18. The one with boats and beers

Total distance travelled: 13,726km (+1,244km)

It was with much jubilation that we crossed the WA border following a 2-day journey (with an overnight stop at Saddle Creek rest area) from Kakadu. Despite possessing the correct permits, there is always a degree of anxiety about how we, as Victorians, will be received into a new state. Thankfully, the police officer conducting our border check was friendly and we were permitted entry without glitch.

WA have very strict rules regarding fresh food (and honey?!) crossing their border. Consequently, we were in dire need of fresh food, so we made our way to Kununurra to re-stock and with high hopes of ticking some important items off our ‘to do’ list. Among those items were getting the car serviced and the AC in our van fixed. Arguably, we achieved neither of these, as the guy servicing our car changed the

oil and said ‘otherwise, nothing is falling off, so it should be right’. Similarly, despite promises from the service techs in Kununurra that they would order the new control panel for our AC with expedited delivery, 2 weeks later, it is yet to be ordered.

Despite not achieving as much as we would have liked, we enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing time in Kununurra. This was aided by the park where we stayed being on the water, and our hosts being very kind and welcoming. The kids enjoyed feeding the resident turtles and archer fish, although disdainfully told off the massive catfish who were constantly stealing their food. Wanting to ensure we saw some of the beauty Kununurra has to offer, we decided to go for a walk in Mirima National Park. While the adults enjoyed taking in the sights, the decision was perhaps unwise, as the kids struggled with the walk In the extreme heat, which was made even longer as we parked a fair way out to avoid having to pay for parking! We made it up to them by using a fraction of the money saved to purchase some icy cold treats when we returned.

We then moved on just a short drive back towards the NT border to the pristine haven that is Lake Argyle. Our days here were filled with swimming in the picturesque infinity pool overlooking the lake, reading by the van, short sunset bike rides to the water tank lookout, and jumping off the pontoon at the bottom of the cliff adjoining the camping area.

A visit to the relocated Durack homestead gave great insight into the history of Lake Argyle's construction, and the cattle station that still lies preserved under its surface - abandoned as the lake filled more quickly than expected.

We soon discovered though, that a visit here is incomplete without taking a cruise out on the lake. It is only there you begin to understand just how vast this body of water is as we explored a fraction of its northern isolated coves and islands and met the wildlife inhabiting them. The real highlight came when we stopped for a sunset swim in the centre of a large bay. Kids (and older kids, like Carolyn & I) enjoyed jumping off the boat's roof into the water below, while most enjoyed relaxing on pool noodles in the 29 degree water, watching the sun set below the surrounding hills while being tossed drinks from the boat. Once they eventually coaxed us back onto the boat, the kids were rewarded for their great behaviour with (supervised) turns at the helm wearing the captain's hat.

From Lake Argyle we made plans to reunite with the Witnish family in Broome, fresh from their Gibb River Rd adventures, and so began the 2-day journey skirting the fringes of The Kimberley along the Great Northern Highway. We spent the first afternoon in Halls Creek getting infected sores on Josh's legs attended to, while Carolyn & I also took the opportunity to have our vaccinations. We then moved on to the peaceful Mary Pool rest area overnight, before continuing on the next day.