7 September Port Hedland

Local Band at Barn Hill

Barn Hill Beach

Loving the Broome Speedway

Cable Beach

Luke and Ollie

Camel Riding

Farewell to the Cracknells

Dawn at Cape Leveque


Stories around the campfire at Cape Leveque

Its a very windy but sunny day here in Port Hedland. I think we are getting the taste of the windy west coast. Port Hedland is not likely to make our top 50 places to visit on the trip. Very much a mining town with mining town prices and you can't even use the beach due to crocodiles and sharks playing in the waters.

In Broome we caught up with the Stuart's again and had a fun night out at the next door speedway. As we had great viewing on one of the bends we were able to have dirt and mud showered all over us as the cars went by. The boys thought it was fantastic!
We submitted to the tourist trade and had an afternoon camel ride on cable beach. Christopher and Liam had a famous camel that starred in Australia and was a former racer. Luke's and Mandy's came from Tasmania and the Western Zoo where it was apparantely a leader, WOW...

Broome ended up being costly after we replaced the springs in the trailer and both batteries in the car (after another jump start in the morning) and we weren't particularly sad to leave but we did say our farewells to the Stuarts. From there we headed to the highly recommended Barn Hill Station on the coast. Grey Nomad paradise, but it was fun. There was a beautiful beach and on Sunday night we sat down with the rest of the campsite for a game of bowls, roast dinner accompanied by a couple of local aborigine bands who were really very good and great for a sing along. We met Lindy there, a 65 year old lady who is travelling on her own with her subaru and caravan. We were very impressed with her spirit and hope to meet up with her again.

Last night we were at De Gray's a free river campsite which was very pretty and another favorite haunt of the travelling nomads. The boys enjoyed their bikes and a couple of games of chess which they are really getting into. This morning we have arrived in Port Hedland to find that doing anything mechanical has to be booked 6 weeks in advance, so we will not be sorry to pick up Dad and leave tomorrow heading towards Karijini. As usual the boys don't mind as there is Iced Coffee's, a pool and a place to ride your bikes. Very easily pleased...

More Photos Cape Leveque

Celebrating the completion of the Gibb River Road at Cable Beach

Cape Leveque Beach

Sunset at Cape Leveque

Spear making

Red Hill Primary Grade 1 at Cape Leveque

Johnson Family

Stuart and Cracknells

2 September Back in Broome

Home at Cape Leveque

Camping on the cliff top of the beach

Whales just off shore at Middle Lagoon

School at Middle Lagoon

Christopher catching his first fish

The Hermit Crab Collection

Back in busy old Broome after a week of hot sunny days and swimming in crystal clear waters with whales floating by . Sorry to rub it in people in Southern Australia. We spent 3 nights at Middle Lagoon camped on the cliff top over looking a spectacular bay with good enough snorkelling and fishing to keep us well occupied. The boys had a great time collecting hermit crabs which were there by the hundreds every night. Dinner was caught a couple of nights {mainly by the Cracknell boys) and cooked on the camp fire. Whales and dolphins passed by on a regular basis, it was fabulously quiet and we were sad to say goodbye. We headed further north to Cape Leveque with more beautiful beaches, sunsets, whales, snorkelling and beautiful water. Met up with the Johnston's from Hawthorn and the Stuart's from Flinders which was great and other travellers we had met enroute. The advantage of Cape Leveque was we were sleeping pretty much right on the beach in beach huts which was lots of fun, Cracknells next door and campfires at night. The boys had a day out spear making with a local aborigine, listening to dreamtime stories and learning about the local culture which they really enjoyed, whilst the Mum's had decent coffee and a peaceful day. Another afternoon we went further north to One Arm Point another aboriginal community where we visited the hatchery for local fish, turtles and barramundi. The boys enjoyed patting the turtles, feeding the fish and learning about the other stuff in the ocean. In the ocean Mandy swam daily with a few sharks, mantarays, stingrays, heaps of different fish and a couple of turtles which was great.

We're all chilled out now and back in Broome. We were sad to say goodbye to the Cracknells who we have been travelling with for some time but probably won't see again this trip. Mandy's trying to get her hair back under some sort of control, Liam's replacing the springs in the trailer as the others looked a bit tired, the boy's are enjoying the swimming pool and riding their bikes. This afternoon we're going for a camel ride on the famous cable beach and topping it off with the speed way (quad bike and car racing) this evening with the Stuart's. Since we are camped next door we may as well be there as the noise is unbelievable :)

Tomorrow we start moving down to Port Hedland where we are meeting up with Dad for a journey into the Pilbara. Boys are still doing their spelling tests on Fridays, which is how we know the day of the week. Everyone is travelling well, but it does feel now like we are on the way home. About 5 1/2 weeks to go.

More Kimberly Photos

Bats at Windjana

Crocs at Windjana

Windjana Gorge

Tunnel Creek

Bell Creek Gorge

Water Hole Old Mornington
Canoeing Old Mornington

Boating Manning Gorge

Swimming Barnett River Gorge

Bradshaw Paintings near King Edward

25TH August, Broome and Photos

After the Helicopter Flight

The Falls from the air


Boys at Mitchell River Falls


King Edward River

Emma Gorge El Questro

Pentecost River Flats


Prison Boab Tree

Camping by the King River

Well we have made it to Broome where half of Australia appears to be staying, so we are going to high tail it out of here tomorrow after all the domestics are done. The boys are enjoying the pool and we had a lovely night of fish and chips on cable beach last night. Some travellers even entertained us with some fireworks. We have found the Stuart's, and also some other friends from Melbourne heading in tomorrow. We're all heading north to Cape Leveque which will be loads of fun. Of course, Craig, Louise and Sam are camped next to Jamie and Jimmy Stuart in Broome, such a small world.

Here are some photos of the Gibb River Road.

24 August Gibb River Road Conquered

Hi All, we have conquered the Gibb River Road and are now heading to Broome for some civilisation after 2 ½ weeks of red dusty roads and campsites. We have had a fantastic time and seen some amazing sights and experienced some really beautiful places. From Kununurra we headed north to Wyndham where we met up with the Cracknells again and visited the crocodile farm to learn the difference between Freshwater and Saltwater crocodiles. You really don’t want to meet a Salt Water crocodile which are huge and very nasty. After viewing where the 5 rivers meet we headed down the Karunjie Track, a back road that meets the Gibb River road. After visiting some aboriginal art, we headed to the banks of the King River to bush camp. We soon discovered we were sharing the river with some Salties and the next morning (Luke’s Birthday) we saw a Salty with a Kangaroo in its mouth going upstream. That day we had a beautiful drive next to the Cockburn Mountain Range across the Pentecost River flats, visiting a Prison Boab Tree enroute.
We then arrived at El Questro where we spent 3 nights bush camped by the River. El Questro was a nice surprise with beautiful gorges, hot springs and swimming holes, but being reasonably priced for those wanting to bush camp. Still with the Cracknells we left El Questro visiting Emma Gorge the most beautiful of the waterholes with freezing water before heading to the banks of the Pentecost River to camp. There was a lot of water activity that night and we were told the next day that a 6m crocodile was residing there The following morning, the Cracknells discovered a broken spring on their camper so we headed over the river and went to Home Valley homestead where we ended up staying the night much to the kids delight due to a very nice swimming pool, whilst the Dad’s sorted out the springs back in Kununurra. Alison and I even got to vote as the roaming electoral people happened to be there that afternoon. Next morning all fixed up we headed back down the Gibb River Road, not nearly as notorious as its reputation, although we did go past a number of break downs. We managed about 100km and were just stopping for a break near the next homestead Ellen Brae when the Cracknells discovered another broken spring. Luck has definitely not been on their side, however they were very good at breaking down right next to homesteads. They limped into Ellen Brae where we all spent the night and they arranged to have their camper fixed.
We all decided it was time to part company for a while, so the next day the Kelly/VC gang headed up north on the Kalumburu Road to King Edward River. Again the road, did not live up to expectations in how bad it would be and we made it by lunchtime. This was a very special spot where we ended up spending 4 nights camped just near the King Edward River where we enjoyed swimming(with freshies), boating, attempts at fishing and the boys had a great time tadpoling. On one of the days we went up to the Mitchell Plateau and walked into the Mitchell Falls which were particularly impressive with a lot of water. One of the highlights of the trip to date for all, was taking a helicopter back from the Falls and flying over them back to the car park. The road here was particularly awful and took us 2 hours to get to the plateau 80km’s away. The weather was now really heating up and reaching the high 30’s so the priority for travelling now was to leave early and find swimming holes. After leaving King Edward we came back to the Gibb River Road and spent the night at Barnett River Gorge. The boys enjoyed mucking around in the river where there were shallow water holes, and later in the afternoon we walked further up to find a beautifully deep swimming hole near the edge of the gorge. The next day we headed to Old Mornington via Manning Gorge and guess what another fabulous swimming hole where we swam with a water monitor. Old Mornington (named after the Mornington Peninsula as its founder rode a horse from the Mornington Peninsula to the Kimberly to help with droving) is a wilderness conservation park. It was particularly special as it limits the number of people in there at any particular time so we could visit the gorges and waterholes and most of the time had them entirely to ourselves. The wakeup call front the birds in the mornings was really exceptional and the surrounding scenery and mountain ranges spectacular. The boys enjoyed making bows and arrows there, and we spent a day canoeing down one of the gorges on the Fitzroy river. From Old Mornington we headed to Bell Creek Gorge which was probably the most enjoyable swimming hole we were at with a stunning waterfall. Just as we were leaving who should arrive but the Cracknell’s, a fantastic location for a reunion. We all camped together that night, the Cracknells back with their campervan and the following morning headed to Windjana Gorge. After setting up camp we explored Tunnel Creek where we walked through water in a massive underground cave system for nearly a km. Although we were told there was a croc, we missed him but did come across lots of flyng foxes. The boys all really enjoyed exploring through the massive tunnel in the dark with their torches and finding the fish and frogs in the cold water.
And that brings us to today! This morning we went for a walk along the Windjana Gorge which again was really specy, but I think we are all now at our limit with the gorges. Unfortunately despite the really hot weather this was not the place to swim as we could easily see lots of crocodiles, which despite bein g freshies were a little off putting. We also came across again a massive group of bats which were fascinating to watch. So we have now completed the Gibb River road, which I think is fair to say has been the highlight. We have called into Derby and are now heading to Broome where the boys are particularly excited about staying at a caravan park, I am looking forward not to having to eat pasta or rice for a while and clean sheets and clothes will also be a bonus. We may even wash the car which is still very red in appearance. We have all really enjoyed swimming in the fresh water swimming holes and rivers so it will be interesting to see how we find the sea. Broome is likely to be heaving and we’re lucky to get in. There is a big festival on this weekend which we may stay for before heading to the more secluded beaches up north of Middle Lagoon and Cape Laveque.
We are all travelling well, seem to be experiencing no home sickness, physical sickness and even mentally all seem to be coping well. Homework could maybe be doing a bit better but we’re doing our best. We’re very much looking forward to a break from the dust and dirt but I suspect we won’t be getting much sympathy from anyone reading this Until Broome.... photos to come.

Bungle Bungles

Echdina Chasm - very awe inspiring (goes in for about 300m)

Echidna Chasm
Bungle Bungle Primary

Cannys drop in for a drink

Echidna Chasm

Star Wars in Mini Palm Gorge


Mini Palm Gorge
The Bungles
Beehives at the Bungles
Cathedral Gorge Cracknells and Kelly's
Boys daming the Gorge

Arrived last night in Kununurra after 3 lovely days in the Bungle Bungles. The weather slowly cleared so that we had sunny days their, but not too hot for doing the different walks. We heard that the Tanami was closed the day after we finished it so we were lucky to get across. We met another couple in Halls Creek, Craig and Louise with their boy Sam who joined us for a few nights and also met the Cracknells for our time in the Bungles which was lots of fun. The Bungles were as spectacular as expected, even more so and probably the highlight todate. We did the walks in the mornings and hung around the campsite in the afternoons. The boys all had lots of fun together but it was difficult to get homework done in the Bungle Bungle primary. The Cathedral Gorge, Echnida Chasm and Mini Palm Valley were all stunning. The photos don't do them justice. The walks were relatively easy and despite their being a lot of people it didn't feel crowded when we were wandering around.

At Echnida Chasm, who should we bump into but the Canny's and another couple from Red Hill. Great to see them and catch up on their trip which sounds like they're having lots of fun.

Kununurra is a lovely town, where we get to do lots of washing :) and stock up before heading down the Gibb Rd, now known as the Gibb River Highway. W're camped by the Ord River which is beautiful and may have our first trial of the boat (in croc infested waters). Hoping to head out down the Gibb River with the Cracknells which will be fun. Luke gets to visit a Dr as we suspect he may have Giardia, courtesy of drinking out of some of the water holes...otherwise we all fit and healthy. 9 squares on the blanket!