Fitzroy Crossing's annual Rodeo promised to be an exciting event, with competitors even coming from Victoria, NSW and QLD. We turned up on the 2nd of the three day event to watch the Camp Drafting (cutting cattle from the heard & then driving them through a set course in a short time, all done by one person on horseback) and bull riding (the process of attempting to remain on the back of a wildly bucking bull or at the very least, getting the heck out of the way of its hoofs and horns after being catapulted skywards then landing in the dust). Unfortunately, the Camp Drafting went on almost all day, and by the 10th one we felt we'd seen enough. Just on dusk the bull riding started so we stayed till almost 9:00pm. The kids were very keen to return for the bronco riding and bull riding the next day so we stayed till about 2 in the afternoon on the third day. Fortunately for us, we left a short time before a rider was bucked from a bronco, into the fence immediately in front of where we'd been sitting. He sustained severe injuries, including a smashed face and teeth and a compound facture of his leg. On the Saturday, both the clowns, whose job it was to fight the bull and attract it away from the recently thrown rider, had been injured; neither fronted on the Sunday. The rodeo even raffled off the opportunity for someone from the crowd to have a go, there was $4000 prize money up for grabs for the best ride… needless to say, my name wasn't in the hat, four grand is nowhere near enough money for me to risk being maimed for life!

We left Fitzroy crossing late afternoon after spending the day at the rodeo and drove about 100km to Ngumpan Cliffs, the top of a steep pass up onto the Pillara Range, another free camp site. A camp fire, a sunset and a fantastic view of the plains and nearby ranges were a perfect finish to a long day. Another 300km the next day brought us to a nice campsite beside a small river (Spring Creek).

Next morning, as other campers were spending the day at the campsite, we left the van, for a 4WD trek into the Bungle Bungle Mountains. To say it was a goat track is pure praise. It took nearly 2½ hours to do 53km. Both kids got a bit car sick from the constant jostling and sharp corners. It almost became a religious experience with the praying that needed to be done each time we negotiated a steep crest. There was no way of seeing where the road (oops - goat track) went on the descent, when our nose was pointing to the sky. Two 500mm deep river crossings added a bit of fun to what was otherwise plain hard work. We even passed one camper trailer with the brand name 'Off Roader'… and it was, completely off the road with a broken axle. Apparently it took over 10 days to get another axle sent up from Perth and fitted. The trip in was worth it however and we had lunch near some of the domes the area is so famous for. We then headed off on foot for Cathedral Gorge - a huge 'bowl' carved out of the rock over thousands of years by the action of a waterfall. The trip out was only marginally faster than the trip in and the last hour of it was in the dark. All of us were pleased to get back to the van. It was a worthwhile trip, but not one I'd be keen to repeat.

Kununurra is an oasis, with water, palms and green stuff! We had almost forgotten what grass looks like and bare feet on soft green grass is a sensation worth savouring! The Tourist Information Office convinced us it was worth taking the back (dirt) road to Wyndham…. It wasn't! The first part was exciting, with a long crossing through the Ord River.

Wyndham is remarkable for… for… well these days, for not too much more than the view from the Bastion - a 1000 foot high lookout from where you can see 5 rivers. This view alone makes the trip there worthwhile, but I wouldn't be too keen to stay there.

There is quite a lot to see and do around Kununurra and we spent 4 days there before continuing on to our next big highlight.

If someone had suggested a couple of years ago that two years later we'd be camped under a moonlit Boab tree on Bullo River Station in the Northern Territory, I'd have said it was a load of bull-dust!!! However, we are camped here for the second night and have just had a terrific day as guests of Marlee and Franz Ranacher. (Some of you may have read the Bullo River books written initially by Marlee's mother, Sara Henderson, and then Marlee's perspective in 'The Next Generation'). The 76km trip in from the front gate to the homestead, over the dirt road that is their drive, was much more beautiful than I had imagined. There is still a bit of bull dust, like liquid dirt, on the road, but having just been graded, it was an easy drive - particularly if compared with the tortuous track it used to be when the family first settled here in the early 1960's. Some really lush areas and waterholes along with some heavily wooded sections and huge, shear, flat topped mountains towering over the plains made a spectacular entrance. We even found a huge hollow Boab, complete with its resident bat population, which Marlee had once used to shelter her and her horse during a huge electrical storm. Bullo River Station covers half a million acres … The homestead is located in the center of a huge valley surrounded by the mountains. The Bullo River itself begins and ends on the station. With 12-15,000 head of cattle, plus horses, mules, and buffalo, it is a big operation! We were served a delicious lunch on the patio looking across their pool and airfield to the plains either side of the river and up to the mountains. It is amazing to think that in any direction, the horizon is within the bounds of this property!
Marlee and Franz were both hard at work out on the station when we arrived, however Marlee appeared a short time later, waving from the cabin of her rather large grader (her second home I think!). After lunch and a long chat with Marlee, the kids were taken to try their skills at mustering on horseback. About 30 head of reasonably quiet cattle were driven by the girls and their instructor (Dave) through a series of gates and yards in all sorts of situations with the girls being shown how to work them. Eventually Dave asked Jess and Maddie to drive the cattle while he watched them work. Marg and I sat with Marlee watching a video of a documentary film, shot on the station back in 1965, until Franz came in from doing some fencing. We then headed off in the helicopter (no doors - just the seatbelt to hold us in) with Franz, in search of a crocodile trap that had gone missing. They have a large saltwater croc that has been attacking the cattle and are attempting to catch it. However, maybe the croc is bigger than they thought, as the big metal cage, complete with buoys attached, appears to have disappeared. We flew out to the seaward limit of the station and then back up the river, covering about 40km in total, but failed to find the trap. We did however spot numerous other crocs, a cow trapped in a fence at a waterhole and the kids on horseback as they headed off through the scrub for an hour. We also saw the area they are quarrying to get the coloured flat sand stone that is being used to line the interior walls of the homestead, before flying over a large billabong, we had driven around earlier in the day. The billabong had lots of wildlife, from birds and turtles to flying foxes and freshwater crocs, with cattle drinking at the edge.
The drive out with the setting sun on the almost vertical faces of the mountains was a perfect finish to a terrific day.

(Top right - The homestead, with the Pajero parked behind Marlee's grader
Bottom left - Marg in the chopper at about 500 feet with NO DOOR!
Centre bottom - Marlee, Franz & Ben in the living room, a croc skin, obscured, is draped on the bar behind us and is longer than the group
Bottom right - a live 'Salty' highlighted, but not the big one we were looking for.)

We passed straight through Katherine, in a hurry to get to Darwin to get Jess' school work, only to discover on arrival at Darwin that the school hadn't sent it yet! This is unfortunate as it means Jess is now falling behind in this semesters work. We're not concerned about missing Katherine though, as we will pass through it again on the way down to Alice Springs and Uluru.

North of Katherine is Edith Falls, so we headed there for the night…. Only to discover there is a caravan park people are expected to stay in… and once again, it was full. We retraced our steps, after promising Maddie we will return for a swim and a walk there, and headed along the highway towards Darwin in the failing light. A truck stop adjacent to the new Darwin - Alice Springs railway provided enough room for us for the night. The roar of diesels surprised me during the night as a large train passed - seems they are using parts of the new track while the rest is still under construction.

Finally to Darwin, where we have booked into Lee Point Caravan Park for a few weeks. Charlie & Karen and their two girls are here as also are Bronwyn, Nerrida and their kids, so between visits to the two swimming pools and their caravan, our girls occasionally appear for a meal (actually… they NEVER fail to appear for a meal…).

Till next time….

Jim, Marg, Jess & Maddie