on the sand.  Milton caught a mudcrab which was pretty cool to see…big too with nippers that I wouldn’t want to play with.   A swim, this time because we wanted to go from a swim, and a roast dinner on the weber followed by another lovely fire in to the wee hours of the morning was a great end to the two nights on the beach, although we did pack up in a howling gale in the morning before driving down the beach and back onto the tracks that would ultimately take us up to Cape Leveque.

Kooljamin was amazing.  We lucked in on a cancellation and turned up to a site that overlooked the beach from the top of the cliffs with the sun setting before us.  It was low tide so we walked down the western beach, up around the point and back down the eastern beach.  At the point you looked back and could see down both beaches, the sun gleaming off the bright red cliff face making for a postcard moment.  Scenically spectacular, with a proper shower and toilet this place was well worth the effort getting up to it. 

Now for the Kooljamin toilet story….a family of three green tree frogs lived in these ones and at night when you went they would appear in the bottom or under the rim of either toilet…was a bit of a lucky dip really.  It made Bron a bit nervous going and Alex was definitely not going to use them if he could avoid them…but they were very cool even if their choice of dwelling was odd (although maybe not for a frog).

Week 8 – Broome

Red, full of dust and not a single thing clean (including us) we came out of the Kimberleys looking forward to a hot shower, a day at the laundry and a morning at the car wash to hopefully get rid of as much red dirt as possible before opening up the tent again.  Only problem was we arrived two days before our accommodation was booked and sadly for us the caravan park couldn’t get us in any earlier.

So a mercy phone call to my cousin Milton and we find ourselves lobbing up and camping for two nights in his new carport…which coincidentally is big enough to fit our camper trailer all folded out, plus a boat and then some room just for fun.  This becomes home for a couple of nights but other than the big tent in the drive, we hardly added to the mayhem given that Milton and his wife Rowena’s extended family seems to have a cast of thousands and all the neighbourhood kids wander in and out.  Alex and Lachie needless to say had a ball meeting two cousins they didn’t know they had, Ryan and Ella, and playing with all the kids.

Mum and Dad were also in Broome, having flown over from Kununurra on their own big trip.  Was great to see them and we had a belated Birthday Dinner at a swanky restaurant overlooking the ocean….except it was cold and windy so we had to close all the windows.  Food was great though and it was good to see them for a couple for days before they flew back to complete their journey.

Milton works at the local aquaculture facility with the tafe so we got to see his latest project, breeding Barramundi.  From little ones barely a centimetre long to big ones half a metre long we saw them all.  We even fed the big ones little fish which as they broke the water taking them out of your hand made quite a splash.  Was pretty cool to see and certainly not what we expected in Broome.

Finally we checked in to our caravan park on Cable Beach for 4 nights.  Sunsets over Cable Beach and another at Gantheaum Point were just amazing.  To see the sun set over the Indian Ocean was quite spellbinding and the orange glow lingered on the horizon long after the sun had gone. 

A camel ride just before sunset (was half price compared to the sunset ride) was a must. The boys loved the camels with Lachie amazed at how high he was when it stood up.  There are actually three companies who do camel rides…a blue one, a red one and a yellow one.  We did the blue one which means we have photos of the other colours…don’t know why, just did!  No matter what colour the camel wears though, half an hour was plenty to have to straddle a camel and with another iconic tourist attraction ticked off I was happy to get back down on the sand

A stroll around Chinatown pretty well completed our time in Broome.  The boys put on their best “pretend to be happy even though I’m bored” faces as we strolled around and looked at the shops and took in the main part of the town.   This part of town was quite quaint, and easy to see a day slip away just wandering around…maybe that’s what they call Broome time.

But time to move on, and lucky for us we have scored a cancellation at Kooljamin up on Cape Leveque in a few days time, so trips to Woolies and Coles and we are all stocked up ready to go another week or two until we hit another town big enough to be written in bold type in the road atlas.

Photos...Kununurra to the end of the Kimberleys

The biggest Boab tree in captivity (not sure what it was running from before it was caught)..in Wyndham.

The boys enjoying an ice cream at Kununurra..this was the day we got ready for the Kimberleys.

The Bungle Bungles at sunset...taken from our walk to Cathedral Gorge.  These domes were everywhere and quite spectacular.

Having crossed the Pentacost River (en route to Home Valley) with the sun setting behind on the Cockburn Ranges.

Next stope Drysdale Station...what you see is what we got...nothing but dry!

Little Mertens Falls on the walk to Mitchell Falls....our first experience of swimming in the crystal clear pools below the Kimberley's many gorges.

The top tier of Mitchell Falls, an 80m drop to the bottom of the 4 tiers but shows the size of it and how close we were to the edge.

We got a "Whocker Whocker" out of Mitchell Falls which Lachie was pretty happy about.  The helicopter had no doors on it so we put Alex in the front where there was a door and Lachie between us to make sure he didn't fall out.

King Edward River...The kids first experience of roasting marshmallows...we went through a whole packet, needless to say they were a hit!

Sunrise at King Edward River...this is where we swam each day in the fresh water.

Manning Falls...the best spot we swam.  The rock ledge we sat on was on the left up behind the falls.

Grevillea Gorge...part of it was a ladder down the gorge wall and then a scramble down the falls themselves.

The steep gorge walls rose straight up from the water below the falls in Grevilla Gorge.

Lunch at Bell Gorge.

Walking in Windjana Gorge...we saw 35 freshwater crocs further up the gorge.

The entrance to Tunnel Creek...I would show you a photo of inside but it would have been a black square!

Alex's Diary - Week 8

Day 50 – Wednesday 20/6/2012 – Bell Gorge Day 2

We woke up and had breaky. I read and then we drove to the gorge. We went to the information board before beginning the walk. It was a relatively quick and easy walk to the falls but was like walking across a dry riverbed. When we got there we walked up the cliff on the left side of the falls. I didn’t really like them, they were a bit like Grevillea (see my diary, day 47). The 4^th  level down the fall was a little jagged but otherwise straight drops. We walked down and had a swim. We had lunch and walked back to the car. We got back and read, had dinner and went to bed.

FACT: Never run on rocky ground.

Day 51 – Thursday 21/6/2012 – Bell Gorge to Windjana Gorge

We woke up and did a fast pack up. We hit the road and had breaky. I read for the rest of the trip and we did a quick set up. We had lunch and got our shoes on. We went to the beginning of the walk and started it. We walked through the rock and went down to the river bank and walked along it. It was clearly unaccessable during the wet as the river would have been bigger. I could see the high water line. The river would have been several feet higher and much wider. We climbed a steep part of sand and went closer to the crocodiles on the riverbank. They were sitting open-mouthed staring at the water and others swimming silently and effortlessly. There were some which turned their heads towards us. There were desserted ones and others in packs or pairs. We went and had a closer look, there tails were very spiky and I could see how they came from dinosours. We moved on and came to the fossils of an extinct animal from sea life, the Nautiloid. We went to the next sand bank crossing and crossed it slowly. We got back on the path and crept along a tree overhanging the water. We walked back having seen 35 crocs. We got back and read. I played cars with Lachie and went to bed.

Day 52 – Friday 22/6/2012 – Windjana Gorge Day 1

We woke up and had breaky. I read and then we repeated the walk we did yesterday. We found the fossil of a Nautiloid again and Dad took photos of us with it in the background. We went to the sandy bank we had seen crocodiles on yesterday. There were none, however, when we looked today. They were obviously somewhere else up the river. On the way back we saw one on the opposite bank. We had brought the binoculars this time so had a look at it close up. The binoculars helped me look but it felt funny wearing them. We went back and drove on to Tunnel Creek on which we went over our roughly 400^th grid! We’ve been over a lot so it wasn’t exciting! We got there and had a bits and pieces lunch. We walked down to the beginning of the tunnel in which the creek ran to give it it’s name, Tunnel Creek. It was an easy and quick walk down to the creek. We weaved our way in to the tunnel through rocks like the creek does.  It was dark inside so we used torches to see where to go. We got into the water and began sinking deeper and deeper as the sand got lower. We turned our torches off in the middle of the tunnel. It was pitch black and a little bit scary so I’m glad we brought a torch. When we went back onto the sand again at a clearing of tunnel it wasn’t exciting and felt yuck because all the sand was in my shoes! I liked getting back onto the water but it was quite rocky underfoot. We picked our way with difficulty as we couldn’t see clearly through the water. We actually went the wrong way through deeper water not up on the sand! We went up through to the end where it was relieving to see the sunshine because it was dark all through the tunnel and it was good to know you’d done half the walk. We went to the rock art and saw it with the butterflys underneath. The rock art was only of a hand meaning something that I didn’t know. The butterflys were what attracted me. We walked back and drove back. We played Frisbee with Lachie, Zea and Connor and had happy hour. We went over to Zea’s bonfire and played 2 hours worth of ‘bump Alex’, ‘get the glow stick’, ‘cars’ and ‘activity books’ in the firelight which the adults sat around. We went to bed.

Day 53 – Saturday 23/6/2012 – Windjana Gorge to Broome

We woke up and had breaky. I played ‘get the glow stick’ and ‘angry birds’ on Zea’s ipad while Mum and Dad packed up. ‘Angry Birds’ was hard and fun. We said bye and departed. We sung a celebration song to get off the Gibb River Road. We drove on to Derby’s wharf and walked along it. It was over murky brown water and we saw fish in it. We drove into the centre of Derby and got a mango smoothie from the CWA (Country Women’s Association) markets. We got a sausage roll from the bakery and pizza roll from IGA. We saw the prison Boab tree where the prisoners slept on their trips to gaol. We drove on to Dad’s cousin, Milton’s, house. We set up and told Grandma and Grandad all about what we did. I went and played cops and robbers with Milton’s son Ryan and Ryan’s friends Seasha, Baxton, and Sheldon. Ryan was fast and found some good hiding spots but cops rounded up robbers soon enough. I became a robber and quickly got caught but escaped when they left. We said goodbye to Seasha, Baxton and Sheldon and I played on my scooter with Ella, Ryan’s sister, and Lachie. I tried jumping on a small hill and succeeded. I skimmed a skimball across the pool. I had a shower and drove to Zander’s in Grandma and Grandad’s hired Hyundai. The restaurant was expensive for its quality and wasn’t the best. I had a garlic pizza bread for entrée and fish and chips for main. Grandma gave Dad his birthday present and card and back we went to bed at 9.30.

Day 54 – Sunday 24/6/2012 – Broome Day 1

We woke up and got dressed. We drove down to the markets and had a nice breaky of hash browns, bacon, sausage and toast that we got in the ‘Ozzi Breaky’ at a stall. We went to the non-food bit and walked around with Grandma and Grandad. Grandma bought a hat as her other one didn’t fit. Lachie wanted a bracelet but Mum refused. I bought an ice-cream from a mean stall owner who forced 2 scoops for an adult and 1 scoop cone for a kid. She didn’t let me have a waffle cone.  We picked up Ryan and Ella from Milton’s and Ryan directed us to his Dad’s work. We got out and walked over to Milton who took us inside the Barramundi lab where they start breeding them and put the small ones. We peered over the tub and saw about 500 fish roughly 3cm long. Milton told us about the breeding and then we saw the slightly bigger ones, 5cm-15 cm. There was a dead fish that’s head had been eaten off by one of the larger ones. We went to the 3^rd tank and saw the 15-35cm Barra. Milton told us that some big Barramundi could not be shifted from their favourite spot, the centre next to the pole. The kids needed a step ladder to see over the top of the massive tank. There were the 35-55cm length. They were very big and I saw the pellets which the Barramundi fed on fall out of the conveyor belt. The fish were quick and we got a splash from the tails when they got it from the surface. We looked into a microscope at the Rodifers living and moving. Even through the microscope they were less than a millimeter long. The food chain went algae, rodifers eat algae, Barramundi eat rodifers. We went into the mud crab lab and looked at them. They were medium size and bright orange and I was surprised that they lived in a pot in the water. We went into a lab leading off that which had 1 tub full of buckets and 2 or 6 Barra each. They were 80cms long and ate small fish! We even got to feed the fish. I threw them some with Lachie, Ryan and Ella and Milton dangled it in to make the fish jump up. It was cool. We looked at Milon’s fish and a Barra eventually gave the fish a yank and gave us a wave of departure, then turned with a splash to go. We went up to the biggest lab where 3 giant tanks stood. We climbed up onto a table to make the fish visible through a flap which Milton unzipped. The fish were up to a metre long and 30cm wide! I got some fish and threw them in the water to see fish streak towards it. Milton again dangled a fish. This time it yanked without breaking the surface. We went to another fish tank in the lab. Milton fed all of them and we went up closer. I had a good position but on the first fish, it made a massive splash and I got the most soaked! We moved to the 3^rd tank and I held one dangling in the water. The fish didn’t seem to want it or were just waiting me out. I got tired and tried the other tank. As opposed to half an hour, half a second it took for one to jump at me. I got freaked out and then we moved onto the sea horses. They weren’t very interesting because they were 5cm long and had nothing to do so I went onto the clownfish. Like the mud crabs, I was surprised to see they had a pot in their tank. Milton said they needed a pot to have their eggs on! These were not fascinating either so I went back. We thanked Milton and dropped Ryan and Ella and me off at their house. Seasha was there so we all threw a skimball around the pool. I had lunch and we skimmed the ball again. I played piggy in the middle and then had dinner. I rode my scooter with Ryan and went to bed.

Day 55 – Monday 25/6/2012 – Broome Day 2

We woke up and got dressed. I got my scooter and rode around the loop Lachie and Ella had shown me. I rode it once and decided to do it reverse. I stacked half way and returned with a bloody knee and pinky, grazed hands and other knee. I got detol on it and ready Harry while Mum and Dad packed up. I finished the 6^th book. I drove up to the caravan park and Mum and Dad set up while Grandma and Grandad took us to Zanders. We had a play on the playground and then had chips with sauce. I enjoyed them and then had a bubblegum flavoured ice-cream. I loved that more and we then went back and I read Harry. I rang Aunty Annie for her birthday. It was nice to hear from a family member which we had been out of contact with for so long. Then we went back to Cable Beach and Zanders. Ryan arrived and flung a skimball at me. We threw them together and then one hit my face so I chased Ryan around trying to get him. I got him cornered on top of a tube and hit him. I watched the sun set beautifully over the horizon featuring orange, red, yellow purple and crimson. I played ‘hit Ryan’ again and then ran back to the tent. We had dinner with Grandad and Grandma and went to bed.

Day 56 – Tuesday 26/6/2012 – Broome Day 3

I woke up at 9 today and had breaky. I played cars and then did my diary. We went to the terminal or airport to say bye to Grandma and Granddad. We met Milton on the way and got to the departure area. I asked Milton some questions and got absorbed in a conversation about pearl divers. Grandma and Grandad’s plane kept getting delayed and they boarded 1 hour and 30 minutes later than meant. I was annoyed that Grandma and Grandad couldn’t go and get comfortable  in their van back at Kunanurra. They got called aboard so we walked outside onto the grass to watch them take off. I saw them fly overhead and disappear. We went to the tourist information centre and asked about what to do in Broome. We came back and had lunch. I did my diary and then had a scooter ride with Lachie. I also found out we are on Salmon Street in the caravan park. We went up to Gantheaume Point to watch the sunset. It was quite spectacular actually featuring green, red, orange, purple, yellow again over the calm blue sea. It almost or did look like a staircase to the sun! We went back, I did maths mentals and went to bed. 

Alex's Diary - Week 7

Day 43 – Wednesday 13/6/2012 – Drysdale Station to King Edward River

We woke up and I had breaky. We packed up the tent and hit the, once again, bumpy road! Dad’s fuel economy was a lot better as well. I read a bit but found it too bumpy to continue. It had a lot of corrugations. We arrived. We set up quickly and had lunch. I read Harry and we went down for a swim in the King Edward River. It had a beautiful scenery of rocks and trees and a river of greenish-blue. We dived in. It was a refreshing temperature and a lovely place to swim. Mum took a long time to get in and wouldn’t have gotten in if she hadn’t slipped! We got out and came back to read.

FACT – Remote places get electricity from big generators. They turn off the generator around 9.00 at night normally which turns the lights off and forces you to go to the bathroom with a torch.

Day 44 – Thursday 14/6/2012 – King Edward River Day 1

We woke up early and drove to Mitchell Falls. It took 2.5 hours. We had breaky in the car. When we arrived which was at 10.00, we booked a helicopter flight back and had a safety briefing. We set off through a sandy track winding its way through the trees. 400-500 metres later it became rocky ground. We went up the top of Little Mertons Falls. It wasn’t a big gush of water, just a trickle. We decided to swim down the bottom. It was a very good idea, even though it was 200 metres off the track. I swam over to a mossy rock and managed to get up the back of it. It was really fun sliding down the rock into the refreshing blue water. We swam through the water to the waterfall. I put my head under the waterfall. It felt lovely. It was very cool and refreshing. It felt like nothing I’ve felt before. We moved on over very rocky ground, to a lookout over Big Merton Falls. We couldn’t swim cos the top one was a sacred Aboriginal site and there were saltwater crocs in the bottom. We moved on over grade 6 rock to the top of Mitchell Falls. It had an outstanding view over a fall falling into a fall, falling into a fall, falling into a, yep you guessed it, another fall falling finally into a pool. We moved onwards over class 8 ground because we couldn’t find the track but could see the river crossing in the distance. There were boulders everywhere. It was like wipeout, if you moved wrongly you would go clattering into the water! We eventually made it and made our way across the river. We went to the helipad and got called on board. I sat in the front next to the pilot. I could see everything around me. I popped my headphones on to talk and receive over the rotor sound. It was really cool. We figure – eighted for a bit over Mitchell Falls and then flew home. We said bye and started the drive home over very bumpy road and arrived back after dark. We had dinner and went to bed.

FACT – Mitchell Falls is the second highest falls in WA. It is 80 metres tall are the size of a 35 story building. King George Falls, an hour flight to the right of Mitchell Falls is the largest.

Day 45 – Friday 15/6/2012 – King Edward River Day 2

We woke up and had breaky. After pancakes for breaky and a morning around the tent we went to the other camp site. We waked for a kilometer or 2 and stopped abruptly at the falls. Me and Dad stuck our feet in the refreshing water. We started walking back and unloaded our stuff. I got in the fast flowing water and held on to a sticking out rock. It was nice seeing all the water gushing past you. It was cool but by the time Mum got in it was positively warm. Mum’s always slow! I floated downstream quite fast while Dad caught me. I got out and lay down on my towel. We started driving back but stopped when we saw a dead tree. Dad chopped it down into firewood sized logs while I hunted for twigs. We got back to our camp ground and got in the river. I swam across with Dad and then with Mum. We got out and read for a bit. Dad started the fire up while Lachie and I searched for suitable poker sticks to roast marshmallows on. Dad still hadn’t had a successful attempt by the time we got back so we watched enthusiastically. We had dinner around the fire and Mum got the packet of marshmallows. I overdid my first one which tasted quite burnt but the ones after that were done perfectly. It was an enthusiastic environment toasting them, however, silent when eating. They tasted gooey and crunchy, but tasted of bubblegum rather than strawberry and vanilla. We went to bed.

FACT – Never swim close to the top of a waterfall as it is fast flowing water.

Day 46 – Saturday 16/6/2012 – King Edward River to Hann River

We woke up and did the longest packup yet. I swam across the river again and we set off. Some 3 hours later we arrived at Drysdale for lunch. We had a Kimberly burger each. It consisted of cheese, pineapple, beef patty, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, beetroot and sauce. We also shared a bowl of chips. It was nice but I’ve had a lot better. We drove on and arrived at Hann River. We went up to ask some campers where to camp and they turned out to be Ruby and Kayle from Uluru. (see my diary day 14) I set up the tent with Dad while Mum and Lachie saw Ruby and Kayle. I waded through the river to reach them. We went back, had dinner and went to bed. There were also no facilities so we had to wash hands in a bucket and go to the toilet in natures biggest bathroom.

FACT – Don’t walk in rivers with thongs on as they will float away.

Day 47 – Sunday 17/6/2012 – Hann River to Charnley Station

We woke up and had a quick pack up. We drove to Manning Gorge and got our shoes on. We began the sandy walking trail and passed the foam eski river crossing. We walked on to a suitable, broken-down stretch of river to rock hop over and took our shoes off. We got over the first bit but the second had fast flowing water. We made it and proceeded to the 3^rd. It was quite muddy, and we got our feet soaked stepping on submerged rocks. Dad got us to put our shoes back on, as there ‘apparently’ was no more water. However the unlikely event happened, I slipped on the teeniest it of water! I got up, soaked to the skin and kept going. It was meant to be a 2 hour walk, but turned out to be a 2 hour walk + a 2 hour rock hop! We trecked onwards, coming to the rocky path marked by white dots and arrows a kilometer or 2 later. It must have been quite natural as the rocks were continually sticking up from the smooth path. I went a bit off the track and found a small cave. We sat down and had a mandarin. We kept going and came to a rocky hill and proceeded with extreme caution.  It took a lot of careful footwork in places and was not easy ground to cover. I made it to the top of the 4^th hill and got a first glimpse of the gorge.  I trecked down an extremely steep part and got onto a sandy bank of the gorge. It had beautiful greeny-blue water looking too inviting to resist, a chamber of water filtered by the pool below Manning Falls, a pool, sparkling blue water below Manning Falls and Manning Falls itself, a giant gush of water coming down a jagged rock face hiding an accessible cave behind it. This mix at the one spot was extrodinary and, as I said, quite had to resist! I managed to restrain myself till we got our rashies on and stuff down, but then I dived in. I butterflied over to the rocky ledge sticking out of the water. I clambered up the slope after Mum. I then dived through the water and breastroked over to the crystal clear waterfall plummeting down. It certainly did plummet on our heads as we went down under it! It didn’t hurt though, it actually felt lovely. We all got through it and found a little ledge next to a tiny trickle of water. We each put our head and shoulders under in turn. It felt like a mix of rough shoulder massages and a tap on the back. I dived through the pitter patter of waterfall and swam through the lovely refreshing water, back on to the rocky shore and clambered up to my towel to have lunch. We dived back in without Lachie as he wanted to stay out in the bright sunshine. I swam straight over and under this time and perched myself under the trickle of water. I also swam up to a heavier part of the falls. It was against a fairly strong current so it was a difficult swim. We dived out into the open. Me and Mum watched Dad pretend to shower. It looked quite ugly actually. We swam back over to the bank, packed up our stuff and set off again. It was a much quicker journey back, stopping only at the cave for a lollie. We also did a 2 hour walk + 15 minute eski river crossing as opposed to 2 hours of walking and 2 hours of rock hopping! There were hard foam lidless crates to stick all your cargo in and transport it across dry. I crossed pulling Lachie who was hanging onto the back of an eski carrying his water bottle only. At last we made it to the sandy banks of the river. We trecked across to the car and got in. We drove to Galvin Gorge and did the 1km walk in to them. We didn’t swim, just looked. It was not very pretty, just a small fall into a big pool. I didn’t think much of it. We walked back and drove to the turn-off from the Gibb River Road. Mum opened the gate around which 50 cows stood.  I opened the next gate and Mum the third. Before we to got to the 4^th and final gate Lachie had a coughing fit and vomited aver the stable table. We cleaned it up, set up the tent, showered, had dinner and went to bed.  We celebrated 10,000 kms on this trip. A cow ran in front of us for the last km. Not Mooooooooo… Moooovvvvveee.

FACT: According to Mum, kids who suffer dust allergies don’t do well in 5cm thick dust. I thoroughly agree.

Day 48 – Monday 18/6/2012 – Charnley Station Day 1

We woke up and had breaky. A lazy morning round the tent brought us to a drive to Grevillea Gorge. We walked for 200m over extremely rocky ground to the 15 rung ladder. Mum descended 1^st with the stuff and then took photos of us coming down the ladder. A tricky climb down the rocks and a lot of jumping needed, gave us sight of the gorge. It was very much like Galvins, not too interesting. It did have a small waterfall though it wasn’t very interesting. We did walk over it to the rocky ledge on the cliff face. We got in the greenish water and swam around a bit. As expected, Mum took a long time to get in. We had lunch and I wrapped Lachie up in a towel totally before moving back. We made it up the waterfall and the ladder to walk back. We drove to Donkey Kong Springs and had a swim. We drove home and had dinner around the fire. We went to bed.

FACT: Male peacocks have tail feathers which are blue to attract ladies.

Day 49 – Tuesday 19/6/2012 – Charnley Station to Bell Gorge

We woke up and waited till Dad got back from the bathroom to sing “Happy Birthday” the moment he zipped up the tent. We got up on his bed and had cuddles. We gave him a packet of roadies biscuits, a foot balm, a hand balm, a pumice stone to rub all the dead skin off his feet and heels, and a foot file for his presents. We gave him his card and had breaky. Mum cooked pancakes and then we packed up. We hit the road and opened gates. The cows mooed their goodbyes as we headed off. The crazy calf from the way in ran 500 m with us on the way out! After 2 hours of driving we arrived at Bell Gorge. We quickly set up and had lunch. We all played dog wrestles and then me and Dad read while Mum made cakes. It was different to home and the butter got melted over the fire.  Mum stuck M&Ms on them and then we had dinner. We went and had the yummy cakes and went to bed.

FACT: It’s manners when you’re on someone else’s property to leave gates the way you find them. If they’re open leave them open, if they’re closed, shut them behind you.