Heading into WA, our afternoon stop was at Lake Argle, approx 60km from the main township of Kununurra.

Arriving at the reception area, we decided to book into the sunset cruise on the Lake. Leaving at 2:30pm, we journeyed down to the small dock by mini bus and then set out across the lake. What a stunning experience!!! Lake Argle is a man-made lake which was created when the Ord River was damed in the 1960’s. Due to a couple of very wet wet seasons, the dam quickly filled to a capacity 9 times that of Sydney Harbour! It was amazing to cruise around past some of the towering mountain ranges that bordered the lake as well as past the massive dam wall.  The engineers used nearby rock for the dam wall and when they blew out part of the mountain to crush the rock- the resulting land movement was even measured on seismographs in Sydney! We even spotted some rock wallabies, eagles nests and fresh water crocs. It was quite interesting that we stopped off at our first swimming hole just after spotting the freshies!! It didn’t stop most of us from jumping in for a refreshing dip! We also had another opportunity for swimming as the sun set and enjoyed some drinks and nibblies aboard the boat. I really recommend this cruise on Lake Argle.

Wanting to move quickly along, we chose not to stay at the Lake Argle Van park, but drove in the early evening into Kununurra. We checked into Hidden Valley Caravan Park and were amazed by the number of mango tree planted through the park. The kids quickly filled up our supply of fresh mango!! Mmmmm.

The following morning, we headed our early for a long and hot day out. Driving north, we ventured up to the port of Wyndham. On the way, we stopped in at The Grotto and admired the gorgeous rock chasm, counting up to 6 seconds that it took for the rocks we threw to hit the water below. Arriving in Wyndham, we took some photos at the famous big croc, then ventured out to the port. Although most of the port and wharf section is closed to the public (they are building a new public wharf), we were still able to see the far off Timor Sea. Joe and Steve had a go fishing while the kids chased crabs in the mud flats. Wyndam experiences the 3rd highest tides in Australia and it was amazing to see the length of sticky mud left as the tides were receeding. Let’s just say the kids shoes were covered!!!

We then headed up to the Five Rivers Lookout- which was absolutely stunning and probably one of the best lookouts that we have seen. It was amazing to see 5 mighty rivers weaving through the land, especially viewing the Ord River where is continues out to sea. Despite now reaching a temperature of 45 degress celcius, Joe and Steve decided to have a quick game of basketball on the local courts! Crazy boys!

We soon refilled our drinks supply and left Wyndham to venture onto the famous 4wd track- The Gibb River Road. This track goes some 600km from Kununurra to Derby. Being that our van is not set up for off road, we were doing 100km worth! Our first stop along the track was the gorgeous Emma Gorge. The 45min medium grade hike into the gorge was tackled by the 4 boys, while Mel and Kaytlin enjoyed the resorts pool and cafe! The boys reported back that whilst the hike was quite adventurous, the dip in the falls and pool at the bottom of the gorge was quite refreshing!

We then headed back onto the Gibb River Road, drove past El Questro and headed for the Pentecost River crossing. Being quite a wide river crossing and perfectly safe this time in the season, we drove back and forth across it a couple of times- much to the amusement of a couple of guys camping by the river! After drenching our thirst for a river crossing, we headed back home along the Gibb River Road.

The following morning, Joe had chartered a flight for the 6 of us. It was a surreal experience taking off in our little plane with all the kids excited about their headphone gear! We viewed the town of Kununurra and the expanse of agriculture in the surrounding suburbs. We then headed for Lake Argle, flew over the 75km length of the lake and headed for the Bungle Bungles. By this time, both Kaytlin and Joe had been sick, with the rest of us not looking particularly good either! Nethertheless, flying over the Bungle Bungles was amazing- the formation of the rock and the patterns created were stunning. We enjoyed a flight over the Argle Diamond mine (closed to the public) on the way back and we all felt a little better by the time we were flying over the Kununurra fields again.

After leaving Palmerston, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we passed our break down point at the Berry Springs turn-off. Our afternoon tea stop off was a the little town of Pine Creek. There was a lovely little park nearly the old railway museum, full of…mango trees! Much to our delight, they were free for picking. Whilst it was tempting to fill the fridge, we were very aware that in a couple of days, we would be passing through the WA checkpoint and required to surrender all fruit and vegies.

Continuing on into Katherine, we took Steve for a much anticipated dip in the Katherine Hot Springs. We had discovered that the recent rains had brought with them  a couple of mudslides surrounding the hot springs and were evidently enjoyed by many children earlier that day. Of course, all the boys (big boys included) enjoyed a slippery slide, though most of them came out with dirty clothes and sore bottoms! We then checked back into Knott’s Crossing Resort, where we had stayed just over a week earlier.

The following morning, Steve and Joe headed off bright and early to canoe Katherine Gorge. It was a wonderful achievement and simply a gorgeous place to canoe. They reported back on the wildlife, as well as spotting a croc- right next to their canoe! Mel and the kids spent the morning completing homework, doing a craft activity and enjoying ice creams from the shop.

After a quick pack up, we started to head south-west towards the WA border. It was such a stunning drive; vast grass lands scattered with towering red-rock cliffs. As we headed towards the Kimberleys, a lot of the mountains we were now seeing are made up of compacted sandstone. With temperatures tipping the 40’s, it was a lovely break to make a stop at Victoria River Downs Homestead. For us, it was just a pit stop, but would have been a lovely place to stay- the fresh green grass contrasting to the dry and dusty dirt track. The surrounding mountains were simply stunning. There is also the neighbouring Gregory National Park and Hot Springs which one could explore when staying there.

Arriving in the early evening at Timber Creek, we were disappointed to have missed the 5pm croc feed at the caravan park. However, the disappointment soon wavered when we ventured down to the river, and stepping onto the bridge that was but a few metres from the water, we watched 3 crocs swimming in the waters beneath. It was amazing to be so close to the wild beasts- yet not on any type of ‘tour’! Needless to say, the kids were put on strict guard during our stay there.

In the park, we also saw our first boab tree- an amazing tree unique to the Kimberley area. With its broad trunk and branches several metres up, it was almost a humorous sight! The children’s playground was great here and we all enjoyed a refreshing dip in the pool (a common event these days!).

The following morning, Zach and Josh opened up a breakfast cafe and did a fantastic job creating signs and producing a lovely range of items for the family. We also cleaned out all our fruits and vegies and enjoyed giving away what we could to travellers heading in the direction we had just been.

Arriving at the border crossing later that day, we had an early lunch to finish off the last of fruits and vegies. The family sure had no problems cleaning up 5 apples, 10 kiwifruit, 3 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers and 2 carrots. At the crossing, our rego was taken and our van, as well as car, was searched. Phew- passed! We were now into Western Australia!

Continuing along the Victoria Highway, we had no idea what treasure lay waiting…

Leaving Darwin, we needed to stop back into the Caravan repairer and get our breaks re-adjusted as they were not gripping correctly when driving. After spending 2 hours there, we were finally on the road again and heading for Litchfield National Park. We were tossing up whether to make a stop into Berry Springs first, when suddenly the car just turned off.

Pulling over on the Stuart Highway, Joe realised that the temperature gauge was showing that the car had overheated. Strange considering it had a service 3 days earlier. Opening the bonnet, we discovered coolant spewing out. A few people, including a mechanic pulled over to offer assistance. 2 families also pulled over and offered to drive Mel and the kids into Berry Springs. They also recommended a mechanic in Berry Springs. As Mel and the kids left with the 2 families, Joe and Steve worked on getting the car cooled down. We all met back up in Berry Springs as the mechanic took a look at the car, cleaning out the e only to break down 4km out from the mechanic. We dare not drive it again and so contacted our roadside assistance. They set about organising transport (car, van and six people) into Palmerston, the next major town. 

 After waiting another 2 hours in 38 degree weather (and eating all the watermelon!), we had a family stop and offer to tow Mel, kids and the van into the Palmerston van park that NRMA had booked for us. Our angels had all the set up needed for towing us, as we being able to fit Mel and the kids in. As they were getting set up to leave, another couple stopped and offered to tow the car, along with Joe and Steve, into the Pamerston mechanic. So we all head off in one big convoy, relieved to be getting out of the impending dark. Upon arriving at the ‘van park’, we soon discovered that NRMA had booked us into a BnB! The van was parked and set up in the driveway and Steve enjoyed his own room for the next 3 nights!

We are ever grateful for our road side angels and all the people that stopped and helped us. We even had another man drop off some cold drinks.

To try and cut a long and tiresome story short, Palmerston mechanics couldn’t do anything, so the car was sent into Darwin. After a few mechanics looked at, it was finally decided that the thermostat didn’t need changing as originally thought (would have taken a week!). There was a knock in the engine which had now developed and there was concern this would eventually blow up the engine. Calls were made to look into transporting the car back to Sydney to fix it as no one in Darwin was qualified to do the job. As this was quite costly and time-consuming, we decided to keep going on our planned route and hoped to at least make it to Broome, where our friend Steve could pick up his connecting flight.

As we had a hire car, we did make some use of our time in Palmerston. We still managed to spend an afternoon exploring Litchfield National Park. Our first stop was the Magnetic Termite Mounds. No- these aren’t some wonderful little creature that attracts everything metal. The term in fact refers to the termite which builds it’s mound to create a perfectly flat surface, facing east. The incredible architecture of these little creatures creates a perfect stable environment to ensure survival. In fact, we were quite amazed as we look upon these mounds- all in every direction looked like a field of tombstones.

Continuing on into Litchfield, we headed out to Wangi Falls. We stopped for a quick lunch at the nearby cafe (the only one in Litchfield) before heading into the falls area. The falls is only a short 200m walk from the carpark and was a gorgeous site in the 40 degree heat! We all jumped in the water and swam the short length out to both falls. There were quite a few crevices made by the left fall and we all took a leap of faith by jumping into the falls from the cliff faces. There were a number of visitors to the falls and we felt perfectly safe while we were there. Indeed, the surrounding picnic area, complete with BBQ’s, would have made a wonderful complete day spent at Wangi Falls.

However, the afternoon was getting on and so we left Wangi Falls, heading back towards the park entrance for a stop at Buley Rock Holes. This was a wonderful place of adventure as we all slid down the cascades and jumped (somewhat cautiously!) into the small water crevices. At one point, Steve even disappeared- until we discovered he had jumped into a tiny water hole that was actually taller than his 2m frame! The kids particularly enjoyed hunting down the miniature frogs that were jumping around the rock holes.

We hoped to visit Florence falls, also in the same area as Buley Rock Holes, but due to impending darkness, as well as a storm, we thought it best to leave and make the 100+km journey back to Palmerston. On the way back, we did stop at the town of Batchelor (our intended stay for Litchfield) and marvelled at the gorgeous mini-castle built at the towns entrance. We were also surprised at  how flooded the town was after the storm had past and wondered how wet it would really get once the wet season set in.

Whilst in Palmerston, we also visited the Palmerston markets, where we once again enjoyed some lovely food, as well as purchasing some delicious fresh produce. This market had a great atmosphere, with live music, though had a limited range of souvenirs. A trip to the famed Palmerston Tavern was quite interesting when Mel’s Spaghetti Carbonara topped with chicken came out as Spaghetti Bolognaise topped with chicken! Interesting mix! The trivia night kept us entertained, though!

We also managed another trip back into Leanyer recreation park, with the boys (much to their delight) introducing Steve to the waterslides!

Getting the all-clear to go ahead, we left for Katherine just after lunch on October 7^th.

After leaving Edith Falls, we headed towards Pine Creek for a diesel top off, and then started our trek into Kakadu National Park. Running a bit late after our day’s adventures, we decided to stop for the night at Mary River Roadhouse on the edge of Kakadu. 

 The following morning, we headed out early and began our trip into the park.  We were very excited because we spotted a group of about 10 wild horses. We were able to stop and take a couple of pics before they galloped off. They were so beautiful- Kaytlin and Jackie were particularly in awe of them! Our first stop was the visitors’ centre, where we had a look at some features of the park and things to look out for.

We then headed into Cooinda resort and checked in- what a beautiful place! We left the van and headed the couple of km to Yellow River for a quick look, followed by a stop in at the cultural centre- well worth a visit! Heading back to the van, Zach and Melinda stayed to complete some school work while Joe, Jackie, Josh and Kaytlin headed out for a cruise on the Yellow River. They had a wonderful time amongst the mangroves and spotted a number of crocs as well as wildlife including various birds and fish. They even saw a few more wild horses (known as brumbys) and a range of gorgeous water lilies. Early afternoon, we enjoyed a swim in the resort pool, followed by a delicious bbq dinner.

The following morning, Joe rose with the dawn and headed out to the resorts pontoon. His early efforts paid off and he caught his first barramundi! The kids were very excited watching him clean his catch and we all knew that we had some nice dinner to look forward too! We headed over to Yellow River again and joined a ranger guided tour along the boardwalk. As it was still quite early in the day, the wetlands were teaming with wildlife and we really enjoyed learning about the ecosystem of the area. We particularly liked watching an egret hunt for food and got up close to some frogs. The kids liked holding a tortoise shell and a croc skull.

We then packed up the van and headed up into Jabiru. After a brief look at the couple of shops there, we checked into Jabiru Lodge. We loved the set up of this park, with all spots arranged in a circle and the pool area, restaurant and bar located in the centre. Being a humid day, we headed down to the pool for a swim and some lunch. As the afternoon cooled, we drove up to Ubirr and joined a ranger guided tour in the ‘main gallery’. It was really interesting learning about the various rock art and absorb some aboriginal culture. We then headed up to the lookout with the ranger and took in the gorgeous mangroves plains. The bird life was amazing and we even spotted a couple of wallabies enjoying dinner. The sunset was just stunning and well worth the adventurous trip up the rocks. Upon returning to the park, we enjoyed Joe’s barra poolside- delicious!

The following morning we slept in a little before heading west to Mamukala. There are a couple of lovely walks here- we opted to take the small walk to the boarded lookout. What an absolutely gorgeous place! There were at least 500 birds in the swamp area- many different kinds and it was simply amazing to watch them interect with each other. The purple water lillies here were so lovely and the kids got involved in identifying birds they saw using displays on the wall.

We then continued west to the Adelaide River and joined The Original Jumping Crocodile boat cruise. As we cruised along, we were all surprised with how many crocs were in the water and how active they were. It was amazing to watch how they powerfully moved through the water. This was a particularly adventurous cruise because we had no plastic or metal walls up between us and the crocs, so when they jumped for their meat- it was literally right next to us! Incredible!  We all breathed a sigh of relief when we returned safely to the dock. This was a great cruise and a lovely coffee shop with kids play area to visit afterward. Jackie and Mel were also in awe of the aussie spirit displayed by the owners and staff after the area had been previously flooded quite a number of times. The photographs told an amazing story.