FISHY DAYS AT FANTASTIC COBOURG

The stars aligned and the Hills, Joyces and ourselves came together in Kakadu. We spent 2 days playing around and sight-seeing which included lots of crocs on the Yellow Waters Billabong tour.
For a while it looked like the stars were no longer aligned as the hills trailer axel came away from the trailer! With everyone helping we managed to repair it on the road and keep going. The stars re-aligned and the fish were on. We did a charter fishing day where we filled the fridges with beautiful eating fish like Golden Snapper and Esturine cod. We also got a lot of tips on where to go ourselves.
The next few days were filled with fish and mud crabs. The fish included Mackrell, Baraccuda, Mangrove Jack, Barrumundi, Giant Trevally, Flat head and Long Tom.

We had a fantastic time at Cobourg and it was one of the few places we have been that was really isolated with very few other people. Even the drives up and down were interesting. On the way up we stopped at a creek crossing and saw an amazing collection of birds like Jabiru, Brolgas, Darters and more. As well as 2 File snakes. On the way back we passed a wild water buffalo. I think we will be back one day with our own boat.

Finlay

 

Kakadu Art

Kakadu Croc

 

 

All Aboard for the Fishing Charter

 

 

Pete's Big Golden Snapper- Yum

 

Observation Point near Victoria Settlement where one man was stationed for 11 years to watch for invading French and Dutchmen!!

The Ill-fated Victoria Settlement

Mackrell and Baraccuda

Mangrove Jack in Caiman Creek

Cobourg Jetty

 

 

BUNGLE BUNGLES

After some serious washing and food shopping in Kununurra we headed for the Bungles Bungles. Some parts really do look like beehives. The place was amazing, very striking. I went on my first helicopter flight which let us see all of the Bungles and it was spectacular- lots of fun in the chopper too! On the ground we hiked 12km up Piccanini Creek and into the gorge and then camped at the most unreal spot next to a waterhole and huge rock wall. We also liked Echidna and Cathedral gorges.
Then we headed down to Wolfe Creek Crater- where a meteorite hit the ground 300 000 years ago. It was massive and I’m glad I wasn’t there when it happened. That was our last night with the Goldricks as they headed for Alice Springs and we went north-east on the Buntine Highway. On the first afternoon we saw a King Brown that was over 2 meters long. We followed it at a safe distance til it hid in a clump of spinifex.
If all goes well we should be with the Hills and Joyces in 3 days time in Kakadu.

Finlay

Bungle Bungles from the Helicopter

 

 

In the Chopper

 

 

The Fire Chief hard at work

 

Cathedral Gorge

 

The Ampitheatre at Cathedral Gorge

 

Picaninni Creek

Hiking/Camping in Picaninni Gorge

On the way back from Picaninni Gorge

Oh what a feeling- Bungle Bungles!

Yes we have our seat belts on! Maybe

Mini termite mounds

Wolfe Creek Crater

 

Sunset at Wolfe Creek Crater

Heading for the Buntine Highway

 

 

 

KIMBERLY KAPERS 3

On to the Mitchell Plateau and the first 2 nights we spent at the King Edward River just relaxing. We went to Mitchell Falls- we walked there and back, the Goldricks took the helicopter in for an aerial view of the whole region- and Surveyors Pool and Port Warender.

Next stop was El Questro which had beautiful scenery and a “Hamburger Night”. This was particularly handy as our pantry was now pretty low! I really liked El Questro Gorge and Zebedee Hot Springs.

From here we went up the Old Kurunjie Track which was a real highlight. It was nice to finally be alone in the Kimberly with incredible scenes like the Cockburn Ranges, billabongs and marshes full of bird life and banks of the Pentacost River where we stopped and counted real, wild Salties! At the other end of the track was Diggers Rest which had 60 horses, nice dogs and heaps of goats which were giving birth to kids in front of our eyes! We had to check each time before driving that none of the kids had hidden under the Prado. We had a crack at Barra fishing with one eye on the look out for crocs but didn’t manage to land one.

This morning we came to the end of the Gibb River Road (Highway as it really is these days!) and headed into Kununurra and internet access.

Freya

Walking across top of Big Mertins Falls

 

Big Mertins Falls

On the way to Mitchell Falls

Mitchell Falls

Port Warrender

Back Massage at Surveyors Pool

Surveyors Pool

Surveyors Pool

The King Edward River

Cockburn Ranges

 

Kimberly Kapers 2

We left the resident “freshie’s” at Windjana and continued our journey eastward. After a dip below the falls at Bell gorge, we turned off the Gibb River Road again at the Barnet Roadhouse where we paid our entry/camping fee for Manning Gorge and paid $2.40 per liter for diesel!!
It was a decent walk into Manning Gorge including a river crossing in a tin boat on a pully system but that meant less people and it was beautiful. We spent hours there swimming, jumping in from the high rocks and exploring. 
That evening we pushed on to Mt Elizabeth. We did a station tour with a lunch stop at a beautiful water hole full of turtles below a waterfall and visited some amazing aboriginal art and burial sites. We saw great examples of Wandjina (up to 5000 years old) and Bradshaw (up to 20 000 years old) styles. Interestingly today’s indigenous people know nothing about the Bradshaw art and call them rubbish and have painted over many of them.
We also took a rough track to a fantastic gorge with a waterfall that we could climb in behind. It was a cave full of frogs. We had the place to ourselves and had a great time and swimming, fishing and jumping off rocks. We also stumbled across more artworks.

Freya

Wandjina Art

Bell Gorge

Manning Gorge

Black Bream at Mt Elizabeth waterhole

Waterhole at Mt Elizabeth with Aboriginal art and Burial site

 

Behind Waterfall at Mt Elizabeth Gorge

Wandjina art

Wandjina art

Bradshaw style art

Bradshaw style art

Imogen's Jump at Manning Gorge

Freya's Leap!

 

Bradshaw art

KIMBERLY KAPERS BEGIN

Having stayed an extra day at Ningaloo waiting for our date with the whalesharks, we had to cover 1400km in 2 days to reach Broome. We went to Cable Beach and Matso’s brewery for a great dinner before heading up to Cape Leveque the next day. Here we did a bush tucker tour with a local and tried some wild fruits. It’s amazing how much of it is around when you know what you are looking for.
Then the rain came- about 10 inches over the next 2 days! We still managed to get to a pearl farm and a trocus shell hatchery which were very interesting.

When the road to Broome re-opened, we headed back and linked up with the Goldricks again and set off on the Gibb River Road. First stop was the big Boab tree that used to be used as a rest stop while moving aboriginal prisoners. The tree is so big and with the split in the trunk, you can fit several people inside it.

We stayed at Windjana NP and walked through the gorge where we came across our first crocodiles of the trip- only freshies at this stage! Tunnel Creek, 35km down the road, is made by a river flowing under the old limestone hills that used to be a coral reef 360 million years ago. We also walked past a few crocodiles in here.

Finlay

 

The Girls and their Pearls

Prisoners at the Boab Tree about to make an escape!

Napier Range/Windjana Gorge

Windjana Local

Tunnel Creek

Tunnel Creek

 

A well camouflaged frog at Tunnel Creek