Thursday 7th June - Wyndham

Beautiful birds and car disasters

Not much to do in Kunnunurra and we are here until we set off into the Kimberley region to visit the Bungle Bungles [ or Purnululu National Park], Windjana NP and King Leopold Conservtion Park amongst others.  This will mean storing the caravan where the sealed road ends and camping as these places are 4WD access only.  We will probably be 'off the air' for about 10 days until we get back to Kunnunurra as internet access is unlikely.

2000 year old boab tree, Wyndham WA

Looking out to the gulf, Wyndham WA

Big Croc, Wyndham WA

The day started very well with a trip to Wyndham, which although not interesting does have a 2000 year old boab tree, spectacular views of the gulf leading into the Timor Sea from a nearby clifftop and a 'big croc'.





After this we went to Marlgu Billabong which was absolutely teeming with life.  Great foretaste of what is to come in Kakadu.  The water is thick with fish, there were huge flocks of at least 10 species of birds including egrets, herons, geese, ducks and cormorants.  Big bonus, we saw our first crocs, 3 of them.  2 were 'salties' and one was a 'freshie'.  Saltwater crocodiles are misleadingly named as they get into all the river systems and move upstream in the wet.  They can be found in freshwater billabongs quite a distance inland and are now prolific as they are a protected species.  Every year people are killed by crocodiles but as long as you take heed of the warning signs there is no danger, they don't venture far from the water.

Black cormorant, Marlgu  Billabong WA

Marlgu Billabong WA

When we left the billabong, John decided to take a 4WD track as an alternative route back to the sealed road.  Oh dear.  The track was very narrow and at some point the rear driver's side tyre was punctured and by the time he realised the tyre was completely shredded and the wheel rim damaged.  Big problem because we were not at all sure how far we were from the main road and not in a place where the wheel could be changed.  He drove on the rim a little way to a slight widening in the track so the car could be jacked up.  Luckily, at this moment along came another vehicle [probably the only other person to use the track today] and between them John and the other bloke got the spare wheel on.  It was then about 10kms back to the sealed road with some very hairy dry creek crossings that had been washed out in the last wet.  We limped back to Kunnunura just before 5:00pm to find that Bridgestone could supply the tyre but not the wheel.  There is a panel beater in town who is going to have a go at fitting a wheel off a 10 year old vehicle tomorrow.  If that is no good we will have to either drive to Darwin with no spare and get it replaced there or wait here until one can be sent from Broome or Darwin.  Watch this space.