Week 11 of the DownUnder Tour

Week 11 of the DownUnder Tour

We began this week with what has to be one of the highlights of the trip so far. We took a flight over the East Kimberly area, including the Ord River Dam, Lake Argyle, the Bungle Bungles, and the Argyle Diamond Mine.

It was a 4:30 am wake up so we would be sure to be prepared for the sunrise flight but we were all smiles nonetheless as we piled into the small 8 seater plane for the trip.

As you can see from the pics, the Ord River Dam was a very big project in its day, with the resulting creation of Lake Argyle in its present form. Note the curvature of the dam wall from the picture on the left. It is part of a huge irrigation scheme that is the lifeblood to the cropping industry in this region, and it is planned to be expanded to a much larger area when the state and federal governments stop arguing about the funding and get on with it.

Lake Argyle is the world’s largest manmade body of water and Australia’s only inland sea, holding on average 9 times the volume of water of Sydney Harbour. During the wet season Lake Argyle can double in size and has literally hundreds of waterfalls. As I have shown sooo many waterfalls in recent weeks, I'll spare you pics of these and focus on the more unique aspects of this area.

When the dam was constructed it required the relocation of a cattle station but now provides an incredible resource to supply the region with an ample supply of water.

There is a unique stone called Zebra Rock, which is only found in this area and is mined from a low peninsula in Lake Argyle. The area can only be accessed at the end of the dry season, which means it is only accessible for about 1-2 months of the year. The rock can have different variations but generally looks like the pic shown. It is made into everything from jewellry to vases to coasters, as shown, and its value is derived from its rarity.

The area surrounding Lake Argyle is also quite scenic, with a number of creeks extending from the lake, and mountains surrounding much of the area.

Though I did not take the time to wet a line, the fishing is reportedly good for poor quality fish such as catfish but the larger and more desirable fish such as the barramundi are said to be quite scarce in the lake itself. The Ord river, however, has a better reputation for an area to catch fish but is also home to more sharks and crocs which may take their share of a catch before you get it within arm's reach.

The Bungle Bungles are 360million years old, give or take an hour or two, and are similar to the "bee hive" structures we saw at King's Canyon, only a few hundred km's west of Alice Springs.

The photos do not do justice to the views as it is difficult to capture the depth of the mountains, especially in photo sizes this small.

Returning from the Bungle Bungles we flew over the Argyle diamond mine, which produces over 1/3 of the world’s diamonds. The pilot was telling us that the workers there are paid very well, being able to make over $400 per day as well as having their accommodation and meals provided. The mine is owned by Rio Tinto so perhaps that is one of the reasons the shares are now over $100.00 each! The Argyle Diamond mine is an open cut mine, though we did not spot any diamonds from the air. :)

The scale of an operation like this is immense, with dump trucks having tyres twice the height of most people.

Access to the mine is primarily from air, with the mine having one of the largest private runways in Australia. The diamonds are flown in and out which provides an element of security but if the cargo door ever flies open mid-flight I hope to be nearby!

I was a little concerned that the children might be uneasy in such a small plane with the associated occasional turbulence, but they relished it!

Our next stop was Fitzroy Crossing, home of Geike Gorge. This time we did not take to the air, but rather to the water, with an afternoon cruise of the gorge.

The gorge is fed by the Fitzroy River system and water levels can vary significantly depending on the time of year. There was an interesting array of wildlife in the area and the ever present crocs by the dozens.

There were also these brolgas in a field near the gorge. As you can see there are quite a few of them, though they did not dance for us.

I will leave it there for this week but next week will cover Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek and Horizontal Falls so don't miss it!