Heading West

We left Adelaide River nice and early on a very sunny day and headed down towards Katherine where we stopped to do a groceries shop and then parted ways with Megan and Stu, they were off east and we headed west on the Victoria Hwy.

 

There was not a whole lot before we got to the border, a few small towns including Victoria River, a town that  we actually thought would be a bit bigger because the name was highlighted on our map, how wrong we were, it’s tiny!

We stopped to take some  photo’s at the Gregory national park, just past the town on the left.

On our way down to the river we had to walk past a heap of tall grass and copped a few grasshoppers to the face, but they were the least of our worries, we were just hoping we wouldn’t bump into a croc , there were lots of warning signs mentioning the river is full of them, so we were happy to take some pictures and keep on driving.

Busy day at the park.

Small town of Timber Creek, we were even breath tested on the way in!

We got to Timber Creek and filled up the car and decided that a free rest stop would be a good idea for the night and there are plenty of 24 hour ones along the way, we had a huge day of driving about 600kms all up, which we could probably do a lot quicker with just a car, but our van is a fatty and sometimes the car won't go over 85 km, very stubborn!

At the rest stop we chatted to a few of the workers from a local community who were there just having a drink, the community they work in is a dry one  (no alcohol whatsoever!) , so most of their afternoons were spent at the rest stop.

After they left a few more campers showed up and everyone was trying to race the sun and cook tea before it got late.

Someone else showed up who was a little un-welcome though,we got the weber out to cook  and we found a stow away in the bag………..

A big fat cane toad!! As  most people may know they are a huge pest in the territory and W.A do not want them there, so whilst I covered my ears, closed my eyes and sang to myself, Brenton took care of this slimy little critter that can lay more than 8,000 eggs in one go!

We gave the BBQ a good old clean out after that and had an early night so that we would be nice and fresh when we crossed the border the next day.

One of the first things we noticed about the change in the landscape, even before we officially got over the W.A border was the amazing BOAB trees that were popping up all over the place, I fell in love with them instantly and took way too many photo’s.

 The weather also changed slightly and it was still hot but more of a dry heat than a sticky one and although there was a bit of greenery around it was a lot less tropical than the drive into Darwin.

We got to the border nice and early and realised that we still had a heap of fruit and veg, so not wanting to waste anything we sat at a little stop just in front of the border sign and ate a heap of tomatoes on salada’s, we also had 2 or 3 pieces of fruit each, we have learnt not to waste anything!

We stopped at quarantine as bloated as anything and we got rid of a few potatoes, (we just couldn’t fit them in!) they also took our honey! 

It wasn't all that exciting, we were honest and handed over what was asked of us and were happy to finally be in Western Australia!

Our first stop in the west was Lake Argyle, Australia's largest man-made freshwater lake,we had heard great things about this place from many other travellers and were happy that the road on the way in is sealed, although it's not very wide and can be a bit hairy when there are motorists coming the other way, but it's only 30 kilometres off the highway and well worth a look.

There is only one place to stay at Lake Argyle and it caters for all types of travellers, with camp sites, caravan sites, powered and un-powered and even cabins if you have the cash!

We took an un-powered site for the night which was only $27-, a good price considering how nice the park is and how close you are to everything!

Im officially a tree hugger!

Brenton enjoying some scones at the inn.

We had a nice shady spot and after un-packing some chairs it was time to check out the infinity pool that looked over the lake, apparently a new addition to the park!

The pool and the view were breath taking, so was the icy cold water! 

This is the coldest pool we had been in, almost freezing, even when it's 36 degrees outside, our teeth were chattering when we got out and stood in the wind and it was refreshing not being hot for all of 5 minutes, we made the most of the pool and then went to check out some of the sites Lake Argyle has to offer.

How is that for a view!

Learning to use the timer!

It's a tough life.

We drove over the Ord River Dam , this a view from the top with lake argyle on the left and in the picture below is the Ord river. The dam can only be crossed from 8am until 5:30 pm then they close it for the night. 

There are apparently great fishing spots around this area, we had heard that a day earlier two French tourists were chased up the river bank by a fresh water croc who wanted the fish they had just caught, they were happy to oblige and dropped everything in fear of being eaten !

We also visited the Durack family homestead, you can either walk from the caravan park or drive if you have a 4wd, you do have a pay about $3 to get in .The area was first settled by Patrick (Patsy) Durack in 1882 and this is who the homestead belonged to the family although it has since been moved. It's a great bit of insight to how they used to live and there is plenty of wildlife to see, including the wonderful bower bird!

A male bower bird nest, a nice collection out the front, trying to attract the ladies!

HHmmm who will win? The skink or the hopper? 

There is a viewing area not far from the caravan park and we went there to check it out just as the sun started setting on a another eventful day, we did have a bit of a dip in Lake Argyle but seeing as it's home to about 25,000 freshwater crocs we decided to cut it short and head back to the pool.

The sky was so pink!

We only stayed a night, you can see most of the sights in one day, although it would be a great place to relax and do nothing for a few days, but we had things to do and more sights to see, this was our shortest driving day, only 75 kilometres to Kununurra.

xxx