Day 22 Manning Gorge 28.7.19

As it was Sunday we had breakfast then a reading, discussion and prayer before leaving to do the Manning Gorge walk. To access the trail you had to cross the river – a barrel on a pulley system was provided to get your gear across dry. It was already pretty hot so it was great to start the walk with a cool swim and then walk in your cozzies to the gorge pool and falls.

There had been a bushfire 2 days ago and parts of it were still smouldering. As we climbed higher the views back towards the campsite and beyond were beautiful.

The walk was not too difficult – fairly even path with a few rocky sections but lots to see on the way – boabs, gums and great views.

After a couple of rocky gullies up and down we arrived at the gorge which had an amazing swimming hole – very deep and clear with a sandy section. Unfortunately the waterfall was barely a trickle but it was such a serene and picturesque place it did not really matter.

The water was so deep it was safe to jump off the rocks so we swam, jumped and generally cooled off after the hot trek in.

Rosie gave instructions to the girls as to how to get your hair wet and keep your sunnies dry….

We spent a fair bit of time there enjoying the ambience of the place….

eventually we had to leave to make the 1.5km walk back – at least there was a great rockpool to swim in at the end of the journey!

Back at camp a whirly-whirly swept through the area – quite a large one – by the time it was captured on camera it had started to dissipate vut it caused a bit of havoc in one area of the campground.

Rosie was on a mission to get her thongs clean so out came the bucket and pumice stone – first person ever known to use pumice on their thongs!!

As it had been cold we decided to have another fire – and again a huge amount of firewood was collected….no damper tonight but we had marshmallows and chocolate fondue instead…awesome dessert when camping.

Day 21 Drysdale Station to Manning Gorge 27.7.19

Everyone rose early and pulled down tents, packed gear and ate brekkie before topping up the fuel at Drysdale Station and travelling back along the Kalumburu road – destination Manning Gorge. Branch had to assist me finding my phone – located in the pouch under my seat in the Ranger…but no success finding Annette’s phone as it had also gone walkabout…

The Kalumburu road was now a bit worse for wear as so many vans, trailers and vehicles had been up and back the last couple of days since we had travelled to Kalumburu – the corrugations were a bit harsher but still not to be compared to the Oodnadatta track.

We turned onto the Gibb River Road heading towards Mt Barnett Roadhouse and Manning Gorge. The road improved somewhat and the scenery was serene with grassland and gums with the escarpment in the background shimmering in the heat. The road alternated from red dust – an unbelievably deep red – to grey and sandy as well as sharp rocks protruding looking ominous – able to puncture even the toughest tyre with a single stab!

River beds that usually still have some water in them were very dry….

 A quick stop for morning tea at the Hann River revealed some further small incidents….

Glen and Annette did not arrive at the riverside as planned and were not responding to radio calls – after about 15mins they arrived just as we were contemplating whether to drive back – turned out their aerial had snapped off with all the rattling – much to Branch’s delight Trev had a spare on our car as our CB was still not working and we were using our handheld CB so the transfer was made…

Gordie also had another screw loose on his mudflaps – Branch crossed over to assist and was astounded at the appearance of a PINK toolbox out of the back of Gordie’s ute – SERIOUSLY!!! What bloke uses a pink toolset????

After morning tea we arrived at Mt Barnett Station and bought our camping passes for Manning Gorge – a short 7km drive in from the GRR. At Mt Barnett Station they had the awesome roadhouse sausage rolls – huge with thin puff pastry so no one could resist and we bought them and some hot chips for early lunch – washed down with a Splice icecream – first we had seen for ages it seemed!!

On the way we saw a large blowup pool toy on the side of the road in pristine condition so stopped and shoved it in our car (a LOT of shoving!!) to hand in at the campground caretakers place – someone will surely come looking for it . Sure enough we saw a ute with an aboriginal boy in the back tray driving at pace past us – we could not flag them down but took the toy to the campground – about 30mins later they came in and retrieved it!

We arrived at the Manning Gorge Campsite and grabbed a great spot under some trees with a firepit and not too far from the amenities.

A quick setup in the 34 degree heat which revealed Annette’s phone in the pouch on her campchair – and then we all went down to the swimming hole for a well deserved dip in the cool clear water…the place was busy with lots of campers and a couple of tour groups but the water holes were large and we had a great time cooling off.

The campground had some massive boab trees in it as well as lots of other tree varieties – gums, melaleucas and acacias.

Back at camp the Bottomless Barista was at it again….

Dinner sorted and firewood obtained (more than needed as usual!!)..

After dinner we sat around the campfire while the damper cooked…

Glen had bought a new toy at the roadhouse – an upmarket headtorch with multiple functions including a sensor light – as he had been coveting McGyver’s ever since we have been on the Gibb. He was so attached to it he wore it to bed…don’t know how the sensor light will go over night – may be quite annoying…

the Bottomless Barista could not help himself and had to take a look – almost falling into Glen’s tent in the process..

Manning gorge walk tomorrow….everyone was keen for it!

Day 20 McGowan’s Sunset Beach to Drysdale Station 26.7.19

We had heard that the road into Mitchell Falls was in an atrocious condition (one guy had broken his axle amongst other things we were told) and that due to the poor wet season (only half the normal rainfall) the falls had stopped flowing so we had decided to do an extra day at McGowan’s and then return to Drysdale Station for a night before journeying back to the Gibb River Road and Manning Gorge our next destination. It was somewhat disappointing missing the falls but provides a good excuse for a return journey in a couple of years time…better to make the effort and see them at their best!.

Packing up camp after 3 days was not without a hitch…Gordon was again wrestling with his self inflating mattress – Branch stayed out of it this time and thus it took 3 people to wrangle the mattress into a form able to be put back into its bag – providing much amusement to onlookers!

After packing up and having brekky we had a short reading under the trees ably led by Trev and then said our goodbyes to all the characters and people we had met during our stay. Jordan and Mel were going to attempt Mitchell Falls as they felt the repair job on heir fuel tank was holding well.

Our first stop was Kalumburu to get some supplies and have a look around.

Kalumburu Mission was founded in the early 1900s by the Catholic Church and is still operating today. The community is a dry community and church and school attendance is compulsory. The mission was bombed  by the Japanese in WWII killing the priest at the time and several locals including children.

The museum was a fascinating place – an eclectic mix of memorabilia, historical and religious artifacts from the mission, aboriginal paintings and articles, rock collections and cultural items from around the world.

We went on to Munurra (King Edward River) campground just off the Kalumburu Road along the Mitchell Falls Road and crossed over the river which still had some water in it – our second river crossing that was still flowing.

Jordan and Mel were stopped on the side of the road there as their fuel tank repair had failed so they were turning around, aborting their trip to Mitchel falls and heading for Drysdale Station so we would catch up with them that evening.

Stopping at the campground day use area at Munurra we ate lunch and then went for a swim on the rock waterhole in the King Edward River – cool and refreshing – the water was very clean and clear…we had originally planned to stay here for the 2 nights in between doing a day trip into Mitchell falls – would have been  a great place to camp.

Annette gave Glen a quick cuddle pre swim in case of croc attack!!

On then to Drysdale Station for the night…camp was set up quickly – professionals now at quick setup – then on to happy hour. We ate the rest of the fish from yesterday’s catch for dinner – delicious and then enjoyed hot showers before hitting the sack.

Day 19 McGowan’s Sunset Beach 25.7.19

The guys were up predawn having brekkie and the drove out to Honeymoon Bay to go fishing with Les one of the local indigenous charter boat owners. In the car on the way there they prayed for their day fishing – not only to be successful fishing but also for an opportunity to be fishers of men and share their faith with someone…

Back at camp we had a slower start to the day and after breakfast went for a long walk up the northern end of McGowans and around the point.

The day was hot and fairly still – not much wind as we walked over shelly beaches, rocks of varying colours and sizes and through the mangroves.

The place is wildly beautiful with copious amounts of driftwood beached by sun and salt water lying around, red- striated rocks with hues of pink and grey…dark rocks at the water’s edge with huge oysters able to be eaten (max 3 per person per day allowed according to Matt) all against an ocean of greens and azures and the sky a vivid blue…

We paddled in rock pools to keep cool and chatted to other tourists also enjoying the rock walk.

As the tide was coming back in we walked back so we could get around the mangrove area easily and got back to camp.. The guys were not back yet so we all relaxed in the heat of the day under the large mango tree with a cool drink and then lunch.

Rosie had been feeding the resident chooks and one had taken a shine to the underneath of Trev’s Ranger – we were hoping for fresh eggs but no such luck!

It was about 130 when Trev, Gordie and Glen arrived back and we had just enough time to hear about their trip before we had to leave at 2PM to get to Honeymoon Bay for our tour.

Glen and Gordie had fish envy as Trev caught the largest fish about 5 mins into the day – a 72cm trevally!! Glen had success catching 4 sharks and Gordie caught a red emperor and 2 sharks. Trev also caught 3 sharks – the place must be teeming with sharks!!

The guys had a great chat with Les the charter boat owner while they were relaxing after the trip eating icecream with he and his wife Joy. He had lived in Kalumburu since he was 4 being brought up by his grandparents at the mission there. It proved a great opportunity to share the gospel with them and discuss the differences with their cultural beliefs. Gordie promised to send them a couple of books with Kerry this afternoon when we went on the sightseeing tour which we remembered to do and they were very thankful.

The four girls and Dave arrived in Honeymoon Bay and were greeted by Les who promptly took us down to the beach and onto his boat. The Honeymoon Bay campsite itself was not as green as McGowans but they did have hot water provided by 2 donkeys and toilet paper!!

Honeymoon Bay was a large circular beach area again with clear blue water.

We took off in the boat and were grateful for the cool breeze that came with the boat ride – even though we had to hang onto our hats!!

Les navigated the boat out and across to an area called the Lost City – amazing rock structures of sedimentary rock layers all eroding away looking somewhat like old buildings in pillar-like formations.

Les explained that there were plenty of sharks, crocodiles, dugong, mudcrab, turtle and fish as well as kangaroos and wallabies that his grandfather had taught him how to catch and eat…

We stopped at a small beach area in the Lost City and walked around looking for wild life. We saw the imprint of a large croc that had been sunning itself on the beach but no croc in sight…

A large bull shark swam lazily by the edge of the rocks and we enjoyed looking around and taking lots of pics.

Les took us further along the coast then across to the other side of the bay towards McGowans…and back to Honeymoon Bay after a great 2 hours on the water. Les recommended his grandmother’s rosella jam to us – homemade by his wife so we each bought a small jar – great for damper!

Back at camp the guys had been tinkering with fuel cans, checking over cars, cleaned and tidied…and had a swim in the rockpools.

After happy hour watching an amazing sunset we cooked the fish and shared it with Jordan and Mel who came over for dinner after putting the kids to bed.

The successful day out on the water must have motivated the guys as for the first time Dave, Glen and Gordie got stuck into the washing up….or was it just a smooth move to impress our guests??  Either way we were thankful for being able to sit back , relax and enjoy the experience!

Day 18 McGowan’s Sunset Beach 24.7.19

Everyone awoke to the birds heralding the sunrise…. After a cooked brekky we headed down to the shore to look around and find somewhere to have a safe swim.

We located the rockpools Matt had told us about and Trev, Gordie and I hopped in for a quick dip while keeping an eye out for crocs. The daytime temperature here gets up to the mid 30’s at this time of year but the nights are a pleasant 15-18. A cool breeze comes up at about 1PM which is refreshing and takes the bite out of the heat.

Matt had said that the fishos often threw their waste into the sea past the rocks and some lemon sharks would come and have a feed…and also tiger sharks and possibly the local crocs so we were keen to have a look and take some photos.

Before venturing down to the beach we went and booked a fishing charter for the guys tomorrow (always living in hope of finally catching a fish…apparently guaranteed!!)… and the girls booked to go on the sightseeing boat trip – should be a really interesting day tomorrow…

We took the drone down and flew it over the coast – the coastline was really beautiful with azure water, white sand and the rocks lining the shores….

Trev spotted a huge tiger shark swimming slowly around in the bay close to the shore….

Some lemon sharks came over much to Rosie’s delight but the fishos still had not come to throw in their scraps…. so we went back for a coffee made by the Bottomless Barista (aka Gordie)

We then headed out for a swim down at the beach area that was a bit safer as long as someone was a spotter.

The small beach looked so peaceful and another couple had just come out of the water so we felt OK about having a swim – we took turns being the shark spotter up on the rocks!

The water looked so enticing and so we jumped in briefly to cool off….and took some more drone footage – no crocs or sharks in sight.

Rosie and Kerry took the safer option of sitting at the edge of the water while Gordie and Trev were in further as shark bait!!

Back for lunch and then a relaxing afternoon under the shade of the mango trees…

or so we thought until Trev noticed that our fridge had stopped working – Branch who had been very quiet (relaxing in the tropical paradise of McGowan’s) appeared to provide a calming influence as Trev did some troubleshooting to work out the issue – seems it was the pin in the 12volt charger – which he promptly fixed…

Fridge issues were not unique to Trev – there was trouble in the Wells and Hackfath camps as car batteries flattened with fridges working overtime in the heat and no dual battery systems with solar panel assist…and Kerry noted an issue with their outdoor shower – Gordon had insisted there was no need to peg it down – fortunately it was not in use or there may have been some northern exposure!

Gordie and Trev were wandering around the camp making friends with all and sundry – there were a few guys with Rams who had bought their vehicles at the same place Gordon had bought the Titan so the vehicle stories were flying!!

Happy hour was spent on the front beach watching the sun go down – spectacular!

After dinner we sat around and chatted with Jordan who was camping next to us with his wife Mel and their 2 kids – we had met them at Drysdale Station when we were swimming at the Miner’s Pool – he and his wife had spotted the small freshie that was nearby while we swam. They had managed to get a puncture in their fuel tank and were having some issues getting it fixed. Some guy had given them some putty which Jordan was planning to utitilse for the repair – hopefully it works!

The guys had an early morning start with their fishing charter leaving at 0630 from Honeymoon Bay so they packed their gear and food in preparation just before going to bed.

Day 17 Drysdale River Station to McGowan’s Sunset Beach 23.7.19

Everyone awoke to the sounds of birds heralding the dawn after a night in the tents….Rose and Dave were much warmer than the night before after using their towels as blankets and putting on the fly of their tent.

Packing up went smoothly as everyone was getting in the groove …except for Gordie who again had a fight with his self inflating mattress…Branch decided at that moment to hop in for a mattress test much to Gordie’s frustration!

We left Drysdale Station and travelled further along the Kalumburu road towards McGowan’s Sunset Beach…the landscape was full of variety… and at some points looked quite lush. Brumbies grazed at the side of the road and there was water in some of the rivers – we crossed the Drysdale River and arrived at Kalumburu just in time to buy our visitor’s permits before the office closed for lunch.

Kalumburu Mission and the town looked well cared for and definitely worth a visit when the shop, museum and gallery are open.

Driving on to McGowan’s Sunset Beach the road changed to a sandy track then finally we saw the ocean – the Timor Sea…beautiful turquoise water, white sand and gorgeous coastline!!

We were greeted by Matt the caretaker who gave us the rundown including the croc instructions. Apparently there is a resident 5m male saltie here with 2 slightly smaller female crocodiles so there is no swimming on the main beach. There are 2 rockpool areas for a quick swim if you use a croc spotter as well as a shallow beach further up from the main beach again where you swim at your own risk and use a spotter.

Our campsite was fantastic – great view of the beach under a large mango tree. We set up the tents in a circle with relative ease although there was trouble in the Hackfath camp when Glen decided to put his groceries through the compactus (aka left rear wheel)…Branch felt it best to let that one ride!!

After setup and lunch we went for a walk to find the rockpools for a swim.

We walked for quite a while but did not find the pools so returned even hotter. The sun was over the water by this time and so the reflection meant you could not see into the water so we did not swim that afternoon.

The sunset over the beach was beautiful – spectacular colours of oranges and reds mixed with purples and blues.

Day 16 Ellenbrae to Drysdale River Station 23.7.19

Everyone was up early and stinging for the legendary scones that were coming out of the Ellenbrae station oven at 0800hrs… packing up never went so quickly…but Gordie did have a space issue trying to squeeze everything into the Titan!!!

Branch got on the bandwagon as “gasgate” was still ongoing….and reassured everyone that there were sufficient gas cookers to manage the catering for this leg of the journey….

We drove back to the station and ordered the scones – they definitely lived up to their reputation – light fluffy with delicious fresh cream.

The grounds of Ellenbrae Station were like an oasis in the desert…lush and green with abundant birdlife and other forms of wildlife!!

After enjoying the early morning tea and discussing tales of woe with other fellow Gibb travellers we were on our way to Drysdale River Station. Everyone felt pretty privileged as we had so far been fortunate on our Gibb River Road journey – others had shredded tyres, broken axles and various other calamities…

At the Kalumburu turnoff Trev put up the drone to get some footage of the convoy – the scenery was quite green looking down on the tree canopy.

Gordie had been in the lead and rocketing along at his favourite corrugation speed – as fast as possible – but while we were waiting for the Hackies and Wells at the turnoff Branch had detected a lost nut on Gordies front guard – all other cars were so far unscathed.

We continued on to Drysdale River Station – the road was not too bad with some corrugations but not as bad as the beginning of the GRR yesterday…

The Toyota Precision Driving Team (aka where are we??) of Dave and Rose came in behind Gordie at pace and overshot the turnoff to Drysdale River Station resulting in a dust storm of mammoth proportion as the car came to a skidding halt…

We checked in and set up camp under some shady trees – booked dinner for 630pm at the restaurant and then ate lunch.

A short drive away was the Miner’s Pool – a waterhole for swimming which we all went to and had a dip in the cool refreshing water – the area looked a bit croc friendly but the station staff assured us the there were only a few freshies there…

After a refreshing soak we went back along the bank only to be told by some other campers that there was a croc sunning himself on a log just on the bank….

He was only smallish but pretty ugly – Annette stated she would definitely not have gone in if she had seen him prior to our dip.

Drysdale Station is a working cattle station that runs shorthorn cattle – seen in abundance as we drove back from Miner’s Pool – some horns shorter than others!!!

Back at the station we had showers – the amenities at the Drysdale River Station are great – and Dave got the party started by lighting up his tent with their led strip lights!!

We walked down for dinner in the open air at the Station Restaurant – delicious buffet style roast and homemade desserts!

Day 15 Wyndham to Ellenbrae Station 21.7.19

It was time to leave the comforts of the van and start our camping leg of the Wild Adventure. The vans were moved to the storage area of Wyndham caravan park and locked securely…..

We headed out full of expectation and excitement for the Gibb River Road stopping momentarily to have a pic at the giant crocodile at Wyndham.

The road from Wyndham was great – straight and lined with spectacular hills, mesas, boab trees and savannah…

The mandatory group photo under the Gibb River Road sign done and we started on our way after a prayer for safe travels for the day ahead.

First stop was Emma Gorge – part of the El Questro station – and our first 2 river crossings still with water flowing.

We did the gorge walk – about an hour each way to the top pool. The gorge was beautiful with the creek still running – the pictures do not do it justice.

The top pool was absolutely stunning and we all jumped in for a swim – the water was cold but refreshing after the hot hike up the gorge – Rosie even went in in her clothes as she had not been able to locate her cozzie before we left the cars in the carpark. There was a great sense of achievement by all having reached such an awesome place – it made the trek very worthwhile.

The water dripping over the rocks was warm – shower material so we all swam over and enjoyed the experience! The rock shelf was deep so it felt like you were in a cave – hopefully no tremors or rockfalls or we would have been history!

After spending  a good hour at the pool we returned back along the gorge with only 2 minor incidents – Gordie tripping and falling into one of the only thorny bushes along the way and Rosie taking a tumble leaving her legs up in the air!

We grabbed some lunch at Emma Gorge Resort and continued on reaching El Questro and the start of the dirt road. After letting down our tyres we travelled the Gibb heading for Ellenbrae Station the location of our first nights camping.

The road itself was not too bad – corrugated in places and some small tar stretches. Grading and roadworks were underway as they were preparing to tar some more sections.

The views over the Cockburn Ranges were magnificent – the reds, greens and blue of the sky a great contrast. The area was remarkably green but the river crossings including the Pentecost River were dry although the river itself still had some water.

We arrived at Ellenbrae at about 4PM and set up camp for the night – lovely flat sites with trees around. Everyone was keen to try the famous scones jam and cream here – they will be ready at 0800 tomorrow morning so we planned for brekkie, pack up and then an early morning tea before heading back on the Gibb.

The campsite had a donkey to heat the water and the showers and toilets were rustic but very clean!

A slight hiccup occurred when cooking tea – a bit of a “Gasgate” affair as confusion arose between Kerry and Trev as to what Trev had said about how many gas cookers we were bringing…Kerry had remembered (correctly) that Trev had instructed the Hunters NOT to bring their small cooker as they were carrying the big BBQ…. all was sorted out after some lively discussion!! Our first dinner on the Gibb was enjoyed by all…

Day 14 Wyndham 20.7.19

The day begun early with a quiet time and after brekkie, more washing, emptying cars, cleaning and repacking for the next section of our Wild Adventure – the Gibb River Road.

Branch had been out predawn inspecting the water inlet valve in Gordie’s van – a significant blockage from stones meant water could not be put into their water tanks via the hose…. Branch was too early as Gordon was still not yet up…. When Gordie eventually does the flushing and fixing Branch will return!

Later Branch went to look for damage from the flood in Rosie’s van last night due to inadvertently leaving the grey water valve shut during washing machine usage. Rosie had done a great job mopping up but the ground around was still very soggy!

The caravan park was quiet in the early morning – we walked around and saw the giant boab tree in the grounds which is over 2000 years old – amazing. The birdlife here was very diverse – a beautiful parrot landed just outside the outdoor area. The park had great facilities with a relaxed casual feel.

We did some packing then went to the Croc Café for morning tea – Rosie was spoilt for choice with the great variety of locally baked goods… and the coffee was great.

After getting supplies at the local supermarket we went back and packed the cars – chaos reigned for a while …

and there was a lot of standing around with hands on hips… and stuff everywhere…

but finally we seemed to be under control and so headed out for a look at the Wyndham pier and the 5 rivers lookout.

The pier was really interesting – the tides here are about 8.5 foot and the water was very muddy – perfect spot for crocodiles but to Rosie’s disappointment we did not see any. A local aboriginal who was fishing for mudcrabs said that the crocs often come up at about 530pm to sit on the bank so we decided to go up to the lookout for sunset and come back to see if there were any crocodiles.

Currently the Wyndham wharf is used to export live cattle, minerals and oil but at one time it was a large abattoir where cattle were slaughtered then the meat frozen and exported.

The 5 rivers lookout was amazing – the high point which gave a great vista over the bay, pier and Cockburn ranges as well as the 5 rivers that all feed into the bay in this area – the Ord, Pentecost, Forrest, Durack and King rivers.

Tiny rock wallabies were plentiful in the area around the lookout – very unafraid of humans! Rosie was desperate to feed them but fortunately we had nothing for her to give them!!

Wyndham is one of the oldest towns in WA, it is the most northern town in WA and is the average hottest place in Australia all year round.

After watching the gorgeous sunset over the sea….

we went back to the pier in search of the elusive crocodiles…Rosie even got out her torch to look for “shining eyes” in the water – but to no avail.

We headed back to the caravan park for dinner, and then the final bits and pieces to be packed into the cars ready to head out tomorrow morning for the Gibb.

For our time on the Gibb there may be limited reception so the blog will be uploaded when we reach Broome in about 2 weeks….until then 🙂

Day 13 King River to Wyndham 19.7.19

We left early to get to Katherine by 0800 as Ashleigh was leaving us to head home – we stopped at MacDonalds at Katherine for brekky and Ash caught a taxi to Nitmiluk to do a gorge tour of Katherine Gorge.

Our aim was to reach Wyndham in WA which was about 660 kms away so it was going to be a long day….

Not far out of Katherine we passed a couple parked on the opposite side of the road – by the time Gordie was passing them they had smoke billowing out of their vehicle so he stopped to assist them. We all pulled over and waited – the couple had blown their engine and so after determining that their satellite phone did not work they decided to hitch a ride back to Katherine and we went on our way a bit delayed..

The landscape was ever changing – lots of termite mounds at first and flat plains….

We passed over Victoria River – the area was more mountainous with mesas and rocky outcrops everywhere and vegetation becoming a bit greener..

Mining transports slowed us down and we finally reached Timber Creek where we stopped for lunch…Dave nearly having a “Branch” moment – literally – almost taking out his van roof on a branch – Branch went along for the ride!

It was at this stage it was noted that 2 of the blokes were looking a little rough…

We continued on slowed down by roadworks… enjoying the views of rocky cliff faces and the boab trees… there was lots of evidence of fire ?? backburning or just small grass fires…

We stopped at the NT/WA border for the quarantine inspection….

and finally arrived in Kununurra for a quick (??) refreshment and to pick up some fresh food.

Branch detected an issue with Trev’s van connection – the D shackle had worked loose and fallen off and the chain was dragging along the road. Trev quickly fixed the chain and hooked it up – to fix the entire antisway system at a later date…

We pushed on to Wyndham arriving as the sun went down and as Sharon the owner was just preparing to finish up for the night. The campground was great with lovely trees and grassy sites so we set up and all started washing our sheets/ towels and clothes…. Rosie flooded the van as Dave had not opened the waste valve before she started using the washing machine so it overflowed through the van…Branch had a great time afterwards inspecting the squeaky clean van!

It was also revealed that the Hunters had some issues with their plumbing which they had tried to keep quiet but Branch was determined to do an inspection… inside and out of the Hunter van!!

After dinner everyone retreated to their vans looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow!!