THE BIG WHITE BUSH CHARIOT
But how glad I was to have hired it when I faced the first few kilometres of the Mabel Downs Station road on the way into Purnululu (which means sandstone in the local aboriginal dialect) National Park.The Jazz's exhaust muffler would have been shredded very quickly and the first metre deep deep water crossing would have been the death of it.
SERIOUSLY DEEP WATER HOLE.
The 4x4 more than coped and even as dark came on I felt as comfortable as when I owned Range Rovers and Discoveries.
A total fire ban was in force and as I cooked my dinner on my gas stove, a sheepish group of German gap-year students plus one boy from Wigan sought my help as they had counted on barbecuing their dinner on an open fire.They managed with my cooker and utensils.
What a great way to bridge between school and university. The English man had worked on a Queensland cattle station. All I did in vacations was make black puddings at Wall's smallgoods factory and abbatoir.
LOOKOUT VIEW ACROSS PURNULULU
Wherever you go in the park there are glorious vistas, including red rock escarpments that seem to go on for ever.In just getting from A to B the scenery is awesome.This park was probably the highlight of my trip.It is no doubt very grand from the air but passing through at ground level is an experience not to be missed.
NORTHERN BUNGLES GORGES
ECHIDNA GORGE
The walk up to Echidna gorge was hot and uncomfortable under foot(walking on river bed pebbles and boulders)but the way became cooler as the 200 foot high walls closed in until the trail was one person wide.The narrowness reminded me of a visit to Ripon Cathedral in my school days where I was fascinated by a narrow hole in a rock, in the crypt, through which suspects of witchcraft were required to pass to attest their innocence or guilt( if they could not)thus determining whether they were released or burnt at the stake. Could be a sure fire obesity deterrent.
ENTERING THE GORGE
INTO THE FIERY FURNACE
This continued to narrow until it required ladder climbing and came to a dead end.Large chunks of conglomerate rock were jammed in the cleft overhead and ensured I didn't dawdle at these points.
THE ROCK OF DAMOCLES
I found this gorge a little disappointing after Winjana and so decided to drive south to the more dramatic sounding Coronation Gorge.
TO THE SOUTHERN GORGES
What a difference, here were the wonderful striped bee-hive shaped mounds of the Bungle Bungles which in varied light could be seen as brooding Tawny Frog-Mouthed owls
I'M WATCHING YOU!
or even rows of Darth Vader helmets,radiating evil menace.
DARTH VADER AND MATES
CORONATION GORGE
The walk was short but rewarding-The striping of the 350 million year old rocks was endlessly fascinating and caused by the sedimentation of sandstone,iron-oxide and bacterial staining layers.
ROCK FORMATION IN CORONATION GORGE
In places it required iron staircase climbing to get past deeply pot-holed parts of the river bed track.
IRON STAIRCASE
I had entered the park with half a tank of fuel and had not really anticipated all the running about in there and the toll that driving in full 4x4 mode took on reserves,but I calculated that a quarter tank would see me out across the 53K of rough dirt track and back to the Turkey Creek roadhouse.
PICCANINNY GORGE-MAY 7TH
DANGEROUS WALK-YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
This is the park's most demanding challenge-a 16klm return walk along a creek to a gorge which goes on even further. Sometimes it is done as an overnight trek and all manner of warnings were issued-beware heat,no drinkable water, be sure to register your intentions at the ranger station.
Maybe I get more careless or indifferent to such dangers as I get older. The women in my life who have gone bush with me,would attest to my usual packing of all manner(what if)of seemingly superfluous gear in even more benign circumstances than these.
The litre of water I carried was insufficient as I had underestimated the radiant heat coming from the rocky river bed track ( raising a tolerable 30C to approaching 40c by mid-day)
HOT ROCK RIVER BED TRACK
Despite my brisk start over a smooth rock creek bed after 3 hours the 35c heat, little shade and the sapping terrain which had turned English beach style pebbles and sand.
THE TRACK GOES ON AND ON
The return was tough and towards the seventh hour when my water ran outi began to feel a bit woosy and the wise decision to strip off and immerse my overheated body in one of the brackish pools( no danger of crocs here)
WATER! WATER!BUT NOT DRINKABLE
Continuation of this practice, sucking a pebble and soaking my hat and camouflage veil at every spot of water helped me make it back.
LONG DRY WAY BACK
To keep me cool in mind and spirit,I composed a children's story and thought of the scene in the classic British war film-Ice Cold in Alex-in which the desert survivors contemplate tall glasses of icy cold lager in an Alexandria bar.There was nothing ice cold awaiting me-the park store had closed at 4pm and I felt so whacked, I couldn't even eat and went to bed at 7pm
TO EL QUESTRO STATION-MAY 8TH
on the way out the fuel was consumed at an alarming rate and for the last 20k of dirt road the low fuel light was on.it was a relief to hit the bitumen but Turkey creek was a fair way off. After yesterday's experience, walking a hot highway did not fill me with joy and so I was very glad to make the roadhouse without running dry( I was to learn that there was a pretty capacious reserve tank in the vehicle)
But, ironically, as is often the way up here, the fuel pumps were malfunctioning and I could only get $50 worth of diesel to take me to Doon Doon roadhouse, where I filled up and had a better quality breakfast than I had experienced on my previous visit in the Jazz to Turkey Creek.
WYNDHAM
Wyndham is so featureless as to be hardly worth a mention-even the so called 5 rivers look out was not worth driving up to. Don't go there.
How tame was my return to the Gibb river road in a tough 4x4 and thank goodness because the brave Jazz could not have waded the river that crossed the road into El Questro Station.
This is one of the premier resort destinations in the Kimberley but as this was a budget trip and as I had no "soft" campers in tow, I forewent the luxury homestead and took a bush camp spot. Mustn't have boiled the water as well as i had thought because I suffered the runs all night and couldn't eat. ( more likely a reaction to the punishment my body took on the Piccaninny creek walk and which it had now.
decided to tell me about)Still a good fat retardant.The next day was one of quiet recovery-dry toast and coffee seemd to placate the errant gut.
EL QUESTRO BAR/CAFE
I drove into the very pleasant main camp site for a welcome hot shower and sat at a cafe table to update my journal and plan an El questro walk.The runs returned and so took it easy for the rest of the day.
TO CHAMPAGNE SPRINGS
I decided to tackle El Q's most challenging walk-a 10klm round trip to a refreshing thermal spring.Mostly because of attending to domestics-doing washing etc.-didn't get going until 10am. So yet again 2 hours of rock-hopping in the heat of the day but this time rewarded by a refreshing swim in the waterfall fed pools of Champagne springs.
CHAMPAGNE SPRINGS POOL
As I went to slip into the pool a small water monitor ( like a mini-crocodile)shot into the water ahead of me-but there seemd to be no hazards.On the way backI managed to frighten a fresh water crocodile off the track and into the river.
ANYONE FOR A COOLING DIP?
on my return, drank two bottls of sprite and booked for the evening's BBQ. This turned out to be fun-shared a table under the stars by the fire with a delightful couple from NZ-he was a textile entrepreneur with business in Melbourne.There was a country and western singer, bush yarn teller and whip cracking.A tour guide from Kununurra, I met at the bar,contradicted the Dept of Main Roads advice of closed roads ahead and confirmed it was possible to get along the Kulumburu road.
TO KULUMBURU ROAD MAY 11TH-MOTHER'S DAY
Back on the Gibb river road heading west and lots of road crews in action repairing the damage done in the wet season.I managed two rather daunting river crossings-especially one at the Pentecost river, which is tidal,about 80 metres wide and full of deadly salt water crocs.
BEWARE 'SALTIES' IN RIVER
PENTECOST TIDAL RIVER CROSSING
The biggest I encountered.Not advisable to wade in to check the water depth.A truck driver was filling his water tanker on the other bank and signalled to guide me safely across as though he were helping me park a plane at the airport docking stand.The road was proving tougher than I had expected and goodness knows what the Kulumburu section would be like.I even passed a small bush fire lapping at the road. edge.
Made a smart choice in stopping at Ellenbrae station where a lady cooked me a great breakfast9 because she wasn't too busy) for $15 with coffee money going to fund the fling doctor service.I sat on a tropical shade verandah surrounded by the cooling shade of palms and plants. Geese and chooks wandered in and out. Looked like good no nonsense place to stay.
What an amazing proud and powerful land. great cliff walls march along for miles and stand out alone on vast grassy,scrubby tree plains. Out of nowhere come strong rivers that must form massive barriers in the wet season. There was constant sunshine and dry heat in the 30's. How hard it must have been for the drovers and other pioneer pastoralists to open up this vast land and survive it.Night comes on suddenly at 6pm. One minute there is dusk and then it's pitch black.Birds swoop home to their nests as bats set out for a night on the town. The sound of birdlife gradually subsides, leaving absolute silence and the stars. The nights are becoming noticeably cooler and I will be glad of my warm winter sleeping bag in the centre in June.
Up to my stopping point at Drysdale River station the Kalumburu road was better than the Gibb river road. This was a basic camping place but the people were fun.Had a tough pork chop dinner and a few beers-not much choice as post-wet supplies had not yet arrived ( a truck rolled in after dark with the first of the dry season relief necessities)Sat round a fire with a ranger( from Darwin) who seemed to know the country well.Was advised I could get to the Kulumburu mission but that I might have to wade the King edward river to access the rock art sites on the mitchell plateau,as my 4 wheel drive lacked a snorkel feature and the river was still high.
No comments:
Post a Comment