Katherine to Kununurra

Katherine to Timber Creek Thursday 22^nd July 2010

We left our pleasant surrounds in Shady Lane Katherine and started the journey to Timber Creek.  Before leaving we had a browse through the camping shop and then stopped at a gallery of Aboriginal art, where we purchased a small painting and some postcards (lots of lovely paintings at a not for profit shop).  The road across to Timber Creek is undulating and interesting.  Lunch at Victoria River Roadhouse area was in beautiful scenery of red rock ranges.  The dust outside the van was red too, which soon spread inside.  Some vehicles arrive at these places with the badge of honour of red dust over them.  We don’t look too bad, as we’ve been on the bitumen.  Now at Timber Creek, we’ve been for a walk and are in one of two competing caravan parks.  It a very small community, mostly aboriginal probably, near the Victoria River which we’ve heard is the longest river in the Northern Territory.  Last time through here we went on a sunset cruise along the river – very remote.

Timber Creek to Kununurra Friday 23^rd July 2010

Timber Creek is a pleasant place, the caravan park is beside the little Timber Creek, which has lots of birds, (making a noise), pandanus palms, paperbark, freshwater crocodiles (didn’t see one) and water, ie not dry and many creeks are at this time of year.  We left a few veges and fruit with the little travel shop for use at the school, to give the children (mostly aboriginal) a nutritious lunch, and to avoid having them to throw away at the border. We spent half an hour at the Museum Police Station on way out of this scattered place.  There is even a medical clinic – good to know if needed.

We travelled through more savannah grass land and scattered trees.  Now we are seeing more boab trees here and there.  Some small, others very old and gnarled – of course by the road many have had initials and words carved in them over the years.  They sometimes stand in family groups.  Their hands (many) are stretched up.  They are deciduous and just now do not have leaves.  Over the last week we have seen many termite mounds in colours (depending on the clay) from pale beige colour to brown to red.  They stand looking like people frozen in time, some very thin, some again in family groups, sometimes a fat man, or mother and child.  I wonder if they move when we are not looking!

Rest area for morning tea, another for lunch – but always with a number of other travellers, some even setting up to stay for a day (or two) and then we were at the NT/WA border and having to have the car and caravan inspected for fruit, honey, veges.  We were very confident there was nothing – however the inspector spied Roger’s Very old cardboard carton which still had pictures of oranges on it – that had to go.  He did give him another to put all the things in it (that you just might need) – ropes, water, rags, bits of old rubber tyre, plastic bags, a piece of sea sponge from Scotts Head, and much more that should have been sorted a long time ago.

So here we are at HCJB Kununurra.  We’ve pulled up in a temp spot for tonight and will take another site tomorrow when someone else leaves.  We stopped in town to get a bit more information at the busy Info Centre, then bought a few groceries before coming here about 5 ks out of town.  The night is cooling down, was warm during the day.  My head is spinning with what things take place – I’ll be put on rosters to do various things, one already is preparing something for morning tea (2 others on same day) one day a week for about 40 people.  It so happens the first will be Monday!  Normally that is not a problem.  However in a little caravan with minimal ingredients it is a challenge.  I can however use the communal kitchen and produce/buy/cut up something- just have to shop again.  There is a market tomorrow morning, so I’ll go to that for a start.  We won’t officially start work till Monday – somewhere before then we have to go through an induction talk.

Kununurra Saturday July 24^th 2010

A good sleep in a pleasant shady temporary place was enjoyed.  We woke early, with the now 1 ½ hours still to spare.  Dawn by 5.30 and daylight by 6 a.m. here.  Left our van ready to move to its permanent site and at about 8 a.m. we went off to see the Saturday market in town.  We stocked up on some more fruit and vegetables, came back to HCJB and moved the van.  It’s a shady spot, dusty (red), and gets the late afternoon sun. We had our official induction into procedures here for about an hour, then had some more time to put the annex in place, before heading out with most of the team to ‘flying fox’ for an evening picnic.  This is about 15 ks. ‘up the back’ from here to a rocky river bed with a large waterhole.  A big fire was prepared, the billy boiled, sausages cooked over coals which we ate with our own food, followed by dessert of syrup dumplings, cooked over the coals in ‘camp ovens’.  A lovely warm evening with full moon, some cloud.  There were also some fun items by some folk and the children which were fun.  Then at the end a time of singing and reflection under the stars.  Before leaving and chatting some more, some of us followed the men with a torch or two to spot crocodile eyes.  There would be fresh water crocs here, and maybe even salties who’ve moved up stream in the wet.  Now we’re back home, still trying to get things straight.