Kununurra –  Lake Argyle  Clear Blue Skies perfect for flying!                                    Temp – 36C

(Late posting because we have been staying at Lake Argyle with no phone, no internet – therefore no blog)!!

I had to be up early for the pick-up for my flight over Lake Argyle, The Ord River System, The Argyle Diamond Mine and the Bungle Bungles etc – a 2 hour flight.  I was due to be picked up a 5.15am for a 6am take-off so it was an early start.  

The bus arrived on time and then picked up the 3 other passengers from another resort – that gave us a full plane as it is a small 1-engined Cessna.  On arrival at the airport we went through the usual preliminaries – being weighed to get the weight distribution correct, safety instructions which pretty much amounted to no smoking and not talking to the pilot on take-off or landing.

Then we walked out to the plane and I must admit it was smaller than I had anticipated but I wasn’t nervous.  I had every confidence in our pilots.  We boarded if that is the right word for scrambling over seats and it was pretty snug! We were given head-sets for the pilot to give us a commentary on where we were flying and the various points of interest.

 

Linnie &  the Cesna plane

We taxied up to the runway and took off – quite smoothly considering how small the plane was.  Well, the flight was wonderful – better than I could have imagined.  We were low enough to see cattle on the ground but high enough to see the full extent of magnificent Lake Argyle which has been designated officially & internationally as an inland sea.  If any of you have read “Kings in Grass Castles” by Mary Durack – this is where it all happened.  Briefly, Irishman, Patsy Durack trekked from Queensland to The Kimberleys with 75,000 head of cattle to find new pastures and he set up the massive cattle station, Argyle Downs consisting of 7 million acres. This was the start of the cattle industry in this area.  He built the homestead on the bank of the Behn River, a tributary of the Ord River in 1894-1895 out of blocks of rock fixed together with crushed rock mixed with bullock blood. (The book is well worth reading if you are interested in Australian history).

Take-off



Lake Argyle

 



Lake Argyle

 

 

Lake Argyle

 

Lake Argyle covers the area where the homestead was built and much, much more but before it was flooded they moved the house brick by brick to a new location close to the Lake Argyle Resort & Caravan Park which we could also see from the air. 

 

We also saw Lissadell Cattle Station (400,000 acres) & Texas Cattle Station – named as such because its boundaries resemble the State of Texas in the United States.  It is the same size as Belgium.  The cattle population in The Kimberleys peaked in 1980 – 790,000 head.  Now it is approx. 500,000.

 

 

One of the cattle stations

A series of wave-like formations showing
how the land has moved over time

 

We flew on to see the spectacular World Heritage listed Bungle Bungles in the Purnululu National Park. This range was formed over 360 million years ago and is a series of huge beehive domed-shaped sandstone towers with distinctive stripes.  I had seen many pictures o f them and have wanted to see them for years but what amazed me was the numbers of them and how extensive the range was.

 

Bungle Bungles

Bungle Bungles

Bungle Bungles

 

On the way back we flew over the Argyle Diamond Mine (owned by Rio Tinto) and could look right down on it.  The mine  is one the world’s largest suppliers of diamonds producing approx. 20 million carats each year.  The diamonds from here are of various colours but in particular rare pink diamonds.



The Argyle Diamond Mine

The Argyle Diamond Mine

I cannot adequately describe the scenery in this area – it is so varied and extensive.   I can only say that the trip was definitely for me the highlight of our journey so far!  You will see from the photos that Lake Argyle is vast and has many islands including the one shaped like a crocodile and aptly named Crocodile Island.  Incidently, there are thousands of fresh water crocodiles in Lake Argyle. Freshies, as they are known locally are smaller than their salt-water cousins and also not aggressive like them. 



Kununurra from the air

Coming into land

After our wonderful 2-hour flight we returned to Kununurra and landed safely.  I was then driven back to the caravan park to pack up and move on to Lake Argyle Resort & Caravan Park approx. 70km from Kununurra.

The road to Lake Argyle Village passed through spectacular country with majestic mountains.  Lake Argyle Village is the caravan park – there is nothing else there apart from the dam wall,  the relocated homestead and a boat ramp.

We settled into the park and then had a wander around.  Wow!!!  What a wonderful pool.  It is an infinity pool but with the lake below and behind it, it looks as if the water is spilling over into the lake.  Absolutely fantastic!

We booked onto the Sunset Cruise on the lake.  Another fabulous afternoon cruising around Lake Argyle.  We saw lots of birds, roos, crocodiles and cruised around and between the many islands.  We stopped for afternoon tea.  The captain also showed us where the Durak homestead had been.
Below is a picture of the Argyle Dam Wall which is not made from concrete.



The Dam Wall



Cruising of Lake Argyle

Lake Argyle is 70km long and 40km wide and took 4 years to fill.  It has been designated an inland sea.

A Fresh Water Crocodile

A Baby Crocodile

Wallabies

Lake Argyle

At sunset, we stopped in the middle of an open area of water where we could swim from the back of the boat.  The Captain also served wine, beer etc and nibbles as the sun went down with a beautiful sunset over Lake Argyle.

Sunset over Lake Argyle

Swimming in Lake Argyle at sunset
before enjoying a glass of wine
(Linnie in the centre of pic)

 

 What a lovely way to end a perfect day!!