Australia 6

Kununurra is a place that doesn't impress at first but I think it could grow on you. It is re-inventing itself as s tourist destination and there are signs of new development around and about. It has 2 supermarkets and at least one of them keeps extended hours which is useful. There is an excellent internet access facility here on broadband at a reasonable price.
On day 2 we were picked up by "Slingair" - the company we were flying with to the Bungle Bungles - Purnululu National Park and once again found we had made a good choice. The plane was only a 6 seater. Bette and I sat in the back seat with unobstructed views (by struts) over the windows.

Our flight path took us down one side of the huge Lake Argyle and across some very interesting land formations to the Bungle Bungles.
The picture on right is a small example of the BB. A spectacular Feature of the beehive like formations is the tiger like stripes.

The range was formed over 360million years ago and information about them is available elsewhere and on the internet. There is no room to describe them in any depth here but suffice it to say that they are a spectacular sight and something we will never forget. The geological facts and figures about the place make for interesting reading. Up until 1987, the area was known only to the odd helicopter pilot and the Aboriginal people who own the Purnululu National Park.

We had been told of the enormous irrigation scheme made possible by the building of the Ord River Dam and the effect the amount of available water had had on this part of the Kimberley. We took photos from our plane of the big orchards growing all sorts of tropical fruits. We visited a banana plantation that served ice cream sundaes, banana splits and smoothies and other goodies under umbrellas on the lawns. The elegant homes attached to these beautiful places are surrounded by brightly coloured trees and shrubs making for a lovely landscape.

One of the most interesting and spectacular places we visited was past the orchards to the now unused Ivanhoe Crossing that served as the old road between Kununurra and Wyndham before the Ord Dam sent too much water across the very big ford.