Kununurra (By Simon)

Reaching Kununurra was another milestone for both Liz and I. Liz had visited Kununurra with her Uncle Merv when she was 16 and had many fond memories of the area and I had come to Kununurra several times for work, testing vehicles in hot weather conditions. It was great to finally visit together so we could see and share the place together.

After some quick maintenance on the cruiser (hand brake had adjusted itself with all the corrugations - thanks for the advice Andy) we were off to see the sights of Kununurra.

It should not have come as a surprise but Kununurra has changed alot since we were both here last. A lot more houses, a lot more tourists and gone are the melon farms and fresh produce that you could buy on the side of the road (most replaced by Sandalwood, but more on that later).

Zebra Rock Gallery:
The gallery showcases a lot of the items fashioned out of the brown and white stripped rock that is only found in the Kununurra region (sorry I don't have any photo's but we have a piece to bring home). However, the main attraction for us was the fish feeding. Throw a crumb of bread off the jetty and the water boils with Catfish... the kids loved it!

Kununurra Diversion Dam:
We visited the Diversion Dam at day and night... during the day to see the massive amount of water flowing through the gates (built to handle up to 57,000 m3 of water per second) and at night to search for crocodiles (their yellow eyes glow eerily in the torch light).

Sunset at Kelly's Knob:
No visit to Kununurra is complete without watching a sunset from Kelly's Knob, a tall rocky outcrop looking over the town centre.

It is only from up on Kelly's Knob that you can appreciate how green and fertile Kununurra is compared to its dry surroundings (thanks to Lake Argyle and the Ord River irrigation scheme).

Ivanhoe Crossing:
Last time I was here I was able to drive across Ivanhoe crossing which was a "heart in mouth" moment... driving across a slippery concrete causeway, water rushing under the car and a 3 foot drop on one side into the Ord River. Unfortunately they have closed the crossing and placed a big boulder on the road. Not sure why??

The Sandalwood Factory:
As mentioned previously over the last 15 years more than 60% of Kununurra's farmland had been converted from fruit and vegetables to Indian Sandalwood. At the Sandalwood factory we learnt about the parasitic tree which is one of the world's most prized fragrant timbers and whose oil is used in cosmetics around the globe (Sandalwood is dubbed "Wooden Gold")..


The Hoochery:
This rustic rum distillery located on the outskirts of Kununurra is making a name for itself on the international stage recently winning some prestigious awards for it's Ord River Rum. Liz tried a tasting paddle of some of their finest (I wasn't allowed to include the "after" picture).

Travel Log:
Halls Creek to Kununurra: 358 km
Total Trip: 11,888  km