All glad to leave Broome we set off with our new guide called Travis or Trav for short. He is absolutely lovely and all the girls are "phwoar" straight away. We are now not in a mini bus but a bus/off road vehicle with all the stuff piled in the bus.
Travis wears the shortest shorts going so that got mentioned in the comments box after the trip. I said can he wear longer shorts as it's all too distracting. His catch phrase as well was "it's all too easy".
Another two members join our group. Clare from london who is marketing and Russ from Sydney who is an old boy all of 35 (sorry that was a private joke between us). Actually he is a completely sexy beast especially in his speedos and not really old at all (see Russ I changed it). But he does have wonky ears. Sorry I did pick on him a lot through the trip but he's an excellent laugh, a beer monster and now a good friend just like shell, mark, beck, clare, silky, kat who have formed a great friendship already. And yep there's talk of a reunion and setting our own adventure tours re-united website.
Day 1
We visit the Prison tree. It's where they used to keep aboriginals prisoner, it's basically a giant hollow tree that has a really weird tasting fruit. It's like eating styrofoam. Not that I do that often anyway.
We were suppossed to go along the Gibb River Road after that, but it was closed, we had missed it by an hour. Travis then takes us to Derby, another one horse town with no horse, so we have a quick look at the pier and go.
The terrible 5 english have taken over the back of the bus, and flo and isabella don't want the airconditioning on as it's too cold on his bald spot. Russ and clare have the same prob, well russ more than clare (bald spot wise)... sorry russ!
So everyday I have the window open as shell in the back is feeling cramped and travel sick, me too, as there is no air, so I just have to suffer a sunburnt arm. The bus although the seats are more comfortable the leg room and position are not.
Next we go to fitzroy (or firroy) crossing. Absolute panic as we discover either we have left or it has been nicked, three carrier bags of booze. That includes a bottle of brandy, a bottle of baileys and two cartons of wine... we are in complete shock on this realisation. But luckily we have the beer, another carton of wine and a giant bottle of jack daniels (which got polished off by day 7). The reason for the spirits is we bumped into travis the last night and he told us that he had just come from darwin and it had rained all the way. So we were thoroughly depressed and thought bottles of warm spirits would cheer us up on the cold rainy nights.
Well that night we camped on a cliff top with a tarp over the stove which nearly blew away in the wind cooking, and trying to stop the tents from blowing off the cliff. I shared the tent with clare and it took us a while to figure out how to put this one up without it blowing away as the ground was too hard for tent pegs. It's all too easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Consequently the JD was opened that night.
Day 2
We drive to Halls Creek... another gorge type thing.
Then we go to Palm springs... a lagoon. Of course I have realised that with the tatoo I can't go swimming for two weeks so I watch the others play. I have brought my supply of ointment, barrier cream bandages and most important cling film. Clare and becks experienced with tatoos have never heard of cling film being used... oh well.
Next it's halls creek info centre. All I can say about this place was the automatic loos. Unbelievable.... they play music when your in there and the loo flushes when you wash your hands. Discovered that you can't get extra loo paper if the bum isn't on the seat though. Sorry but after the night of walking to the smelliest loo on a cliff top this was all we could talk about - pure luxury!
Next we got to the next camp site which was courajang campsite. We have a loo stop on the way and clare who takes photos of absolutely everything was outside taking a photograph of snoopy in a tree. Snoopy is a giant toy that kat got with her happy meal at macdonalds in broom and it was decided that clare would have snoopy in every photo.
After realising she is again last back on the bus she jumps up and runs at the same time - as they call it here the result was a rolled ankle. Basically it came up like a baloon straight away and mark had to get some ice so she could rest and hopefully the swelling would go down on the buss. Luckily mark and shell are nurse and we discovered that flo and isabella are traineee doctors so she couldn't have picked a better time to roll her ankle. However that part of teh bus journey was off road and I mean off road. Luckily the bus is a four wheel drive... however very bouncy and i mean bouncy so clare on pain killers at this point was in very good spirits and coping well... she may take pictures but she is also accident prone!
That night was compartitively early. Travis and Ben go to the other campsite to visit the other adventuire group tours that have arrived. Silky was asking lots of questions about aboriginals which we think travis got offended with as we discovered he lives with a lot of them and has been given the name "crow crow". She just asked why they don't smile and are pissed all the time. He said wouldn't you be if they took your land away from you and made you have a house when basically you're a nomadic people and towns spring up everywhere through land you would normally have travelled through... phew take a breath there!
Day 3
We drive to mini palm gorge. Clare isn't taking a chance here so is sitting it out. Beautiful gorge and cave type thing.
Next Echidna Casm... again beautiful.
Next a helicopter flight over the bungle bungle... absoluetly Fxxxxx!!!@@ awesome. I sit next to cat in the back, russ is in the front and we do a half hour flight. We are only allowed 3 things on us, so I have camera and video. hopefully it should come out well. Words won't describe it but I imagine thats what the grand canyon is like.
We then walk through part of the bungle bungle's to Cathederal gorge. As we approch a man is singing a local hym and we can hear it. The applause sounds like its a full st pauls catherdral. Its a rock with a fracture which creates brilliant accoustics. So we listened to the dig' being played and he did another song. Excellent.
Next was Picaniny gorge... again beautiful words cant describe.
We then went to the sunset view to look over the bungle bungle's as the sun went down, drinking beer again and more group photos.
Excellent second night at the camp. Patricia, franz and myself had a JD bing. Very hung over the next day. Point to note patricia was first up sitting in the front seat next to travis... most comfortable seat on the bus I expect!!
Day 4
Turkey Creek to get petrol. I was told to mention the shower sign there (remeber its been 2 days since the girls have showered and a wet wipe wash only goes so far). Plus we now have to watch put for dangerous spiders in the loos. Great, good cure for my toilet phobia.
We then drive to Wyndham to the five rivers look out.
Next Marglu Billabong which is a bird sanctury well protectde wetlands. Absoultely amazing birds there. Hundreds of ducks geese all sorts could have stayed there for hours.
That night we stay at the perry creek farm. We are told watch out for mossys. By this point we are all murdering for the shower's and their is a pool. Russ and I are first to start on the beers while everyone makes their way to shower or pool it. Then I go shower and do some laundry with clare and becks. As soon as the sun goes down its like something out of jurassic park, the mossies come out. I mean like a swarm of locusts, I have never seen anything like it. Its because they have had rain early so for two weeks the mossies are out.
Of course who do they go for... me. We have the quickest dinner and then into the pub which is covered by a mosquito net... there are also the cutest frogs in the toilets. Shell found one in the loo which she refused to dump on, thank god. Amazing stick insetcs though on the nets.
Day 5
Woke up to discover there were mozzies in the tent. I have only tented it 3 times since perth and with the mossies this was one. Well I have a huge bite in the middle of my forehead so I look like an indian. Shell has anti histamene thank god. Patricia has bites all round her ankle. They are bad but boy does she go on about them for the next few days to...everybody. To the extent I think travis comes over and asks us for some tiger balm or tea tree oil.
Day 6
Invanhoe crossing - watch fish
Lake argyl and the hydroplant.
Cruise and Rock jumping.
2.10 Western Aussie Cross
Kee PP river national Park - Shell, beck, clare and myself sat out of that one.
Bush Camp - Another tour bus showed up briefly.
Silky and I used Digger.
Day 7
Timber Creek
Katherine Hot springs
Supermarket falls
Edith Falls - big swim
Russ foot because of current
Walaby that likes tobaco.
Day 8 Gorge
Stone hopping
Lunch
Drive to Darwin
Thanx for phone call. So glad you are having
such a fantastic time in Aussie, and seeing all there is to see, and enjoying the natives. Your messages are all fascinating, and we are all so glad that it is going really well. Hope the Mossies dont get you.
All is well here. Heaps and heaps of love from everyone.
xxxx oooo
hello foreigner!!!! like the website and the pics! its emma here by the way if u hadnt guessed, unfortunately by email i can not transverse in a french accent so je suis desolee or woteva it is! looks like ur having fun so continue to do so and look forward to seeing/hearing from u!hear gavins gaining cars still!!!!