Kununurra

A Bad Hair Day 8.15 Departed camp. Well we tried to. Both Geoff's and Russell's cars wouldn't start as their batteries were flat. After our two bush mechanics Dave and John got to work, Geoff's was jump started and Russell's had to be tow started. Probably at Billiluna Aboriginal settlement around 9.00. As usual a long queue at the diesel pump and we had to get in line. We were very short of fuel. The attendant fills the tanks and gives you a paper chit with the litres and cost which you have to present at the office and pay. The Billiluna Football Team bus was waiting near the diesel pump and looked very rugged, including a star of cracks in the windscreen where it appeared as if someones head had smashed into it. 12.00 Arrived at Halls Creek for lunch. It took us ages to fill with more diesel as another long queue existed. The Shell service station had run out of diesel so everyone had to queue at the Caltex. Halls Creek was much more attractive and pleasant than I expected. I had always heard it described as a shambles. This was not so. Well presented sports grounds and green manicured lawns on verges and a central garden strip formed a main road through the town. Side streets we saw were quite reasonable. We ate lunch at a bakery that was good value and had good coffee. The others had planned to leave us in Halls Creek and meet us again in a few days at Kununurra. They were still there in a line at the kerbside when we finished lunch. Russells car wouldn't start again. This time the fuel filter was kaput. It took two hours to buy another and get our bush mechanics to change it over. Meanwhile we sat in the shade on the grass enjoying the cool shade and breeze under the trees. Lots of small groups of local Aborigines did the same with their shopping and kids gathered round them waiting for a lift home. 2.00 We all set off in convoy for Kununura. Shortly after heaving the town, David who was "tail-end Charlie" radioed us to tell us our back wheels were skewed at an odd angle. David took a look and felt it was a problem with the right rear spring. The others went ahead and David shepherded us on a slow and long drive to Kununura. We had to abandon our plan to divert to the Bungle Bungles and leave that pleasure for the next time we are up this way. We arrived latish at Ivanhoe caravan park, where we all bunked down in 2 cabins. Friday 12th to Tuesday 16th August RACV moved us to Kimberleyland caravan park to a lovely new cabin on the edge of the town lake with wonderful views. Would recommend it for another stay. We enjoyed the rest, having coffee etc in two of the many venues available in town and a drive out to a lunch café on a plantation out of town. We cooked up a lot of our casseroles and had the Crew round for dinner on the Sunday night. They all left on the Monday, Russ & Helen to go west on the Gibb River road with friends from Mildura who had joined them in Kununura, the rest to take several interesting tracks back to the Sturt Highway and home through Alice Springs. We picked up our car from the repairers on Monday and handed back the hire car that was courtesy of the RACV. We cleaned and packed the the trusty Nissan in preparation to leave early Tuesday.

RACV Total Care What a treasure they are. Fortunately we have had Total Care since starting our travels some years ago. This time it proved invaluable. The service was great. They organised accomodation and car hire for us while the vehicle was repaired. THANK YOU RACV