Anne Beadell Track, Laverton, Newman, Marble Bar, Broome, Cape Leveque, Derby, Bungle Bungles, Kununurra, Lake Argyle, and Gregory National Park ... June/July 2002 ...
On the trip are Jeanne, Geoff, Ineke, Alan and Tony
Monday 3rd June
Day 1
Left Angle Vale 8:15am, bush-camped south of Glendambo.
Day 2
Topped up water, fuel etc at Coober Pedy and bush-camped on Anne Beadell Track.
Day 3
Anne Beadell track corrugated with wash-a-ways. Called into the atomic test sites Totem 1 and Totem 2.
Day 4
Still corrugated, small sand dunes and a few rocks. Reached Vokes Hill corner (road to Cook) Bush camped. Weather fine up until now. 4:30am approx dingo came into camp and gave a high pitch call waking everyone.
Day 5
Jeanne and Ineke walking ahead to get exercise in the mornings. No real problems, with 550 miles to go (no mistake we are using Len Beadell's markers)
Day 6
Camped near rainwater tank and shelter just over the WA border. Alan lost bet of who will get the first puncture. Tony and Alan repaired the puncture on the car. Dingo were calling all night. Ineke asked Tony whether he had a dingo donga, Tony replied he would check whether they're the same. Tents covered with ice in the morning. All water containers left out froze.
Day 7
Passed second vehicle coming the other way. Camel on road and gave us a bit of amusement. Camped at (Goldfield Air Service) plane wreck, weather is still good. Nice clearing with our usual fire.
Day 8
We passed Neale Junction (Connie-Sue Track). Passed 3rd car coming the other day. More dingo's and camels on the track. Camped at abandoned Yeo homestead, with long-drop toilets and bag shower.
Monday 10th June
Day 9
Left Yeo, plenty of roos, camels and emus. Arrived in Laverton. Camped at Laverton Caravan Park. That night there was a fantastic fireworks display (Just Cuts Outback Bash finished at Laverton)
Day 10
Left Laverton heading for Newman, through Leonora and Wiluna. Camped on the Canning Stock Route near well 2. A well cleared and quiet spot. Weather good.
Day 11, 12 and 13
Arrived Newman, great meal at B. P. Roadhouse. Did a mine tour and 4WD driving to near top of Mt Newman. 4WD to Stuart's Pool, extremely rough, lucky not to sustain tyre damage. Two more waterholes: Weelie Wally and Wunna Munna. Weelie Wally was very picturesque with palms and bats.
Day 14
Left Newman (very noisy with trains, road trains and shiftworkers at 4am) Glad to go. Viewed dam (Opthalmia) and passed through Nullagine and Marble Bar. The scenery on the Bore Line Track was breathtaking, rugged rock coloration at Marble Bar was good when covered with water. Beautiful area alongside Chinaman's Pool. Camped on good riverbed.
Day 15
Geoff's clowning around on the riverbed saw him get bogged. Headed up the Bore Line Track. We arrived at 80 mile beach but it was low tide and the wind was blowing so we decided not to fish and continue to Broome. Tony hoofed it to Broome and Geoff and Alan came later. Arrived at Broome after dark, 3 roos were spotted near the road, none were hit. Set up camp at Broome Caravan Park.
Day 16, 17, 18 and 19
All went on Malcolm Douglas’s Croc Farm tour, all had nibblies on Cable Beach at sunset. Tony went on hovercraft tour. Tony, Alan, Ineke and Geoff went on West Coast fishing charter for full day, with fish being caught, but Ineke showing everyone up by catching a 40lb Cobia. Tony lost a Spanish Mackerel to Sharks only landing the head. Last fish for the day was passed 6’-7' Bronze Whaler Shark. We videoed it and pushed it back into the sea (no mean feat). We all went on a trip to Barred Creek, Willie Creek Pearl farm, Quandong Creek & Broome open-air picture theatre.
Saturday 22nd
We all went to the local market and prepared for the departure with provisions and repairs (see below).
The weather has been about 28° to 32° every day with shorts and tee shirts. We haven't had a bad day. A list of our small setbacks so far are listed below.
Tony
split 20L drum
oil dipstick base broke off
AM aerial broke off
air filter holding bolts unscrewed
Geoff
split 20L drum
snorkel grill shattered
shock absorber split & oil emptied
rear high stop light sheared off
gearbox seal leaked oil for a few days on the corrugations
Alan
2 driving lights sheared off
roof rack broke & damaged roof
rocks shattered aux tank filter
timber stake in tyre
battery clamp fell off
air cleaner clamp fell off
rocks broke wires to stop & tail light
PS: When we had the eating competition Tony got 1st, 2nd AND the 3rd prize!
Day 21 - Headed for Cape Leveque called into One Arm Point, Beagle Bay and Lombadina.
Day 22 - Tony & Geoff hired dinghy and went fishing no luck.
Day 23 - Headed for Derby, took little track off the main track which was quite nice.
Day 24 - Visited the longest cattle trough in southern hemisphere and the Prison Boab Tree.
Arrived at Windjana Gorge. Camped and walked in the gorge (plenty of fresh water).
Day 25 - Left Windjana and went for a walk through Tunnel Creek. Arrived at Nookanbah Aboriginal Community. Made dinner for 13 (Us & workmen).
Day 26 - Tony taught the builders fencing and Alan taught cornice fixing for ceilings. Tony and Geoff went fishing in a dinghy again and caught zilch.
Day 27 - Travelled to Halls Creek, checking out Mary's Pool on the way. Camped at old Hall's Creek.
Day 28 - Headed for and arrived in Bungle Bungles took 1 3/4 hours for 53km. Tony went on helicopter flight over Bungle Bungles.
Day 29 - Walked through Mini Palm, Froghole, Cathedral.
Day 30 - Picaninni and Echidna Gorges. Tony, Ineke and Alan headed for Kunnunurra and we had an extra day in the Bungles.
Day 31 - As we were leaving the Bungles we were approached by Naomi Brown (solicitor at Kununurra) and her parents, as her Toyota Landcruiser developed a leak on the top of a plastic priming pump, I could only fix it temporarily by siliconing it to seal the leak. Then I syphoned 15 litres of diesel to get them to Turkey Creek. Naomi invited us to an open-air picture show at Kununnurra when we got there (I wasn't aware this drive-in type of picture show was in Kununnurra). Camped next to river on the Gibb River Road.
Day 32 - Went to Jack's Waterhole, which was flattened by floods, then on to Home Valley. As we crossed the Pentecost River to go to the Kurinjinie 4WD Track to Wyndam from the middle of the river we noticed a 4WD bogged down to the chassis on the river bank. As we started the Kurinjinie Track Danny & Charlene from Perth (now living in Singapore) hailed us as they had been bogged for hours and were going closer to the river (Danny was petrified a croc was going to get him even though the bank where he was all sharp rocks). We snatched them up to level sand and got them back onto the main track. We continued past Croc Point, Diggers Rest and another Prison Boab Tree. The Kurinjinie 4WD Track took 4 hours to do the 80km. Arrived at Kunnunurra and went to open-air picture show.
Day 33 - Went to Zebra Rock Gallery and fed the fish and Firetail Finches that came out of the reeds.
Day 34 - Crossed Ivanhoe Crossing (about 800mm deep) last year it was 2m deep. Went to Black Rock Pool, Button's Crossing and Parry's Creek Billabong where there where thousands of birds.
Day 35 - Went to Hidden Valley National Park then on to Keep River National Park.
Day 36 - Arrived at Gregory National Park and commenced the Bullita Stock Route and camped at Spring Creek. A horse visited us in the morning. Took a short diversion to Drovers Rest off the Bullita, we finished the Stock Route which took approx 7 hours for 92 km rocky, descending rocks, river and more rocks.
Day 37- Started Humbert Track, camped at Fig Tree Creek. The flies were lifting us off the ground. Finished Humbert Track which included going 17 km to park boundary and back then started Wickham Track, encountered quite a few water crossings, camped at the most picturesque spot under the trees by a river, but the flies were still bad.
Day 38 - Finished Wickham and started Ridgetop Track. The track was stony but the views a million dollars. Saw 11 donkeys, 55 cows (this is a National Park). Started Gibble Creek Track which was mild compared to the rest.
Day 39 - Came out of the National Park to Kalkaringi Community, the filthiest we've seen rubbish 100mm deep where you eat.
Day 40 - Arrived at Elliot Caravan Park and had a meal at Hotel.
Sat Day 41 - Headed onto the Barkley Stock Route. About 50km in we came across 4 people who had hired a vehicle to work on a cattle station and had a blow-out, but had no jack. We lent them ours and continued, flies still terrible. We travelled 550 km on the Barkly and didn't see any other travellers.
Day 42 - Camped by a river on the start of the Sandover, NO flies, beautiful spot. Pelicans and plenty of birds.
Day 43 - Travelled along Sandover.
Day 44 - Lone man in 4WD hailed us down for talk. "Gave Jeanne the creeps." Continued on, came across aboriginal family broken down and waiting on help. Left 3 litres water, tow had been arranged (2 adults & 10 children in one car, no joke).
Day 45 - Arrived in Alice Springs, went to pictures, had R & R.
Day 46 to 48 - Headed south bound and learnt don’t put demister on and spray window washer when you have ice on your windscreen and is chipped = now 150mm crack.
48 days, weather was good for the full time. A few minor repairs to do.
Geoff & Jeanne
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