Katherine to Bungles Days 68 to 72

It would be easy to travel express from Katherine to Kununurra or even Broome. After touring the sights of the top end you develop a hankering for the coast and that long WA coastline starts to beckon. Driving west from Katherine you soon see that there are many more delights to be had. There is the striking Stokes Range, and where there are mountains there are of course rivers. The Victoria river is the widest of these as it opens up on its way to the Timor Sea. North of the Victoria highway is some wild country with mountains and rugged coastline and barely a road in. Boab trees appear, then become increasingly numerous with giant trunks and bare limbs. 

Gregory National park boasts some nice gorges but we decided to head to Keep River National Park on Lissa’s Dads recommendation. It is a small park which hugs the WA border and is easily explored. Bush camping is a perpetual novelty which seems to grow in its attractiveness after a few days in civilisation. Camping forces you to make do with what you have. A limited wardrobe, small pantry, a few dim lights, no phone or internet and no flushing toilet. This camp is one rung up from the bottom of the ladder. There is a pit dunny but no water or garbage bins. The old “long drop” can be a pleasant few minutes on the throne or a stinkin constipation inducing torture box. This one stanketh. When the ventilation is right, the smell is negligent and there is a gentle breeze down below. Bath time is reduced to a bucket of water and a washer. Who needs the Olympics when you have a good book or some crocheting? The scenery makes any sacrifice seem small. 

On our sunset loop walk Lissa packed corn chips and some huge avos. For dinner we sat on the rocks scooping flesh from the halved fruit. Such extravagance had a secondary purpose as we were about to cross the border into WA, leaving all plant materials at the quarantine checkpoint.

The French are invading. It seems that many have taken the opportunity to escape the Eurozone. I have been impressed by the French tourist’s willingness to “rough it” but it was the Germans who put on a clinic in camping efficiency at Keep River. As we ate dinner, in rolled 3 families who promptly setup camp and prepared dinner in record time only to pack up and leave as we ate breaky the following morning. Those crazy Krauts sure run a tight shipenstruddel.

Kununurra seems like a nice town, though mining money might have polished the turd up a fair bit. There is plenty of water behind the dam wall to keep things a little greener before the real wet rolls in. Our budget caravan park even comes with a swimming pool and the aroma of marijuana in the evenings. The boys from Fitzroy Crossing provided some entertainment as they were in town for an AFL tournament. Their minder read from Harry Potter as they retired to their tents for the night.

My 2 pronged hair experiment requires adjusting. I was hoping as it grew longer my hair would reach a natural state of equilibrium without needing to be washed. After a month of dusty travelling I decided to shampoo half of the Northern Territory out of my mop. The car was also begging for a wash.

There are 3 types of people in the world. When someone has left their shampoo behind the first person will ignore it. The second will see it as an opportunity to try out a new brand. The third will see it like mana from heaven and take the bottle with them as they leave. Which one are you?

There seems to be another error in the naming of the Bungle Bungles. I counted more than 2 Bungles. It appears from a distance like a class photo with the rocky heads staggered shoulder to shoulder. 

Camping on one side shows the Bungles as an impressive and yet common escarpment. 

It is not until you drive around the back that you see the famous domed range extending beyond the eyeline. Alternating layers of rusty iron and black rock eroded into rounded masses, create a memorable vista. The best photos of this place are taken from the air but walking into Cathedral Gorge gets you up close and personal with the place. 

On the opposite side the kids enjoyed a walk which follows the river bed as it continues deep into Echidna Chasm. The chasm is over 100m deep and narrows to 1m in width towards the origin.

Battery trouble became evident and needed attention in Kununurra. Dropping the family off at the Saturday markets, I took a punt on the little 4wd spares shop to get us back to full power. It’s always a blessing when you find the right person to solve your problem, and Dustin Syrch proved to be my Fonzie. After a quick inspection he diagnosed and replaced a busted solenoid which was preventing the 2^nd battery from charging. Happy days. With power back for the fridges we are ready for the Kimberleys, however many Kimberleys we bump into.