On the beaten (Karunjie) track

Number one rule when travelling in the harsh Australian outback, is be prepared. Make sure you have plenty of water, enough to last days could be necessary. Make sure you let someone know of your plans and where you'll be travelling. And be well acquainted with your car in case of problems. On all accounts last weekend, myself and friends Fiona and Jesse failed. Big time.

We started a weekend trip to Kununurra by heading in to see the Prison Boab Tree. It's a hollow tree that dating back to the 1890's was used as a temporary lockup for wrongdoers, as police escorted them to Wyndham. It's hollow with a hole cut in the side to make an entrance. It would have been horrific to be caged inside, no matter how much time they had to spend there!

Prison Tree, Wyndham

The tree is on the King River Road, and we knew that this road eventually lead back to Gibb River Road, and therefore closer to our destination. On a whim, we chose to do the drive. Our journey started on some harsh corrugated road till we got to Diggers Rest Station. This is where a lot of the film 'Australia' was located. Not too much to see, so we pushed on to the gate where the Karunjie Track began.

Diggers Rest

Diggers Rest

The scenery was pretty unreal as we crossed mudflats that seemed to go on forever. All you could see in the distance was the glow of heat rising, almost looking like a lake surrounding us. It was at this point when we realised how remote we were, that we checked our water supply. About under 1litre between us. And we hadn't told anyone where we were going. Oops. Temperatures are between 36-39C at the moment so hydration is pretty essential.

Looking right

Looking left

One of a number of gates along the track

The back of the Cockburn Ranges, from the Karunjie track

The track itself is pretty much a guessing game all the way along. You're just following other people's tyre marks, and hoping the previous person got it right. The mudflats soon ended, then the real adventure began. We crossed deep soft sandy tracks and some steep rocky river beds, always with fingers crossed we were heading in the right direction. Some pretty amazing views along the way compensated for the rough ride.

The were a LOT of cows along the way

Karunjie Track, Western Australia

If I could have taken photos of the track itself I would, but it was like riding a very bumpy rollercoaster. As Fiona screamed out at one point "People actually choose to do this for fun!!!!! Why??!!"

There's a lot of cows and birds and other sights to see, but when I spotted this old wrecked car, I wanted to stop and take a photo.

Here's where it started to go REALLY wrong

It was here that the other two decided they needed a toilet break, and with not much shelter, and no one else around, one chose the privacy near the front of the car, and the other at the back.

With everyone happy we got back on the road, and heard tales from the one who used the front toilet (okay, Jesse) about a switch she had discovered. We talked about it and wondered for a while what its purpose was, then moved on to other conversation.

FINALLY, we spotted the Pentecost River so knew we would see people again soon, and wouldn't die from dehydration in the middle of nowhere. We'd crossed it before, so did it again just for fun.

Pentecost River, WA

As soon as we got to the other side, the car stopped, dead. It's one of these fancy new cars that don't even have a key, you just press a button to start it. Nothing worked, not even the horn! And because it's what you do in these situations, we popped the bonnet (which took 5 minutes) and had a look under to see if there was anything obvious. Engine, check. Battery, check. Yep, everything looked fine! We even had a look at the fuses. They're very small. 

So after about 10 minutes Fiona flagged down a fellow traveller to see if a jump start would fix the problem. After about 2 minutes of looking, he said "You know your immobiliser switch is on?"

Oh right, so THAT's what that switch on the front is!!!!

That switch over there on the right of the dead bird

And so the journey to Kununurra continued, this time with the conversation turning to "what if that had happened 15 minutes earlier on the track, or even as we crossed the river?" But it didn't, and we were lucky.

Our weekend in the big K was great. For my birthday this week Fiona spoilt me by checking us in to the Country Club Resort where we dined at real tables with real chairs, no dust, no mosquitos, and air conditioning! Beautiful food too.

Crocodile, kangaroo, duck and Bloody Mary shots

The next morning we joined up with some more of our crew for brunch at the Pumphouse, where catfish swim right underneath the boardwalk waiting to be fed, and water skiers pass by.

The Pumphouse, Kumunurra

Then a stop at Molly's Springs on the way home

Molly's Springs, WA

One other thing I need to mention this week are the bushfires. You may have heard the horrible news about the extreme marathon runners burnt in fires at El Questro. Controlled fires have been burning around this area for the last month, each day a different area, clearing out dry scrub and grass in preparation for regeneration during the wet season. A couple of times the fires have been a bit too close, but mostly okay.

Bit too close!

They're pretty amazing to watch, especially dozens of eagles flying low overhead waiting for their prey to flee the flames. Out of the flames and into the fire!...as they say.

Eagles swoop overhead

Writing this blog has taken some time and our Producer Julie had a great suggestion for it. She said "it's hot. The end". That probably would've worked. Maybe that'll be my next one :-)

Simple Stats

Days since departure: 130
Distance travelled: 10,060km (+7182km for work)

Snakes run over: 2

Portaloos towed: 2

Weeks worked as Runner on film: 7

Whale Sharks swum with: 2

Emergency mechanic stops: 1

Kangaroos hit: 0