Wipeout, well almost, Tuesday

The day starts with me saying 'Hasta Luego' to my Lake Kununurra early morning walking group....... They have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about........ and we set off on a 634kms road trip to Fitzroy Crossing during which we almost get wiped out by a four car road train, he was definitely speeding around a bend when we saw the last car creeping over the double white line, new underpants please....... It missed or rather we missed it but I did learn a few new words from my passenger and they were not Spanish.........
Now it did get me wondering that some of you may believe that because we are in the modern progressive country called Australia and because we are travelling on one of their main highways being the Northern Highway, which goes from Perth to Kununurra being 2000 miles, you have a picture of us driving along something similar to the M25, uah hah........ nearly all of it is a two lane single carriageway with dust as the hard shoulder, the speed limit is 110kms (66mph) and it is as smooth as a crocodiles back.....
That said Boredom is the main hazard, well other than road trains, so it is no wonder dear reader, when we arrive at the destination, the stress, angst and tension is somehow relieved by means of a medicinal glass of red wine.......... Percentage wise that's not bad, we have driven over 7700kms and have got through less than 35 bottles of wine.......
Whilst en-route today we are happily driving in sunshine whilst in the distance to the left of us is a storm and to the right of us in the distance is another storm, what lucky little POR's (Poms on the road) are we, when just as we are approaching Halls Creek, the two storms meet........ The winds are making any forward movement in the Motorhome hard work and dangerous as we are continually being blown sideways and the rain has reduced the visibility to possibly 20 feet.  We take shelter in a housing estate from the wind, park up and put the kettle on...... Next I am rushing for the handbrake as I think we are rolling backwards, plonker...... it's the water/river on the road surface being blown by the wind that's moving, we are perfectly still and safe, except it's bin collection day today and they have collected them, that leaves a lot of empty green wheelie bins outside people's houses, only not the owners houses, we are suddenly being overtaken by empty green wheelie bins as they race off down the road in front of us.  This is an obvious danger for others, so with no thought for my own safety, disregarding the torrential rain and high winds, I take a photograph...........
Let's chance it and within five minutes we are back in glorious sunshine with two storms fighting it out behind us.  We arrive in Fitzroy Crossing an hour before one of the storms, it's not looking good for a rejuvenating relaxing nights slumber.........

    Road Train coming through....... 

    The Northern Highway

    The one in the middle got a speeding ticket........

Mirima Monday

Today starts at 04.30hrs and once again I am not alone at being up at this ridiculous hour, there is almost just the same amount of movement as yesterday but not one boat has been launched from the boat ramp so far today........

We are joined once again by the various lizards for breakfast, one even bringing his own breakfast, before setting off for Mirima National Park.  We enter at 09.20hrs, it's already 40 degrees and guess what it's a walking and climbing up morning...... Brilliant rock formations that are 340 million years old and lo and behold I take my hat off to the little lady that climbed up to the lookout with me, even though at times there was no safe edging or hand rail.  She did call it a day when the edge disappeared down to 6inches of rock to walk along with a 75ft drop, she wouldn't even watch me do it but good on her for getting to the top.
It's too hot for any wildlife and us so off to the town centre for an iced coffee.  Now bear in mind the temperature we walk into a cafe and ask for a coffee over iceman, sorry we cannot do that, we do not do ice......... This establishment is not alone in this, it's as if the cut backs have done away with buying ice in, I suppose their take on it is, every thing comes out of the chiller so why bother, everything that is, except proper coffee.........
After a peppered pie and hot coffee we head for Ivanhoe Crossing, where according to the tourist literature, Barramundi fish are queuing up to get up stream, which makes it an Anglers delight if true, we have noticed the Australian tendency to exaggerate where tourism is concerned, one place said, come and see the RARE Red Goshawk, it's so rare it's not been seen by the locals for three years due to drought......... I digress, back to the fishing....... We arrive and find a husband and wife team walking back across the crossing and he is carrying a two foot long Fish, I ask if it's Barramundi and he confirms it is, saying its the third one he has caught this morning but the other two were smaller. The wife puts the fish in an Esky whilst hubby goes out and throws a circular weighted net out, it sinks, he pulls it in and he has three fish in it, he throws two back and gives the other one to his wife, if you are Squeamish turn away now, she then cuts the smaller fish in half and puts the back half on a 3in fish hook and ties that to a fishing line on a spool, something like a giant strimmer spool, by now hubby has put his net away and is laying down rolling about in the water, totally disregarding the 'Do not swim -Crocodiles inhabit this area' sign. The wife explains they throw it out so the current makes it look like a fish swimming against the current so the Barramundi will grab it from behind. She then wanders out to join hubby, throws the line out and plonk, down she goes into the water as well, see picture of how some do their fishing in the heat out here.......
We then go to a different part of the lake, than we are camped on as someone desperately wants a picture of a particular bird, we get there and it's impossible, not only is it too hot, there are loads of bikini clad women, sitting, talking, swimming, eating, drinking oh did I mention they were in bikini's, not that I looked of course........
So back to camp, past a Police road check, for once we did not get stopped, thankfully due to the car in front getting a tug instead....... Shall we go in the pool or sit in air con, that is the 64,000 dollar question..........

    Up with the Kookaburras

    I've Brought my own this morning.....

    Mirima National Park

    Fishing for Barramundi, Australian Style........