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The Outback
Sean & Sherry Down Under

May 26 - June 8

"My heart goes drifting down the long and
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DUSTY ROAD"
Our drive across and to the Outback started off as red, hot and deserted. We would drive for hours and not see anyone except some of those kangaroos and cows "sleeping" on the side of the road. The sunsets are amazing and there are times when you get the whole desert mirage thing happening. The sun is so hot and the landscape so flat that at the horizion you swear you can see an animal, truck, McDonald's sign???? There are really only roadhouses (like truck stops) and Cattle Stations on the highway - not much to look at.
 
We drove through Port Samson/Karratha and had lunch (PB & J - we are big spenders!) at Honeymoon Cove. Then we stopped at Port Hedland for the night and to get our car serviced. We put about 5000 km on our car since May 10 and it really needed the oil change. Most of the towns that we drive through on this part of the trip are little shit towns like Blind River or Nipigon? and not worth stopping - actually we try not to stop - some of them are scary.
 
Stairway to the Sun
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Eighty Mile Beach

We stopped at Eighty Mile Beach for a night. As the name suggests huge isolated serene white sand beach. And when we got there it was low tide which made it eighty miles long and eighty miles out to the water. We watched the sunset and it created an effect they call Stairway to the Sun. The setting sun creates an image of a staircase on the low tide ripples. Very Cool!
 
On our way to Broome we remarked that it is quite an eerie feeling on this trip. There is only one highway (basically) and there are obvious stops for fuel, lunch and the night, plus there are obvious attractions to stop at. Which means that we keep seeing the same travellers at every stop. We are kinda friendly, acquaintances but we don't know each others names - we just smile and comment on the last 400 km or last attraction???
 

Broome is where we first observed how tropical it was getting. Palm trees and hot humid weather. Our first night we got to see the Stairway to the Moon - same thing as the sunset except it is from the red rising moon. It was a fantastic sight to see - it only happens 3 nights per month from April to October and we just happened to be here at the right time. The next night we went to an 90 year old outdoor cinema. And we were allowed to bring in our own snacks and drinks (eat your heart out Becky and George!). It was amazing to look at the stars and watch the palm trees blowing in the wind behind the screen. Everyone really had to like it as nobody complained when the palms blew in front of the screen. 
 
Cable Beach in Broome was our favourite, it is a very pristine white sand beach with long beautiful breaks in the waves.  We did some boogy boarding and got rocked by the waves(rocked? more like Sherry was dumped while her mouth was open from laughing as she rode the waves so she just kept swallowing sea water) - plus we also did some sunbathing with all of the white pointers(I love this Country)!
 
To break up our busy beach life we travelled to one of the Rocky Points to try to find the elusive dinosaur prints(300 million years old). Apparently they appear in the rocks at low tide. We all know that Sean does not like to quit - so we looked for these dinosaur prints for 2 nights - he was relentless is his search but we did not find them :(
I guess all the more reason to come back to Oz some day.
The Kimberly's
We wanted to visit some of the gorges and rugged landscapes of the Kimberly region however we were advised that only 4WD's should drive this road and it would be too rough for our 2WD. So we took a guided tour through and in retrospect we can stongly say that they have never seen a road in Northern Ontario in the fall. We probably could have done the drive but who needs to be stranded in the middle of the outback with all of the snakes, spiders and crocs if something goes wrong(yah sherry can only kill so many things at a time). Plus who would want to do the tunnel with out a guide!!!
 
We went to the Winjana Gorge which is great views sun shining vast open space. It part of an old Reef system - and you get to see fossils  and amazing steep rough limestone rock - plus some friendly freshies (freshwater crocs !) swimming and sunbathing in the river that we walked along. 
 
But then there was Tunnel Creek - nice clear path to the mountain edge some huge fallen rocks (all beautiful marble with red and white swirles) and then you are at the entrance to a huge cave. No biggy weve been in caves before? BUT where the hell were the lights and the foot path????
 
Once you are in the cave about 100m or so it is black, bats screeching, water dripping on your head and you are walking in freezing cold black unseen water waiste and thy deep!! The guide gives you one shit torch per couple - you walk straight behind him to find the most shallow trail - sometimes on sand bars or rock bars or you just have the water. All the time you know there is something else in the water and the best part comes when the people coming from the other way ask if you saw the eels yet!!!! Arghhhhh!!!
 
Anyone who knows the Lord of the Rings story - well Sean found Gollum - his FREAKY red eyes scurrying about in the water "my preciousesssss". But just to pass the time in the dark there are the aboriginal killing stories to keep you warm.
 
Prison Boab Tree
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Yes they used to keep Aboriginal prisoners in here (40degC)

At the end of the 750m walk is a fresh water pool great for swimming and gaining your composure for your walk back through the cave. If walking with a torch was bad enough we met a couple in the dark asking us which way they were suposed to go and if we wouldn't mind shining our torches on a couple of things for them since their lighter wasn't cutting it? Yikes! (P.S. those were Sherrys thoughts)
 
Back on the road we drove through Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek (both no stoppers!) on to Kununurra. This was the first time we drove at night. We were strongly advised not to drive at night. The kangaroo night danger is supposed to be way worse than our moose - because they hop right out at you and do not turn away. But seriously we had no other choice we either drive in the dark for 1 hour or stop on the side of the road - in the desert and get EATEN?? by whatever. We survived and only "saw" a huge bull with horns on the side of the road.
Maybe we will talk about the cows now - these cattle stations on the highway are about 1 million acres big - and they basically have wild cows which are so skinny - they have to travel 1 million acres looking for food and water - which explains why the Oz beef is so lean. (one cow per 10 acres).

Kunnanara - Our Favourite Camp Site
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Proud "Big Four" Members

Kununurra is one of those little towns that people are forced to stop in because there is nowhere else. But we heard about the Barramundi fishing here so we made it a point to stop. Barramundi are the big fresh water fish here (like our Bass except they fight like hell)! You fish them with light gear, open face reels, 6' rods. They hang out at the bottom on snags and to hook one you have to let it run with the bait for a bit so it can switch the bait around in its mouth. Once you have one you know it! It trys to snag you up in the trees and if that doesn't work out of the water they come, jumping - dancing and shaking their head.
 

"Trust me I'm only Sleeping"
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Coolest part is being a freshwater fish found in rivers and streams there are no sharks to watch for only Crocs!! There was a cold snap so the banks were riddled with crocs trying to warm up. Three on a log - five along the bank - partialy submerged - totally out of the water - out in the open and some hid from site. People in the boat would point at one and still you couldn't find it. As you went by in the boat the small ones (10' or less) would jump in and be gone as quick as that. The big ones 16footers and the 18-20ftr didn't move!

Like we said there was a cold snap so the fishing wasn't the best. These fish swim in water 40degC(110F) for most of the year. We both landed some and all was fine untill.... the last stop 30min remaining we put an 8" mullot on Seans line and hunted the big guys! 15 min left people are snagging up there lines one guy hasnt caught anything other than catfish or angler-fish(the ones that spit at the bugs to knock em off the leaves) 5 min left time to wind em up and Seans line starts to run out. It was decided that we would let the big bait go for a while!
 
Dying to set the "two handed bass master" Evens taught him he waits - watches about 6' of line go out and BAM!!  sets "full on"  - but the fish didn't move??? The reel smashed his wrist over - the cracking of his wrist made everyone think the rod broke. Still the nothing moving???
 
Sean had caught the biggest tree in OZ everyone laughing... untill the line started to screem out! One hand on the rod to hold it up and the other to reel in was the idea but it wasn't working. Both hands to pull up with the base of the rod digging into Sean's side was the only option. Pull the rod up and then wind down over and over again only to have the fish pull the line back off the reel. The biggest fear is the branch that is sticking out of the water - the guide yelling "move him out from the shore" and "keep the rod tip up" and there was the occasional "hurry up and wind it in!"
 
All of a sudden like a rocket the fish heads towards the boat and then straight out of the water! Holy f!@*!! How big was that? Again and again the fish is catapolting completely out of the water splashing and running...  everyone is so excited and as the spalshes of the last jump settles - all look to the front of the boat only to notice Sean lying on the bow of the boat...
 
No more tension in the line!!!!!
 
To say the least it was all they could do to drag sean out of there, and had it not been for a million Crocs he might of jumped and hung out on shore. But there was also the option of coming back the next day!!!

Meet "Black Jack" our guide
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82cm - 18lb Barra
As we headed across into the Northern Territory we we were trying to decide how much time we would spend in this area. Our options were Katherine and Darwin or head for the East Coast. There are world class gorges(Katherine Gorge) and water falls but to see it all would of taken a few days (700km) and by then Sean had been all gorged out. Plus the thought of seeing other travellers was apealling at this time.

Sherry Leaving Sean in Katherine Gorge
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As we drove across this area we did see some amazing views of red mountains and beautiful sunsets. As Katherine gorge and Mataranka were on the way we did spend some time exploring. We rented a canoe in Katherine and paddled and hiked up the gorge and ate lunch out on one of the points. Sean went swimming to see if we could make it any further up the gorge but we were at our limit.
 
 
Funniest thing was when we aproached the canoe rental station! There was loud noices in the bushes that we just assumed were the Cokatoo's and other load birds, but were very freeked to find that the noise was coming from hordes of BATS!!! The trees were black with bats screeching and shitting everywhere! It turns out that they were "Flying Foxes" big black bodies with red furry faces - and loud! Only in Oz is this ignored???

Mataranka was cool! You are in this tropical wet land setting - you walk down these short foot paths and come to the most wonderful clear blue and warm springs imaginable. They say jump in at the entrance point and let the current take you through the jungle and to the next point??? Yah it is jungle! Weeds and cob webs and the biggest spiders ever hanging over the river - I dont think so! But where the ladders were it was amazing, sand bottom warn fresh water very mystical.

Now picture this - you are in the middle of the biggest island in the world and you want to see something other than lost cows and dry barren lands. We agree- you find a way and get out! We drove acorss the outback Mataranka to Townsville Queensland(2400kms) in less than two days. The original plan was to head to Brisbane to find jobs but??? We were just too close and we needed to explore the Great Barrier Reef!!!  Whats another couple of weeks?

Sean getting cozy with his cute friend.
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Cute but stinky!

We went to an amazing Aussie animal Sanctuary called the Billabong Sanctuary outside Townsville. They have every type of Australia animal that you can touch and hold close up. They do wild crocodile feedings. It was a cool experience to say the least with some adrenaline rushes and some cuddly creatures. We got to visit with wombats, lizards, pythons, turtles, crocs, cassowaries, kangaroos and flying foxes. We actually had a 3 meter python wrapped around our necks - what kind of rush is that - maybe a yucky one!!!
EYuck!
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Hurry take the picture !!