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| Katherine to Timber Creek |
The Victoria Highway west from Katherine is very picturesque. The trip from Katherine to Timber Creek was most enjoyable - good road, nice scenery and beautiful weather. Stayed a couple of nights at Timber Creek which is a small town about 280k south west from Katherine. The park we stayed in was nice and quiet with only a few caravaners.Camped under a big Boab tree.
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| Feeding Freshwater Crocs in Timber Creek |
Timber Creek has an actual creek which was just behind our caravan park. The creek feeds into the Victoria River and is inhabited by a large numbers of birds and a few freshwater crocs. With the help of park staff, we had the opportunity to feed them from a bridge over the creek. The crocs were partial to fresh steak and fresh fish.Talk about being spoiled!
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| Freshwater Crocodile |
Spotted this freshie in Timber Creek. It was of medium size but they are generally smaller than the saltwater variety. They are distinguished by their pointy snout and smaller head. Unlike the "salty", due to their size they are not harmful to humans as they can only handle eating fish and small animals. Nevertheless, they need to be watched and it's not recommended to swim with them!
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| Ord River in Partial Flood at Ivanhoe Crossing |
Kununurra is another beautiful town just inside the WA border from NT. It has about 6,000 people and like many towns out here, exists mainly on tourism. There are 6 van parks there with a couple very high standard. We stayed at the Ivanhoe which is 4 stars, with nice pool and amenities. Kununurra was formed around the time the Ord River project started (about 50 years ago) and a must see for tourists travelling west. All facilities are there including supermarkets, hospital, schools, sports fields and commercial outlets. It would be a pleasant place to live.
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| Lake Argyle |
A must see in this area is Lake Argyle. This lake was formed about 40 years ago when the Ord River was dammed to provide water for the farms in the area.The result was a huge lake measuring about 1200 sq Km, depending on the capacity. Currently it's equivalent to about 21 Syndey Harbours but recently, during heavy rains it was up to 40 Sydney Harbours! The depth varies from a few to 55 metres and averages 28 m. Water temp is usually around 28 deg making it ideal for freshwater crocs.
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| Sunset over Lake Argyle |
Took a cruise on the lake with a beautiful sunset the highlight. Also took a swim in the middle of the lake. 28 deg, 38m depth - not bad! The lake has several islands which are inhabited by a variety of wildlife, notably crocs, 28 species of birds, wallabies and an abundance of fish. All types of boats are allowed on the lake and unrestricted fishing without a licence.
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| Lake Argyle with Resort Pool in Foreground |
The lake has a caravan park, facilities, store and restaurant but they are building a resort to cater for the growing number of tourists. It's a beautiful place to spend a few days, with idyllic weather, nice facilities and fantastic scenery.
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| Cambridge Gulf from Wyndham Lookout |
Travelled the 105km north from Kununurra up to Wyndham, which is located on Cambridge Gulf. This is where 5 rivers flow into the Gulf and out into the Timor Sea (Ord, Forrest, Pentacost, Durack and King). Spent a relaxing 2 days here in a nice shady van park. Temperature today was 31 deg and 16 overnight. Pretty good for winter. They get lots of rain in the summer so it wouldn't be so great then!
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| Sunset over Cambridge Gulf - Spectacular |
Wyndham is one of WA's oldest towns dating back over 130 years. There is a small port here which is used to bring in goods for the Ord River project and the east Kimberley region. Also used to export iron ore from a nearby mine. The trucks go 24 hrs a day - 7 days a week. Fishing is also big here and many of the tourists staying for long periods to take advantage of the conditions. Moving on from here down to El Questro, on to the Bungle Bungles then over through the Kimberleys to Broome
