Day 50 Lake Argyle

Today we thought it would be good to see Lake Argyle from the land. It's Australia's second-largest freshwater man-made lake by volume, and is one of the biggest man made lakes in the southern hemisphere and home to more than 70 islands. Covering an area of around 1,000 square kilometers, it feels more like an inland sea. The lake is surrounded by the rugged Carr Boyd Ranges. The lake was formed by damming the Ord River, and it plays a vital role in the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. 950km around the perimeter of the lake.

On the way we stopped to see some aboriginal rock art of a salt water crocodile and another figure.







Bluff Lookout is stunningly picturesque, as the reddish cliffs are sharply cut by the dark blue of the water from below and the light blue of the sky above.







We drove across the dam wall to the park beside the Ord River and had a picnic lunch. The Ord River and its tributaries form one of the most significant waterways in Australia, producing the second largest flow volume in Western Australia. From its source below the highest point of the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges at Mount Wells, the Ord River flows over 650km, around the edge of Purnululu National Park, through Lake Argyle and along the western edge of Kununurra before draining into the Cambridge Gulf at Wyndham.






We then drove to the Argyle Downs Homestead (Durack Homestead) where we were lucky enough to see their resident Bower Bird making its nest! The original homestead was built in the 1894. Constructed of handcrafted quartzite blocks with crushed termite mounds used as mortar, it was a magnificent building for its time. The area was settled by Patrick Durack in 1886 who arrived in the area after trekking across the north of the continent from their property on Coopers Creek in Queensland along with 7250 breeding cattle and 200 horses. The 3000 miles journey of cattle to stock Argyle Downs and Ivanhoe station is the longest of its type ever recorded.

Over time, yards, outbuildings and a large Indigenous community sprang up around the homestead. It was central to the vast family enterprise that at its peak comprised five stations, encompassing an area the size of Belgium. The Argyle Homestead maintained this position until the stations were sold in 1950. The physical and human environment of Argyle was also a primary source of inspiration for Patsy Durack’s granddaughters, Mary and Elizabeth, who as young women in the 1930s, collaborated on a variety of artistic projects. Mary and her sister Elizabeth would manage the Ivanhoe cattle station, whilst their brother would leave to manage Argyle Downs. During these times they would live and work very closely with the indigenous people who worked on, and lived near the station. Mary expressed in her writing and her sister Elizabeth explored through painting such as the Way of the Whirlwind and Piccaninnies.

The Duracks exported the cattle from the station through the port of Wyndham to markets as far as South Africa and North America. During the early 1970’s a decision was made to remove the homestead before Lake Argyle began to fill in order to preserve this magnificent building for all time. The homestead was dismantled stone by stone with every stone coded in such a way so as to be able to be rebuilt with every stone back in its original position. The homestead now lives on as a museum dedicated to the pioneering spirit of the Durack Family.







"Dawang" means "country" or "home" in the local Miriwoong language of the East Kimberley.



Kapok flowers belong to deciduous trees or shrubs, the Australian Yellow Kapok (Cochlospermum fraseri). The flowers—which usually bloom while the tree is leafless—are edible and popular in traditional medicine, apparently taste like butter.