Drysdale River National Park

Submitted: Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 15:50
ThreadID: 30293 Views:2883 Replies:6 FollowUps:6
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North Kimberley, information update.

I have seen mention that it was not possible to get into the NP from any track. I found this very surprising as I knew people has still been in during 05 season so I made some calls and checked.
Yes you can access the Drysdale River NP via Carson River Station, although I gather the track is pretty rough.
You need the normal advance permit and then go pay the other permit at Kalumburu on arrival, ( before going in to the park) exactly the same as you have to do to access Kalumburu anyway.

Turns out that a past CEO at Kalumburu told CALM there was no access so CALM have been doing the right thing and telling all callers the same thing for over a year. That CEO has departed 8 months back and people have since been given permission to go in again.
The confusion has arisen because the new management presently at Kalumburu did not know this had been done and no one told CALM anything had altered. This is not the fault of CALM, they were not real happy to find they had been giving out incorrect info.

We do not have anything to do with any permits and no sorry you can't get one faxed to here to collect on your way past, we don't want the responsibility of holding permits for people. It goes wrong when the permits don't turn up as expected, been caught in the past.

Phone Leonie at Kalumburu (08) 91 614300 and check for yourselves if you want detail and cost etc.
My information has come direct from her.
cheers, Anne
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Reply By: Member - Phil [Sunshine Coast] - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 16:10

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 16:10
Hi Anne, thanks for that info. am planning to get up your way as soon as the roads permit. For once I'm able to go at the start of the,dry, instead of at the end[Aug./sept] so will call in and say hi... cya. Phil
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Reply By: Member - Melissa - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 16:37

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 16:37
Hiya Anne,

Looks like there'll be a lot more water around than when we were up your way last year. BTW, love your Kimberley burgers - just about worth driving several thousand k's back for them alone.

:o) Melissa
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Follow Up By: Anne from Drysdale River Station - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 17:31

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 17:31
It's raining, it's pouring !!!!!
Been a real nice wet so far not huge sudden wash out storms but lots of constant rain, if it keeps on going at least well into March it will be a great wet.
Have had 820 mm for wet season so far which is already more that the total of the last entire wet season.
Last week the Drysdale got to the top of the hill near the name sign, went down again the next morning but that is the higest it's been for a couple of years.
Glad you like the burgers.
cheers, Anne
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Follow Up By: Member - David 0- Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 18:06

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 18:06
Should definitely be a better year than last then. How is the burned out area going?
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Follow Up By: Anne from Drysdale River Station - Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 03:13

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 03:13
Great thanks David, got early storms nice and slow ones so didn't get major washouts like can happen on burnt country when the first rains are real heavy.
All we need is for there not to be another big fire late in this coming dry season and the country will recover well.
cheers, Anne
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Reply By: Member No 1- Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 17:56

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 17:56
one would think that telling the same story to everyone for a year would get some one in CALM to question the validity of their so called "current "? information...blind leading the blind?
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Follow Up By: Anne from Drysdale River Station - Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 03:44

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 03:44
Hi No 1
Kalumburu changed the rules, then changed them back again.
Can't honestly see why you think CALM should have guessed there might be a change. If we altered such a major thing here I think it is up to me to try and get that info out to all that need to know. Kalumburu should have told CALM.
What I can't understand is how there was no record of this alteration being made at the Kalumburu end, no one realised these was even conflicting info till I made the several calls today.
I didn't realise till I read it in the forum, I was still telling people all the time that they could go in, never occoured to me to phone Kalumburu last year ( when it was closed) and ask if they had altered the rules.
Don't think it is really up to me or to CALM to check in case they MIGHT have altered the rules.
cheers, Anne
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Reply By: Willem - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 20:46

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 at 20:46
Thanks for clearing that up for us, Anne. Much appreciated.

Regards
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Reply By: hopscotch - Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 12:40

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 12:40
Anne,
Great news that you are gettiong rain and after such a poor 'wet' in 2005 you no doubt lookinh for more. What is the score 2006 to date?
Because we people who live in the South - South East of Australia don't generally experience rainfall like you are having it is hard for us to imagine what a metre of rainfall can do. I understand that Emma Gorge got some 750mm in one night last year and we saw first hand the damage that caused.
When you get a moment - between showers - can you share with us southerners what it is like to live through a normal wet at Drysdale.
How much rain?
How long do you lose road access?
How many people spend the wet at Drysdale?
What do you do when you can't go anywhere? Like how far to a shopping centre?

Incidentally what was the final estimate of acres burnt out by the fire last August/September. The one which was allegedly started by inconsiderate and irresponsible bush campers down on the Gibb?

Thanks Anne

Kevin J
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Follow Up By: Anne from Drysdale River Station - Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 19:47

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 19:47
Hi Kevin,

Up to 820 mm here now. I thought Emma got about 400 to 450, never did hear the figure of 750 mm, in fact in 20 years I have never heard of anywhere up here getting that in one day. Guess it is possible.
Road closed for between 3 to 5 months, more often 4 or 5 than 3.
Have seen one or two tiny wets when it may have been possible to drive to town on and off during the wet season, trouble is you can cross a river in the morning no problem then see no rain but that afternoon the crossing is 20 ft deep because it rained upstream and has now got down to the crossing. All in all it's just to much of a risk to drive anywhere even if the road wasn't legally closed.
Sometimes one person here but normally two. To risky with one, if they get hurt and can't get to phone they are in real trouble.
Shops 360 km to Kununurra, don’t miss them at all.
In late Oct or early Nov we get a truck with heaps of dry goods to last the whole wet season. Flour, sugar, tined and dry etc. Also get some sacks of heavy veggies like spuds onions & pumpkin that will last in the cool room for ages, when they run out or go off we have to fly more in. I am still using spuds and onions I got about mid Nov, having to pick and chose a bit now they have nearly had it ! To keep the cost of the air freight down I always buy enough just before the wet to last me till about when I reckon they will go off.
We also get a mail plane twice a week and once a week order fresh fruit and veggies on it. Sometimes it can’t come due to weather, low cloud etc.
As to what do we do, there isn't enough hours in each day ! The gardens here are huge and they have to have a major chop back pref by Jan so they have time to shoot fresh and look good by the time we open. The grass grows while you watch it and we are forever mowing. I have been in the garden all day again today, am behind it's beating me, am doing a major on it this time and digging up & getting rid some of the stuff that has gone mad and taken over whole areas.
Have hobbies like reading, taking and printing my own photos and making jewellery. I like genealogy and have been trying to do a family tree for 3 years, frustrating I have a brick wall with two different lines Taylor and Riley in NSW around 1850. Found stacks of convicts and two different lines of children born in NSW 1798 & 1799. Was pretty pleased about that. I just never seem to get enough time to do as much as I would like with any of it. Got a lovely photo of a storm at sunset last week, ( just lucky , right time right place) I think it is one of the best I have so far.
Of course the phone still goes and bookings still come in & bills still need paying so there is a certain amount of office work still to be done as well. John does heaps as well, things like slashing the whole airstrip 1.3 km X 90 meters wide so the plane can land and doing mechanical repairs and re builds and he has almost finished building all metal shelves and cupboards in a room so he can set up his reloading gear etc. The 3 dogs have to be fed and he also takes care of getting a donkey or an old bull for them. He also likes to read when he gets time.
Except for the lack of income ( cattle or tourism) I would be happy for the wet to last twice as long, just love it here at this time of the year.
So green and so pretty. All so easy to live here now with good water supply, good power, phones, internet and twice a week plane, when we came there was not even any phones and we have only had TV for 2 or so years. Mind you the rubbish that is on there I can easy see how we didn’t miss it all those years.
We used to pump water from the river, big pump up on a trailer and a couple of times went down to find it trailer and all underwater, now it’s a bore on the power system, throw a switch on or off. Once the old pump trailer was in so deep that John had to swim out, dive under and attach a big rope so we could pull it out.
Used to have to hand crank the old Lister generator, I had trouble reaching the decompression leavers and I always seemed to bash my shin getting the crank off, now it’s push a button !
All in all we are really spoilt now and have it easy compared to 20 years back. Do love the net so fast and easy to have contact with friends.
Wow, I talk to much I intended to be back in garden an hour ago !
Hope this fills in the gaps for you.
cheers, Anne

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Reply By: time waster - Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 15:52

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 15:52
Hi Anne, we are heading along the GRR in late August towing Jayco outback camper, and are looking at leaving it somewhere for a few days to go up to the Mitchell Falls as we have been to we would be unable to take the camper.
Is there storage availiable on your property or know of some place we can?
thankyou

Christian
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Follow Up By: Anne from Drysdale River Station - Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 19:48

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006 at 19:48
No problem to leave it here, all care but no responsibility & no charge.
cheers, Anne
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