Where are we now?

I have been trying to catch up on posts for our trek through the Kimberley but now we are far, far away from that area. Not having adequate internet has made it difficult to journal as I have done in the past. We are now about 6 hours north of Perth on Nigiloo Reef. It is so amazing because the reef is right off the beach here. Today we plan to get some equipment, walk to the reef through shallow waters and snorkle the reef. Exciting day for us!

It is still difficult to post photos to the internet although I have tried several times. Perhaps tomorrow as we head south to the Pinnacles but I am not counting on it!

Gibb River Road

The Gibb River Road is about 750 kilometers of a natural rocky dirt...some bitumen along the way...but otherwise a long, dirt road. It was originally built for large road trains transporting cattle to the ports of Derby in the west and Wyndham toward the east. It's still used for that but now there are adventurous tourists traveling this remote region. You see beautiful escarpments, thousands of termite mounds, hundreds of gorges, dry river beds, waterfalls, road houses, lots of cattle and plenty of scrub bushes. There are several river crossing but no bridges. Our crossings took us right into the shallow river across rocks rounded by the earlier rushing waters which flood this area each wet season. Markers along the way show waters which rise up to 4 meters but it is hard to imagine as we see little water but lots of dry land. The video...if it uploads properly...shows our crossing of the Pentecost River, the same river shown in the movie Australia. I felt a bit like Nicole Kidman and I am sure I bounced around as much as Nicole as she drove her wagon through this river! I can't wait to watch Australia again and relive this trip.

The Bungle Bungles

The Bungles as it is commonly called is in Purnululu National Park...just a short 53Ks off the Great Northern Highway, on an amazing bumpy dirt road. This is an incredible assortment of gorges, canyons and towering rocky domes. We had 2 wonderful days of hiking around this special park, going into Cathedral Gorge, taking the Domes walk, heading to Piccaninny Creek Lookout, checking out the Beehive Domes and just enjoying the striking beauty of the landscape.

Katherine

Our trip started in Darwin and our first stop on our Outback Adventure was in Katherine. We pulled into Nimiluk National Park and set up camp next to the pool and stage for the evening entertainment! Funny, but we were sure we'd be in a remote area by the time we stopped in Katherine. Somehow though the word did not get to the hundreds of other travelers visiting this park!



Our afternoon was spent on boats traveling through the Kathering Gorge. The gorge is small by Grand Canyon standards but beautiful just the same! Now I said we traveled by boats...plural! We'd move down one gorge, reach rock barriers and walk to another boat. We did this several times, stopped for a swim and returned to the camp in time for another evening of live entertainment!

Termite Mounds

Termite mounds are all over the place! Everywhere we go we see hundreds, NO, thousands of termite mounds. As we travel around the style and color of the mounds change but they are always there! Wood is simply not used in construction here. Instead corrugated metal and stone is used for building. Makes sense to me!!

Boab Trees

My new favorite tree, the Baobabs or the Adansonia Gibbosa or Boabs are amazing trees that provide food, medicine, soap, rope, and roofing material for the indigenous people of Australia. It appears to be a one-stop shop for anything you might need!

There are 8 species of this tree in the world. 6 are found in Madagascar, 1 in Africa and 1 in Australia. The particular tree shown above is a prison tree. As people were transported to the local jail, they were put in the prison Boab during the night so they wouldn't get away! Unfortunately this particular tree was also used when indigenous people were being enslaved and transported to the coast where they worked in the pearling industry. The tree in the photo is said to be 1500 years old!

Frustrations

Internet is slow here in the north of Western Australia. I have been unable to post any pictures and have just been frustrated. I am giving up, at least for awhile. Check back from time to time just to see if I have been able to post. Having a great time!

Internet!

Here we are in Kununurra for the night. We have internet however it is slow. We have just arrived so I am not ready to post and am not even sure if it will work with pictures and videos but we shall see...just later. A shower is in order right now, then washing clothes that are covered with a fine red dust, then a buzz around town and hopefully I an try a picture or two!

Just to add interest...we saw 2 emus in the wild. I am sure it was a young fellow chasing his girlfriend. She was running...playing hard to get...but he was determined and chased her back and forth across the road several times and through the fields! That was so very exciting!

Excitement

It seems impossible that in just 3 short and very busy days we will be leaving for Australia on our great adventure. Our bags are almost packed, the house is clean, lesson plans for several weeks are finished and we only have a few last minute things to do. We leave at night so our hope is that we will sleep most of the way and be alert and ready when we arrive. We have 40 minutes in LA and that is a worry. Keep your fingers crossed that we make the flight...AND the bags make it too! We arrive in Melbourne only to catch our flight to Darwin.

Here's an abbreviated look at our itinerary...

Two full days in Darwin. That's hardly enough time for me but at least we'll be able to head to the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. Shopping is fun here and the food is outstanding. I've been thinking about this market for the past year and am thrilled I'll have another opportunity to shop here.

On Monday, we'll pick up our 4wdr and head west into new territory. Our trip will take us across to Broome on The Gibb River Road. We'll camp along the way, enjoy the outback, hike in the Nat'l parks, see hundreds of gorges, and drive through rivers. We'll steer clear of crocodiles...I am rather worried about that!

Two weeks later, we'll arrive in Broome, spend a few days to check out China Town, shop for pearls, see the stairway to the moon, ride camels into the sunset and take a nice long shower!

Our camping is not over yet. We'll head north of Broome up the peninsula to Camp Leveque...just to say we did! I'm not sure what we will see but who cares really. It's all good for me!

We'll return through Broome and head to Perth, taking a few more weeks to travel the coastal highway...camping along the way, stopping at beaches, and just exploring.

Perth will be a welcome stop with a hotel room and a nice long shower. We'll spend a few days exploring the city before catching a flight to Melbourne for our final stop in our Australian adventure.

Stop back to this blog to join us on our trip. Whenever we have internet, we'll add interesting info about the area and drop in lots of pictures!

Josh and Kip Down Under