7th August 2008

We had another quiet day, hopefully in preparation for the rest of our trip. However, the morning was fairly energetic for us both.

Prue took off on foot for the Mirama National Park. It is just on the eastern edge of Kununurra. She was away for about 2 1/2 hours and took a heap of photos.

As usual, I did a bike ride but this time it was a bit further and on a new road. I rode out onto Packsaddle Plain Road which is also another section of the Ord Irrigation Scheme and one of the main farming areas. I noticed another lot of sandalwood plantations, mango orchards, citrus, melons and more.

As I returned to the Caravan Park, I was asked if I could do a massage. So that kept me busy for a little while. Prue went off and did some shopping and I suspect had a coffee in town.

Just before lunch we went along that Packsaddle Plain Road and visited the Zebra Rock Gallery. Zebra Rock is believed to be unique to this part of the world and is found in small reef outcrops of stratified claystone of shale in the Rainford Formation. It has been dated at nearly 600 million years old. Zebra Rock is very attractive fine grained Siliceous Argillite (indurated silt-stone or clay stone) with rhytmic pattern of red bands or spots contrasting sharply with a white background. Most sites found to date are under Lake Argyle. But the Zebra Rock Gallery is still a nice place to visit and have a cuppa or a cool drink in their garden.

Another reason to drive out that way is the Sleeping Buddha or Elephant Rock, a big rock formation on Lake Kununurra. (The official name is Carlton Ridge.) It looks most like a sleeping Buddha if viewed from town, but if you want to see the elephant you have to cruise up the river, which we did a while ago, or drive along Packsaddle Road and it looks elephantiest from near the Zebra Rock Gallery.

Then we went and had lunch at Ivanhoe Farm Cafe. The girls there have become so used to us so they are asking us where to go and visit. They are German and English backpackers. The food there is wonderful but the coffee is very expensive compared to Lennox Head.

Just before sunset, we went up to Kelly's Knob lookout for our daily sun downer drinks. Actually, you can drive most of the way. Only the last bit is a rocky path with steps and handrails, all the way up to the lookout at 191 metres height. From up here you have great views of the town, the irrigation areas and farmlands, the Diversion Dam, Kununurra airport, the nearby ranges and the lake.

The sunset was nice to watch and is so different to the ones we see at home. The colours are glorious. There were people from all over the world there doing the same thing, even some nice young aboriginal boys from Broome. They had been playing football against Kununurra School for two days.

So that was pretty much the day for us.