Bungling On

  Kununurra, Western Australia, Australia
Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Trees, Gregory NP

It's hotting up, here in the Kimberley in the North West of Australia.  I'm sitting in the shade typing this with the thermometer registering 41 degrees.  You all know I'm a fan of the heat, so that's no problem, but in this pre-monsoonal period, 'the build-up', the humidity is rising too... and that's a little tougher to deal with.  After the luxury of a fan in our en-suite room during our stay with Darwin Servas host Terry, the tent promised to be a sauna, but we have since been blessed with a week of cooler nights, which have been most welcome.  Last night, however, was very, very. very sweaty!
 

Beatiful boab, Keep River NP!

Escarpment walk, Gregory NP

The weather does not detract from the scenery, however, which is spectacular in a primitive , elemental way.  Gregory and Keep River National Parks, near the border between the Northern Territory and Western Australia, were two of my favourite locations on this trip, all raw red rock walls fronted with glossy ferns and a profusion of the beautiful boab trees,  related to the baobabs which impressed me so much on my African trip a few years ago.These ancient trees, which flower only for one day a year, suggest illustrations from a childrens' fairy tale book; I imagine them opening their eyes and coming to life after dark, talking amongst themselves and wandering around in their secret life.  
 

Start of Bungles track

Bungle Bungles from a distance

The rocky environment only grew as we jolted along the bone-rattling dirt track (53 km took 2 ½ hours!) into the Bungle Bungles, a place which has lived in my imagination for many years.  The unearthly dome-shaped sandstone formations look like a rippling wall from afar but when we got closer we were able to walk right among the individual 'beehives' whose bizzarely striped walls dwarfed us.  One walk led though the shady Cathedral Gorge,

Closer to the Bungles

Walking through the beehives

ending in a rocky amphitheatre, still containing a small pool at the end of the dry season which created perfect reflections of the towering walls surrounding it.  The Echidna Chasm walk was an even narrower tunnel, blissfully cool in the heat of the day, while the Mini Palms route was worthy of an Indiana Jones opening sequence, as we scrambled over boulders and between tiny gaps in the rocks littering the gorge through which the trail ascended, emerging a while later to find the rock walls ablaze with the sinking sun.
 

Evening light after Mini Palms walk

As we entered a different time zone when we crossed into W. A., it is now light before 5 am and dusks falls early in the evening, perfect for sitting back, post-dinner, and gazing at the starry night sky, undisturbed by light pollution in the depths of the electricity-free national park.  Not that I can stay awake too long to appreciate the nocturnal display, though, with such an early start to the day!
 




Although I found the rough Bungle roads a blast, the Johnmobile, alas, did not, with the result  that the exhaust pipe developed a serious tear.  And after the rock-strewn, corrugated road and the creek crossings

Me chcking water depth at creek crossing

with their uncertain submerged surfaces, it's little surprise.  John did that thing that guys do, getting under the car for an inspection and utilising various tools to create a temporary improvement, while I stayed out of the way, not even really understanding the function of said pipe...  Anyway, John was brave enough to let me negotiate the road back out, with guidance, and the sorry pipe sat in the back seat along with the luggage, all the way back to Kununurra.  Lengthy transplant surgery this morning was successful, I'm pleased to report, and so it looks like we are all set to tax the poor car further as we venture down the first section of the Gibb River Road tomorrow!