Day 125 Bungle Bungles – Keep River National Park 3rd - 4th August

We said goodbye again to Nick, Brigid and their family as well as our new friends from Perth and after driving back back through the 50km dirt track headed in our own direction further east towards the Northern Territory.

The Bungles had claimed one victory over us – our Anderson Plug had been ripped out and I had to buy a new one to reconnect the car electricity to the camper-trailer. We also visited another Zebra Rock Gallery in a pretty location just outside Kununurra where some trinkets were bought.

We finally make it to the NT border

A long drive then ensued and we ended up passing into the Northern Territory, with a quick photo-op at the border and then stopping for the night at the Keep River National Park. This pretty park turned out to have terrific rock formations and an early morning walk was a great way to see it. We listened to a night talk from one of the rangers around a campfire – he turned out to be Japanese with an interesting history of how he got there. The estimated 2500 rock engravings and artwork at Keep NP unfortunately are now off-limits to tourists on the request of the traditional owners. 

Keep River National Park

Suckable Boab Tree seed pods provide a quinine-like boost

 

Day 122-124 Kununurra – Bungle Bungles 31st July – 3rd August

A long drive south along the tarmac led us to the Bungle Bungles – or as it is now known – the Purnululu National Park. Following a juddery 50km drive in on dirt roads, including several small river crossings we camped in the Walardi Campground, in the south of the park. We were in luck and found Rob, Fiona and their kids, Isabele, Siobhian and Liam that we had met from Home Valley there – so our family and Nick & Brigid's family all camped in the same large spot.

Say Bungles Bungles

The three campsites at night

Time to cook chicken and veggie curry

Brigid made yummy trifle for everyone on the last night!

 

Over the next couple of days, amongst others, we walked along the spectacular Cathedral Gorge with its beehive like domes, viewed Echidna Chasm at noon watching the sun barley reach the bottom of the gorge but yet it in a warm orange glow, watched sunsets changing the colours of the tremendous rock formations that form the park.

Wickhams Grevillea

Car-surfing

Domes of the Bungle Bungles

Pebbles in large sink-holes

Kimberley Heather

Cockroach Bush

Jasmine surrounded by a sea of cockroaches

Mini-Jasmine on Mini-Palm walk

Fiona squeezing through boulders on the mini-palms walk

At the end of the mini-palms walk

Resting at end of Echidna Chasm

Jordan and the kids tried to identify flowers and bush-tucker on the walk. The are quickly becoming experts, leaving most of the adults in their wake.

Sucking the nectar from Silver-leaf Grevillea

Ben eating bush-tucker

The nine kids from the three families formed a tribe and played games and told terrible jokes to while away the lazy afternoons, as we recovered from our arduous morning walks. One evening we even sang and played guitar and piano around a camp-fire which was a lot of fun. The Bungle Bungles certainly lived up to their reputation.

Ben and Siobhain drawing together

Isabell stumming chords

The master-chefs making yummy coconut balls

Playing capitalists Monopoly Deal late into the night

Day 121 Kununurra Rest Area – Kununurra 30th - 31st July

We left early in the morning and drove a short 12km to Kununurra to stay at the Kimberleyland Caravan Park. The park was packed and we found a spot in the overflow area of the overflow area. Funnily enough, this turned out to be beautiful spot, right next to the lake with amazing views and soft grass under our feet. At the caravan park we also bumped into Tim & Justina and their kids – so the day was very much a Great Divide Tours reunion.

Not bad for an overflow of an overflow

Morning view

Jesus Bird walking on water

Kelly's Knob Lookout

Geocaching sleuths with their latest find

 We had a look at Zebra Rock at a local gallery. Apparently the origins of Zebra rock is not understood but consists of well defined brown and beige stripes on rock.

In the morning we took a quick detour to the Kununurra rodeo. With free entry, we were treated to a show of cowboys and their bucking horses and stamping cattle. We saw some kids that looked as young as eight having a crack at riding calves at the rodeo.

Kununurra Rodeo

 

Yeeee

Haaa!!!!

He seemed to be doing so well!