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Bill and Marika's Travel snaps. Kimberley Trip During June and July 2011 (Next year its the Canning Stock Route or Cape York..Any one joining the trip??? 25 July 2011
Dinosaur Footprint.
Roebuck Bay. 300m from camp, a great spot to keep cool during the heat of the day.
Silver Eye Banding.
Carolines Pool in the Old Halls Creek area
Wall of China. Old Halls Creek area.
Palm Springs. Old Halls Creek Area
Saw Pit Gorge. A rough 4WD trip in. Tvan at bottom right of snap.
Marika cooling off. Saw pit Gorge.
Table flowers, Tanami Camp two.
Tanami Camp one, Totally deserted.
Willy Willy in the distance
Wolfs Crater. Tanami Desert.
Rainbow Valley Camp.
................................................................................................................................................................ July 9, 2011 Bird Conservancy Broome. We stayed here a few days to take part in the netting of the 'Barred tailed Godwits'. Quite an interesting experience. The migratory species is under threat from extinction. They travel from north Asia to Broome and can live over 20 years. The same species also travel from Asia across Europe and the UK and down into Africa as a separate 'flyway'.
Birds are driven along and down the beach to a zone where a net is 'cannoned' over the birds. The birds are quickly retrieved and sorted into various species.
A male and female Bar Tailed Godwit.
Marika transfering a Godwit to a holding pen. On right is a Godwit being weighed and measured.
Here they are banded according to age showing location etc.
A welcome break with Mathew and Helen Roach who, coincidentally, are good friends with Judy and Sandro from Killiecrankie. On the right is the construction of the holding pens showing Marika with the red slacks. The Guy with the red T shirt with the white splotch in the middle, is Micheal who we shared a fire with back in the Bungles.
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Hovercraft trip out of Broome.
3 Dinosaur Footprints with the Pindan red cliffs in the background. This, when driven on, turns to a red dust that penetrates and stains everything.
Catching Mud crabs with Vincent. There is a lot of meat in these. The mangroves are quite difficult to walk through. The crabs are pulled from hollows low down in the trees.
John and Marika with the catch. We had 4 of these. John had left over mud crab sandwiches the next day.
A Green Turtle. Listed as a threatened species.
Where is Nemo? Taken by plunging my Olympus underwater camera below the water level.
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This time, an easy crossing of the Pentecost River. Gibb River road. Barry on right in his Pajero.
Boab Tree and sunset near our camp on the Pentecost River El Questro Station. Everlastings on the right.
No convenience stores near here. Bread baking in the camp oven. Two types today. Standard and a fruit loaf.
Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1992. And there is more where that came from. (Thanks Barry) Photo taken at Elquestro Station.
Boab tree used as a jail near Derby. The pearlers used to enslave the local natives (black birding) to dive and collect pearls. They were kept here en route to Broome.
The Kapok tree. Petals can be eaten. The final seed pod is large and was used extensively before synthetic fibers were developed, to stuff mattresses. We had a couple bought 1952 by my parents for camping. Washed well. Only thrown out a few years ago.
Called the Desert Rose. The Kurajong tree is a visually catching plant out in the dry arid areas.
I have not identified this one yet. It is found around water holes.
Allenbrae Station. Washing down the dust.
Galvans Gorge below. A big water monitor admiring the view as well.
The images below are from a remote gorge several hours 4WD from the station. The images are some of the best I have seen. A 500m trip down the gorge on foot reveals these. Interesting to note that recent floods came to within half a meter of the paintings. If flooded they simply wash away. Paintings are several thousand years old but are touched up by elders. Last touch up was 120 years ago. If they fade the Wet Season spirit also fades and the rains do not come and replenish the land.
Sunset from our favorite fish restaurant on the warf in Derby. End of the Gibb River road. We traveled 900km along the road to get here.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................... We traveled out of the Bungles across 32 water crossings. Some were really boggy. Barry and Kim were with us and this would have been quite an experience for them. We met up with John and Ruth back in Kununarra where they hired a 4WD for the next part of the trip along the Gibb River Road (900km) to Derby then Broome. June 22, 2011. Traveled to El Questro at the start of the Gibb. Here we stayed for a few days. Some walks were undertaken up Canyons. The Zebedee thermal Springs were a welcome relief after back jarring rock walking. Marika and I camped on the banks of the Pentecost River 2 km from the main El Questro station. Barry et al, visited for camp oven meals in the evenings from their cabins. Barry caught a Barramundi out of the river whereas I only got bites. You could see the large ones cruising up and down but they were not interested in food. More shortly from Broome
Road train approaching. A dust storm in the making. You can see these most of the time approaching in the far distance.
We always dive off the side of the road and let them pass until the bull dust settles.
Marika's favorite outback tree in the Kimberley's a Boab.
Waiting on a Camp Oven Roast to cook. Pentecost River Camp
Brolgas.' The Native Companion'. A very interesting bird that likes to dance.
Cooling off at the end of the Elquestro Gorge walk.
El Questro Gorge walk. The right Photo is of Marika, Bill, Barry and John, passing packs to me at the top of a rock which blocks off the whole gorge and sits in water. Most folk don't venture beyond here. A thin crack up the rock has to be negotiated to the top. The photo above shows the waterfall at the end of the Gorge and a cool off. The water proof camera is invaluable here as I have wrecked several cameras falling in the water on previous trips.
John, Bill and Barry at the start of the Gorge walk.
Fishing for Barramundi. They have to be over 500mm long before you can keep them.
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Friends Kim and Barry fly into the remote Bungle Bungle airstrip where they joined us for the rest of the journey.
Into the Bungle Bungles on foot
Blue winged Kookaburra
Kookaburra and butcher bird in Bungles camp spot
Cathederal Canyon
Palm walk
Native Hisbiscus
Marika with the puppets she bought for the grandkids from a small hidden away shop at the foot of the Flinders Ranges.
Camp on the Painted Desert road
Same camp but Kangaroo roast being prepared in the camp oven. (Just remember, when you hit one dont waste it. Good low chloresterol meat. Always throw away the car impacted meat.
Henley Craters west of Alice Springs. Cold wind blown spot but we were on our own again.
Bad omen. Sunrise, colourful but generally means wet to come. It did but by then we had moved another 700km to the north and avoided it.
Marika having breakfast with the Croc watching her by the yellow marker.
Devils Marbles. Camped here on the main hwy along with many others.
Great Bower Bird cheekily in the back of the car inspecting our wood supply.
Turkey Bush. Great plant and colours.
Water Monitor.
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Mosquito control in Kununarra camp site ( We all get fumigated with Malathion???!!!) Mozzies are dangerous here. Over 10 folk have died as a result of Murray Valley Encephalitis after a bad wet season.