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Day 21 Kununurra - El Questro Today is definitely day 21 because we know it is Saturday 18 July. We have just had a barbecue at the El Questro station and watched the first half of the Australia - South Africa rugby test match from Perth - the one that Rob got lots of tickets for but then sold them all to the rugby club boys. This El Questro place is really nice - we have a campsite all on our own down by the river called Heron (the camp site is called Heron - not the river). We can only just hear - never mind see - our nearest neighbours in Ibis or across the river in some other bird name. Bit of a drive to the facilities, but that keeps the hooligans away! All in all a good choice.
We got here just after lunch after visiting Paul Mock, Liz's friend, who turns out to be the son and heir to the only milk production in the Kimberley region. They have about 400 cows and do all their own processing and packing, including coffee and chocolate milk, and supply the local towns direct. It's not all that wonderful mind you 'cos the big dairies in Perth are shipping stuff up here and Coles (the big supermarket chain) is shipping its homebrand stuff up freight free. Still it looks like they are doing OK and they make yummy milkshakes up at the farm shop (which Rob and Hild had to try of course). Paul was busy today so he couldn't show us around much - as usual we had managed to find the day when everyone was busy - and we couldn't really stop another day 'cos we are on a tight schedule to get Rob back to work a week next Monday, but the processing shed looked very interesting and I was very interested in the machinery (being rather mechanically minded you know). There were also some nice cows with very baby calves wandering around outside - and they had to be baby calve as well because they are taken away in the first 24 hours to get the cow into the milking herd.
Anyway, that was a nice visit and it is just a shame we couldn't see more, 'cos they have some sugar cane as well and the whole place is flood irrigated from the Ord river irrigation system. Rob was fascinated (as he usually is with something he knows nothing about - a lot of things really) and kept getting it all wrong, but I think he enjoys that. We had done a bit of shopping in Kununurra before going out to Paul's but we hadn't got diesel 'cos the garage was full so we filled up at the Shell place just before the main road and we saw three road train trailers parked across the road without a tractor to pull them. Well, you couldn't hold me back, I was across there like a shot nosing around to see what was what. Hild and Rob promptly got their cameras out and took photo's of me in front like I was pulling them, and then a woman from the Shell station came out and tried to take some shots as well! I felt like a movie star. Unfortunately her camera appeared not to be working and another car came up and said he would like to be photo'd in the same spot so we moved on. Hild reckons she will send the lady in the Shell station a print of the phot when we get them done - I should think so too - doesn't everyone want pickies of me?
So off we trotted down the main road to Wyndham until the turn-off for the Gibb River Road. This is a very famous route for tourists and has had lots of recommendations as well as a few warnings about how rough it is etc. Wimps, I've been through some stuff this past couple of weeks and if it's any worse than that - well, I'll eat my ..... roof bars! So far it has been fine as we drove along to the El Questro Station, which is a pretty big cattle station (nearly one million acres) and has now diversified into tourism as well. It has some really really posh places to stay - which you have to get to by helicopter! Needless to say we are just camping.
The big plan was to maybe take a horse ride into the bush from here, only we were foiled in that plan 'cos Rob is not what you would call an experienced rider and the afternoon's trip was already full with people who wanted a tougher ride. And tomorrow's morning ride is fully booked so that idea has had to be shelved. Went for a walk instead into El Questro gorge which is a lovely trip - if a bit more than a 'walk'. To be fair they did say it was for the fit and adventurous, but in two places we had to wade up to our knees and then climb up some pretty slippery rocks and finally up a waterfall to reach the swimming pool at the top! But it was worth it 'cos it is a lovely pool, almost completely enclosed by the gorge with tropical trees and the water tumbling down at the end. When we got there there were just two men and as we chatted Rob realised that he knew one of them - it was David Messina from SGB, the company that markets Stewart's anthracnose test and with whom we have had lots of dealings lately. Fancy that, up here in the middle of nowhere (to coin a phrase) at the top of a gorge we bump into someone we know - the world is getting too small. Once they had gone, we had the place to ourselves so we had a nice swim, but then during the walk down it was getting a bit late and by we were driving out it was dark - good job we didn't stay longer in the pool! After such a refreshing swim, it was a shame to get all sweaty again on the way down, and with all the wading the shoes were a bit muddy too, so I wasn't too happy about having them inside until they were rinsed off. But since it wasn't too far to the station I agreed, but only so long as they showered as soon as we got back and changed into clean clothes for the barbecue. I mean it would have been too embarrassing if anyone noticed that I was with these two dirty sweaty people! The barbecue was very nice, with salads, very tasty steak, rather overdone barramundi (on the whole I think barra' is a touch overrated - very nice and all that, but I think the real fun is in the catching) and yummy homemade bread - nice and heavy like Hild makes. There was even apple crumble and custard for dessert along with a fresh fruit salad - mmmmmmmm. Needless to say, Rob ended up eating a bit too much, but it's his stomach (until the day he can't get behind my steering wheel). So now he is sleeping it off ready for another early start tomorrow. I think we may backtrack a bit to go and see Emma Gorge first off, then it is down the road probably as far as Mount Barnett where we are supposed to say hello to someone who's name we can't remember from Russell in the ARB shop in Perth - don't you just love these humans - get all wound up about something and then forget the important bit! Oh well, we'll see what happens when we get there. Night night. Lionel |
