We leave Derby with the van and head once again east along the Highway towards Kununurra and the Northern Territory border.
The first night is spent at the Boab tree rest area and the next night was to be at the Ellendale rest area then Fitzroy crossing. As we are getting close to Ellendale rest area I spot water with some caravans parked around it, so we pull up , turn around to have a look. We find a hand painted sign saying Ellendale Lake camping no dogs and close the gate.We investigate and find this is a large dam on Ellindale station where we can pull up if you are self contained as no facilities are provided. The owners of the station are allowing people to share this area with the cattle, so this is to be home for us for a couple of days. We were to stay in Fitzroy crossing so we can go on the boat cruise in Geike Gorge .
Ok we have to travel 88km early in the morning to be on the 7.am cruise but the amount of fuel used is less then the van park fees in Fitzroy crossing and parking with these big floppy eared cattle and just a few other people is much better.
So 5am rise , breakfast, leave the van and drive to Geike gorge arrive 10 mins before cruise time. This is run by the National parks and is only an hour long, it is cut short a little bit because the water level is down ,after a not very good past two wet seasons, making parts to shallow for the boats.

 

We do see a few birds and remember when we walked this place we sat to have a snack and water and on the opposite bank was a sunbathing crocodile , well we found a few of last years young sunbathing but did not see the parent from the boat. The boat ride was not bad it gave us a good look at the different colours of the layers in the gorge walls.
We went for a walk afterward ,in the other direction , we found some euros[kangaroos] and more birds.
On the way back to the van we got a contaminant light on the dash, for the fuel of the car, so we had to stop and take care of this. Lucky Larry new what to do but could not remember how to reset the thing , but a phone call away was our helper. We think maybe we got either dirty fuel or moisture in it, this could mean a change in fuel filter, we will see.
Back at our “Lake “ dam park we find the cattle all asleep under the trees and bushes next to our van except one mum with a very young calf, they are over away from everybody. Above us in a tree is a nest with a young kite calling continually for food even though it looks big enough to take care of itself.
After leaving Ellendale we decide we will stop again at Ngumpan cliff lookout again to see if the sunset and rise are any different than a few weeks ago when we only had the car.
Next was a few days at Mary river rest area and the river is down from last time ,making the crossing a dry one. The water level has dropped a lot in just 4 weeks but we still stay 3 days . 

We have time as our booking in Lake Argyle is not until the end of the month. We find a bower of a great bower bird and watch him trying to seduce a couple of females with his calls, dance and showing off all his objects in his bower. He had collected the plastic thing that holds cans together so I took this away so he or any other bird or animal does not gets stuck in it. This bird collects pieces of green glass , green tops and white stones, some collect blue things .
Little Pandon river was next again then on to the three camping areas not far from the entrance to the Bungles before heading into Kununurra.
On are way into Kununurra we stop for a look at Ngamoowalem conservation park and Molly springs and the Livistona range. It is full of cycads and fan palms. Molly springs is a permanent water spring and waterfall.


Kununurra population6000.
After a bit of a debacle at the caravan park we had tried to book 2 weeks ago and being told “we do not take bookings we have plenty of room” Now they say they can,t put us in for a few days, then a van pulls up and says they have a booking , what !, no bookings,. Well we leave and end up at what was our 2nd choice beside Mirima National park instead of beside Lily creek Lagoon and Kununurra lake.


We walk a short walk along Lily creek lagoon ,not much there anyway so head to where you can swim at Kununurra lake and find a crowd of people harassing a snake. A young king brown so we take a photo defend the snake from those wanting to kill it and move on.

 


Then on to the diversion dam on the Ord river which we crossed on our way in to town, but could not stop. You have to go down to the Lions park on the banks of river and look back at the dam and be careful as there are salt water crocodiles here. We do not find any just take photos of dam.
Then we head to the Zebra rock gallery on the lakes edge. We will be stopping for a few days at the Zebra rock mine in NT latter so we are only here to see the cat fish that come in for bread.


After lunch it is out to the Sandalwood factory. They process the Indian sandalwood grown in this area.Im sorry everybody we did not buy any or their products , Larry watched a film on the sandalwood process and I checked out the oil and usual creams and stuff. All too expensive and full of chemicals for me.
So on to the Hoochery, the oldest legal still and rum distillery in Australia. Well all these people up here certainly know how to charge , sorry again no presents, the cheapest was around $60 for a small 500ml bottle. I did look at the aniseed liqueur though but at nearly a hundred dollars. no.
The last place we had to look at was Ivanhoe crossing. This is a concrete causeway over the Ord river that was originally part of the road from Wyndham to Katherine in NT.After the damming and making of Lake Argyle the water flowing over this causeway has made it unsafe so it has been closed. Plenty of salt water crocodiles are supposed to be here.

 

 
So now its on to Lake Argyle for a couple of days, van park on its banks. Well not quiet on the shore though , its a very steep rocky climb down to the waters edge, which we do do on our second day. 

After the booking in process here we are shown to our campsite by a guide on a push bike, its a real elaborate system here , find booking one place, pay another, get parked by man on push bike.
Anyway we walk to a lookout over the lake close by before having lunch. 
 
 Then its out around this end of the lake to what is called the Bluff. A lookout back across the lake towards the van park and out to the larger end of the lake . 

This was a hard walk of about 2 hours in over 30deg heat so when we got back we went to the infinite swimming pool. Not as big as it looks in the adds but impressive because it is elevated and it looks out across the lake.

The following day is a early morning walk to the Ord river Gorge walk of 1 ½ hours. It overlooks the Ord river leaving the lake . Then we drive across the dam wall and the Ord Hydro power station where water leaves the lake and travels down the Ord river. 


This area was just where the Ord river passed for millions of years.
In 1879 – 25 million acres were opened up for pastoral and agriculture settlement
1884—cattle arrive
1886-- The Durack family arrive
1941 – a Durack grandson starts experimental irrigation
1972 – Lake Argyle dam completed
the lake Argyle dam holds 10,765 GL
The agriculture irrigation system returns $100 million a year
Each farm averages 24 megalitres water per day.
Crops are Melons, Indian sandalwood, Chia { one of the largest producers in Aust], Zucchini,pumpkins, mangos, chickpeas, borlotti beans, kidney beans,corn, peas, bananas,citrus,cut flowers, sorghum, maize and sunflowers.
We thought we would have wifi here but only at some times same as phone is no reception so this will be posted when I can.
Tomorrow sunday we head across the border into Northern territory and the Keep river national park.
I m sorry if there are spelling and grammar mistakes as i am typing in a hurry , as i am sitting in the sun a week after we did this trying to get a wifi connection . Sitting at policemans point outside Timber creek NT.