Kakadu to Kununurra

Kakadu – Kununurra
We are here. We finally made it to Western Australia. Only took 18 months, but we got here, and everyone is still alive and kicking. Probably more kicking than alive at times but still going. Still I digress. Last time I left you we were back at the entry to Kakadu.
We made it into the park and decided to spend the night at Merl campground. All our camp books and literature from the information centres showed free campsites and sites that would cost $10/family per night. As we have found with the Northern Territory, that seems to mean jack s^*t. Seems the Aboriginal tribe that now owns and runs the Kakadu region put their prices up two weeks ago and don’t have to tell the rest of the world, it’s just your problem mate. You are here now, what are you going to do? So our first night cost $20. Now I know these aren’t big sums of dollars, but when you convert it back to 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, every dollar spent on accommodation soon starts to add up, especially when unlike your standard Grey Nomad, we have four in the car instead of two. For your own information, there are no free camp sites in Kakadu anymore, and as of next year you have to pay an extra $25 per vehicle per week just to enter the park. This revenue is on top of the fact that all the established businesses in Kakadu are now owned by the Aborigines, including townships, several caravan parks, the tourist information centre, the croc boat cruises ($95/person and always full), the art sites, the trees you look at, the dirt you walk on, the grass you dare to spend the night on. All this on top of the Government handouts for being of native descent (I was born in Australia but that doesn’t make you a native), not having been able to go to school (we are doing home schooling, why can’t they) and owning a dog (you get $10/dog per week). Unlike many of the GN’s on the road, I am not racist, but am starting to learn how you could become so, not that it is the aborigines fault, but the Australian government in their apparent wisdom has over the years created this stigma between the two cultures, and until you travel in these areas you just don’t realise how bad it has become.
Anyway, I got off track there for a moment (I think I was channelling Mum & Dad). Kakadu itself has been portrayed to us as Kakadont, but really that is unfair to this part of OZ. It really is a beautiful place with plenty of wildlife, flora and natural features around the area to keep you interested. Four wheel drive tracks, crocodiles and FISHING, and movie site observation areas. Remember Croc Dundee, we found the place he walked Linda up to on the cliffs to look down into Rapid Creek where he was attacked by the croc, the place he had a shave, and the water hole where Linda showed her assets in that little G-string swimsuit (what do you mean she has cellulite Jules, what is cellulite? All I saw was a hot butt). Now yes there are prettier parks out there, but I think this really is a place everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. Even if it is going to cost you more to do it in the future ............... sorry, channelling again.
We ended up spending four days in Kakadu, before heading out and back down to Katherine. We really did loved the place, heaps of bushwalks, loads of birdlife, waterholes to swim in and doctored up aboriginal art. Sorry, channelling again.
Just for the hell of it, and because fuel was $1.80/lt out at Kakadu, we tried to see how far we could get on the two tanks of fuel. I said we could make it to Katherine, but Jules wasn’t so sure. Still I was driving, so majority rules. About thirty kilometres out of town I started to worry as we had been on the sub tank with the light on for the past 20 kms. Still we managed to pull into the caravan park and the motor was still going. No problems, right. The next day Dad & I go to work for Power & Water and leave the rest of the clan to get to town in the very low on fuel Toyota. She be right Jules, you’ll get to town no worries at all. Get a phone call that afternoon. You ba$%^*d, we didn’t make it. Oh dear, sorry about that darl, lucky there was a jerry can of fuel on the roof. So now we know how many kilometres we can get out said vehicle, we won’t have to do that again.
Out of Katherine and onto the border. Stayed at a couple of rustic free camps on the way there. Well the sites were alright, but it seems NT doesn’t like to maintain their toilet facilities. First one was good during the day but at night the solar vents didn’t work, and with the mixture of very full toilets and heat, the methane levels coming up from seat as you are doing your business, at the least brought tears to your eyes and at best knocked you out completely. The second stop had something different in that there was no smell but as one is squatting on the throne you get a weird buzzing sensation around your never regions as the flies try to exit the loo at the same time you are taking a seat. Still you got to remember Jules, they were free. She just can’t seem to see the same logic for some reason. Women!
Finally we made it to the Western Australian border and after a brief interlude at quarantine, we were allowed entry. YeeaaHHH! Decided to make our first call out to Lake Argyle about 35km before Kununurra, as it was the weekend and the parks in town would be packed. If any of you come this way this is definitely worth the fuel out for the drive. Beautiful! Drive out through mountain gorges, past massive amounts of birdlife, Pandanus trees, strange shaped rock structures and the odd broken down grey nomad. Stayed at the Lake Argyle tourist village. The staffs here really makes the place, it is probably the only park we have been in where you are made to feel like you are wanted to be there, instead of second class trailer trash that should stay one night and get shoved along the next day. Liked the place so much that I even applied for a job there, but still waiting to hear back from the owner. After numerous treks around in the car and by foot, looking at the history, wildlife and the Ord River Dam ( plus an occasional flick of the lures in croc infested waters), we made our way to Kununurra. Jules phoned ahead to the park we were going to stay at and who should answer the phone, but the lady we met back at Daly Waters with the Retreat van that was falling to pieces. They are both working in town and were very grateful for the company after working here for four weeks. As I said we are awaiting a reply from Lake Argyle, but if that doesn’t happen we may still hang around here for a couple of months as there is plenty of work happening around d town and it’s not really that bad a place at this stage. So until next time
CYA
The Wattevas

P.S
Happy Birthday Beck (bloody magpies)
Happy Birthday Uncle Gary
Missing all our fishing, drinking and card playing buddies.
Happy Fathers Day to you all if we aren’t in touch before.
And Happy Birthday to my little tomboy Goddaughter Caitlyn, give those boys hell.