Bradby Trip - 30 August to 3 September 2009 Days 73 and 77 – Kununurra to Mambi Island to Lake Argyl

We arrived into Kununurra around lunch after the drive out of the Bungle Bungles. We set up camp in the Kimberleyland Caravan Park where we secured a camp spot overlooking Lake Kununurra. The weather has continued to be very hot with the temperature up around 40 degrees so we spent the afternoon cooling off in the park pool.



We decided to stay an extra day just because we could, the pool was very inviting. So after doing a quick shop and replacing the aerial on the Prado we set off to check out the Zebra Rock Gallery which is located 10 km out of Kununurra. The owners have a mining lease where they mine the Zebra rock, the lease is located at Lake Argyle and is underwater for 8 months of the year, so their window to mine the Zebra rock is limited to the dry season. They create all sorts of souvenirs, we decided to buy a Zebra rock crocodile as it best represented what has stood out for us animal-wise during our time in the Kimberleys.

Next morning we headed out to Mambi Island (its not an island) which is located about 50 km from Kununurra on the lower Ord River and is renowned for its crocs, birdlife and fishing.

We weren’t disappointed, the birdlife was fantastic, the place was wall to wall crocs and the fishing OK considering the water levels are fairly low as we get towards the end of the dry season and in to the “build up” where the temperature and humidity start to rise.



The place was deserted and we found a shady campsite amongst the trees and far enough back from the water so as to not be of interest to the crocs. We got the boat on the water that afternoon and went for an explore down the river. It was harder than we imagined with the river very shallow in places and without local knowledge it was tricky to navigate.



Next morning Jack and I decided to head upstream to explore hoping the river would be a little deeper. We had great fun and caught a few sooty grunter but unfortunately no barramundi. There was crocs everywhere mostly salties and we came across a big male and his mate devouring a bloated kangaroo close to where we were fishing, their ferocity in ripping bits of the carcass was scary and certainly reaffirmed the respect one has to have for them in their environment.



We moved on from Mambi Island a little disappointed that the water levels made it hard to navigate the river but will definitely return another time.

So it was back to Kununurra via Ivanhoe Crossing to get some fresh veges and milk, fuel up ($1.56c/ltr) and then out to Lake Argyle where we had booked a sunset cruise of the lake. After setting up we went for a drive to the dam wall and a couple of lookouts for a view of parts of the lake – it is absolutely huge.



The sunset cruise was also excellent and the tour guide full of information. Lake Argyle is 62 km long and 40 km wide, contains between 70 and 90 islands depending on the amount of water in the lake and contains the equivalent of 21 times the volume of water in Sydney Harbour. It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon including a swim along the way.



Tomorrow (4 September) sees us head towards Queensland, we plan to head for Townsville and hope to get there early next week.

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