Land Ho! Our first day in the Kimberley region!
Our day began early with anticipation of exploring this remote and lovely part of Australia. Some of us would travel by fast boat to explore the treasures of the Ord River, while others would fly in light planes to take in the vast scenery of the Kimberley including the Bungle Bungles.
The Ord River hosts an amazing abundance of wildlife, and the riverboat Peregrine with Captain Grant was the perfect way to travel this unique habitat. Our excursion navigated over 30 miles of river between Lake Kununurra formed with the Diversion Dam in 1963, and Lake Argyle created with the construction of an enormous wall completed in 1972.
This stretch of river between these two dams maintains a year round flow of fresh water released from Lake Argyle. The result is that flora and fauna miss the stress of the dry season and flourish year round. As an example, there are an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 freshwater crocodiles on this stretch of the river. We saw literally dozens, ranging from newly hatched to full size adults approaching 10 feet.
Bird life also takes advantage of the constant flow of water. We observed Australian pelican, osprey, white-bellied sea eagle, multiple species of egrets and herons, darter, whiskered tern, comb-crusted jacana, purple swamphen with chicks, and numerous flycatchers and bee-eaters. Three species were sighted including two types of flying foxes, and a good look at short-eared rock wallabies. Mammals were represented by two species of flying foxes, and a sighting of short-eared rock wallabies. Consistent water brings an abundance of wildlife to this river.
The flyers were treated to the site of the incredible sandstone formations known as The Bungle Bungle. These striking beehive dome-shaped sandstone towers lie at the heart of Purnululu National Park that was founded in 1987. The Bungle Bungle is exceedingly remote and only became known to Europeans in 1983. Prior to that only Aboriginal people and a few stockmen knew its secret.
Whether by plane or riverboat we have penetrated deeply into the heart of the Kimberley. A grand introduction for what is to come. Stay tuned dear reader for more exciting news from one of the most remote regions in all of Australia...
