Kununurra, El Questro, Wyndham

The above list is the line up for the past few days, and I have to say that we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves here, in spite of the heat which is a bit early this year, or so we are told by the locals.

We spent a bit of time just relaxing here, restocking groceries & getting stitches removed from the thumb before heading off to El Questro for the day.  We planned to visit Emma Gorge, and maybe check out a couple of other spots before indulging in lunch at the El Questro Station.

The drive in to Emma Gorge from Kununurra wasn't particularly scenic, but the Resort there was very inviting - well at least the lounge & dining area was.  Perhaps a coffee before we started off would have been nice, but we were resolute in our determination to begin the Gorge walk as soon as possible so we headed off complete with ample bottles of water, sturdy shoes & bathers.  We met several red faced & sweaty groups on their way back, all assuring us that it was well worth the effort.  These comments were, I have to admit, somewhat alarming but totally justifiable as we were to discover later - quite a lot later !!!

To say the walk was challenging is for me a bit of an understatement.  Not that it was excessively steep, but most of the walk consisted of scrambling over rocks, and loose rocks at that, with scarcely any flat or smooth surfaces at all.  Added to that the searing heat (I think it was about 32 when we set off, and I swear it got hotter by the moment) so that by the time we reached the first pool I was ready to cast all caution aside and get in that water as fast as I could!!

I'm honestly not sure what the terrain looked like on the way up as we were concentrating on making sure our feet were on the path, but after the restoring dip & a further 10 minutes difficult climb we arrived at the most magnificent rock pool you could imagine.  The crystal pool lay beneath a virtual semi-circle of sheer rock face clothed in cool damp ferns & other plants drawing their life from the water constantly dripping over the rock.  The camera could not capture the beauty & majesty of the soaring walls which surrounded us, or the stillness & serenity in spite of the numbers of people, like us, just enjoying the cool water and the splendour of the place.

By the time we returned to the car, (the walk back was almost as challenging as the way in) the option of visiting other spots before El Questro station was off the list, so we headed off with the airconditioning on full bore !!  We had decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the Steakhouse at EQ but had a cruise to the Chamberlain Gorge booked for 3pm, so we had no time to spare.

About half way there we had a bit of an explosion which sounded like a tyre blowing, but which turned out to be a hose to the turbo charger.  We didn't discover that until we'd limped into El Questro lacking in power, had our lunch & our cruise & were wondering if we would get home that night.  Trevor had some divine inspiration during lunch of what the problem could be, and sure enough all it required was the hose to be reconnected and tightened.  Voila !!  Problem fixed !!

The cruise through the Chamberlain Gorge was very enjoyable, although not as spectacular as we had imagined, but nonetheless rugged and beautiful.  Our tour guide & the boat driver provided us with some musical entertainment as well as refreshments, and a highlight was feeding fish (catfish, barramundi & a smaller fish that eyed you up, sucked in water then spat at you).

We did see the exclusive $3000 per night El Questro Homestead resort perched on top of the cliffs, but the landscape has been changed so much by the massive cyclone in 2010/2011 which became a cyclonic depression that dumped so much water in the area it almost washed the resort away.  As a result the vegetation beneath it is only just regenerating, and it doesn't look that inviting from a distance.

A delightful & enjoyable day, made even more so by successfully fixing the car and getting home in one piece.

Yesterday we went to church & then drove 100kms to Wyndham. Just to see what's there.  To be honest, nothing much - but the original old town by the port had some interesting old buildings, and the Five Rivers Lookout gave us a good perspective of how the river systems converge & spill out into the Timor Sea.  On the way back we called into the Warlgu Billabong and were delighted to be able to spot many of the birds that were named on the boards along the boardwalk which has been beautifully constructed for just that purpose.  A real bonus for the day.

Today we did the Ord River cruise, and tomorrow a flight over the whole area including the Bungle Bungles and the Argyle Diamond mine.  But enough for now - today was spectacular and I'll tell you about it next time.

Cheers !!