Images: From Kununarra to Mary's Pool Rest Area

Mary's Pool Rest Area

At the WA boarder the inspector checked us out looking for any fruit and veg, but, Teresa had made sure they were not getting any, she had just finished eating all the fruit up the road.

Kununurra was a hive of activity when we arrived in town. We had not been there for about ten year and in that time it had really grown.

We had just gained one and a half hours in time making it mid afternoon WA time.

Teresa was off to the shops, while I connected to the net to check e mails etc.

Kununurra has some great sights just on the edge of town.

We managed to take it all in just as the sun set then went to buy take away to dinner.

We learned that the town was having a major event that week end and it did cross our minds about staying there for a few days, however, all the accommodation was booked out. Even the show grounds had people camping every where.

We decided to push on up the road for the night, and just like when we had left Katherine I was pitch black when we drove out of the town.

At the Junction with the Victoria Highway and the Great Northern Highway we found about thirty odd campers all set up for the night. The place was very busy as it is also the junction to Wyndham, a Grey hound bus was also picking up and dropping off passengers here people must come down from Wyndham to meet the bus as baggage was stacked up next to the bus ready for loading.

What a noisy night we had with road trains going past all night, they were all pulling four

trailers and would come up the Great Northern hwy then turn left and head for Wyndham, my guess was they were heading to the wharf there. I am not sure how many

gears those big rigs have, but they would use every gear slowing down, then as soon as they were around the corner they would be using them all again to gain speed.

We were up early well before day light and headed up the Wyndham road as the scenery

around this area and along the road to Halls Creek is magnificent.

After the sun rise we headed back on the Wyndham road to turn south again and head to Halls Creek, stopping to take photos all the way.

Halls Creek was very busy the main street (the Highway) was just full of tourists with caravans and campers parked every where. The town had changed quite a bit since our last visit and they now have a Shell (Coles) service station along with a few new other businesses and a Motel now. At the Shell we filled up again and had to wait a good 30 minutes in a que just to get to the pump.

After a drive around the back streets and a pie for lunch we headed on south,

At around the 100 klm point from Halls Creek is a rest area called Mary’s pool.

We had stayed there before and that time a camping spot was very hard to get.

Back then we had to ask people if we could use a small area between them and friends to set our tent up. This time when we decided to stop for a rest and a brew it was 2pm.

Even at 2pm the place was starting to fill up. This rest spot must be one of the best in Australia with a low level concrete bridge crossing the Mary river and the shady gum trees that were just teeming with bird life.

We managed to get a rest spot next to the river bank (now a pool of water) with thousands of white-crested cockatoos in the trees above. They were making a hell of a racket and they were all there in pairs pruning each other while chattering away, if disturbed they would take off with a great din of noise and then return to the same trees.

We knew 2 pm was too early to stop, but, decided to put the camper up and take a rest any way.

While I rested Teresa was off down the river to see it all. Later I went down to see it all and a woman came up asking if we had seen a young girl, we had not, we were thankful that they found her within a few minutes as the sun was starting to set.

During the afternoon van after van started arriving and setting up for the night, so we decided we would also stay having set up ourselves already.

They were still coming in well after darkness had set in and every inch of dirt was occupied. The Birds above chatted away well into the night making us think not another noisy night, but all of a sudden they all left, only to return at 5 am to start the din all over again.

Up early and packed up, and as we pulled out a herd of cattle started to wander in through the camp area, which had campers heads appearing out every where along with cameras to catch all the mayhem that was about to start.

Thinking we were the first to leave was wrong as we followed three vans out over the low level bridge and back to the highway for yet another days drive.

T and M

Mary's Pool Rest Area