Australia here we come!

10/5/12

We left the Halls Creek Caravan Park this morning after refuelling and topping up our groceries and drove 118kms towards Fitzroy Crossing to a Main Roads Rest Area called Mary Pools on the Mary River. We arrived about 11.45am to find that about 20 caravans were already there. We crossed a concrete causeway over the Mary River and found a wonderful site that was very solar panel friendly. Thanks to our awnings we had plenty of shade and a cool breeze made it very comfortable. There were plenty of sites in the treed area but we planned to spend 2 days here and I wanted the batteries to get as much charge as possible. We had a wonderful day doing nothing and at the end we had a cook up that would have made the BBQPITZBOYS drooling. (Rump steak, Lamb chops, potatoes and veggies cooked to perfection). We did some star gazing after tea and failed to spot any satellites again.

11/5/12

We had planned to sleep in this morning but Karen was up as the sun sneeked over the horizon and Mary-Anne and I woke at 7am. It was a day of nothing much until Mary-Anne suggested we have scones with jam and cream for morning tea. Out came the Weber Baby Q and in went the scones. About 35 minutes later we were feasting on the best scones we have had since Kununurra. We also had Billy tea which made it Devonshire tea. We were all full from the scones and we sat around in the shade and did nothing. What a day! I started updating our computer diary and then had a sleep. The girls read books and did puzzles. Later in the afternoon they started working out our adgenda for the coming days.

12/5/12

The challenge of determining our next port of call was so hard we decided to stay another day at Mary Pools. We could stay here for a month but we would run out of water before we ran out of power. We had a BBQ lunch and after that the girls were going to cook brownies and a chocolate cake for the coming days but the holiday mode kicked in and nothing was done. There are only a couple of little puffy clouds in the sky and the solar panels are smiling with joy.

13/5/12

Today we decided to leave Mary Pools and drove west for 280kms to Ellendale Rest area. On the way we stopped and had lunch at Fitzroy Crossing. After finding the Visitor Information Centre shut we drove around looking for a park with a public toilet. It was like looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It does not exist and neither does a public toilet in Fitzroy Crossing. Fitzroy Crossing would have to be the worst place we have visited and we have seen some really forgettable places. When we found the lone caucasian male in town we asked him if there was a park where we could have lunch and all he could suggest was the football ground. We found the football ground and it had some big shady trees but, to my horror, it was an Aussie Rules ground. We gulped down our lunch and got out of town as quickly as possible. Our next stop was Ellendale Rest Area. We selected the best sites at the top of the hill and set up the solar panels and enjoyed the view. Then in the evening we star gazed and spotted a few satellites.

14/5/12

We were up fairly early but, as usual, we were the last to leave. Our destination for today is Derby which is only 180kms away. The driving was great because we had a tail wind and for the first time the Prado recorded sub 20LHK. Just before we got to Derby we spotted the Gibb River Road and drove along it a short distance. There was a photo opportunity at a large sign and both cars and caravans were recorded for posterity having travelled on this famous road. We arrived at Derby about midday and after a quick drive around town and visiting the Information Centre we booked in at the Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park. We set up and the girls did some washing. We took both cars to an Auto Electrician to have both of our second batteries checked. To my shock they were both given a clean bill of health. We spent the night on the phone catching up with family as we were out of contact for over a week.

15/5/12

It is siteseeing day today and we were off at 9am. Our first stop was at the Prison Boab Tree. I have seen some huge boab trees in our travels but this one is the great great grand daddy of them all. It is about 14 metres round at the base and is about 1500 years old. The tree is hollow in the middle with a small verticle opening at the front, which is wide enough for a person to squeeze through. I swore myself in as a WA Special Constable and arrested both of the girls after they started causing a public nuisance near the tree by climbing over the protective fence. A fierce struggle ensued and they both escaped before I could secure them in the Prison Tree. After I came to and undid the ropes I squeezed out of the prison tree and it was in the car and to the Myall Bore and cattle trough a short distance away. The Myall Bore was sunk in 1910 to a depth of 320 metres and the associated trough could water 500 bullocks . A short distance away was Frosty's pool. It is a small swimming pool build by Australian troops during WW2 to get some relief from the heat. Our next stop was the Derby Waste Water Wetlands and Bird Observation area. It must be the wrong time of year as there were no birds. We had a quick stop at Mitre 10 so I could spend some of Mary-Anne's money and then it was on to the Derby Wharf and we had lunch at the Centenary Pavillion. The floor of the pavillion covers 28 square metres and is covered by 30,000 mosiac tiles which took 370 children and adults over 700 hours to lay. (I never saw them!!). Mary-Anne and I drove onto the wharf and checked it out. Karen decided it was safer to stay on dry land in case the wharf collapsed. Our next stop was the old Derby jail which is situated right next to the present day Police Station. It is amasing how risk management has changed the building codes for watchhouses over the years. The old Derby jail would send a shiver up any present day Watchhouse Keeper's spine.