28/6/09 – Left Windjana and headed back to Derby.  We are feeling a little uneasy that this might be the start of something like Groundhog Day!!!  We left Derby as quickly as possible.  Interesting to note that the Gibbs River Road has been easy to drive – nothing more than a well groomed dirt road really and the landscape has been dry.  Now it has changed.  There are palm trees and river crossings (with water in them!).  (Just to prove it check out the guy going through the river just by our camp site – he was going for it!) We have Lorikeets busily flying around.  Found our overnight stop – March Fly Glen.  We got the fire going and used our camp oven (glad we brought it now).  Steve had his first ‘three beer night’, and all is very well with us again.

 

29/6/09 – Lovely quiet morning.  At 7.20 am the first car has gone past.  We have decided to do Bell Gorge and Silent Grove today and then come back here for the night – shame we can’t just leave the tent up.

 

A few thank yous – Alan and Adrienne, for the use of the compressor – it has been much used.  Trish and Iain for the snorkel filter sock.  And to everyone who has given us advice and encouragement.

 

Bell Gorge was lovely.  We really didn’t think we would find much water when we got there but the waterfall was quite spectacular.  Lots of people swimming – we didn’t take our cossies so we swam in our undies!!  Spent the day there and got back to March Fly Glen – no one in our spot this time.  Ended up having the place to ourselves – fantastic.

 

30/6/09 – Packed up and made our way to Imintji – a general store in the middle of nowhere.  We had coffee and raisin toast – just because we could, and it was lovely.  Off to Mornington Wilderness Park.  We were tipped off about this place by a fellow traveler who raved about it.  It’s an 80 klm trek off Gibb River Road so it better be good.  Arrived 2 hours later and have decided to stay for 3 nights.

 

Another little problem with the car this afternoon.  Just about to go and have a scout around and we noticed we had no gauges.  A fuse had blown.  Steve put another one in and it blew within 5 seconds.  He had a play around and tried again but it blew again.   Up to this point our dash board has been like Blackpool Illuminations – the back door warning light has been on since the door wouldn’t open properly, the timing belt light because they didn’t reset it when it was replaced, the cruise light (most of the time) and the 4 wd light!!!  So now we have nothing.  Hey ho!

 

1/7/09 - We’re going canoeing in Dimond Gorge…… so do we care.  What a lovely lovely day.  Just lazily cruising up and down the river taking photos, swimming and having fun.  Came back and had dinner at the restaurant and went to bed smiling.

 

Rainbow Bee Eater  

It’s supposed to be very nice but different to Dimond Gorge so hopefully some different photos too.  Then Steve plans on having a look at the car again – fingers crossed.  Did the other ‘gorges’ and had a swim, relaxed.  Steve had another look at the car and fixed up some loose wiring and realized the batteries weren’t charging either, now that’s a big problem.  We don’t have, fuel gauge, oil gauge, indicators, temp gauge, batteries aren’t recharging, fridge isn’t charging and the sub fuel tank won’t work so we only have a half tank of fuel in the main tank. We are going to have to go back to Imintji where there is a Mechanic.

 

3/7/09 – Arrived at Imintji and the guy says he can’t help and advises us to go back to – you guessed it – Derby!!!  We’re hundreds of kilometers up the Gibb River Road and we have to go back to Derby.  So here we are, and guess what, it’s Mardi Gras – there are distinct similarities to Ground Hog Day – wasn’t there a Mardi Gras going on then?   I left Steve at the garage (waiting for the man to have a look thinking we were stuck here for days until we could get it fixed at huge expense), and went in search of the camp site.   I returned to find the car fixed.  I was perplexed.  Fixed says I, yes says Steve, how says I?  Well it seems that when Steve found some loose wiring under the tow bar and tidied it up, he actually fixed the problem but didn’t know he had fixed the problem because when he put the next fuse in, it still didn’t work, even though it didn’t blow.  Unfortunately, the new fuse was a dud, so all the man at the garage did was put a new fuse in!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Needless to say we are relieved but still in Derby.

 

We are abandoning the Gibb River Road and heading off to Kununurra tomorrow and will do the other end of the GRR from there. 

 

Sorry to drag on a bit today but we have now found out that our house has been rented out until end September so we have become temporary nomads.  More tomorrow.

 

4/7/09 – Short update today – camping at Mary Pools again.

 

5/7/09 – Arrived at Kununurra after a great drive through some spectacular scenery.  We don’t know what our plans are for the next few days yet.

 

An interesting note.  We had decided to stay at a camp site just before Kununurra but when we read the sign it said no grog!  We were ok with that on the basis we could manage without for one night, but when I pointed out that they might confiscate our stock, Steve soon moved on.

 

 

 Time lapse video of one of the sunsets at the Quandong Campsite near Broome