Saturday, July 24, 2010

Kununurra - morning - Thursday 24th June


In hindsight, this was a watershed day. We had been on the road for 8 days with 6 to go. This was our last day in the Kimberleys. Our last day of those wonderful rocks and colours. El Questro was an oasis, a pander to citified sensibilities. It worked a treat.


I had heard of the Gibb River Road prior to this trip, but did not realise that it held iconic status. 'The road maketh the man' syndrome. See that little fruit on my hat there, balanced on my spare coach seat? That is a Rosella. And you thought that to be only some variety of parrot. Wrong! They make jam from it. And wine ... I bet that would make the palate wince!


So, off we toddled into the irrigation area. Mile after mile of mango trees. And vegies as far as the eye can see. Kununurra is a town based on the Ord River Scheme of the 60s. This seems to be going stronger and stronger even though us city folk down south thought it had ceased to exist ages ago. It had a setback because rice was not a goer. But they diversified. The hassle now is that they are going big time into Sandalwood trees for use in the perfume market. What a waste of resources. I want them to grow cauliflowers and turnips and pumpkins. Food for the masses.

The two little fauna shots were taken on the edge of Lake Kununurra (Ord River) where we had our group photo taken. It was while we were setting this up that one of the chaps on the tour announced: "Ladies and Gents, we have a female Prime Minister".


So here we are at the Argyle Downs homestead of the Durack Family. They were instrumental in the settlement of the Kimberleys and in the commencement of the farming of cattle. When it was realised that the Ord River would flood the homestead, they moved it, brick by brick, to higher ground. For its position in the psyche of the early settlers of this nation, it is a most modest abode.

In the grounds of the Durack homestead was this bower, and this male Greater Bower Bird - the one I have been promising or a few days already! Have a look at his neck-kerchief - beautiful, eh what? And yes, the photo of the bower was an 'on yer belly' shot.

7 comments:

Xavi said...

Breathtaking captures, Julie!
I regret not having answered your kind comments earlier. Was traveling.
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a nice weekend!

diane b said...

Lovely , different shots. The Bower Bird wasn't there or else we didn't know about it. However I did see one on one of our walks. Great on your belly shot. Rosella jam is yummy. Emma Gorge Resort was great, did you climb up to the falls. We didn't as it was an afternoon activity and the temp was 40C so we got in the pool instead. Our friends Norma and Joe climbed up though.

Julie said...

No, I did not climb up to the falls. I figured it to be beyond me. I did not laze in the pool neither. Instead, I did the two nature walks, which were idyllic and suited me down to the ground. It is interesting how very different are the photographs that you and I both take. I always do my post and then go over and look at your post for that activity.

Today I will post on the trip down the river, and then tomorrow, a post of its own for the remarkable sunset.

Perry said...

What a great series of photos! I love them as well as the stories that go with them. Thanks for sharing! And thanks for stopping by my blog. :-) You have to get your focus spot on with a 1.8 lens. But the payoff is great blurry background. The great thing about a fast lens is when you stop it down to the widest of, say a zoom at f5, the 1.8 is MUCH sharper than the zoom. Flash? Flash is your friend. Think of it as the sun where you want it and when you want it. I think of it as being available light. It is in my bag, so it is available! :-)

Leslie D. said...

Fantastic photos! Love being taken on a vicarious journey through someone else's lens.

Joan Elizabeth said...

Rosellas were a favourite for jam when I was a kid in Queensland so not new to me. I watch Landline most weeks so am quite up to date with the agricultural activities in the Ord. I personally have no problem with the Sandalwood venture ... a farm has to pay.

The neighbours used to have a bower in their front garden but after they tidied it up the bird moved on but there are obviously others to be found around home given the number of bower birds that visit my garden.

Julie said...

Now that is somthing that I used to enjoy, Landline, but got out of the habit of it. Must check to see when they show the repeats. Or even watch it online, which is where I do a lot of my viewing.