Nature Does What Nature Wants

 

Wednesday 24 May Broome to Larrawa Station

We were all up early and on the road just before 7am so there was time to grab a coffee from the roadhouse whilst dropping the amenity block key off. We drove east across the base of the Dampier Peninsula and across the section of newly restored road which was destroying in the January flooding of the Fitzroy River.  Amazing to think how high the water must have got to take out the road as it quite raised above the level of the plain.  They are now in the process of making a temporary road to the side so they can bituminise the road base but the gravel road was smooth and well watered and we were soon passing through Willare.

We continued on and turned right onto the Great Northern Highway and stopped for morning tea under the big boab at, you guessed it, the Boab rest stop.  Tea and fruit cake consumed, we continued onwards and started heading south-east towards Fitzroy Crossing listening to Sam Neill’s autobiography which is very entertaining.  Never knew he was christened Nigel!

We refuelled in Fitzroy Crossing and then took the diversion around to the newly constructed causeway with the bridge at FC also having been taken out in the January floods. The water level of the river crossing is now much lower than the causeway but, once again, amazing to think that only a month or so ago, having just completed this temporary causeway there was more rain and the river level rose up again and washed the top of the newly constructed road base away.  Don’t think that will be happening again anytime soon though.

We drove around to the public viewing area near the Fitzroy River Lodge and walked down to the viewing point where you can see them demolishing the old bridge (only the old pylons left now) and, in the future, will be able to view the construction of the new, improved and much stronger bridge.  Amazing to think that the area we walked down into to see the bridge viewing area would have all been well under a raging torrent only a few months ago.  That river certainly does rise!!

We did our bit for the local economy by stopping in at the Fitzroy River Lodge for a drink and lunch (Larry even tried salt and pepper crocodile strips) and then back on the road for another hour and a half or so until we reached the bottom of the loop from Derby to Kununurra on the Great Northern Highway which happens to be at Larrawa Station.

The first of the gate openings for Jenny and we made our way into camp, following the signs, and set up around a big campfire ring.  Nothing for it after that but to set up and then sit down with beers etc waiting for the Adamsons to arrive.  They got there just on dusk (which is starting to be about 5pm now) and we had already got the campfire going and the apricot chicken bubbling away so we were all able to sit around the campfire about 6pm and enjoy dinner and a chat.

Marshmallows for dessert and Shaun put some Colour Change Flames on the fire to entertain the kids (big and small) and we sat around the fire and chatted and Jenny got to try out her newly acquired torch finding her way to bed.