Walk like an Egyptian (Karratha to 80 Mile Beach and Broome)

After a breakfast of leftover pizza and refuelling, we chose to head straight out of Karratha and leave the angst behind. The non-stop drive to Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park was to take about 5 hours and, although we had originally planned to have a break at Port Hedland, once there, we decided to push on to give ourselves time to go for a beach walk along part of the renowned stretch of white sand.

While we didn’t need fuel to get to 80 Mile, it was a bit disconcerting when we had already driven through South Hedland, to see a sign saying the next roadhouse was closed. Out here, the roadhouses feature on the state map because the distances are so vast and you may not be able to get from one town to the next without a fuel stop. To expect a roadhouse to be mid-journey and find out it is closed, reminds you of how much you cannot take for granted in these parts. We are always conservative about fuel estimates and take extra water with us, just in case. The only plus side of the school holidays is that you won’t have to wait too long before someone comes along if you suddenly find yourself in trouble.

We didn’t realise it but the Park is actually at the end of 10 kms of dirt road. Luckily it is regularly graded and the weather forecast for the foreseeable future is sunny days. Rain would have made our departure for Broome the next morning rather interesting.

At the end of the dirt road, we joined a queue of vehicles pulling vans to enter the park. After some indecision, the queue started to move slowly so we stayed in line until we could see the reception area and I went down the road to see what the process was to check in.

By the time I came back outside with the cabin key, the queue had dissipated and we drove straight to our cabin at the far end of the park. To say it was not very salubrious would be an understatement – think of half a demountable classroom with cyclone-mesh in the windows and vents. Oh well, it was only for one night and had a bed, a toilet and shower although the noise generated when you turned the hot water tap on, was so loud, it sounded like it was heralding an explosion in the system. It was an effective deterrent from spending too long under the water.

Home sweet home.

After settling in, we headed off towards the beach, camera in hand to capture the birdlife which included numerous zebra finches, a sacred kingfisher, whistling kites and rainbow bee-eater.

Stylish and colourful.

They were everywhere despite the proximity of the campers. While the numbers were prolific, they still played hard to get for a photo which required some stealthy approaches before we headed down to the beach.

The sand certainly does stretch further than the eye can see in either direction but the view was blocked by the rows of 4-wheel drives that were parked directly behind where their owners were fishing.

80 Mile Beach is actually 220km long.

Clearly, this is a major pastime for those who frequent this piece of the coastline. Rather, I should clarify that the pastime appears to entail driving along the sand and then wetting multiple lines. I can’t say that the process is fishing because, in all the time we were there, we never actually saw anyone catch anything. 

Sacred kingfisher.

There were plenty of shells to collect and some people were swimming in what looked like a never-ending sand bar; no snorkelling here as it is just sandy shallows. Other than that, after a wander in one direction for about half an hour, we headed back to the park for some more bird photography, followed by an early dinner of cheese and biscuits.  The internet connectivity was very weak so, with no blogging possible, it was early to bed, after repacking the bags to put everything superfluous into the big red suitcase, to ensure we had the required 2 soft bags for the organised inland tour.

Not quite the Shell Beach.

Next morning, we drove back to the sealed road and turned towards our final independent destination, Broome. We had already checked that the roadhouse between 80 Mile Beach and Broome, the Sand Fire, or Samfire or Sanfire (the spelling varied every time I saw it in print) was open because we would have been pushing it to have had sufficient petrol to make it into Broome, despite the good fuel economy that the car has maintained.

Rainbow Bee-eater.

The signage for the roadhouse was a couple of pyramids made of tyres and the link to today's title, a classic by The Bangles from 1986.  Before we reached the pyramids, we saw a queue of vehicles pulling trailers, lined up out of the drive and down the side of the highway. It took a moment for us to realise that this was the diesel pump queue and happily, we were running on 91 unleaded. As a result of not being in the 4-wheel drive club, we rolled up to the bowser, filled up and were on our way before those in the queue had advanced two places.  We can only assume the line would have continued to lengthen as the day went on.

A short while later, we made it into Broome and, after more refueling, we drove to Cable Beach Club Resort, our accommodation and dinner destination to meet and greet our guides and fellow travellers for the start of the APT Kimberley and the Top End tour.

Whistling kite.

While I parked the car and started to unload the bags, Jayne headed to reception to see if we could check in and to discuss possible options for transporting our large solid suitcase to Darwin. This was necessary as the APT Tour vehicle requires strict baggage guidelines on dimensions and material – soft bags only and one per person, plus a backpack. 

Our room was not yet ready but the question about the suitcase was proving to be a bit of a challenge for the reception staff who said they needed to consult the Head Porter. Clearly what had seemed to us to be an ordinary request, was not one they had encountered before.

Male Zebra Finch.

Ray, the Head Porter, then consulted someone else external to Cable Beach Resort, whose advice was to go with Oz Post rather than a private courier. Safer and quicker was the opinion. Jayne provided all the details about the Darwin destination and our contact details. She told Ray she would see if there was any way that they might bring the suitcase with us and would advise Ray that evening.

Meanwhile I had taken the name of a hotel recommended taxi driver and departed for the airport to ditch the trusty Camry after 3500 kms of faithful service. After achieving that, I called the taxi who said I would have to go in a queue until she asked me where I was. She happened to be at the airport, could actually see me and told me she’d back in 10 minutes to pick me up. True to her word, she returned and I was back at Cable Beach just as Jayne was checking in. 

Cable Beach.

We had enough time to have a slow wander down the beach and return for an afternoon wine and some nibbles. Then it was time to unload, shower and have a pre-dinner drink before meeting our Tour family for the next 17 days at the welcome dinner.

One of the resort residents.

The dinner was a mixture of introductions, administration and trying to remember peoples’ names. Jayne spoke to Dean and Kylie, our tour guides who were quite happy to help us out with the suitcase dilemma and so, after dinner we retrieved the suitcase from reception, thanked the staff for all their help and retreated to our room to get ready for the early departure that seems to be the standard M.O. for all things APT.

And with that our leisurely tour was over and we handed ourselves over to a timetable not of our choosing. Breakfast was at 6am tomorrow morning to ensure an early start on the road.

Until next time.

All Shook Up (Lacepede Islands)

This photo is not relevant to this post, but I love it.

We celebrated Jayne's birthday quietly at the downstairs restaurant with a bottle of French red - not the complimentary offering. It was lovely. We chatted with an American couple from Seattle. Scott has a serious camera and I have serious camera envy. Changing lenses is problematic when you are bouncing around in a zodiac and you have to time your movements with the rise and fall of the waves. The old Canon 1000D has given good service but it is time to look to a camera with one lens.

A restful sleep was not on the cards as the swell gradually got bigger. It was a rough night with the ship rolling with the waves. There were occasional bangs and scrapes as furniture moved around. We were fortunate to be in bed because it would have been very difficult to move around. It was still not smooth sailing at breakfast. Hence today's title, we were all shook up by the constant rocking of the ship.

A Booby teasing me with island beyond

It is our last full day on the ship and we have to complete the usual Australian Border Force paperwork. The amusing thing is that although we did leave Australian waters and enter Indonesian waters, it happened while we slept. Indonesian Immigration boarded the ship and checked the paperwork but we never left our stateroom. Answering the question: Country where you spent most time abroad? Australia - looks a little strange. The same applied for the bio issues associated with fresh water, animals and soil - all of that occurred in Australia as well.


The Captain has just announced that as the swell is still running at 1 metre, they will be sending an exploratory group to the islands to assess the conditions before they make a final decision as to whether we get into the zodiacs for one last time. I watched the zodiac return to the ship and it wasn't an easy journey so I will be surprised if we it make over to the islands. It's not just the smash and crash trip through the swell that presents a problem, it is getting people onto and off the zodiacs safely in the swell.

Famous people on board? Well no-one that I recognise, although there are a number of people who look familiar. There are two notable doppelgangers: Ivan Milat and Shane Warne. Picture Milat at the time of his trial and you have the perfect image. As for Warnie, I could see it if I squinted my eyes after several champagnes. The similarity began and ended with blonde hair, although I overheard a number people make comments about the bloke that looked like Warnie.

The Expedition Leader has just announced that it is still intended for us to head across the Lacepede Islands although we will be commencing later in the day and the length of the tour will be reduced by 30 minutes. We are scheduled to leave at 2:45pm which means it is champagne time.

Boobies everywhere! Enough said.

The islands are little more than a sand spit with some low scrubby vegetation. There are four of them,  making a 12km long chain, originally named Napoleon, Grant and Victoria - not sure what happened to the fourth name. Anyway, they were not good enough for the Australian cartographers who renamed them with flair and imagination: East, West, Sandy and Middle. The eradication of rats in 1986 made the islands a safe haven for birds and green sea turtles. The islands are home to one of the world's largest breeding colonies of Brown Booby - 18,000 pairs n fact. I've never seen so many Boobies. No really. Oh, stop it.

As today was our colour group's "sleep in" day, we are the last to depart and in fact our zodiac is the final one to be deployed for this entire expedition. The sea is almost smooth by the time we head off for the islands and as we approach, droves of Boobies swoop and glide over us - no sign of any fear about their behaviour.  They are so numerous in the skies that there are times when they almost collide into each other over head. While the birds look like they are coloured an iridescent blue under their wings, the vibrant hue is simply a reflection of the water as they fly above it.

Back in the day you could camp on the island.

We were warned to keep our mouths closed when looking up, but the worst we scored were some drips of water as they flew low over us. There were a few other bird varieties: sand plovers, oyster catchers, gulls, terns and herons. There were also turtles playing hide and seek. Up would pop a head, then down it would go as soon as it saw us. No chance to get the camera in position. No point either in telling anyone else in the zodiac about the lucky spotting.


It was a very pleasant afternoon on the water, particularly given what the morning wind and swell had promised.

Back to the cabin for showers and to dress for the final dinner. We had a table of 8 on the 4th deck but outside and shared the table with 2 people from Adelaide we hadn't met previously - which was a shame because we really enjoyed their company.

What are you looking at?

Tomorrow is disembarkation at Broome so the next post will probably cover that and our first impressions of the pearl town. It may also answer the question: was the cruise worth it? Of course, I may choose to string you along dear reader and not answer the question. You'll need to wait and read.

I'm coming for you. Mouths closed!

Until next time, internet willing.

Ant music (Freshwater Cove and Langgi, WA)

It is difficult to adequately capture the scenery as we wake each morning and pull back the curtains of our stateroom. For the past few days the scenery has been similar, sparkling azure blue seas, cloudless sunny skies, rocky islands and deserted beaches. The Kimberley holds an allure, promising everything but just holding back at the last minute. The water looks enticing even from the shade. Sitting in the sun for half an hour it promises even more ... but for the sharks and crocodiles. It's like that beautiful girl from your teenage years; always around but just out of your reach.

The title today? I know my dear reader it does come as a surprise. It is certainly not something in my vinyl collection, but it does link with an anecdote from today's adventure as you will read. Whatever happened to Adam and the Ants? One would think they'd make a comeback on the strength of the Ant-man movies.

Today was a special day. Well, yes, each day has been special, but today was more so. Today we met traditional owners on country. We were greeted by Naomi who marked our faces with red ochre. It is a sign of welcome and an agreement from us that we will respect the law and tradition. Following this we set off up the dune and across some open country to an indigenous gallery featuring rock art. The gallery is really an overhang that has been used for thousands of years to tell the stories of the Worrorra people.

The Worrorra are salt water people and are a part of the Wandjina culture and belief system. For those who remember the 2000 Olympics in Sydney the Wandjina featured in the opening ceremony. The Wandjina has eyes but no mouth because it has given the laws for the people to live by and they are not to be changed. The law is the law - no need to say anything else.

The walk to the gallery was described as "challenging". Perhaps one day I will find a stroll through the bush challenging but that day has not yet come. Although there was one area where we had to squeeze between two rocks. Apparently if you get through you are allowed to have dessert that night. If not ... well. Jayne almost made it through unscathed until her sun shirt grabbed part of the rock face and tore. I did work up a sweat for the first time because of the heat once we moved away form the beautiful sea breeze. There were flowering gums with friar birds chasing little honey eaters away from the blossoms. It was quite pleasant sitting in the shade listening to the birds while we waited for our turn in the gallery below the rocks we were on.

A disused green ant nest

Josh and one of the other guides pointed out various things to the group as we enjoyed the afternoon. "Ever tasted a green ant?" he asked me. "No" I replied as he reached forward with a green ant between his fingers. "You can bite off the green bit and crunch it. Or you can just lick it." I opted to lick it, several times. It has a bitter-sweet lemon flavour. I then released the little fellow back onto his nest. Apparently green ants are quite the on trend industry. There is green ant encrusted cheese and green ant gin. It was certainly a new experience and provided me with the title for today's blog.

The Worrorra people use the ants for a variety of medicinal purposes including rubbing them on the skin as an antiseptic, drinking water infused with the ants to induce breast milk flow and in concentrate, as a purported form of contraception.

The rock art was spectacular and Naomi's brother, Neil related stories to us from the Dreaming or Lalai, the creation time, as it is referred to up here. The stories are painted onto the ceiling of the overhang and relate to moral lessons; always listen to your parents, as well as explaining natural features of the area such as te whirlpools at Montgomery Reef. Again, I have photos, but we were requested not to post them on social media. If you are interested in looking at the art, Dr Google is more than able to assist you.

Following our talk from Neil, we made our way back to the beach where we were smoked by two of Neil's brothers to ensure the spirits didn't follow us back to the ship. Another zodiac ride, this time it was calm and smooth. Back on deck it was time to repair Jayne's shirt and have lunch. I have never eaten so much and the food is excellent - mostly.

Jayne at the smoking ceremony

There was a rather long break before the next zodiac outing at Langgi, 3 nautical miles from Freshwater Cove. The tide is a mere 8 metres today, so the landings and departures from the beach need to be carefully managed to ensure all guests get ashore and more importantly get back to the ship again.

Get ready for the splash

While we were whiling away the hours over lunch and a very nice, crisp French rosé, the shout "whale" went up. Indeed there were a couple of humpback whales not far from the ship waving fins and slapping tails in the water. That occupied us for a while and then we returned to our stateroom to process some photos and get some thoughts down for future blog posts. While enjoying the quiet of our balcony, Jayne saw some more humpbacks. In the space of a few minutes we saw more whale action here than we did on the entire whale watching expedition in Canada. And we stayed warm.

Watching the tide is fascinating. The speed at which it moves is quite frightening and it would be easy to caught unaware if you were not familiar with the area. As we made the beach at Langgi to see the Wandjini pillar rock formations there was a boat that was anchored, but on sand. On our return less than an hour later it was floating and too far out from the coast to wade to it.

The sand stone pillars along side a narrow the gorge on the beach at Langgi are up 3 metres tall. Two prominent pillars are the Wandjina and the wife he stole from another man.  They were hunted down on the beach and speared, immediately turning to stone, along with all the warriors that were surrounding them to enforce the law.  They stand there, frozen in time, to remind the Worrorra people of the way they should live.

This is the silhouette art shot

Given the shower you enjoy riding in a zodiac we generally have another as soon as we return to the ship. This ensures we are always clean and don't spread disease like they do on those nasty bulk cruise carriers. You know the ones I mean dear reader, they look like a block of flats parked at Circular Quay. All glitz and no substance.

Showered and dressed for dinner, it was down for the nightly recap and then briefing for tomorrow. A back row seat ensures a hasty get-away to check the newly posted lists for zodiac groupings and times.

Tomorrow we were supposed to be going to Montgomery Reef, but the tides are not right for that visit. Therefore, days are being swapped around and we are headed for Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls.

Until next time.

Crocodile rock (Prince Frederick Harbour and Porosus Creek)

Welcome back dear reader to the easiest blog title ever. We left Vansittart Island and Gwion Gwion art in our wake to be informed at Recap that we would have an afternoon start for today. Winner. Jayne was most excited. A leisurely breakfast, some work on the belated blog posts and polishing of photos would be the order of the day. Then to Josh's lecture on crocodiles at 11am, followed by lunch and a zodiac trip up the Porosus Creek looking for the critters Josh had warned us about.

The lecture went overtime. To gauge its effectiveness, the majority of people were still there at the end and people remained behind to ask questions. It was a great mixture of information, statistics, and humour, measured by Josh's work in science, conservation and the crocodile industry. Josh is an interesting man with an amazing, eclectic knowledge, not just on crocodiles, his specialty, but of conservation, science and the environment in general. We had a most enjoyable dinner with him after the visit to Vansittart Island where we discussed indigenous art and archeology in Australia.

No, this rock doesn't look like a crocodile.

The whole area is stunning and I doubt that we would have seen it had we not come on this cruise. No, dear reader it is not a cheap and cheerful option, but it has been worth it. The experience of the Kimberley is not something I can easily describe and is certainly not something easily accessed. The ship is beautiful, the food is great, there are even activities for cruise type people, like French lessons, dancing lessons, concerts ad nauseam.



Post lecture and the long lunch we headed for the zodiacs and by pure chance we boarded the zodiac that was skippered by Josh. Winner (again). We hadn't moved too far from the ship before we spotted a sea snake. Absolutely beautiful animal just swimming around minding its own business until we turned up.

Pretty cute, eh?

The snake left us and we continued our journey to see more crocodiles. And see more crocodiles we did. The photos are testament. The statistics suggest around 6 crocodiles per 1 km stretch of river. One of the  most famous crocs of the region is Stumpy, a three legged croc. While there were tracks up and down the beach where he and his women live, they were not to be seen.

We continued on and motored up a side creek where we came across a  mud skipper. They are seriously huge up here.

Mud or mud skipper? Hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.

We followed up the mud skipper sighting with that of the Lesser Sand Plover, a migratory bird that would have only arrived this week from somewhere in Siberia or the Himalayas - according to Wikipedia. The Kimberley is a nice place to avoid the cold Siberian winter.

What is it with animals and mud?

Yeah, I'm looking at you.

So much for the warm up acts. Where is the main feature? Oh, yeah, just over there. At the mouth of a rapidly emptying creek as the tide ran out, two crocs were having a dispute over valuable territory. This was easy fishing. As the tide runs out the fish have to go with it and the crocs just sit at the end of the creek with mouth open and the fish literally swim in. Our exploration interrupted the battle and one of the crocs slipped silently away down the river. The other stayed and while he didn't challenge us, we got the feeling he would have, if we moved too close.

You might be a boat but I'll still bite you.

We did spot some other crocs but they were smaller and not in dispute, so not quite as exciting as our original sighting. It was time to head for home. Everyone on board was scanning the water looking for sightings. The tide, which runs up to around 6 metres, was almost out, the mud flats were exposed. I looked ahead and saw a croc. Or was it birds? Or a log? No it's a croc. I alert Josh. We both look, no it's a log I think. Agreed says Josh. Then the log moved. We had a found a reasonable sized croc on the mud flats eating a fish (a cat fish as it turned out). Rather unusual behaviour.

Catfish are not so easy to swallow.

Just when you thought there was nothing else to sight we came across some humpback dolphins. Sorry no photos, they are quite shy and don't wait for the cameras to be set before they disappear. That is now twice we have seen them. The Kimberley is just awesome.

Back to the ship. Drinks on the observation deck level 6 where one might play Titanic if one was immature enough. No, dear reader, we did not. Drinks with Ken and Moya and dinner on level 4 that was enhanced by a lovely little 8 year old red for Chateauneuf du Pape. This is living.

Until next time.

If a picture paints a thousand words (Vansittart Bay, WA)

It's time to leave the Australian rock legends behind and wander back to the gentler times of the 1970s with Bread. This post dear reader will be relatively brief and devoid of relevant photos. However, to continue the visual feast that is the Kimberley region, I will include some previously unpublished photos to sweeten my dirge of words.

The reason for no photos you ask? Today's expedition was to Jar Island to observe Gwion Gwion rock art. While we were given permission to take photos, they requested that we do not publish them on social media. Since I'm one of those bleeding heart lefties that you hear that right wing bufoon Alan Jones spew about, it is my right to observe the wishes of the original inhabitants of this land. Therefore ... what you'll get today is a thousand words and no pictures of the art. See what I did there?

So at the expedition briefing the night before, we were unsurprised to find that group Yellow B would be the second of eight groups to depart by zodiac for the short trip to the beach of Jar Island for the first excursion of two planned for the day.  This meant another early start since departure time for us was 7:10am. We are hanging out for the rotation among the groups since we (read Jayne) really feel we have done our fair share of early risings already!

Once on the beach, we elected to keep our reef shoes on while others changed into joggers for the 500 metre stroll up to Gallery 1 to have the first set of Gwion Gwion interpreted for us.  The figures are quite distinctive in their style with defined bodies and detailed representations of hands, fingers and body adornments, especially the large and intricate headdresses worn for particular ceremonies.  The art has been dated at around 17,000 years old.

Interestingly, they are sometimes hard to discern as you look at them with the naked eye but they come out of the rock more distinctly if photographed.

We retraced our path towards the beach and crossed over with the other Yellow group to view Gallery 2, a slightly more rocky walk which took us in behind rocks to another, more extensive and diverse set of Gwion Gwion.  Here there were snakes, people, an echidna and fish. The scene was described whereby the paintings would have been used as a backdrop to tell stories around the campfire at night both to entertain and instruct - the world's first open air cinema. For some more detailed background read this: http://theconversation.com/aboriginal-history-rewritten-again-by-ignorant-political-class-43996

The colour that remains is a dark red ochre stained into the rock but originally it is thought that there would have been black, yellow and white as well as the red to bring this dimension of the Dreaming vividly into the midst of the gathering.

After Gallery 2, we returned to the beach and then the ship via the zodiacs for a lunch interlude until the second part of the day - another zodiac trip to walk over a salt pan to view the wreck of a WWII C53 plane that crashed on to the island.

We had already decided that the expedition leader's representation the previous evening of what we would see was less than inspiring - vandalised, parts missing, unable to go inside the wreck.  We weighed this up against the huge responsibility to you, dear reader, since the blog was well and truly behind in its usual daily production.  We opted to forego the C53 experience and stay on board to catch up on the blog and emails.  We duly discovered that many of our co-passengers were similarly uninspired by the briefing and had also stayed put that afternoon.  Therefore the C53 will have to remain a WWII mystery to you all.

For the dedicated reader, you will be pleased to know that Jayne has rediscovered her love affair with the Pina Colada. It has become the go to drink when we have time prior to lunch. Although that is not often - this is, after all, an expedition, not a cruising holiday.

Tomorrow we are back on the zodiacs heading up Porosus Creek off Prince Frederick Harbour.

Until then.

Bow River (Kununarra - the Ord River)

From one iconic Australian rock band to another dear reader. This time it is Cold Chisel and their 1982 classic Bow River. The title came easily after reading a map of the area at the Durack Homestead where Bow river was listed in large font.

At some stage we were informed that this is not a cruise but an expedition. As such, early mornings and long days were to be expected. A cruise is a holiday where you sit around all day. So joining the  a 7:20 am queue for the bus should not be considered out of the ordinary. 

Our driver was Kevin, a blow-in from Cairns who lives in Kununarra and works for Triple J Tours during the dry season. In the wet he returns to Cairns where the summer temperatures and humidity make the Kimberley wet season look like some form of punishment inflicted on those who cannot escape. The drive took us through Wyndham - at least three versions of it. Total population less than 1000. Everything that operated here at some point has closed. We noted there was land for sale at New Wyndham, no price listed. There were some large bronze statues that were positioned off the main road and a replica crocodile (on the main road) and that was pretty much it. No road side cafés or any infrastructure to support tourism or the local population for that matter. In fact the main building worthy of commentary, apart from the now closed pub that was to have been renovated but they ran out of money, was the  police station!

A random snap of the river to break up the text

The drive to Kununarra absorbed about an hour of the day. The road was excellent and virtually brand new. Kevin provided background chatter, sorry, information, about the area. We covered the incessant burning of the area by different groups and the negative impact it was having on the environment. He talked of the Ord River scheme and the benefits it has brought to WA, if not the residents of Wyndham. The Duracks, the 'original' pioneering family were mentioned all the way down to Kimberley Durack, the man credited with the concept and the political agitation for the Ord River dam. 

The only mention of the indigenous population was the high % of inhabitants at Wyndham and the first Patrick Durack's faithful servant, Pumpkin, who had accompanied him from Queensland. Apparently the Duracks treated the indigenous population better than most because Patrick left Pumpkin his gold watch when he died.

Warning: political statement. He left him his gold watch! The only concern I had about the day and all we heard was the lack or original, authentic indigenous voice. Once again Australia seems to create some apologist perspective or a cleansing of history by referencing the first inhabitants through kind treatment when the inverse was true in the vast majority of situations. Ethnic cleansing might have been a better term and WA continued some seriously dubious policies under the guise of protecting the original inhabitants well into last century. Australians seem to be embarrassed by the continued existence of Aborigines and will probably continue so to do until we actually own the real history of this country which may involve a story of pioneering bravery but also needs to acknowledge the almost complete dispossession and destruction of the indigenous culture.

The diversion dam wall at Kununarra

Kununarra is unremarkable. It has everything you would expect of a country town that is trying to develop itself into something bigger and better. The Ord River scheme, in striking contradiction,  is remarkable. It is a significant story of achievement and given government was involved, it makes the story even more remarkable. By way of contrast, look at the Murray-Darling Basin and the incompetent management and exploitation of that area. 

The Ord scheme created two dams which have sustained the life of the river through the dry season, ensured constant water flow and supported agricultural development resulting in the continued growth of industry in the area. The hydro electric plant at the base of the dam wall at Lake Argyle delivers 85% of the areas' power and delivered the closure of the diesel power generator - an environmental and economic win. Beyond this is a haven it has created for wildlife from fresh water crocodiles (the harmless ones) to an abundance of bird life and around 26 species of fish- all native to Australia! What no carp???

The boat trip up the river to the dam wall at Lake Argyle was magical. But I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Little Corellas

A darter drying its wings

A freshie basking in the sun

A rock wallaby watching us float past

Little fruit bats

The dam wall at Lake Argyle

Lake Argyle

The bus ride back to Wyndham was much the same as the trip down. Dylan our driver (he was also our captain on the river with an amazing encyclopedic knowledge of the system, its flora and fauna) provided further information. We stopped at the Durack Homestead, a building removed from the floor of the dam, before flooding, and eventually rebuilt well above the water line. It was unremarkable in all aspects - what it was, what it represented and as a museum it didn't do the job either. The only mention of the indigenous population came with a couple of photos of a wedding and the headstone of Pumpkin. Let's keep pretending black history is unimportant. I was not the only traveller to make that point.

Back home, we dined on Deck 4 with Ken and Moya. Dinner is a tad more formal on Deck 4. It is 5 courses with wine and all the usual trappings. It was another early night. I had to be up at 5:30 in the morning to climb King George Twin Falls.

Until next time.

Blue Sky Mine (Darwin to Wyndham)

As I suggested in my last posting my dear reader, my missives will be somewhat intermittent this vacation. A combination of long days filled with activity and a fragile satellite connection to the internet are conspiring against me. I concluded last time with a reference to the demographic. Might I add that the go-to accessories on this cruise are hearing aids. I apologise if you find my timeline somewhat confused. Not writing each day is an issue for me and there will be references to the full day on the water and the time beyond. Time takes on a fluid dimension on the Kimberley and I shall try to do better.

Today's title is from one of Australia's premier rock bands, Midnight Oil. All will become clear, patience.

There was another cracking sunset last night. The smoke from fires burning all over the Kimberley help make them more stunning. Apparently the stars are something special as well, but at this point a full moon and early nights has precluded us from enjoying them.

One disappointing aspect, perhaps the only one to date, is the serving of Gossips Rosé in the bar. On a cruise that prides itself as being high-end, this is, well, just not good enough. Yes, I'm a wine snob and no, I didn't try it. The French version is, I'm sure, far superior and very tasty.

Jayne  was sick when we woke after the trip out to Indo. The swell was quite noticeable and the sea-sick bags were placed discreetly around the ship, but we don't suspect sea sickness. She had recovered by mid-morning and a lunch-time champagne returned her health and humour.

We had a mandatory briefing around the use of the Zodiacs as our main form of transport and the usual WHS talk. How to get in and out of the craft without damaging our replacement hips and new knees. Well, maybe not for us, but there are a lot of people sporting fashionable scars on their knees. Post-briefing we were issued with our Zodiac life vests. They are small and light weight and activate only in water. Allegedly. Jayne was tempted to wear hers in the shower but resisted the temptation. The vests billow yellow when deployed and are described as 'pop corn' so we don't want to be shamed by having to ask for another vest...

Later in the day we enjoyed a lecture on the geology of the Kimberley and another briefing, this time on the Ord River Scheme and the activities of the following day.

That night was our first gala dinner and we teamed up with Ken and Moya again. I wore my suit, no tie, but it didn't really seem to matter. Some people had gone all out: suits, bow ties, evening dresses,  pearls, superior, arrogant attitudes, (OK that was just one person) but it certainly was not as formal or stuffy as the brochure and pre-cruise information stated. In fact, I only wore the suit because I brought the damn thing!  The brochures say 'required' but the reality is 'suggested' - a world of difference in packing for the cruise.

Lots of space for crocodiles

The morning saw us at Wyndham. Information: forgettable. Google it for interest. The meat works has closed. The pub has closed. We were provided with a potted history of the area on the ship and on the bus en route to Kununarra. Both failed to mention the history of asbestos mining. Cue Midnight Oil and Blue Sky Mine. I'm  not calling it censorship, but how can you ignore something that was a significant part of the history of the area? What's that you say my learnéd reader? Oh, oh yes, terra nullius. Yes, this is Australia, we can forget a lot of things. As we say in Redfern, white history has a black past.

A quiet morning in Wyndham

At this point dear reader I have the opportunity to separate memories. And I shall. Although I have commenced the day of the Ord River excursion, I will end this post. I don't want to overwhelm you with information.

Therefore, until next time ...