1998
Lionel the Landcruiser
and Tap-Tap go Walkabout

Bungle Bungle formations, Piccaninny.

Done it again and left it two days before writing, but yesterdays walk took it out of the poor humans so I let them get some sleep. The pair of them got a bit dehydrated during the walk 'cos we only have a couple of 1.5l bottles to carry water in - except the two big 25l containers which I carry around for them. When they got back they looked very relieved to see me there with the water I can tell you.

But I'm getting ahead of myself again. Right now we are camping at Kalkarindji Roadhouse on the Dagoragu Aboriginal Land Trust, a nice little place with a really fun general store - full of interesting bits and pieces. The humans have had a shower (not before time if you ask me) and we've settled down for the night. The flies here turned out to be a lot cleverer than the flying things at the last camp site, 'cos our patent fly shield (the mozzie net over my open back doors) only seemed to act as a trap to get more of them in. Oh well, it will still work for the night ones that get attracted to the light when we cook in the dark.

So, if that's where we are now, how did we get here and what happened in the meantime. Well, yesterday was a later start than usual 'cos we went for pancakes for breakfast (to try to get lots of energy for the walk). The old shake-and-pour stuff goes quite well, but is a bit hard o cook on the Trangia meths stove as that is either full on or off and a medium heat is a bit of a prob. Still, we were off before most people were out of their beds, especially as we were still on Central time which is one and a half hours ahead of WA time (must be hard for these people here - sun-up around 5 and set about 4.30 at the moment). Another nice drive to the start of the walk with one bit where I needed to go into low range to get across a steep rocky creek bed.

In Piccaninny - Hild with her treasured stick for getting rid of cobwebs, flies and other annoying things (Duck Rob!!).

After they had drunk a bit of water to get fully hydrated at the start, I waved them off at 9 down a creek bed towards Cathedral Gorge. They didn't go down that one (thinking they could have a look when they came back - some chance) but carried on down Piccaninny creek. This creek bed varies between sandy, pebbly, rocky and channels gouged deep into the bed rock. Not an easy walk but lots of variety. The thing is that it winds a lot so the temptation was to cut corners - but that meant traipsing cross-country through spinifex covered bush. This stuff is really sharp and is not easy to walk through without a path so either way walking is hard work.

Lunch at Piccaninny Basecamp - Ah, cooling off those hot feet!

Of course this is missing the point about walking in Purnulu National Park - what we are all (and there are a lot of people here) here for is the Bungle Bungle mounds. These are a fascinating formation of beehive like mounds with lots of stripes around them. They are made of a rather soft sandstone with a mineralised layer protecting them from erosion. Where this layer is damaged, the sandstone it washed away which results in their really quite unnatural appearance. There are lots of pictures (and a lot of aeroplanes flying overhead for aerial shots) but being in among them is something else. A tough walk but worth it.

Now that is a washed out creek bed!

The usual thing is for people to walk into Piccaninny gorge one day, camp overnight and then walk back out. "cos we only 3 litres of carryable water, our plan was to walk until the first bottle was gone then turn round. Well, after a bit less than three hours walking Hild and Rob were pretty knackered so they had lunch and finished off the first water bottle. They had walked past the 'elbow' but are not too sure just how far past it 'cos the only maps were very poor photocopies and anyway were still at the carpark with me!

The walk back was a real slog. By now (just after midday) it was really hot - probably over 30 centigrade and they were both pretty sweaty. It is noticeable how few photos were taken on the return compared with the way out and how little they made notes into the tape recorder! Anyway, they made it back in a bit less than two and a half hours - and certainly did not feel like the extra 3 k to go into Cathedral Gorge!

Rob doing a 'David Attenborough'! - Talking to Termites.

The one bit that made them feel better was the response of the Ranger back at the little shop. They went back there to sign in (the Rangers have a book where walkers sign in before they go so that they know how many bodies to look for at the end of the year) and when the girl asked why we were back so soon we said we had been in and out in one day. She reckoned that that was a pretty fair job - even if we didn't go all the way up to the upper reaches. Some people spend a couple of days in there exploring all the little 'fingers' but you have to be a real walking nut to want to do them all - you can see most of the stuff in the first few km and the rest is just showing how fir you are. You certainly need plenty of water 'cos it is very dry in there at this time of year.

now for day ten.....