DAY 45 – 03/06/16 - Michael
More warranty discussions by both Tony and Michael with caravan manufacturer and chassis manufacturer.
Follow-up with local service outlets re shocker and fitting availability…..no time till late next week……Michael goes back to chassis manufacturer to arrange supply of parts to Darwin for fitting there……it is safe to drive as we now will be on tar all the way to Darwin. Michael gets information on our wheel hubs not being 110mm, but instead a smaller hub using tapered nuts to centralise the load. These are a standard order by the chassis manufacturer, and he was not aware of the larger tight fitting hubs developed by the suspension supplier for Toyota LC200s with alloy hubs. Michael advises Tony, who is not happy and this will be taken up with the caravan manufacturer for a changeover.
We decide to book a cruise on the Ord River and Lake Argyle for Saturday, but get a call later to say that this cruise is not running on Saturday. Whilst in town we go to the Information Centre and book the same day cruise for Monday. Then it is off to Target for Dot to update her swimming bathers, as the current ones have been perishing and have the potential of falling apart.
After lunch, we lead Tony and Jen for a drive out of Kununurra for coffee and a special chocolate cake……….Tony is following us but insists on turning into the Sandalwood Factory outlet for the coffee and cake. We keep going for another 600metres and Tony asks why on the CB radio……we advise that we are on the way to the rum distillery for the special rum and chocolate cake. He reluctantly follows and is apprehensive given there is alcohol involved. We convince him that it would be ok and the cake was very nice with real cream on the side. Dot tries the mango liqueur in a shot glass with ice..Tony and Michael also try and all agree that it was not worth buying.
We head back and call in at the Sandalwood Factory, not long before their closure. We pass some of their plantations on the way and there are a swarms of lemon/cream butterflies (like our white cabbage moth) coming from the plantations. One of the ladies at the outlet is very informative telling us that the Indian Sandalwood trees are a parasitic tree relying on a number of different hosts. She refers us to their theatrette for a video presentation, which is more a marketing exercise to potential investors rather than an information screening about the growing and harvesting of sandalwood. The shop has a variety of sandalwood products, but we do not have time to peruse, so will come back tomorrow.
Back home and upon dusk there is a great movement of large fruit bats from the nearby trees in the park. The mossies are also out to get you and we both are having a recurrence of maddening itchy welts on our arms, legs and back.
After dinner, Tony comes to our van where he and Michael prepare a SMS/email to caravan salesman concerning the van hubs that were supplied, despite the specifications for a Toyota LC200 alloy wheel…..we await to see what the response will be. Whilst Michael is typing on the mini keyboard of Tony’s phone, Dot provides Tony with an overview of the blog (his first sighting) and photos included.
DAY 46 – 04/06/16 -
Weather continues to be hot hot hot!!!!!
- Zebra Rock Outlet Unique layered coloured rock in limited supply….lease of narrow strip of land under water for up to 9 months a year.
Pass mango tree plantations 185,000 trees on a 32 hectare plot for one grower……only uses them for value added products consumed in their café. We have mango smoothie plus wholemeal pancakes with rosella jam. Dot wants to try the jam as we have seen rosella plants growing at Drysdale River Station and Ellenbrae Station. Dot was not impressed with the jam, which was tart and did not have any real flavour.
- Cat fish or Silver cobbler when sold in Perth plus turtles fed bread.
- Phone call re our cruise booking being changed
Go to IGA to buy special bread…small loaves made by a German lady – Ute, (we were told about this bread by Noelene at King Edward River)…she also works at Zebra rock café. We buy a small oat loaf, and the IGA manager learnt from one of his staff that this was Ute’s made bread. Tony had been in to IGA yesterday looking for the tools section and he is advised by the two cheeky ladies that Kununurra is full of tools!!!!!!
Saturday morning market happening in the White Gum Park, under large gums and fig trees. The usual types of Stallholders …beaded jewellery, photos, clothing, woodwork products, Argyle diamonds ad a range of food stalls as well as tour booking facilities. We meander around the market, then we head back to the Sandalwood Factory, for Dot to purchase some items. We pass a big co-operative selling cheap fuel, which is located in front of a large abattoirs….Cattle trucks (3 trailers/double tiered) are lined up with loads of cattle…..we see many of these cattle trucks over the next few days.
After usual siesta, we decide to visit Mirima National Park…..Tony is busy washing his van and 
decides to finish it. The park right on the edge of town, is a very interesting and colourful landscape...it has been described as having sections resembling mini Bungle Bungles. We do two of the walks along paved or boardwalk paths…..at the end of one walk we see a large yellow snake lying on the surface of a small pond of water at the base of the large rock wall. Parts of the park are bathed in brilliant sunlight, whilst other section are in complete shade. On one walk we rise to the top of one section, which gave us impressive 360 degree views. We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent in this unique park.
Back home and Tony is over the moon about how smick his clean van looks. I guess he has shamed us into cleaning our van exterior tomorrow. Tony notices that one of his shocker’s sleeves appears to have dropped, which will be taken up with the Warranty Section on Monday. Tony has a present for me, a slab of coronas, presented to him by his rear neighbour Peter, a builder, on his return from work today. I meet Peter and thank him, and he starts telling us about his barramundi successes locally……Tony is suggesting he takes some novices fishing if he has the time.
DAY 47 – 05/06/16 -
Up early and we are out before 7:00am cleaning the van, trying to be quiet ……Tony comes and helps and by 8:30am we have the back, front and one side clean.
We have a break from cleaning and walk to nearby Pumphouse Restaurant for a coffee, after changing from drenched clothes ….I think Dot was aiming the hose at the van so I would get maximum bounceback or run off.……We have already had Ute’s toast breakfast so just have a coffee, but Tony takes the 
Back to the caravan park and Michael changes into his old clothes and finishes the remaining side of the van. Most parks will not allow you to wash your vans, but they do here which is a plus, but it makes the surrounding ground quite damp and soggy for a while.
Because of the morning tea we share a pear and a couple of chocolate biscuits for lunch, whilst undertaking further blog and pictures update.
All four of us are dining out tonight at the Country Club Resort…Tony wants a break from his sausages. The meals at Kelly’s bar & Grill are very tasty….barramundi on a risotto for Michael & Jen, Seafood Risotto for Dot and Steak for Tony. Tony asked for a cappuccino and was thrown when the waitress asked how he wanted it…..skinny milk, and a whole lot of alternatives……Tony just wanted normal milk from a cow. We have found a waitress at last from Australia ( Northern Territory) rather than Holland, Germany, UK, Ireland and Canada, Kelly’s did not ask us all to sign a plate for display like they did for other celebrities in the movie or television and politicians, who had been there.
DAY 48 – 06/06/16 Happy birthday to our son Paul……so early morning phone call made, before we head off for our 8:00am bus pick up for our cruise tour of Lake Argyle and the Ord river.
The first part of the tour consisted of a 78 km bus ride to Lake Argyle resort, with bus driver and tour host Tracey commenting on the countryside in a 
humorous manner to her 14 passengers from various Kununurra Caravan Parks. Our first stop was the Durack Homestead Museum…..the homestead was dismantled prior to flooding of the lake and some years later reconstructed as close as possible to the original. The numerous gravestones in the yard, especially of young children dying in subsequent months tells you how hard life must have been for these pioneers out trying to survive on their own.
Back on the bus and to have a look at the lake and the popular infinity pool, before boarding another larger bus to take us to our cruise boat, now for 37 passengers, on Lake Argyle.
We cruised around the various islands with points of interest highlighted by Tracey….. some of these included fish feeding to identify various species, male jabiru on nest on rocky island waiting for a mate, peak level markers, birds of prey, pelicans and darters, as well as small rock wallabies. Lunch time came and the crew moored the boat on a small island and then the highlight of the tour, where nearly all of the tour group jumped into the lake’s waters with a noodle and either a beer or a glass of wine. The waters were a wonderful 27 or 28 degrees Celsius…..very comfortable and not what you would expect for such a large vast of water. Dot was first in and again after lunch was one of the last to leave. While we were swimming the crew 
After lunch and another swim for most, we head back to the Lake Argyle Resort, which from all reports is very busy and turning caravans away. This Monday was a public holiday in WA, which may account for why it is so busy…..but it could be the volume of grey nomads on the road. We got back to the shore, hopped into the bus and were transferred to the Ord River below the dam wall to join another Tour group for a 55 klm return trip to Kununurra on the Lake Kununurra Diversion 
Dam. Our boat captain and tour guide Grant was fantastic with the information he conveyed to us about the river system, the ecology of the river stopping to point out the salties [crocodiles], the extensive bird life, fruit bats and their importance to the pollination system for the farmers and plants in general. The scenery was spectacular and photos probably won’t do it justice. On our return journey we stopped at a riverside camp for tea/coffee, scones and cake. We saw sunset whilst returning and then were delivered to the banks of the caravan park.
It was a spectacular day, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. If I had to choose I favoured the return journey on the Ord River and Lake Kununurra, with the wind in our hair and the water beneath us as a very special way to travel through very special scenery, which would be so different and exciting immediately following or during a big wet.
DAY 49 – 07/06/16 Last day in Kununurra area, so we all decide to visit Wyndham, 100 klm away. Tony suggests we take the 4WD route, so he can cross Ivanhoe Crossing again and check out a couple of falls on the way. These falls are disappointing as no water coming over the top.
We encounter a lot of cattle either side of the road, often feeding on small trees as there is not much fodder available. In one section of couple of ks, we came across over a 100 kangaroos/wallabies, often in groups of up to 10 or more in the shade or criss-crossing the road in front of us. This has to be the most that we have seen in such a short area and Tony agrees.
From there it is on to nearby Wyndham, and up to the 5 Rivers Lookout well above the town. It provides a near 360 degree view of 5 major rivers merging before going out to sea. The view of the waterways, stretching for miles, and the port is spectacular and astonishing. 
It is then the drive back to Kununurra, this time all on the tar, for shopping of supplies for the next few days of travelling.
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