Kimberley 2 ~ June 22-28

Halls Creek

In Halls Creek we booked into the only caravan park in the town and set up in one of the few shady spots before going out to explore the China Wall.

Not having read up on this local phenomenon we stared at the strange white wall standing up in the middle of the limestone ranges discussing whether it might be natural or constructed by humans. Then we turned around and saw another one. It’s got to be natural we decided and learned later that it was a vein of white quartz, naturally occurring in this limestone formation. It looks like a deliberately constructed wall which makes its way up and over the hills, giving it the appearance of the Wall of China. (Not that I’ve ever seen the original!)

We travelled on out to the site of the old Halls Creek township which started life in the 19^th century as a gold mining town. Remains of the old Post Office still exist; it was made of a mud mix of spinifex and ant bed, protected now by a cover and walls which allow one to look without touching.

We encountered some Road Trains along the Duncan Hwy between Halls Creek and Old Halls Creek. Big, dust creating trucks. We used the UHF and looked along the road for their tell-tale dust plumes so that we wouldn’t be trapped at the edge of the road. There isn’t enough room on the road for both of us. They travel down the centre of the road at such a rate of knots you have no choice but to get off, close all windows, doors and vents and wait for the dust to settle. Now we know why the first 20 metres of vegetation along the edge of the road is so dirty. (By the way, if you click on the photo of the big truck you should see the movie.)

Wolfe Creek Crater

The next day we got up early and, with a packed lunch, made our way out to look at the Wolfe Creek Crater which you get to via the Tanami Road. We are getting used to letting down the tyres to reduce the damage caused by corrugated and otherwise crappy roads. The Tanami itself wasn’t too bad but then we turned off on the Wolfe Creek Crater road! It was AWFUL. The corrugations must have been six inches deep in some places and it took us over an hour to do this last 20 kms. Just as well we enjoy the actual drive and the scenery.

Wolfe Creek Crater itself was interesting but really just a big hole in the ground with vegetation in the middle of it. Having come all this way, I was determined to do everything possible while we were here, so I climbed down into the crater, heeding the warnings to take care as the track was very slippery, steep and rocky. I took only what I needed – water, binoculars and camera in my bum-bag so that I could hold onto rocks if I needed. 20 metres almost straight down and then a walk along the base of the crater, dodging the spinifex, where I was not rewarded by seeing any of the Major Mitchells they say are around. It is amazing to visualise the impact over 300,000 years ago of a meteorite crashing into the earth and making this big hole, splattering fragments of rock which have been found over 4km away. Imagine the thud!

It was a long way home, too. The corrugations put me to sleep at one point!!

Fitzroy Crossing

Fitzroy River Lodge, the caravan park we found in the little town of Fitzroy Crossing is like an oasis in the sparsely populated but beautiful land of the Kimberley. The distances here are vast and the land is harsh. The extremes of wet and dry govern the land. All the structures in the caravan park are built either on hills or stilts, so you have to climb a hill to use the ablution block, climb a hill to go to the reception or the restaurant and even the swimming pool. In the wet season everything floods except for these buildings which are beyond the reach of the high water mark.

The seasonally diminished Fitzroy River is close by so I took off one morning to see what birds were to be found. I didn’t see much to start with but then I thought I saw something move. Probably only a bit of rubbish blowing in the wind, I thought. Instinctively the binoculars went up anyway and I was rewarded for the effort. A Black Fronted Dotterel with a bright red beak and eyes was feeding along the bank. Can you see it in this photo? There were some interesting tracks on this sandy part of the river and I kept a watchful eye out for the Freshwater Crocodiles which live here. My other delight on this beautiful morning was seeing the Striated Pardalotes flying in and out of their nesting burrows in the river bank.

Geikie Gorge

Geikie Gorge is one of the main places of interest close to Fitzroy Crossing and you cannot see much of it without going in a boat. The DEC runs boat cruises at a reasonable cost so we got up very early one morning to get on the first cruise. (I like to see the wildlife early in the morning.) Geikie Gorge is the result of the Fitzroy River carving a 30 metre deep gorge into the remains of an ancient limestone barrier reef that existed here in the Devonian period. In the wet season the water of the Fitzroy River rises 16m through the gorge and covers the whole of the National Park. The water constantly rising and falling has caused the bleaching of the gorge walls as you can see in this photo.

We saw lots of freshwater crocodiles on our trip and I was treated to my first sighting of an Osprey. The crocs were sunning themselves on the sandy banks and the Osprey was soaring and diving, probably looking for food.

After the boat tour we went for a couple of short walks around the area and were able to see more of the Devonian Reef formations … and more birds.

Tunnel Creek

While in Fitzroy Crossing we took a day trip out to see the natural phenomenon of the Tunnel Creek. This is a long tunnel carved out of the limestone of the Napier Range by flowing water. During the dry season it is possible to walk the length of the tunnel which we did, getting wet feet, climbing over large boulders and carrying our torch. There are bats which live in the caves although we didn’t see any and there are some pretty cave formations - stalactites and shawls. We didn’t see any crocodiles (freshwater) but we did see lots of small fish in the water. We waded up to our knees through some of the pools and came out the other end to see a beautiful creek, some rock art and kangaroos which came down to the creek to drink. The only way out is back through the creek cave. Not nearly as eerie the second time! We read the sad story of Jandamarra the Aboriginal who was killed at Tunnel Creek. Here is an internet link if you want to read it, too.

http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/hotproperty/property/national-parks/tunnel-creek-national-park.html

Still in Fitzroy Crossing on Saturday and the footy oval was the place to be. The playground here was filled with young children playing on the equipment. Family groups sat on rugs around the perimeter of the oval watching the game cheering or just chatting. The first thing we noticed about this footy match was that footwear was optional. Over the loud speaker came a request for someone from the Magpies’ team to help with the stretcher. The game resumed and it really didn’t matter about boots. The kicking was just as long and hard. Another announcement, “Would the drink boys please put on their green shirts … properly!” Then, “Would all the guys please wear their uniform. Mr Waters, please put your uniform back on.” One of the umpires put his uniform back on. Shirts are obviously compulsory even if socks and boots are not!

Blessings to you all and I’ll see you next time on the west coast.