Wyndham

2-5 October

We had planned to return to Kununurra after Purnululu. We had even booked a shady campsite, but we didn't realise that returning involved a 40km backtrack from the turnoff . We were interested to visit Wyndham so up we drove, stopping at the Grotto for a refreshing dip in some green end of season water.

From wyndham

Wyndham turned out to be much smaller that Kununurra - no nice air-conditioned library there.

The Wyndham Caravan Park was half filled with a city of almost identical tents. One of the residents informed me they were surveyors for the army, and I was too unobservant to notice the name Rycon everywhere. All of the tents had an air conditioner pushed against the screen, although most of them were empty. We should have been warned off by two of the Rycon boys sitting drinking and playing loud music in the front of their tent. But we pitched our tent not far away under a shady tree and near the only power outlet left in the caravan park. It is a strange place with a mule walking around hoping to get a dish cloth or towel to eat, and a pool that is closed but everyone swims in it when the proprietor is away which is most of the time because he also runs the crocodile farm. We tried dinner at the local community club, and by the time we got home, the temperature had dropped enough that we could sleep (after yet another dip in the pool). At about 1am, the music started - lyrics screamed on one note to a thrash background. After a couple of failed attempts to ask politely for the music to stop, I went to join them. No they would not turn the music off but they did turn it down and face the speakers the other way. A couple of hours later they finally went to bed.
Next day, I dozily started work in the relatively cool morning while Maggie took the kids to the crocodile farm.  Later that afternoon, we quickly relocated our tent to a safe distance before racing up the road to see the sunset from the 5 rivers lookout. It was cool and there were friendly travellers to talk to.

From wyndham

Next morning,  we packed up and left for the Diggers Rest Station just 37km away where Maggie had established there was horse riding, fishing and mobile phone coverage. We'd had enough of Wyndham town. Bro got directions on google maps on the Blackberry and we headed out across the dry mudflats on the local shortcut. Unfortunately Google Maps got it wrong and the directions stopped in the middle of the mudflats!

From wyndham

Luckily it was on the right route and we found our way to the Wyndham Prison tree, and a bit later to Diggers Rest where the movie Australia was filmed. It was hot when we arrived with little shade for camping. The horse riding had finished for the year a couple of days earlier. We could rent a bunk-house for $150 a night... We camped, and just kept away from our tent during the day. Fabe, the Caretaker and  myself helped Roderick, the station owner, dissasemble part of the stockyards and move the rail panels to horse yard where some cattle had been jumping the fence to share the horses hay. Meanwhile Millie and Bro helped feed the horses and the goats. It was good to be able to help just a bit on the station.
Today, I worked on my laptop while Maggie finished a linoprint and the kids went down to the creek to try to get some mullet for live bait, plus did some school work.

From wyndham

Tomorrow it's off down the Gibb River Rd