Field Trip to Lake Argyle/

Plenty of water here, we should have an AIS white water canoe course set up on the overflow, there are a couple of km of quality grade 4 rapids flowing 24/7

The lake is full as a butchers puppy, they are hoping for a small wet so it does not get any fuller,

after just the 1 lap of the lake , the blue canoe finally starts to pay dividends.

It's a big old craw fish for dinner, he was quite tasty. The restaurants sell them as cobbler in these parts. It's off down the Gibb River Road for us now, we meet the younguns in Broome in 2 weeks.

Why the long faces?

I just informed them that the federal trade minister has just canceled their Bali holiday.

The Bungle story.

As is the way with any adventure, we all know there is to be a story, no Coight points this time but a story none the less. We left the caboose this trip & opted for the swag, & car door shower (Pat. Pend).

A beautiful camp in a world heritage listed park. Nowhere did it mention that we were camped in or on the Bungle Bungle Stock route. So when at 2.30am Annie is in blissful sleep, I become aware of a presence, a big presence, moo cows come in one size in these parts XXL, I only like them between 2 slices of bread.

So as one of these bad boys is breathing within 2 feet of my head, I am doing the calculations of 80kg of rib eye, 60kg of porterhouse, 45kg of scotch fillet & I reckoned on around 120kg of offal all resting on one hoof, where would I least like it placed on my person? Then Annie wakes with the rest of the heard to follow. As I try to maintain my composure under extreme circumstances, she comes up with a plan, send me out to scare them away. That plan was never to be implemented. So then she starts to work on headlines for Saturday's Age, "2 Vic's CRUSHED in Stampede"!
I on the other hand implement my cunning plan: A) Pull doona over head. B) Stop breathing. C) Hide behind Annie. My simple yet effective plan was without a doubt the plan to run with, as we were not on the front of last Saturdays Age.

Happy days are here again, I feel better for a 600gm rib eye at the Pump House Restaurant last night.

Kununurra & surrounds.

One thing about travel in the north of our country at this time of year is you are rarely alone. We are full of pioneering spirit, however the pioneering has all been done in these parts. So we head where everyone else has been before, the Bungle Bungles for 3 nights, they still hold a certain amount of "wow'' factor, that until you stand in and around them you can 't appreciate, even though Mike, Mal, Loraine & Ms Leyland # 1 or 2 tried desperately to portray in their documentaries.

We enjoyed our time here although there could have been more walks than on offer, for miles travelled on 4x4 tracks there was barley sufficient leg work, we did manage to cover all other than the overnight walks pre lunch.

Rest assured, these geographical features will be there for along time to come & are well worth a visit.

So from here, we head back to Kununurra for a Field day out at lake Argyle, report to follow.

New territory, new time

3 months down 2 states partially investigated, we head into the big one WA, home of big blokes with big holes & lots of money, South Australia (Traditional home of the "Magna, Sigma & P76 range of vehicles) is a distant memory now. The Territory (where the Bogan can stay in the summer uniform of blue singlet, footy shorts & double pluggers year round M or F) is still upfront in our minds, who can forget the instruction "don't fall off your bike & ruin the holiday"? I do. On our final jaunt into the wilds of NT, we head into the Gregory NP for a couple of days of wilderness. Day 2 we head out on the bikes, 18km in Annie busts a move on some razor sharp lime stone, she held her composure, no tears (I would have squealed & howled like a baby)

I ride back to pick up the truck, gather some bush medicine along the way, all the time trying to keep Bradley John Murdoch out of my thoughts while my injured Annie sat helpless, bleeding in the wilds of the NT. All went well, she is recovering & is being reminded not to "spoil the Holiday".

Coight point go off again. Who would have thought that the humble mortine mosquito coil could be turned into "THE FLAMING SPIRAL OF TERROR"? On the wall of the annex, very nearly raising the caboose to a smouldering pile of burnt cotton, leaving us standing on the front door of 6 Cherbourg telling the children, "we're home" three months early with 2nd degree burns. The show rolls on, into WA.

We pulled up alongside the Ord Creek to recover from our hectic schedule, pretty little babbling Brooke?

  Bye for now A&A.

Kakadu to you

We left Darwin & headed for Kakadu. On the way we stopped off & did the obligatory jumping crocs on the Adelaide River. On the way in Griz was attacked by a python.

We then moved onto the boat for some more reptile action and we weren't disappointed.

From here we moved onto Kakadu to introduce ourselves to the unscrupulous tourist tour operator, AAA airlines. None of those A's indicate air worthiness or apparent customer care. We did get our money back but did not fly. So we did it from the ground and found the real Kakadu as we had perceived. This included the recently opened Jim Jim Falls, Yellow Waters River Cruise, Gunlom which included the Motor Car Falls & beyond. Fantastic walks, waterfalls & swimming holes.

 

Exit chubby builder, enter "wet nurse". Had Griz called "croc" this shot would have been far more interesting! 



The Birthday bouy.

It's my birthday today, thank you for all your kind calls/txt's some may have been a little earlier than expected, but I'm sure they were heart felt (4.30am), the song line from Dragon was appreciated "don't waste time in paradise", I am sure some will know who the offender is.

Annie & I took a Darwin harbour cruise last night, we rugged up accordingly in matching threequater pant gortex leisure suits, with all weather galoshes, should we take a wave over the bow, after all we were to be seated at the honeymooners table forward aft on the good ship (converted tuna boat) the Alfred Nobel.

Now I remember when we used to live in Melbourne, there were days when you would ask yourself, "why do I live where I live?" Was it yesterday or is it today Melbourne folk, as I look at the BOM site this morning there is a large southern ocean low, spinning spinning, bringing all that lovely fresh arctic air under the gap beneath the front door? So I hope these shots cheer you up a little.

That's us embracing the fresh night air in Darwin, note: the pelt has left the face. Now I am sure you would like more, every body on the ship had dressed for a wild & chilly night on the harbour.

This is about as rough as it got. I will have a happy birthday today, in fact it feels like a six month birthday, so thank you for the early txt Peter, cos I don't want to waste time in paradise.

Cheers
A&A

Another story.

5 years ago, when we purchased the Caboose (our current residence), there were several considerations, it had to be off road, light, secure, & be locally manufactured from quality materials. So after a process of visiting different manufacturers of camper trailers, the decision was made to go with Outback trailers, model "the Canning". A wise decision.

Other manufactures build the trailers, then use a top manufactured in the people's republic of China. Nice place, lots of people, can manufacture product that looks like what we produce here. A poor choice.

On our recent visit to the Daly River, after we had finished our first Barramundi dinner for the week, all was well in camp Wooliana. Late that night we were to have an interaction with an animal, guess which one.

1. Was it a croc from the river 150 feet away?
2. Was it the frog in the toilet?
3. Was it the possum in the palms?
4. Was it to be the python in the rafters of the toilet?

At approximately 2.15am we are in that deep sleep, probably having a R.E.M moment, high up in the palms above us, maybe just by accident, the possum dislodges a large coconut, as this husked projectile moved toward terminal velocity the only thing between my Annie's face & the direct path of large nut was about .2 of a millimeter of high quality, Australian made cotton canvas, needless to say the deflection of projectile was successful, a rude awakening was the upshot.

Had we opted for the unit from the people's republic of China, I suspect that Annie may have at the very least been in royal Darwin Hospital having a little reconstructive surgery, or worst case heading home under a layer of frangapnie flowers.

I am sure those clever individuals are saying, who would camp under a 70 foot coconut Palm? Well after spending a considerable period of my life in the Solomon Islands, I am fully aware of the dangers of the coconut, I did ask the question, the answer was, we remove all the nuts by cherry picker. All bar 1.