A pleasure trip in Australia
Janet and I have recently returned from a fabulous 11 week campervan journey to Broome, via Kakadu, Darwin and Lichfield National Park. We covered 14,000 kms in our 32 year old trusty Toyota campervan which we have affectionately named ‘Queenie’ due to her number plate QUU795.
She behaved impeccably and only objected when I mistakenly filled her up with petrol (it was the same price and on the same bowser station as the diesel), which her engine was not keen on! Luckily she stopped within 12kms of the little town on the Queensland/NT border and it was a relatively cheap and painless task to get her taken back and have her tank drained out. Apart from that perfect, using very little oil and water.
We left home on a miserable rainy day (one of the chief reasons for leaving when we did) and drove to Toowoomba where we dropped off pots at a restaurant (Sophias) which has the most amazing mixed mezza (and sweets) plates … these they provided to us gratis, most civil I say!
From there the weather changed and we had 75 days of sunshine … followed by another 14 since our return! We headed up through
Longreach, Cloncurry, Mt Isa to the Northern Territory and detoured to see the Gulf of Carpentaria at Bing Bong, an iron ore loading facility with a small beach at which one could not swim due to the danger of salt water crocodiles!
Then back across to the Stuart Highway and up through Kakadu NP which was wonderful especially as we took in many of the (free) guided ranger talks and walks. Once again no swimming due to the huge number of crocs.
Then up to Darwin, a pleasant modern (the old was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1972) city where we enjoyed the markets, deck chair cinema, live theater and the museum which has a wonderful gallery devoted to the local wildlife including a 5 meter stuffed crocodile (called sweetheart!) and a whole wing centering around the cyclone and its aftermath.
Next we headed south and discovered many hot springs, plunge pools (below waterfalls) and other swimming holes which were ‘open for swimming’ and theoretically (but not necessarily) salt water crocodile free (see sign), although they did contain fresh water crocodiles (up to 4 meters!) which are harmless unless cornered or stood on.
As it was bloody hot and everybody else was jumping in we did too and thoroughly enjoyed it all the way down to Mataranka. Lichfield National Park is stunning with many waterfalls (and swimming) plus other local attractions such as 5 meter ant hills. Then across to Kununurra, in WA, a new town set on a beautiful (SW croc free) lake in the Ord river which is fed by Lake Argyle, all part of a huge irrigation system growing veggies, cotton, sandal wood trees, mangoes etc.
Well worth a look, the cruise up the river to the dam is wonderful and the local national park (Mirimar) is very interesting containing many similar rock formations to those found in The Bungle Bungles. From here we took a ‘joy flight’ which took in the Lake, Argyle diamond mine, the Ord River and the aforementioned Bungle Bungles which was wonderful.
Wyndham is not very exciting but does have an amazing lookout at 300 meters where you can watch the sunset over the estuary and the junction of five rivers. We were lucky enough to be there in July when the moon rises as the suns sets.
From there we traveled through the Kimberley ranges to Halls Creek a very scenic drive, then through Fitzroy Crossing to Derby which was the exact opposite, miles after miles of scrub and low trees with nothing to see. Derby is bigger than Wyndham but does not have much to see apart from the wharf where the tides vary by up to 11 meters and the sunset is beautiful.
Finally we arrived in Broome after another 220 kms of ‘nothing’, as we approached from the east we wondered what the attraction was but as soon as we saw the sea with its incredible deep azure blue color we were sold! We were very lucky to get a prime spot in the town caravan park with views of, and a very short walk to the beach.
This was Roebuck Bay which faces East so you can see the sun (and moon) rise, then you can take a cheap bus ride to Cable Beach to see stunning sunsets. The park was within walking distance to downtown with shops and bars handy.
Altogether we spent nine nights and had a very laid back and enjoyable sojourn. During this time we also returned to Derby for two nights to get a seaplane to The Horizontal Falls caused by the tidal differences between lakes on the northern coast …spectacular!
The drive home was uneventful, but not unenjoyable (once we got past Halls Creek!) and we detoured via Emerald, Yeppoon before coming back down the East coast.
We arrived home 76 days after we set out to find our property beset with the heady aromas of Macadamia, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, Jasmine, and Rondeletia and welcomed by our house sitter who had kept it spotless … altogether a very sweet homecoming!
Colin Drake is a writer on spirituality whose books are based on his own realization. See also page 53 for his article on Desire.
Colin Drake
