Into The Wild West

Border Crossing Shenanigans

We were so excited to cross the border from the Northern Territory into Western Australia we decided it deserved a tune, so we belted out some carpool karaoke while crossing the line.  On the journey to this milestone, we munched on a random selection of WA contraband to avoid waste and copping a hefty fine.  Chowing down on a cucumber in the way you would eat a banana was a first for me.  Judging by the cringeworthy playback, we should have been more concerned about being arrested for our lousy vocals than biosecurity breaches!

Lake Argyll “Resort”

Our first stop in WA was Lake Argyll, a gigantic man-made lake, 12 times bigger than Sydney harbour.  The caravan park is labelled a "resort".  A bit of a stretch for an overcrowded, red dust bowl, but its redeeming feature was an icy cold infinity pool which was a wonderful experience on this 34-degree day.

These 3 photos were taken within a 4-hour window.  Amazing how the colour of the sky changes.

We took a boat tour onto Lake Argyll to learn all about the flora, fauna and history of this beautiful place.  We believed the skipper when he assured us that the 35,000 crocodiles that call Lake Argyll home only hang out around the edges, so when he moored up in the middle of the lake, we jumped in for a float about.  Steve was delighted when the skipper threw a can of beer in front of him in the water because it bobbed up to the surface.  When he finished it, he threw the can back, and the process went on repeat.  I had to swim back to the boat for my champagne refills.  Discrimination!

Critter of the Week – The Bowerbird

Upon setting up the camper at Lake Argyll, we were annoyed to notice a pile of trash made up of bottle tops, a guitar pick, shells and other bits of white plastic.  However, our dismay turned to delight when we realised that a bird with a neon punked up pink hair do was doing a fancy dance in the trash pile.  It turns out it was a male Bowerbird, an ingenious kleptomaniac who makes a “walk through” nest and places all his stolen loot in front of it before making it his stage for a proud courtship dance ritual to impress his lady.

Wyndam – The Oldest and most Northernly Town in WA

For a little town, Wyndam really pulls its weight, and we’re glad we stayed here for a couple of days.  Just 15 minutes away from the campsite is the Five Rivers Lookout which gives a birds-eye view over the Cambridge Gulf.  We are glad we drove up there for a spectacular sunset on our first evening, because the next morning it was evacuated due to whole area being ablaze with a bush fire and we were put on "watch and alert".  

Little rock wallaby (centre, bottom left) admiring the sunset with us at Five Rivers Lookout

To escape the smoke, we ventured away from the town for the day.  We visited Marglu Billabong which was teeming with birds and fish.  We hung out in the shade of the hide with a few twitchers, working out who was who in the bird world when a 4 metre saltwater crocodile glided past us. It was an amazing sight. 

What' Scone Wrong?

Not far from the Billabong we stopped for morning tea at Parry Farm Lagoon.  We indulged in iced coffees (with ice cream) and scones straight from the oven served with native Davidson Plum jam.  Of course, we had our 35-year-old argument about the correct way to eat a scone.  Can you guess which is Mhairi's and which is Steve's?  The one thing we did agree on, is that they were delicious.

Banged up in the Boab

Instead of sticking to the designated rough road, we went rogue and drove also across a dried-up flood plain to visit The Hillgrove Lockup aka The Prison Tree.  This Boab Tree has a small hollow interior which was used as a makeshift jail to house Aboriginal prisoners until the 1920’s.  

Prisoners had to climb into the hole where Steve is sitting, under police trooper guard.

Just a few kms away from the Prison Tree we discovered some great rock art

A Snappy Meal

After an insightful morning, we stopped for a bite of lunch.  There were not a lot of lunch venue options, so we called into the bakery and bravely selected the Crocodile Pie.  The $13 price tag was eye-watering, but alas, the pie was not mouth-watering.  Definitely, a one and only gastronomical experience.  

There was a burger joint in the town, but the sign outside Capt Robbs indicated that this place was very definitely, well and truly, closed for business.

Dreamtime Statues

When you drive through the tiny town of Wyndham, you're welcomed by the friendly grin of a giant crocodile, a reminder of the area's croc dangers. However, a stroll through the town's backstreets (best avoided at night) we stumbled upon a hidden gem: the stunning bronze Dreamtime Statues. These larger-than-life sculptures, located on waste ground, and not even signposted, beautifully depict early Aboriginal life.  What a great find!

Mhairi wondering whether this was a good place to stand

Big Things – The Big Boab

Wyndham Caravan Park lays claim to the biggest Boab Tree (in captivity).  This lovely specimen is over 2,000 years old.

Rusty Parts

Whilst reflecting on our great day discovering Wyndham, an elderly couple in the campground invited us to watch their concert in the camp kitchen.  The duo was called Rusty Parts and Rustina.  Let’s just say our carpool karaoke would have won Australia’s Got Talent if we were competing against these two!  The best of the bad songs was called "Grapefruit and Snails" which was about a meal they served up to their dinner party guests (because they were low on provisions and that’s all they could find in the garden!).  Whilst all the other campers in the audience quietly snuck off into the shadows, being the polite Poms we are, we sat there patiently for a full hour.  It was quite a test of endurance.

Rusty Parts and Rustina, God bless 'em

The Bungles – So Good they Named it Twice

Up there with the best experiences of this mother of all road trips is visiting the Bungle Bungles – Purnulu National Park.  Intrigued by the name of these magnificent "bee hive" shaped hills, thinking it would be some romantic, mythical story, I consulted Google.  I found out that in Aboriginal East Kimberley lingo, Banggul banggul is actually the term for a type of cockroach that you see in these parts, and if you provoke it, it will squirt urine at you.  So, there you have it, the Bungles Bungles are named after pissing pests!

The drive into the Bungles was as “rough as old guts“ (a phrase we have come to love), and we were warned not to attempt it, especially in a Land Rover (how rude!) and towing a camper trailer.   So glad we didn’t listen to the naysayers.  What a magical place.  In our two days here, we hiked most of the trails including The Echidna Chasm, Mini Palms, Whipsnake Gorge, The Domes and The Cathedral.  Everyone needs to add this epic place to their bucket list.

The view from the loo in the National Park

Steve at "The Window"

The Mini Palms Hike

The price I paid to experience this wonderland was blisters on blisters.  In our pre-trip preps, lots of people told us we needed to take a Bunnings bucket with us.  After carting this piece of plastic that has taken up valuable real estate, I finally found a use for it.  Filled with cold water and Fairy Liquid, it's a Bungle Bungles Bunion and Blister Bliss Bucket.  It felt better than any foot spa I've had.

(After changing the water) Steve used it to scrub away layers of sweat, dust, sunscreen and mozzie spray

Earning Karma Credits

For a carpenter, Steve has spent a disproportionate amount of time on this trip helping others with their mechanical malfunctions.  We figure that every person he assists earns us a "karma credit".  No doubt we’ll be making a withdrawal from karma bank account before this trip is out.

Steve helping these French backpackers find their spare tyre

More Flora and Flora Spam from the Bungles

If you've got this far, here's a nice video of cockatoos taking flight at sunset