The Bungle Bungles

The track into the Bungle Bungles is 53km of Kimberley dirt road, involves 43 creek crossings but it was worth every single corrugation.

The Beehives [click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

Bungles Road

The walks were fantastic especially Echidna Chasm, in parts only an arm span wide, but 300 metre high walls. The sun only hits the bottom of the chasm at midday.Similarly you were just dwarfed inside Cathedral Gorge.The red rock and Livistonia Palms were unique.

Echidna Chasm (testing the arm span rule)

Echidna Chasm

Echidna Chasm

Echidna Chasm

Cathedral Gorge

We splurged on a helicopter ride. Yes they do have a helicopter big enough to fit all the Cafferys. Tip to future travellers do not allow your 4 year old to sit in a seat with a voice activated headset.

Maverick

Iceman

Bungles Bungles from the air

A couple more photos.

We had to store the caravan and tent it during our stay in the Bungles. Luckily there is a secure Landcruiser storage area at the entrance to the park who were kind enough to let us store our van.

We have received a number of emails and blog comments regarding the proximity of our children to crocodiles (see the Kimberley's post). Can I assure everyone we vetted the appropriate proximity to crocodiles with the Responsible Parenting League (RPL). The RPL have designated the minimum child-to-croc distance (CTCD) as the distance the aforementioned child can out sprint an antagonized crocodile. We never breached the CTCD. However, we thank everyone for their concern.

Carolines Say

Hi All,
Just thought I would put my two cents worth in.  We are having a great time and I would thoroughly recommend the trip if you can do it.  We are starting to get a little travel weary and I am a bit gorged out, so to speak, but I am looking forward to the next part of the trip.

We are on our way home and I can't wait to get into my own bed and have my own shower in which I don't have to wear thongs. I have not lost any weight which I thought that I might do given we are eating camp food most days and nights. Mind you we are drinking like we are on holiday too. 

We have met some really great people which we keep bumping into as we are travelling a well worn track.  I'm surprised the highway dosen't have wheel ruts as well.

I love the scenery, the freedom, the family time (despite the photos that Liam made the kids pose for), the time off work, the animals we have seen, arriving in a town with coverage and of course the people we have met.

I hate wearing thongs in the shower, grumpy scone gobblers who have a problem with children being children, paying extra at caravan parks for the kids, corrugated roads, dust and bbq's that don't heat up properly.
 
We have saved some parts for when we return as scone gobblers ourselves.  Or maybe sooner.
Thanks for all the comments  and  emails on the blog.  They are quite entertaining and we love opening the page and reading them. We look forward to seeing you all again and having a glass of wine.

Love Caroline

The Kimberleys

We have started heading east - about 130km along the Gibb River Road before detouring via the Fairfield-Leopold Road due to road closures on the GRR.

Fairfield-Leopold Road

We camped at Windjana Gorge most notable for its wildlife that inhabit the series of waterholes that form in the gorge during the dry season.

Windjana Gorge

Breakfast

A challenging drive to Tunnel Creek with it's 2km subterranean walk which involved wading through freezing water sometimes in pitch black - a nervous experience given the wildlife in the area. However, we used the premise that if we can't see them, they can't see us.

Entrance to Tunnel Creek

There was often a line of cars at creek crossings waiting for someone to bite the bullet and head across.

Crossing enroute to Tunnel Creek (note the Landcruiser in the background)

To Broome and Beyond

Long kilometres to Broome with only roadhouses to break the trip. A brief sojourn at Eighty-mile beach (you'd think they would update it to kilometres by now).

Patrol sojourn, Eighty-mile Beach

Pardoo Roadhouse, Middle of No-where

The obligatory camel ride at sunset on Cable Beach.

Tour de force le Cafferys en camels

Bazza (trying to give John a kiss)

Roebuck Bay, Broome

Pearl diver's cemetery, Broome

Onto Cape Leveque, possibly the worst road in Australia. However, we did manage to get both the Patrol and Goldstream up there. We camped at Middle Lagoon but a croc sighting meant swimming and snorkeling was ... well interesting. No fuel at One-arm point station meant a nervous trip out of the Cape. We arrived back in Broome with the fuel light on.

Cape Leveque Road

Sacred Heart church, Beagle Bay, Cape Leveque

Mother-of-Pearl altar, Sacred Heart church

Middle Lagoon accommodation

One-arm Point, Cape Leveque

Western Beach, Cape Leveque

Onto Derby, we are definitely in Kimberleys now. Boab trees, red dirt and spinifex grass.

Boab sunset, Derby