Northern Safari: Fitzroy Crossing to Kakadu

Note - there was another blog update only 24 hours ago. We'd hate you to miss it! Am currently catching up due to technical problems. Sitting here in Kakadu at night sweating and being eaten by heaps of mossies!! - Ed (=Jim)

The next day was fairly uneventful and we made it to Halls Creek where we slept at great free-stay in a creek bed at Caroline Ponds, just outside town.

The girls climbed China Wall, outside Halls Creek

Our creek bed campsite at Caroline Pool

By staying near Halls Creek we were able to get to the Bungle Bungles by lunch time the next day. The road in was pretty slow taking 1 hour 40 mins for 50 km. Before heading off for an afternoon walk, Claire did some washing and noticed that the clothes line was full of female undies an socks – no contributions at all from the male members of the family, who were obviously economising on changing any clothes to help to reduce the washing workload.

Echidna Chasm, at Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles)

The Bungle Bungles were pretty special and well worth the visit. We walked a gorge in the north and the domes in the south, including part of the big Picaninny Gorge walk.

Ned and Elsie

We also had some good campfires at the campsite, but because they were communal fires, we had trouble with noise going on into the night next to our tent. Unfortunately the u-beaut mudflaps that we got custom made in Broome were only just hanging on by this stage and proved to be a total waste of money (and time).

On Tuesday we left the Bungles and made it to Kununurra that night to stay by the lake again and stock up on supplies.

Kununurra Diversion Dam (on the Ord River)

The next day we explored Lake Argyle, including the original Durack Homestead, the dam wall and Ord River.

The original Durack Homestead (The Durack's started the cattle industry in the Kimberleys)

We had intended to leave that afternoon, but when we saw the “infinity pool” at the Caravan Park we had to have a swim and stay the night.

Lake Argyle and the infinity pool - The best swimming pool with views you have ever seen!

Lake Argyle

Jim discovered the original “Northern Safari” DVD (1955) in their shop, so bought it to watch in the tent that night. Finally the warm weather had arrived and we started not needing our down doonas at night! We can’t believe how cold it has been at night for the last 2 months. Parts of the Gibb River Road had been having 2 degrees at night over the last few weeks.

Ord River just below the Argyle Dam wall

The next morning we also watched a video on the making of the Argyle Dam before heading off into Keep River National Park just over the NT border. We only went half way in but saw some spectacular scenery.

Cockatoo Billabong, Keep River

Keep River National park

Keep River National Park

Rather than staying the night, we then made a dash east and made it to Victoria River Roadhouse by sunset. This is a big river through some dry and spectacular country. Jim rose early the next morning to walk up the nearby escarpments.

Victoria River

Gum blossom at Victoria River

We then went to Katherine as quick as we could to stock up again (and replace our mobile internet stick) so we could make it into Kakadu that night. We figured that a small rush now will give us an extra day in Kakadu where the kids can swim. It would also allow us to stay in the one spot and relax for Jim’s birthday on the Saturday.

Our first 2 nights were at Gunlom in southern Kakadu where you can swim at the bottom of a water fall and also climb 1 km to the top to swim in rock pools – pretty much like a natural “infinity pool”.