Weeks 8 & 9 - Darwin-Kakadu-Lake Argyle-Derby-Broome

We arrived in Broome on Saturday 9th July after another two adventurous weeks. However we left our travelling companions behind at Jabiru (Kakadu) a week earlier and moved with a little more haste towards Broome because of work commitments which meant Gerry had to fly to Brisbane last Sunday. We still had time to check out some great places on the way but just needed to cover more kilometres per day than planned. So now we resume the blog from the last few days of our stay in Darwin.

These two photos are especially for my cycling friends back home just to let

them see I'm still riding around various trails. This one is at Darwin's East

Point and the one below is at Nightcliff, an upmarket suburb along the coast.
On this day I covered 52kms with ease as no hills here girls!

East Point's limestone coastline.

We've made some great friends on our trip so far including Jack & Julie who sold
their house in Victoria some years ago and have enjoyed life on the road since.
We first met this beautiful Dutch couple in Mt Isa and again in Darwin.
You know how it is.....with some people....you just click, just like family.

And on our last night in Darwin, we had a very enjoyable BBQ with our special

friends Martje & Frank and we hope you both have a very safe cycling journey

when you head to Bali and beyond and safely back home to the Netherlands in

2012. In February we farewelled you in Ocean Grove and this time in Darwin.

Till we meet again! TOT ZIENS!

Enroute to Jabiru in Kakadu National Park, we spotted this 

Black-necked Stalk (Jabiru) at Fogg Dam - it's known as a Jabiru in Africa

but a Black-necked Stalk here.

This graceful Cormorant was spotted on our cruise on the Yellow River as

was this crocodile below on the river bank almost close enough to touch.

Kakadu's Nourlangie Rock Art - Narbulwinjbulwinj is

 a dangerous spirit which strikes when angry.

The Nourlangie area would have provided great protection from the elements.

Lookout at Nawulandja, a perfect spot for sunset over the Nourlangie escarpment.

Now for our 4x4 experience to Jim Jim Falls via a gravel road for 50kms

then 8kms of 4x4 track only. Here comes Gerry but check out his snorkel below!!!!

Hey Max do you think he's got it covered?????

Richard, Margaret and I in front of Jim Jim Falls.

It was a climb over rocks and boulders to get to the falls. 
The water in the plunge pool was freezing!!

On the road again..... work was calling and Gerry and I left our friends to get to

Broome sooner, so we travelled almost 600kms today to this rest area below.

Camped next to these Boabs at Big Horse Creek Campground CAW204

in Gregory National Park along Victoria Hwy, 10kms west of Timber Creek.

Travelling west through Victoria Valley in the Kimberleys. 

The food checkpoint at the Northern Territory heading into WA.
The border patrol staff are very thorough but we also found them friendly.

Also on the border this Kimberley sign of welcome to Western Australia. The Kimberley region is located in the northern part of Western Australia, extending from Broome in

the west to Kununurra and Lake Argyle in the east, from the sea to a bit south of the main Great Northern Highway (Route 1). It covers about 421,000 square kilometres -- slightly

larger than Japan and much larger than United Kingdom, New Zealand, or the Australian state of Victoria. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy Desert, and on the east by the Northern Territory.

Enroute to Lake Argyle the fast flowing Spillway from the Ord River Dam.

The Ord River Dam Wall with Lake Argyle left and Ord River right. The blue speck on the wall is me cycling down to the picnic area below. Gerry suggested we ride down and WOW that was great but then came the uphill!!

And to top it off, it was a very hot sunny 31C so not an easy trek back up.

The view of the Ord River from our short but steep ride back to camp.

 Check out the Lake Argyle campground swimming pool!! This Argyle Village 
sits 100 metres above the lake and has this amazing view. We fell in love with
this place and used the pool each day. We felt very priviledged.

And here's the proof that I was in the pool.  Lake Argyle is nestled in the remote Kimberley region in the far north-east of Western Australia. It is Australia's largest body of freshwater covering over 900 square kilometres in normal full supply with a flood capacity in

 excess of 2000 square kilometres.

There's Gerry on 'St Georges Terrace - The Bluff Bushwalk' and the 'Argyle

Homestead Museum' walk, a return journey of about 6kms (2-3 hours) and

below are some of the flora we enjoyed along the way.

The view over the lake from this lookout is only accessible from the

walking track....campground is just out of sight on clifftop at right of pic.  

          

        The Argyle Downs Homestead, former home of the prominent pastoral

Durack family, was originally built in the 1880s on the Argyle Downs Station.

It had to be moved in the 1970s for the construction of Lake Argyle.

It was carefully dismantled and reconstructed stone by stone at its present

site and is now a museum.

How's this for relaxing - Gerry with a drink and camera ready for the sunset 

from the clifftop next to the swimming pool at Lake Argyle Village. 

Along the Victoria Hwy west of Kununurra, almost at the Northern Hwy

junction, we met Dennis on his way around Oz. Dennis from Perth had cycled 

for a time with our Dutch friends Frank & Martje on their journey around Oz.

In Darwin they'd said we'd most likely see him along the way. Well in the Top

End there aren't too many different directions to follow on the bitumen-

it's either east or west! Safe and happy cycling Dennis.

CAW 636 Mary Pool Rest Area camping.

Signs like these appear regularly in the Kimberleys!

A boat cruising the Geike Gorge near Ftizroy Crossing.

 

CAW631 Ellendale Rest Area - another overnight stop. We've enjoyed the free

roadside found that campers at these spots like these are friendly and helpful.

Closer to Derby and the Boab trees - a symbol of the Kimberley outback.

 

The infamous Boab Prison Tree is just south of Derby. This symbol of

inhumanity is 14m wide and has an opening or doorway 1m wide, 2m high.

Capable of holding a number of prisoners, it was used by police during the 1890s
 as a lock up for Aboriginal prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing.

Another type of termite mound (spinifex) over 2 metres high near Derby.

At Circular Wharf at the Derby jetty area, depending on the tide, you can either walk 

the jetty on huge stilts high above the mud flats and the saltwater crocodiles, or be close

to the brown and dangerously rapid waters stirred up by Australia's biggest tides,

as the massive 11 metre tides rush in.

Here we left the Boab lined streets of Derby and travelled to Broome.

As mentioned earlier Gerry's had to take a break from our holidays to work for a

short time in Brisbane so I will stay on here. Before we move on, we will try to

publish another blog from this area. Until then, enjoy our journal

entries so far and thanks for all your messages. We love hearing from you all.