I am glad, that we put time aside for this spectacular part of WA. And we have not even visited the Gib River Road or El Questro Yet. It's been already quite a ride and there is still so there is so much more to explore. So please, please, please stop here for a while and enjoy!!!
21 Saturday - Bungle Bungles to Kununurra
The afternoon drive to Kununurra is scenic. What a beautiful, hilly, green part of Western Australia! Certainly puts the “Great” into the Great Northern Highway. I am surprised how many ridges we travel along.
Travelling is famishing. Doon Doon Roadhouse comes to our rescue. With killer bacon & egg rolls. Move over Bauhinia Roadhouse (Queensland), you have got some serious competition!
And finally, Kununurra! The first impression is really, really great. So many parks, massive trees. Can tell we are in the tropics. They seem to be largest at the Discovery Park, our camp for the next five nights. Right on Lake Kununurra and close the arena of the Ord River Music Muster. Did I mention that this is the reason why we are here? The Muster is in its 20th year and attracts some pretty high profile Aussie acts. Readers who are following us know that we love festivals that are off the beaten track. After Birdsville’s “Big Red Bash” and Winton’s “Way Out West”, this is now the third one at a place that a lot of city slickers would consider the middle of nowhere. We are looking forward to a hot night out with Jessica Mauboy plus some pretty cool side acts.
(Un)fortunately, the park kicks us out - yes, you read that right. Despite mentioning Olli when booking the camp half a year ago, dogs are not allowed. At any of the Discovery Parks. I am grateful for their receptionist doing a ring around on our behalf. The three of us end up between Kelly’s Knob and Mirima National Park. The van park there is a bit further away but much quieter, the sites are more spacious and very beautiful. We settle in with our first cider and a bone for Olli as the sun’s last rays dip the range behind us into a fierce orange, then red, then purple and finally fade out the day. Slept really, really well despite Paul being super annoyed 😛 . It’s been a long day…
22 Saturday - Kununurra, The Concert
Saturday morning, a great time to immerse ourselves in the local markets under ancient gum trees. After a year in a tiny country town with Covid restrictions we are not used to this, but seriously happy as we navigate the crowd and marvel at local produce, arts and crafts. Filling up on supermarket items is on the list, a stroll along on Lake Kununurra and then a cruisy afternoon before the main event starts, the Fine Diamonds Dinner, in the afternoon.
I am amazed how well the town has pulled this event off. It is held in a park, in the middle of town on the aforementioned lake. The site is beautifully decorated with large sculptures, flags and fairy lights. The tables under the trees are set for our three course dinner. Drinks are free with our tickets. Does help to lift the vibe. We are getting to know some of the party goers. Country people are always open for a chat. Most of them are dressed to the nine. Besides the annual races the muster is THE excuse to show off tailored suits and new spectacular ball gowns. All that bling is blinding. And there we are, in our plain travel clothes - scrunched up, certainly not festive, but at least clean. No-one shies away. I wonder if being identified as aliens, could be the reason for some of the most interesting conversations. From a solicitor we learn, how locals circumnavigate the cashless welfare card. The cards cannot be used to purchase smokes or alcohol. Instead one swaps legal purchases for more desirable items with family members and friends who are not on welfare. And as everyone is somewhat related, there is always a willing barter person. Same with donations from aboriginal trusts. They support locals that need a new fridge or other household goods. Which then get cashed in on eBay. There are always new and creative ways to jeopardise good intentions.
After a while I steal myself away and enjoy the music. First as a spectator, then in the mosh pit. With another 4,000 party goers. And the fun starts. Heaps of fun. Able to let go. Enjoy being swept away by the music, the singing, the dancing, taking in the vibe and shaking my heart out. I don’t want it to stop. Exhilarated and perhaps hours later, we stagger home through the balmy night…
23 Sunday - Kelly's Revenge
Kelly’s Knob, the mountain, is having her revenge. After our arrival, I may have called her ugly: if her knob stands for the rest of her physique, then she is a rather sad case. You don’t say these things in public! Still hung-over from the concert we bravely struggle up the steep hill. Olli, all excited, drags us towards the summit. Involves a lot of huffing and puffing. And swearing. Admittedly, the views of the town are great! I apologise to Kel, and I am - after drinking lots of water, washing down a couple of pain killers and sweating out the booze - feeling much better.
We top off the morning with a visit to and breakfast at the Sandalwood Farm. Aussie sandalwood is highly sought after due to its essential oils - the liquid gold of the tropics. Ever tried sandalwood nuts? They have a strange creamy texture. Like fairy floss. But not sweet. The longer you work them, the more it feels like eating chewing gum. Apparently healthy but certainly requires getting used to. Can’t say, I am a fan of it. But the scent is beautiful.
Here are some interesting facts:
In nature it is a bushy type parasite that taps into neighbouring trees.
The Indian version is more robust, grows faster but its oils are less valuable.
Aussie sandalwood is nearly extinct due to heavy harvesting.
Harvesting means that the whole tree, including the roots, gets ripped out of the ground and chipped.
The highest concentration of essential oils is in trees that grow straight with no big side branches, hence all side branches get taken off before the tree matures.
The wood chips get sent 2,500 km away to Albany for processing. Fascinating and somewhat crazy!
In the afternoon we enjoy the muster’s “Arts in the Park”, an outdoor market showing off local artists such as painters, card makers, textile printers, fashion designers and others. Our entry fee supports the artists with their traveling expenses. What a great idea!
24 Monday Wyndham - The End of Great Northern Highway
On our first day without commitments we saddle the beast and drive to Wyndham at the end of the Great Northern Highway, 2,210 km from Perth. If you want to establish your own country, the town is for sale.
Wyndham Port was established in 1886 as a hub from which to open and develop the North. A gold rush at Halls Creek saw the town booming with three hotels, two taverns, stores, bootmakers' and butchers' shops, a billiard room, a soda water factory, commission agencies, auctioneers and other businesses. Ships brought in at least five thousand lunatics heading off to the goldfields. The rush ended two years later and the town shriveled to a tiny prune of a settlement serving the pastoral interests in the area. By 1912, money had disappeared from the Wyndham economy. Purchases were paid for using promissory notes known as "shinplasters".
Wyndham briefly bloomed again in the early 1960’s as a service centre for the construction of the Ord River Diversion Dam and the town of Kununurra. And then Kununurra took over sucking the life out of Wyndham. Today, being the most northern town in WA is obviously not enough to keep a midge infested, scorching hot place alive. The meat works, instrumental in its early days, closed 1985. The jetty now hardly gets used.
Pixie’s fab everything store is the last place hanging in there, just. She recons, she will die here. Nowhere else to go, this is her home. I feel for that little old, wrinkly lady behind those enormous glasses. Wyndham’s pub across the road was used in the movie “Mystery Road” in 2018. Pixie still raves about the crew and how nice everyone was to her. It was still operating then, but after the owner of the pub passed away, his wife left town, and no one else wanted to take over. There’s a great view from the Five Rivers Lookout on top the Bastion Ranges taking in Pixie’s, the pub and numerous ruins of the ghost town and it’s stunning location on the Gulf of Cambridge. You can see the mangrove flats too. The thought of millions of midges rising at dusk makes my skin crawl. And that’s it. Fine. The End.
The Croc Café & Bakery is located in the newer part of town, further inland. The old post office & art gallery, is worth visiting. It is run by one of last night’s indigenous artists. More great conversations!
Back in Kununurra I need some me-time and visit the VIC. As the Gibb River Road is still impassable, I try to coax out information about places to visit when heading East. Unfortunately, the staff are not able to assist: this part of our trip is not only outside their shire but on the other side of the state border. As a tourist that’s frustrating, but from an administrative point of view probably a breach of commitment and loyalty… sigh …
The afternoon comes with a visit at Hoochery Distillery. Great place. Looks like a saloon you would find in a Western movie. Before Covid it used to stage live events. It even hosted the very first Ord River Muster. Exciting! And then it gets pear shaped. The crew screws up our paddle of whiskey samples. No tasting notes or follow up. Flying / drinking blind. Despite our cheeky smiles in the pics, we are not sure about our taste experiences. Excited hosts make a huge difference in how you like or dislike their products. And that reflects in sales. So, the most exciting part of today‘s taste testing is the mango balsamic vinegar used to dip the bread in. The team really needs to get out and check out how their competition smashes it. That‘s how successful sales works.
The day finishes with a stroll though Mirima National Park on the Hidden Valley walking trail - perfect, like stepping into another world! Olli gets a nose full too.
25 Tuesday - Lake Argyle, Legacy of the Durack's
Immersing myself in Australia’s colonial history, I came across Mary Durack. Her novels recount her families past as early settlers in the North. Turns out, they are from this region and I am keen to visit the family homestead. Mary’s grandfather, Patrick, originally an impoverished settler from Ireland, organised to have 7,250 heads of his cattle driven from Southwest Queensland to Behn River, today’s Lake Argyle. The trek was, with more than 3,000 km, the longest one (28 months) ever undertaken. Half of the cattle perished. The remainder was the seed to an amazing cattle empire and the inspiration to Mary’s intriguing tales. They offer fascinating insights into life under harsh and unpredictable conditions and the uneasy relationship between pioneers and the indigenous people in the region. The homestead’s main building, steeped in history, is today open to visitors.
From the 1950’s Patrick’s grandson, Kimberley Michael (Kim), Durack, was instrumental in envisioning Argyle Dam, the Ord River irrigation scheme and later the hydropower system.
When the dam was constructed, the original homestead had to be moved as it would have gone under in the new forming inland sea, the second largest in Australia. Brick by brick, it was salvaged and finally reassembled at its new location overlooking the lake.
The expanse of water (its surface area is 30% larger than Lake Constance) is mind blowing. The water invites for a swim, together with 20,000 fresh water crocodiles! Apparently they do not eat tourists…
During a good wet season, the water spills over into Lake Kununurra and eventually gets released onto hundreds of acres of cotton, sugar cane, tropical fruit and sandalwood.
The irrigation scheme so far has been an economic flop with farming production so far only having recovered a tiny fraction of the schemes original construction cost. $1.45 billion has been spent for a return of 17 cents on the dollar. And 260 jobs created. Fascinating, regardless. We picnic at a lovely shady grove close to the dam wall taking in the thunder of the water racing through the turbines that supply power to the region.
In the afternoon, I drop into Artlandish, a gallery with an unbelievable variety of indigenous paintings, large and fascinating. I admire the scale and the precision. Never seen anything like this. Imagine a million of tiny dots, painstakingly placed by hand! I won’t be tempted to purchase one. These treasures are out of my league.
It’s our last night in Kununurra, time for “Comedy in the Park”. I laugh my arse off. Fiona O’Loghlin is a recovering alcoholic and chain smoker. I am not going into further details. Just Google her.
Aboriginal comedians can be funny too. Kevin Kropinyeri, a proud Ngarrindjeri man from the lower Murray River Lakes and Coorong region in South Australia, takes the piss out of birth control, domestic violence, health care and aboriginality in general. Hair-raising topics and things we white fellas are not allowed to joke about. Yet he pulls it off with ease.
Ivan Aristeguieta is from Equador and has issues with English as an acquired language. Certainly rings a bell with me. I am still juggling with prepositions like in, on and at: - being in a threesome means you are part of it like the sanga in a sausage sizzle
- being on a threesome means you are actually on top of it. Number Four. Not a threesome anymore
- and being at a threesome turn you into the perverted voyeur that you really are
And then there is the habit of placing extra letters that no one needs randomly in words such as Worcestershire Sauce. Who invented this language? The Americans got it right, decluttering their language somewhat, democratizing it. Of course one would frown about this in good old Britain, as it provides a welcome tool to distinguish oneself from commoners, does it not? Laughed my butt off.... What a great night! Still giggling on our long walk back to camp.
Track Notes
Overnight stay to overnight stay
From Bungle Bungle Caravan Park (Lat -17.437559 / Lng 127.999365)
to Hidden Valley Caravan Park (Lat -15.765606 / Lng 128.745912) 275km
Links to places we visited
Doon Doon Roadhouse (https://doondoon.net.au) / Kununurra (https://www.visitkununurra.com) / Hidden Valley Tourist Park (http://www.hiddenvalleytouristpark.com) / Ord Valley Music Muster (https://ordvalleymuster.com.au) / Kununurra Sandalwood Shop (https://www.thesandalwoodshop.com.au/locations/kununurra/) / Hoochery Distillery (https://www.hoochery.com.au) / Mirima National Park (https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/mirima) / Artlandish (https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com) / Wyndham (https://www.australiasnorthwest.com/explore/kimberley/wyndham) / Lake Argyle (https://www.lakeargyle.com) / Durack Family Homestead (https://argylehomesteadmuseum.com.au)
Favourite reads & playlists
"Mystery Road" Australian TV Drama, 2018
“Keep him my Country” by Mary Durack
“The Dry” by Jane Harper Music by Jessica Mauboy (https://www.jessicamauboy.com.au), especially the soundtrack to the movie “The Sapphires” and Busby Marou (https://www.busbymarou.com)
Things worth noting
Our overnight stays are chosen because they are dog friendly. In case of commercial caravan parks, be aware, that dogs cannot be left unaccompanied at the park at any time.
The best time to visit WA’s north is during the dry season from May to August when precipitation is low, with day time temperatures in the twenties. Travel earlier and roads may still be off limits, travel later and temperatures as well as humidity will rise and make exploring testing.
Permits are required to enter any national park. In most cases they can be purchased online (https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au). Unfortunately, domestic animals are off limits in Western Australian national parks.
Handy Helpers
Hema Australian Road & 4WD Atlas
WikiCamps
FuelMap Australia
GoogleMaps
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