We break up the trip from Darwin to Kununurra with a night in Katherine. Having spent time here on the way into Darwin we don't feel the need to sight see, so its basically just a stopover point.
The drive to Kununurra crosses the border between the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and with a good 510 kilometres ahead of us we decide an early start is the best approach. The mornings are cooler, which is quite a big factor in this part of the world where the temperatures can be very high. The airconditioning in the campervan has really taken a battering since we arrived in the more northerly reaches of Australia!
The road takes you past the Gregory National Park, where the tropical and the semi arid regions of the Northern Territory meet and create an interesting landscape contrast. Our sights are set firmly on our destination though, and we do not stop although many tourists do call in at this park.
Crossing into Western Australia we enter into the remote and rugged Kimberley region, a huge expansive area famous for its gorges and its inacessibility! The total population of the Kimberleys is only about 25 000, and there are only 3 towns with more than 2000 people. The Gibb River Road is the adventurous route, an unsealed road only accessible by 4WD that takes you right through the heart of the region. We go the conventional way though, as our camper is a 2WD and the whole concept of the Gibb River Road just seems a little adventurous with two kids on board, especially as much of it is inaccessible in the wet.
We pull into Kununurra around lunchtime, and checked into the Kununurra Town Caravan Park which is centrally located in town, just a stones throw away from shops etc. The owners are helpful and informative when it comes to attractions in the area.
The thing you need to bear in mind is that nothing lies close in this part of the world- any attraction you want to see is likely to be a solid couple of hours drive away at least. The Purnululu National Park is one such far-lying attraction, but this does not stop many tourists visiting it to see the infamous Bungle Bungle Ranges. These consist of world heritage listed large sandstone domes that are striped with strips of red and grey rocks, not unlike large beehives. Only accessible by four wheel drive, we had to give this tempting spot a skip!
Instead we visited the Keep River National Park, which is located 51 kilometres east of town, where sealed roads lead to all the major attractions. There are some impressive Aboriginal rock paintings at the Nganalam Art Site, and there are some great geological features throughut the park. There are camping sites too, and we over-nighted in one of these where there was drinking water available.
Back in Kununurra, our son got wind of Lake Argyle, a large lake an hours drive south of town. He is a fishing nut,and we could not get away without a daytrip to try our luck with the large barramundi. The day was a success- the lake is gorgeous and the fishing was world class. We hired a boat, and even saw a couple of gnarly old crocs! It was a nice relaxing time before we set off on the next leg of our journey to Halls Creek.

Our next leg takes us 360 kilometres south west to the small township of Halls Creek, a four hour drive in our motorhome that we found easy and trouble free. There was not much to see en route, just the standard bush scenery we have become very accustomed to now. Halls creek has a population of about 1300 people, 80% of which is Aboriginal, so it is an interesting place to visit. Its proximity to Wolfe Creek Crater, which was featured in a recent movie of the same name, has seen a surge of interest in the town by tourists, and it has become something of a feature on people's travels. We planned to spend a couple of nights here but no more, as the call of the West Australian coastline is strong and we want to traverse its length while it is still summer!
We booked our camper into the Halls Creek Caravan Park, which had all the facilities we needed and a swimming pool as well. There are information and booking facilities here, and a small supermarket with basic supplies.
The Wolfe Creek Crater is about a three and a half hour drive from Halls Gap, and apparently there is not much more than the crater to see, so we decided to give it a skip, put off by the long drive. Instead we visited Sawpit Gorge, which is a 41 kilometre drive south of Halls Creek and is also known as Sawtooth Gorge. The towering walls of the gorge were created by the Black Elvire cutting its way through a weakened ridge in the land. The spot where most people come and spend time has a large rock pool bordered by beach like sand and surrounded by tranquil shady trees. Its safe for swimming and the cool waters provide welcome relief from the heat. We took a picnic lunch, and were able to enjoy it in the shade and spend the rest of the day walking, swimming and exploring before heading back to Halls Creek.
Another of the mina attractions in Halls Creek is known as the China Wall. Situated 6 kilometres north of the town, this is a natural white stone wall that looks remarkably similar to the Great Wall of China, hence its name! Formed by a resistant vein of quartz rock projecting above the other rock, the wall winds its way over tens of kilometres. At one spot there is a large rock pool in the shade of some trees, which makes a good place to have a picnic. Just outside of town, the Wall is a good place to visit if you have a couple of hours to kill.
We found Halls Creek to be a friendly town, if not a little desolate and remote, but that just comes with the territory I guess! A couple of restful nights were had here, and now we are looking ahead to our next leg, which will take us to the beautiful town of Broome.