shanleylife - travel, events & fun stuff. From Melbourne, Australia.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
El Questro Gorge trail
We all enjoyed this amazing walking trail in the East Kimberley. It required some effort to get there with a deepish creek crossing. Kath had found herself driving Vesna and all the kids for this challenge (as the Dads were travelling separately after their boat trip on the Chamberlain River).
Zebedee Springs
We swam in the warm pools at Zebedee Springs, El Questro station. It’s only a short walk from the car park which is easily reached. The kids enjoyed it immensely and declared it to be
Saturday, August 4, 2012
El Questro
Well we’ve started on the Gibb River Road. Expect us to be out of range most of the time but here’s a photo from our first morning at a secluded campsite on El Questro station. It’s one of their “private camp sites” on the Pentecost River. There is a long-drop toilet 100m away but if you’re needing a shower it’s a 3.5km road trip! Ellen can report that the shower comes with your very own green tree frog!
Crossing the Pentecost River at El Questro station
Taken from the camp site before set-up.
Crossing the Pentecost River at El Questro station
Taken from the camp site before set-up.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mirima NP, Kununurra
A beautiful little spot which sports a Hidden Valley between two rows of rocky outcrops. We visited it late this afternoon. Enjoyed the colours of the rocks, views and wildflowers.
A highlight was spending ten minutes or so with a group of 5-6 brown quail. Cuuute!!
Picture by Tom!
A highlight was spending ten minutes or so with a group of 5-6 brown quail. Cuuute!!
Picture by Tom!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Marlgu Billabong (by Hannah)
Nothing interesting happened this morning but after lunch we went to Marlgu Billabong where we saw royal spoonbill, rainbow-bee-eater, pelicans, ducks and comb-crested jacanas. Comb-crested jacanas have really long toes so they can stand on lily pads. When the jacanas get stressed their comb turns yellow and they jump in to the water with only the tops of their heads above the water to breathe.
We also saw ibis and darters which are birds with really long necks. When they stick their heads above water they look like a snake or a stick. We saw honeyeaters, cormorants and even a pied heron!
On the way home we had to drive through a grass fire! It was both scary and cool driving through the fire.
I also got to see my fifth wild brolga in my lifetime!
Rainbow bee-eater
We also saw ibis and darters which are birds with really long necks. When they stick their heads above water they look like a snake or a stick. We saw honeyeaters, cormorants and even a pied heron!
On the way home we had to drive through a grass fire! It was both scary and cool driving through the fire.
I also got to see my fifth wild brolga in my lifetime!
Rainbow bee-eater
Parry Creek Nature Reserve
Warning: Bird photos!
Those of you “in the know” would have been very surprised if there was not a blog entry about Parry Creek Reserve. I don’t like to disappoint so…
Our trip to Parry’s was a late afternoon day trip from Kununurra. We mucked around determining the best track in from the Great Northern Highway as we were getting close to Wyndham. We had two sightings of brolga in the surrounding bush as we approached. The trip was also punctuated by some close range experience of the Kimberley on fire.
All the pictures are at Marlgu Billabong which has boardwalks and a bird hide. There was a steady trickle of visitors – there was always one or two other cars with us.
Fancy not having enough binoculars to go around. Ellen is clearly disappointed! Well not everyone can have a huge camera lens and a funny hat!
Birding highlights seen here were seeing pied heron and pygmy goose for the first time among several other “lifers” – four lifers in four seconds without even turning the car engine off doesn’t happen often! This handsome pelican fed right in front of us – getting down low then dipping his whole top half under the water then sorting out the muck from the dinner. Jacanas looked great walking around on the lily pads.
There was a huge flock of plumed whistling-duck as well. After Marlgu we explored locally looking for the other Parry Creek lagoons but these turned out to be dry.
This shot taken from the car window as we drove along the highway north-west of Kununurra. The impression was of a controlled “cool burn” but there was no overt supervision. When we returned to Kununurra it was dark and the rows of flame made for a dramatic scene.
We were treated to a typical east Kimberley sunset as we drove past the ruins of a telegraph station near Marlgu Billabong.
Another memorable afternoon!
Those of you “in the know” would have been very surprised if there was not a blog entry about Parry Creek Reserve. I don’t like to disappoint so…
Our trip to Parry’s was a late afternoon day trip from Kununurra. We mucked around determining the best track in from the Great Northern Highway as we were getting close to Wyndham. We had two sightings of brolga in the surrounding bush as we approached. The trip was also punctuated by some close range experience of the Kimberley on fire.
All the pictures are at Marlgu Billabong which has boardwalks and a bird hide. There was a steady trickle of visitors – there was always one or two other cars with us.
Fancy not having enough binoculars to go around. Ellen is clearly disappointed! Well not everyone can have a huge camera lens and a funny hat!
Birding highlights seen here were seeing pied heron and pygmy goose for the first time among several other “lifers” – four lifers in four seconds without even turning the car engine off doesn’t happen often! This handsome pelican fed right in front of us – getting down low then dipping his whole top half under the water then sorting out the muck from the dinner. Jacanas looked great walking around on the lily pads.
There was a huge flock of plumed whistling-duck as well. After Marlgu we explored locally looking for the other Parry Creek lagoons but these turned out to be dry.
This shot taken from the car window as we drove along the highway north-west of Kununurra. The impression was of a controlled “cool burn” but there was no overt supervision. When we returned to Kununurra it was dark and the rows of flame made for a dramatic scene.
We were treated to a typical east Kimberley sunset as we drove past the ruins of a telegraph station near Marlgu Billabong.
Another memorable afternoon!
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