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Perth & Kimberley’s
  • Natasha van Leeuwen
  • Scott Padgham

Perth & Kimberley’s

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  • Inicio da viagem
    7 de agosto de 2025
    Perth & Kimberley’s

    Bendigo to Perth

    7 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    This morning I woke up at 4:30am and quickly cleaned the house before heading off to work. I had dropped Lou off at Kerry’s house the night before which meant after work I would go home and then head to the airport.

    I left work at 3:40pm and drove home with a detour at the chemist to grab some medication I would need on the trip. I got dressed at home and packed my bags before I stopped at Scott’s place on the way out to grab a couple of items.

    Traffic was fairly light on the way to the airport and I arrived at Busy Beaver just before 6:30pm, checked in and was in the bus to the airport a bit after 6:30pm.

    I arrived at the airport and checked in my bag before heading to the Qantas Club Lounge. I had a free invitation and as I was travelling to Perth by myself I thought I would use it. I sat down and tasted a couple of wines before settling on the Prosecco.

    I boarded the plane at 7:40pm and we took off on time. Once in the air my dinner arrived and I was really hungry as I hadn’t had anything since midday. I also ordered the wine but after a couple of sips decided it was not drinkable!

    I had the seat spare next to me so I got comfortable and fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until we were preparing to land. We landed about 10minutes early and I quickly made my way to the baggage carousel where my bag was the last one to come out! I called Scott and walked to the pick up spot where he turned up and we headed back to his brother’s house. It was after 11pm by the time we arrived and most people were asleep. We said hi to Dale and then I was exhausted so we went to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Perth - Hillarys Beach & Kings Park

    8 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    This morning we slept in until 7am! I had woken up at 5am and managed to fall back to sleep. Scott and I went down to the kitchen where I met Edita and Amelie. Edita had the day off work but Amelie had to go to school.

    After Edita and Amelie left we had breakfast and then got ready to go for a walk. Byron, Dale, Scott and I drove to Hillary’s Boat Harbour and had a look around, before heading to Lot One cafe for brunch. Nathan met us at the cafe as he had been to his rental property inspection. We had brunch and I got the Avocado on toast and a latte which was delicious. We were all so full as we had eaten breakfast as well that morning!

    We headed back to Dale’s to take the dogs for a walk, but Edita had already been home to take them. We decided to drive to Kings Park and looked at the views of Perth and the Swan River. There was also an ANZAC memorial as we walked to the lookout. As we were heading to Scott’s Dads place next we didn’t have time to walk around the Botanic Gardens as well. As we drove to South Perth it started raining and poured as we arrived at David’s (Scott’s Dads) house.

    We all had a coffee at David’s house and stayed for about an hour chatting before heading to Amelie’s netball game. Edita coaches the team and Amelie was the captain for the game. It was a full one hour game and thankfully the rain held off for the duration of the game. Unfortunately, Amelie’s team lost 12 - 7, but it was fun watching.

    We drove to the supermarket after the netball game and grabbed food for burgers and a few drinks. Dale organised the burgers and while dinner was prepared we played Uno which was lots of fun. Scott’s step brother Jamie and his partner Renee also came around. At around 10:30pm I was exhausted from the day and headed off to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Perth Day 2 - Birthday Lunch

    9 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We woke up this morning to some light rain and the forecast was showing rain all day. Scott and I decided to take the dogs Chewy and Percy for a walk at 8:15am. Scott suggested we head down to the coast. We drove to Canteen Cafe where there was parking and it was absolutely pouring with rain. We decided to grab a coffee while we waited for the rain to ease up. I waited in the car with the dogs while Scott grabbed the coffee.

    After about 30 minutes the rain eased and we headed for our walk. It was quite nice except for the weather and on a clear day we would have been able to see Rottnest Island. As we walked the rain became heavier, however the dogs seemed happy and we weren’t to wet. We walked for about an hour before heading back to Dales place. We had breakfast and played Uno with Amelie before she had to go to her Ballet lesson.

    We got ready for David’s 80th birthday lunch before heading off at 1pm for an Italian restaurant Roberto’s on Bennett. Edita’s sister Elvira, husband Drago and their daughter Stevie also attended. We decided on the 3 course fixed menu which included cured wagyu, GF pasta with lamb ragu, and then lamb shoulder. We also decided to go with the wine pairing! The rose was delicious and had quite a buttery taste to it. I was so full at the end and we even decided to have dessert where I ordered the Panna Cotta and all had Limoncello shots. We stayed at the restaurant until 5pm and it was great catching up with Scott’s family and meeting Elvira.

    After lunch we headed back to Dale’s place where we played Uno, Jenga and even Twister. We didn’t have dinner as we had eaten so much but we sat around the fire chatting until 10:30pm when we headed off to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Perth - Bold Park & Cottesloe Beach

    10 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We woke up at 7am this morning and had breakfast and a coffee. Scott’s family friends Clint and Riley came around at 9am. Scott hadn’t caught up with them for over 10 years as they live south of Perth.

    There were a few showers in the morning but thankfully they cleared into a beautiful day. Scott and I decided to drive to Bold Park with both dogs and headed for a walk. We walked up to the lookout first and as the track made of grid mesh I had to carry Percy carefully all the way to the top. It was quite funny watching him at first not want to walk on the track and he definitely didn’t trust me at first when I picked him up. The views were beautiful looking over Perth all the way to Fremantle.

    We then started on the Zamia Track and completed a 4.5km loop which had multiple lookouts along the way overlooking the coast with views of Rottnest Island. We then headed back to Dale’s house for lunch and Amelie had a friend over in the afternoon. Scott got roped into playing on the trampoline with the girls and they also had a water fight!

    Scott, Byron, Nathan and I went for a drive in the afternoon to Cottesloe Beach. It was quite windy and there were heaps of surfers in the water trying to catch the waves. We walked around the beach before heading across the road to the Cottesloe Beach Hotel. I didn’t feel like an alcoholic drink so grabbed a soda water with lime. It was quite relaxing sitting and relaxing.

    I drove back to Dale’s place as I hadn’t drunk anything and tested out my manual driving skills in Perth traffic! Edita was making dinner when we arrived back. It was Scott’s Dads 80th birthday today and he came around at 6pm for dinner as well. Edita had cooked chicken with salad and vegetables. After all the food we had eaten it was so nice to eat lots of vegetables. We watched Happy Gilmore 2 after dinner and had dessert before I fell asleep on Scott.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Perth to Lake Argyle

    11 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We woke up at 7am this morning and lazed around having coffee and breakfast, and said goodbye to Edita who was leaving at 7:30am for work. Amelie headed off to school at 8:30am so I said good bye, and Scott went with Dale on the school run. I showered and packed up my clothes, and relaxed and had a coffee. Byron had stayed the night at his Dads place so he came around with David at 10am to take us to the airport. We said our goodbyes and headed off to the airport.

    We arrived and check in our luggage and we only had to wait about 30 minutes before boarding. We walked around the airport and bought some chocolates for Tash as it’s her birthday while we are staying at the Bungle Bungles accommodation. The flight was 3 hours long and Scott and I had downloaded a few episodes of Untamed on Netflix so we watched that. As we got close to Kununurra I looked out the window and we could see Lake Argyle. From the plane it looked amazing but certainly not as big as it has been described as “21 times bigger than Sydney Harbour”. As we came into Kununurra we could see Boab trees everywhere and the red rocky landscape. The plane landed with a massive thud and slammed on the brakes as it was a short runway.

    After leaving the plane we queued up to grab our rental car and I grabbed our bags. Lindy the owner of Thrifty in Kununurra had organised esky’s for our vehicle and even gave us some camp chairs which was really nice. We headed into town and grabbed some food at Cole’s and some drinks at the bottle shop where we learnt there were alcohol restrictions. Although upon googling the restrictions we actually could have bought quite a lot between the two of us!

    We then hit the road where we had a one hour trip to Lake Argyle. On the way we saw the sun setting over the mountains as it sets around 5:15pm. We spotted a cow and a wild horse on the side of the road. We arrived at Lake Argyle caravan park at 6pm and checked into our cabin. We had a few snacks before Scott cooked steak for dinner and made a salad.

    We relaxed outside before the midgies annoyed us and we headed inside. I was quite exhausted so relaxed in the room listening to the music. Scott filled up our water bottles at reception as we were advised not to have the water from the tap. We relaxed watching Untamed on Netflix before heading to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Lake Argyle - Bluff Lookout Walk

    12 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    I woke up at about 5:30am with the light coming through the windows. Scott was snoozing so I said we should go for our morning walk and he agreed. We had a banana and a coffee and headed off at 6:30am for the Bluff Lookout. I had read on All Trails app to wear long pants so I was all rugged up in tights and a long sleeved shirt!

    There weren’t many people on the track and the walk was fairly easy as we walked around the lake up to the Bluff with beautiful views. We reached the lookout where there was a rock cairn so I added a rock to the top. We looked out across the lake and took a few photos. I was starting to get really hot on the way back down but thankfully my legs were getting scratched from the spinifex grass.

    We arrived back to the caravan park a bit after 8am where we had breakfast and got ready for our lunchtime cruise of the lake.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Lake Argyle Cruise

    12 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    At 9:40am we walked over to reception as Scott had been advised the bus would arrive at 9:50am sharp to pick us up for the cruise. The bus arrived and we boarded and the driver gave us an overview of Lake Argyle.

    During the 1960s, 650 people lived at Lake Arge while building the dam wall and there used to be a hospital and police station. We drove over the dam wall and were advised that the Ord River is 651km long, and from the caravan park lookout you can only see 1% of of the lake as it is 21 times for the size of Sydney harbour. We continued past some rock rubble where we were advised it was the site of the biggest non nuclear blast and 500 tonnes of ANFO was used. We drove past the Hydroelectric station where 35m3/second of water flows through. The Hydropower station powers Lake Argyle, Wyndham and Kununurra.

    We drove down to the boat ramp where we boarded the boat. We were advised that Lake Argyle is 1000km2 and holds 10,700 GL at full capacity. There are also estimates that there are up to 35,000 freshwater crocs in Lake Argyle. We started across the Lake which had beautiful views of the mountains surrounding. We arrived at Crocodile Cove and we were able to spot a couple of crocodile. The tour operator advised us that freshwater crocodiles are more like puppy dogs compared to salt water crocodiles.

    We then continued on to another quiet area where we fed the fish some bread. We could see catfish and a few other smaller fish. We then were advised we would feed some wallaby’s. We were told that as the dam was flooding there were lots of native animals and not all could be moved so a wallaby population was placed on an island where they are protected. A couple of wallaby’s came down out of the cave and we could see another younger one.

    We arrive at our swimming area. We jumped into the water and were provided with pool noodles as it’s easier to drink cans of beers floating. They then proceeded to throw drinks at us. I had a glass of Prosecco. After about 30 minutes of swimming we boarded the boat for lunch before returning back to the Caravan Park. Scott and I both really enjoyed the tour.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Durak House

    12 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After our cruise we decided to drive to the Durack Homestead. We walked through the house where we learned the Durack’s, originally from Galway, Ireland, were early settlers in the Kimberley, and the first to take up pastoral leases in the region. After over 2 years of travelling from 1883 to 1885 they arrived, having undertaken one of the longest cattle drives in history. The Durack’s lived in the area for many years. Once the Ord River Dam was completed, in early 1971, Lake Argyle began to fill more rapidly than anyone anticipated. The Homestead was dismantled stone by stone, stored in Kununurra, and rebuilt towards the end of the decade, 15km from its original position. In 1979 the building was opened as a museum, dedicated to the pioneering spirit of the Durack family.

    As it was the middle of the day, I was feeling really hot and exhausted. We headed back to our cabin where I had a snooze and then headed to the infinity pool. We had steak and salad again for dinner and watched the rest of Untamed on Netflix before heading to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Lake Argyle to Purnululu National Park

    13 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The alarm went off at 4am this morning. Scott wanted to look at the stars and there was meant to be a chance of seeing lots of shooting stars. Unfortunately due to the lights from the caravan park and there was a full moon Scott couldn’t see much and returned to bed. The actual alarm went off at 5:30am and we quickly packed our bags. We had breakfast and were on the road by 6:30am.

    I drove and on the way we saw 3 wild horses, so we stopped to take some photos. We arrived in Kununurra at 7:30am and completed our shopping for the next week for when we would be in Purnululu National Park. We then grabbed a coffee at the Wild Mango Cafe.

    We then started the 5 hour drive to the Bungle Bungles. About an hour out of Kununurra we stopped at Mollys Spring. As we turned up at the carpark we met another couple who were from Bendigo and lived only a short walk from Scott’s house. They had been travelling around the Kimberley’s since May.

    We then walked along the short track which opened up to a beautiful waterfall and spring. Scott and I both went for a swim and it was so refreshing. We headed back to the car and drove towards Doon Doon. There was a lot of caravans on the road which I overtook and quite a few areas where roadworks were being completed. We stopped at the Doon Doon Roadhouse which was the last place which had cheaper fuel before Purnululu NP.

    We reached the turnoff to Purnululu NP and the next 70km was on a dirt road. We were advised that it would take 2 hours but we didn’t believe that. The road was awful and full of corrugations so we were bumping along at 50km/h. There were also a few creek crossings as well which was pretty cool and fun to drive through. After 1 and a half hours we arrived at the visitors centre where we collected our PLB and registered for the 2 night hike.

    We had lunch at the picnic tables at the visitor centre and then drove to Piccaninny carpark. We decided to walk to Cathedral Gorge which was a short 2km hike. It was beautiful walking through the gorge which had a pool at the end surrounded by a dome cliff. We met 3 people at the end who were from England and Ireland and had a chat with them before heading back to the carpark and continuing on to the Wilderness Lodge.

    We arrived at the Lodge and said Hi to Jayden and Tash. Jayden showed us to our tent where we showered and got ready for dinner. As we were spending the next two night in the wild we also packed our packs. At 6:30pm we headed to the dining area for our 3 course dinner. We were seated with Jayden who had the evening off. We started with pumpkin soup and bread, then beef cheeks as our main before having chocolate mouse for dessert.

    We headed back to our tent and quickly sorted out our hiking bags before setting the alarm for 4am and heading off to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    PC Trail via The Elbow & Blackrock Pool

    14 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We woke up bright and early at 4am for the first day of our walk and quickly packed up and got ready. We walked over to the dining room where we had a coffee and collected our breakfast of fruit. We jumped in the car and drove the 20minutes to the start of the trail. We could see the first signs of light as we pulled into the carpark and started walking at 5:25am.

    The whole hike was along the Piccaninny Creek and there were only signs for the first 4.5km and then afterwards you just had to follow the creek bed. It was beautiful seeing the moon above the bungle bungles as we started hiking. We walked along the bed of the creek and at first it was quite hard but then we walked through pebbles and sand which was slower going. As the sun started to rise it warmed up and the walking became harder in the sun with our packs on.

    We stopped along the way and had some of our fruit which had mangoes, blueberries, strawberries and apples, which was absolutely delicious. We continued on to the elbow and arrived 3 hours later having completed 10km. We stopped and ate the rest of our breakfast and enjoyed the views.

    After our stop we started to walk into the gorge and not long later we found the turn off to Black Rock Pool. It was quite a rocky walk towards the pool and we dropped off our packs and just took the water bottles in and the purifier. We were advised to fill up all our bottles and the 10L water pack at Black Rock Pool as it was the cleanest water. It took nearly an hour to purify all the water using the Gryll Water Purifier. Once all the bottles were full we rearranged our packs as I was carrying the 10L bottle. The next 5km were absolutely exhausting clambering over rocks and walking along the sand with our extremely heavy packs and not much shade.

    We finally arrived at what was called ‘Basecamp’ and we relaxed on the sand and had our lunch and even boiled water for a coffee.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    PC Trail - Finger 1 and 1st night campin

    14 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    After lunch we set up our campsite and headed off towards the first finger. On the way we walked off the track and found a beautiful water pool and what would be a waterfall during the wet season. We realised we should have set up camp here as it was close to a water pool. We decided we would move the tent later.

    We continued on to Finger 1 and we walked along the creek u til there was a water crossing. We tried climbing around on these vertical walls and I nearly got stuck and fell! We then decided to find a different route which involved walking through heaps of Spinifex which cut up my legs even more. We reached a point where there was a cliff below us but a beautiful view of the finger with domed cliffs at the end. We decided we wouldn’t go any further as there was so much spinifex we would have to walk through.

    We headed back to our campsite and picked up and packs and walked the 500m to the spot with the pool. Scott went back and grabbed the tent and we set up our camp again in a much better spot. I soothed my legs in the water as they were covered in scratches.

    We boiled water and had some tea before organising dinner. We had bought freeze dried dinners so we chose the mushroom risotto with lamb, and boiled water and then it sat for 15 minutes and was ready. It was actually quite good and while eating we watched the last of the light disappear above the walls. We packed up dinner and washed the dishes and then sat and watched the stars. It was amazing seeing all the stars and the Milky Way above us. I was quite exhausted so went into the tent at 7:30pm and fell asleep not long after.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    PC Walk - Fingers 3 & 4

    15 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I woke up this morning at 4:50am and Scott stirred and then we both fell back to sleep and woke up at 6am! I said to Scott we had to hurry up and get going soon. We had protein bars for breakfast and had a coffee each. We then purified some water for the day and filled up our water bladders. We brought the water filter with us so we could get water on the way.

    We headed off close to 7:30am and saw the other two people who had camped the night before they said they were doing Finger 1 and 5 today. We continued on and immediately had to walk around a water pool before walking on loose rocks and sand. We found the turn off to Finger 5 and continued. We soon found ourselves scrambling over large rocks that had fallen into the creek overtime. It was quite exhausting scrambling over the rocks. As we neared the end the trail opened into a beautiful garden with palm trees and what looked like oak trees.

    We started on Finger 3 first but after nearly an hour of trying to scramble over massive boulders we headed back to the track. We next started on Finger 4 which had minimal rock clambering at first and walked through a rocky garden before we saw at least 100m of rocks to climb over. We decided not to continue further.

    We headed back and found Finger 2 and started walking through a narrow gorge. It was so beautiful. It was by far the best finger so far. We then started walking through a cave and found a little water crossing. There was a chasm directly above us and the sun was in the perfect position for a reflection in the water. We walked through the water and continued on through the narrow gorge. We found a second gorge with water and tried to walk through but it became narrower and deeper. I checked the map and it said we were at the end of the trail. We then headed back out while taking in the views.

    We walked back onto the main track and quickly started scrambling over rocks again. At the first clean looking water pool we stopped for lunch and filtered some water to fill up our packs. We then continued on to Finger 5 arriving around 3pm. We were getting quite tired having walked about 15km which had involved a lot of rock scrambling.

    Finger 5 was a lot wider than number 2 but had beautiful high gorges with palm trees and other plants. We climbed over rocks and walked into a little cave before ending at a rock wall and couldn’t go any further. Scott and I walked up a different track and sat down and admired the view of the gorge. We then headed back down towards our campsite and found a big pool where we swam in. The water wasn’t too cold but it was very refreshing and exactly what we needed.

    We continued on to our campsite and I tried to filter about 2 litres of water. The filter was becoming clogged and it was getting harder and harder. Scott made us a cup and teas and at 5:30pm we started organising dinner. We had freeze dried beef curry. It definitely didn’t taste like a traditional curry but still quite tasty.

    We watched the sunset behind the gorges and then the mosquitos came out so we headed into our tent and I fell asleep at 7:30pm. Scott went and looked at the stars and saw a massive shooting star that took up a large part of the sky and then fizzled out.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    PC Trail - Finger 2

    15 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We headed back and found Finger 2 and started walking through a narrow gorge. It was so beautiful. It was by far the best finger so far. We then started walking through a cave and found a little water crossing. There was a chasm directly above us and the sun was in the perfect position for a reflection in the water. We walked through the water and continued on through the narrow gorge. We found a second gorge with water and tried to walk through but it became narrower and deeper. I checked the map and it said we were at the end of the trail. We then headed back out while taking in the views.

    We walked back onto the main track and quickly started scrambling over rocks again. At the first clean looking water pool we stopped for lunch and filtered some water to fill up our packs. We then continued on to Finger 5 arriving around 3pm. We were getting quite tired having walked about 15km which had involved a lot of rock scrambling.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    PC Trail - Finger 5

    15 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Finger 5 was a lot wider than number 2 but had beautiful high gorges with palm trees and other plants. We climbed over rocks and walked into a little cave before ending at a rock wall and couldn’t go any further. Scott and I walked up a different track and sat down and admired the view of the gorge. We then headed back down towards our campsite and found a big pool where we swam in. The water wasn’t too cold but it was very refreshing and exactly what we needed.

    We continued on to our campsite and I tried to filter about 2 litres of water. The filter was becoming clogged and it was getting harder and harder. Scott made us a cup and teas and at 5:30pm we started organising dinner. We had freeze dried beef curry. It definitely didn’t taste like a traditional curry but still quite tasty.

    We watched the sunset behind the gorges and then the mosquitos came out so we headed into our tent and I fell asleep at 7:30pm. Scott went and looked at the stars and saw a massive shooting star that took up a large part of the sky and then fizzled out.    Leia mais

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    PC Trail - Camp to Piccanniny Carpark

    15 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We woke up at 5:30am this morning and ate breakfast. I then started packing all the inside of the tent up while Scott washed the dishes and made the lunches. We worked as quickly as we could to pack up our campsite and remove all the rubbish and we started hiking at 7:15am.

    The walk to Black Rock Pool was a lot quicker and easier than when we were carrying the heavier packs with water in. We arrived at Black Rock Pool around 9am and met another couple completing the overnight hike and then a tour group who had helicoptered in for the day. We continued on to the elbow which would be the last of the shade as we came out of the Gorge.

    We had 10km to walk to the carpark from the Elbow and the first few kilometres was walking across lots of sand so it was slow going. We finally reached the first of the walking signs and stopped to look at the Window which was just off the track and slightly underwhelming. We completed the last few km’s quite quickly walking over rock beds as opposed to sand. Our next stop we decided to complete was the Domes loop. We walked along and end up in this Little Rock cave with a large chasm above us. It was quite beautiful.

    We headed back to the carpark and stopped to have lunch before continuing on to the visitor centre to sign out and drop off the PLB we had borrowed. We both grabbed a cold drink which was very refreshing before returning to the Wilderness Lodge.

    Scott and I spent the afternoon relaxing before having dinner with Jayden and some of his coworkers. We had Chicken Parmigiana for dinner which was delicious and heading off to bed just after 8pm.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Mini Palms Walk

    17 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We woke up this morning and had breakfast on the deck. I had a chia pudding with fruit and it was absolutely delicious. Scott had both the continental and cooked breakfast. We chatted with the two other couple at breakfast and heard about there trips and where they were heading next.

    Jayden had the day off and was going to be our tour guide for the day. Jayden organised our lunches and said he even changed out the knives for my lunch which the chef had taught him so there was no contamination.

    We left around 8:30am and it took just under an hour to arrive at the start of the track for Mini Palms walk. The northern end of the Bungle Bungle Range is known for the contrasting colours of the rocks and the Bungle Bungle Range Fan Palm. The palms are found where their roots reach permanent water seepage, and can reach heights of 30m. The end of the trail had stunted palms which is where the trial got its name mini palms.

    After some rock scrambling at the end of the trail we arrived at the top of the gorge surrounded by palms. We took a few photos before returning on the track and then heading to Echidna Chasm.    Leia mais

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    Osmond Range & Echidna Chasm

    17 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had been advised at the Visitor Centre to go to Echidna Chasm at midday is when the sun passes overhead, causing the oxidised iron in the sandstone walls to radiate an electrifying orange color creating a magnificent glow.

    We arrived at 11am and walked to the Ormond Lookout first. The Osmand Range’s rock formations are between 1880-1600 million years old. In comparison, the foundations of the Bungle Bungle Range are 360 million years old, while the formation of the chasms, gorges and domes only began in the last 20 million years due to erosion! The views were incredible of the range and the bungles from the lookout.

    We then continued onto the Echidna Chasm walk which was fairly easy. We started to walk through the entrance just before 12pm. The Echidna Chasm was formed by fractures in the sandstone. Over millions of years during the wet seasons water followed the fractures causing lines of weekness that resulted in deep incisions.

    As we walked through the narrow walkway of the Echidna Chasm the walls were over 180m high in sections and towered above us. We walked into a few narrow sections and looked up to see the walls illuminated and the blue sky above. We scrambled over rocks and went past a no entry sign before arriving in the final section. We took lots of photos, although the photos didn’t look as amazing as what we saw.

    We headed out and decided to drive back to the Mini Palms carpark and had lunch.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Homestead Trail & Sunset

    17 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After lunch we walked along the Homestead Valley Trail. It was slightly longer and had a bit of uphill but the track was fairly easy to walk along. We had beautiful views surrounding us of the Bungle Bungles and the Ormond Range. We arrived at the end of the trail where we were surrounded by a valley. There was information about the cattle yards in the area and that there used to be a homestead in the valley however there is no evidence of one.

    We continued back along the track admiring the view before arriving back at the car. We drove to the Stonehenge trail which was a short 500m track which had lots of information about the native plants in the area and the uses for these plants.

    We drove back to the Wilderness Lodge where we relaxed and showered before heading out with Jayden to watch the sunset. We drove to a lookout spot just around the corner from the lodge which had views of the Bungle Bungle Range. Scott and I thought we would be watching the sunset but Jayden said it’s about seeing the Bungle Bungles glow as the sun sets. We set up our chairs and had a drink with some cheese and crackers and watched the bungles glow as the sun set. It was really beautiful.

    We headed back to the lodge and had dinner out the back with Jayden and Josett. I had a vegetable curry which was delicious. Josett told us about her adventures and that she is a chef and it was great meeting some of the people Jayden had been working with. The workers get the leftover wine and soon Scott and I had a few to many glasses of red wine as our glasses kept getting filled.

    We said goodnight to everyone around 9:30pm and I even got lost walking back to our tent.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Bungle Bungles Helicopter Experience

    18 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We woke up this morning at 5:30am and were both feeling a bit groggy from all the wine we had drunk the night before. We got ready for the day and then had breakfast with 2 other couples. I had the chia pudding again with fruit which was delicious.

    Jayden organised us lunch and we headed off at 8:30am and drove to the Bellburn Airstrip. We completed our briefing and then met Garry our pilot who took us over to the helicopter. All the helicopters have no doors when flying so we were only allowed to bring our phones and nothing else, in case it fell out the door. We had booked the 42 minute helicopter ride.

    I sat in the front of the helicopter and Scott had the back seat. We took off and it was a bit scary with the doors open and we started flying over the Bungles. It was amazing. We could see the beehive-shaped domes and they stretched out for many kilometres before we could see the Tanami Desert stretch off into the distance.

    The pilot flew along the Piccaninny Creek and we could see the 5 fingers, our camping spot and the Black Rock Falls. We flew to the north and over the indigenous areas and sacred sites of the Bungle Bungles where tourists are not allowed in to. We passed over a rock formation of a crocodile and a snake before windy our way through the Valley of the Giants.

    As we neared the end of our flight we followed the Piccaninny Creek and passed over a “Colosseum” or stockman yard and then back to the Bellburn Airstrip. The flight was an amazing and we were both buzzing with excitement as we landed.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Whip Snake Walk & Piccaninny Lookout

    18 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After our helicopter ride we drove to Piccaninny Carpark. We decided we would do Whip Snake Gorge and the Piccaninny Lookout walks which was about 10.5km. It was already quite warm when we started but there was a bit of a cool breeze coming through.

    It was a lot easier walking without our large packs on our pack and we walked quite quickly arriving at the Whip Snake Gorge turn off within 40 minutes. We walked to Whio Snake Gorge which was along another little creek and ended up in a beautiful gorge. There was a small pool of water and we sat around a circle of rocks where tour groups must have completed some indigenous art works. We had morning tea and continued on to Piccaninny Lookout.

    The lookout was beautiful looking across to a few of the Bungle Bungle landforms. We ate lunch and spoke to another couple who were touring around for the next 6 weeks. We learnt that the man had was a Mettalurgist and had completed some work at Fosterville during the 90s.

    We continued back to the carpark and drove past what I could see as a cat formation in the rocks and past the Elephant rock. We returned to the Wilderness Lodge and relaxed for a couple of hours before dinner. When we headed over to the Deck, Scott picked up reception and received a call from El Questro to advise the roads were closed due to bushfires but they could move us to Emma Gorge Lodge.

    It was Tash’s 20th birthday so the crew had organised cheese and nibbles and set up the table for everyone. We played a few card games and drinking games while sipping on a fruit punch. For dinner we had chicken burgers which were delicious and birthday cake for dessert. Scott and I said our goodbyes and headed off to sleep at 9:30pm.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Bungle Bungles to Kununarra

    19 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We woke up at 5am and packed up all our bags. We walked over to the Deck and had some coffee and waited for Jayden and Tash to come out where we said goodbye. We were on the road at 6:50am. I drove first and in the National Park the drive wasn’t to bad. We made small stops along the way to take photos of the scenery and passed many cars on there way into the Bungle Bungles. As we came around one corner we found a car that must have rolled the day prior!

    After 1hr and 40minutes (which we timed) on the corrugated road we made it to the Great Northern Highway. We stopped at Warmun for fuel and then refilled again in Doon Doon before we arrived in Kununurra just before 12pm. We stopped in at the Kimberley Fine Diamonds store to have a look at the Argyle Diamonds.

    We learnt that the Argyle Diamond mine was the world's primary source of pink diamonds which attract on average, more than 20-500 times the price of an equivalent white diamond. Of all the diamonds unearthed at the Argyle mine site during its almost 40-year mine life, less than 1 per cent were pink. We couldn’t believe the price of a small pink diamond with some diamonds upwards of $500,000.

    We walked to the visitors centre and learnt that Emma Gorge was also being evacuated due to the fires. We called the accommodation who confirmed and asked the Visitor Centre where we should go next. They suggested to drive to Wyndham and onto Home Valley. We decided to book a night in Kununurra and then 3 nights in Home Valley. It was nearly 1pm so we drove to the Celebrity Tree Park for lunch. It was a beautiful spot on the water with lots of birds around and we could see Brown Falcons flying above us.

    We then went to a few indigenous art galleries which had varying types of art and some more modern pieces. Scott and I both bought engraved Boab tree nuts and I also found a dog toy for Lou. We continued on to the Kimberley Ornamental Stonecraft where they use Zebra Rock to create carvings and engravings. They mine the Zebra Rock which is a sedimentary rock formed from varying layers of siltsone and mudstone over the years from an island on Lake Argyle where they hold a mining lease. We decided not buy anything and continued on to the Lily Lagoon Resort for checkin just before 4pm.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Kelly’s Knob - Sunset

    19 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After checkin at the accommodation we drove to Kelly’s Knob which we had been told was the place to go for sunset. It seemed like all the tourists had travelled here there were two sunset view points but we decided to walk the 10 minutes uphill to the better vantage point. We watched as the sun set over the town, the mini Bungles and the Cochburb Ranges in the distance. Due to the bushfires there was a lot of smoke around and it was very hazy in the distance.

    After the sun had set we stopped by the supermarket and grabbed some supplies before heading back to the resort. There was signage everywhere advising due to recent thefts not to leave anything in the vehicle so we grabbed everything out and double checked the doors were locked.

    We made a salad with chicken and watched the movie ‘Nonna’s’ on Netflix before heading off to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Mini Bungles & Hoochery Distillery

    20 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We woke up at 6am this morning and ate our breakfast. We decided to drive to Mirima National Park which is on Miriwoong Dawang country. The rock sculptures and valleys we were walking through were over 300 million years old with steep drop offs and gorges.

    As we walked along the trail we came across indigenous artwork of hands, barramundi fish and a crocodile. There were signs relating to the drawings relating to what they did in the past time and paintings may have reflected what they hunted in the area.

    As we walked through the park we came across different plants and Boab trees, and even met some bird watchers that were looking at a brown pidgeon. We completed the walk by heading up to the lookout where pm there were beautiful views across Kununurra to the Cockburn ranges.

    We then decided to drive to the Hoochery Distillery as it opened at 9am to complete a tasting. The Hoochery Distillery is the oldest continually operating legal distillery in Western Australia. The rum is produced using sugarcane grown on the farm and rainwater, with everything fermented, distilled, and aged on-site in reconditioned oak barrels. The Ord River Valley’s climate gives the rum a distinctive smoothness that locals boast can’t be replicated anywhere else! The gin is also made on site using local botanicals.

    We decided to try a tasting of both the rum and gin. We tried the spiced rum, aged rum and coffee/chocolate flavoured rum. I was not a fan of the rum but the gin was delicious. We decided to buy 2 bottles of gin and 1 bottle of the aged spiced rum. It was a lovely morning and we relaxed in the outside area.

    We then drove towards Ivanhoe Crossing and passed a lot of cotton farms where it looked like a field of snow.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Ivanhoe Crossing & Marlgu Billabong

    20 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After the Hoochery We headed to Ivanhoe Crossing. There were large signs warning about crocodiles in the river but we didn’t see any. The Ivanhoe Crossing was our biggest river crossing so far and Scott let me drive through it. The water was flowing quite quickly but it was very shallow about 600mm deep.

    We made it across and drove to Mayiba Spring which was quite a shallow pool. There was a couple swimming in the shallow waters so we decided to continue on to Black Rock Pool.

    We arrived at Black Rock Pool and walked the short track. During the wet season there is a waterfall that falls 50m, however as it was the dry season there was only a shallow pool remaining. Everywhere we looked we could see black and white butterflies flying around and settling on the trees, it was so beautiful. We also saw a beehive about 10m above us on the cliff face near the water fall.

    We continued on the track and drove up to Telegraph Hill Lookout which had beautiful views of the river and Marlgu Billabong below us. We walked around the ruins of the Wyndham wireless telegraph station. The station was built in 1914 and was operational until 1921 and assisted ships entering Wyndham Port. The station was closed due to the static interference from the iron in the rock surrounding the station.

    We continued on to Marlgu Billabong which was absolutely amazing and worth the long drive on the dirt road. Marlgu means “wild bird” in local Aboriginal language, and the name rings true with more than 160 species of birds recorded here, including migratory birds. We could see hundreds of ducks, a night heron, a glider duck and a big flock of pelicans that kept duck diving to catch fish. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see any crocodiles! We had lunch at the Billabong as it was getting close to 2pm and continued on to Wyndham.    Leia mais

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  • Perth & Kimberley’s

    Wyndham to Home Valley

    20 de agosto, Austrália ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We arrived in Wyndham and drove up to the 5 rivers lookout. The lookout provides a spectacular panoramic view over the Cambridge Gulf, and you can see where the 5 rivers meet – The Durak, King, Pentacost, Forest and Ord Rivers. We could see also views over the town and the Wyndham Port. I couldn’t believe how wide the river was, and as it must have been low tide we could see the tidal mud flats and even a salt lake.

    We spent some time reading about the history of Wyndham and the Wyndham Port before driving into the town and stopping for a photo with the Giant Crocodile! We also walked through a small indigenous art gallery but the art wasn’t as beautiful as what we had seen in the Kununurra Gallery’s.

    We had about an hour and a half drive to Home Valley and on the way we stopped at the Grotto but due to the time we didn’t walk down. We entered the Gibb River Road and continued past Emma Gorge and El Questro where we could see a lot of smoke from the fires. The Pentecost River crossing wasn’t very big and the water was very shallow, and we made it through and arrived at Home Valley close to sunset. We checked into our room and had salad for dinner before watching Netflix and falling asleep.    Leia mais

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