Holy Croc!

Hi there,

Well, we have had a few eventful days, that's for sure. The guys DID go out to Ivanhoe's Crossing and tried their best to catch some Barramundi - but instead got a couple of massive catfish. They threw them back since we still have a few fish in the freezer left over from Broome and we don't want to take more than we can use.

The night before we left Kununurra we wandered down to the banks of the Ord River and went night croc spotting. There were some Freshies (fresh water crocs - the salt water ones are called Salties...) Anyway, Chris and I took a flashlight and there in the water were shiny eyes. We saw about three in the water. They were in there all right. Before we knew it there were a few other people doing the same thing. You always keep your wits about you, but blundering around in the dark with just a torch shows you that they can sneak up on you without a sound lol. We turned around and there was a little one behind us and it took about three seconds to compute the fact and hot foot it out of there, the kids hot on our tail.

Sneaky crocs in the water - all you see are the glowing eyes just like a cat. Only orange.

We left Kununarra for Lake Argyle at 9.30am. There is nothing at Lake Argyle but a caravan park but we needed to stop for the night because it was going to be a long trek to the next place (Timber Creek where we are right now) and also because this caravan park is the last West Australian stop before you go over the border to the Northern Territory. And I really wanted to see and swim in the  infinity pool. The pool overlooks Lake Argyle and it's incredibly beautiful. Very very cool.

The drive into Lake Argyle

The pool at night. They put these beautiful purple and blue lights on - it was dark by about 5.45pm and we all had a swim. Again.... nothing else much to do when you're in the middle of nowhere. 

 Below are some shots of the Lake Argyle dam. We took a drive, went up to the lookout and checked out the river/dam. 

A shot of the river from the bridge connecting the dam to the mainland. 

 Panoramic shot of Lake Argyle as of from the lookout.

 The dam...

Down by the ramp - the guys decided not to put the boat in - too many crocs and this madman went for a swim in the lake.

The guys exploring the boat ramp area..

The lake again - and it's not very clear but that grey line at the bottom of the hill on the left is the water line when the rains hit and the lake rises.

These are all views of various parts of Lake Argyle from the lookout to the dam.

This is a croc catcher - there is a 2 meter croc terrorising these waters and this has been set up to catch and relocate him/her.

Another 'freshie' in the waters just down from where the boat ramp was - and that guy was swimming. EEK.....

We managed to catch up with Rob and Gail again at Lake Argyle after making loose plans. Because we had stayed that extra night at Kununurra I thought perhaps we had missed them (but would probably catch up with them again at Katherine, which is on both our agendas.) They had stayed a few days at Lake Argyle so it all worked out well. We got together last night for drinks and blowing off the 10pm curfew lol... drank quite a bit. And laughed a lot. 

This morning for me was exciting. We were finally out of W.A. and into the Northern Territory - somewhere I've never been before. Actually, apart from Chris who came here as a teen, none of us have been here before. It was a weird feeling. You drive the 32k's back from the Lake Argyle Caravan Park, turn right and 7kms later you cross the border - and are an hour and half ahead time wise. We turned our clocks to midday as we blew through. 

Chris forgot to slow down as we passed the sign lol... so if you look closely, we are a second away from entering the N.T.

We drove 225kms today to get to Timber Creek. This place is like nothing we have ever seen before. You drive and drive and you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, then suddenly there's this little town is in front of you. It is really small yet it feels like you're somewhat back in civilisation. There are actually 2 caravan parks (we have forgone the free camping for a while - it's wayyyy to hot and right now we need a pool at hand - where you tend to spend a lot of time in because of this heat - and air-conditioning of course is a must lol. Everyone we meet says the same thing - no free camping up here - way too hot.) So, after saying goodbye to Rob and Gail at Lake Argyle here we are - by mutual agreement - together again at Timber Creek Caravan Park. 

The first thing we notice is that there is no-one else here. Chris and I and the kids have the run of the place and we get to choose our own spot to set down the caravan. Luckily, though the park is smallish there is a massive canopy of trees which provide LOTS of shade. By the time we set up, Gail and Rob have arrived, then another couple who introduce themselves and join us as well. 

This park has a river running along side it. And bats - thousands of fruit bats which smell something awful and crocodiles in the river. We had fun checking it all out and then went down and watched the crocs being fed. Below are the pictures.

 The bats - thousands of them! They fly from one tree to the next in a wave - the racket they make is unbelievable and the smell.... whew. At we first got out of the car at the park we thought the lingering smell was from fruit that was dropping from the trees that had fermented. Wandering down to the river and the bats - we quickly changed our mind. It pongs - like a wee smell - to a heavy musky smell. Not too pleasant.

Rob on the far left, Jo and Peter. Just met them this afternoon. Nice couple who have been telling us all stories about Alice Springs and what its like to travel the middle of Australia. 

 Gail and the boys at their campsite. 

This is a video that I shot this afternoon. They feed the crocs here at 5pm and it was fantastic. We also had the first of the 'wet season' hit us today. Again, just magic. When we arrived we pulled up to 41degree heat... that's hot and draining. A few hours later the thunder started, the willie-willies were in full force, we had about three in the park alone, and the smell of rain was in the air. Then it hit. The temperature immediately dropped about 10 or more degrees and its now 8pm and its cooler still. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings (I'm hoping we head to Katherine as the cupboards are bare and I want to get to the hot springs. I might be fighting an uphill battle though as the guys want to stay another night. May the best man - or woman - win!)


Before I go, Happy Birthday for tomorrow Mum. xxxx Thinking of you and missing you. Hope you get spoiled. You deserve it :)