Sunday, 3 to Monday, 4 August 2014                                                                 214.6kms

On Sunday we headed into town for ice-creams and a play at Celebrity Tree park for Elokin and Hendrix given that it is Sunday and all. We then headed back to Ivanhoe Crossing where we set up, had lunch and stayed for the night as we had phone reception, internet and its free.

Rang on Monday morning and managed to get booked in for a new windscreen at 10am. Arrived right on time at Kununurra Smash Repairs and O’Brien Windscreens. Paula and Brendan gave us heaps of useful local information about the Keep River, so it is decided that we will head there this afternoon. Elokin and Hendrix got to do their school work in Paula and Brendan’s treehouse while we waited for the windscreen to be fitted.

We found Brumby’s bakery and enjoyed pies for lunch. Gas refills are cheaper at Home Hardware, only $36 for 9kg. The local bakery is the best place for bread as it is $4 per loaf.

On the Weber Plain Road, which is the way to Keep River, we found diesel cheaper than the Gull that we thought was the cheapest. We will definitely be filling up there on the way back. The countryside along this road is very agricultural, but has a spectacular rugged mountain range running alongside it that lights up vibrant red in the afternoon sun. Both Nath and I discovered that this place is very captivating and somewhere that we could easily lose a lot of time.

At some point we crossed the WA/NT border as the Keep River is in NT. We arrived at the causeway on the Keep and drove over it to have a look. We then turned around as our turnoff is before the river on the sweeping bend.

 

On the way to find a camp spot along the river towards the mouth, I could hear a funny noise coming from the rear tyre. As the sun was getting low, I decided it wasn’t worth stopping to check. When I finally got out of the car to check out a creek bed to see if it was dry to cross, I discovered that the tyre was leaking air as we had slashed the side wall. Every time the weight of the vehicle went onto the slash, it opened and air came out. When it went up again, it stopped, so effectively it was a slow leak. We found a spot that was grassy and a good distance away from the river and stopped to check it out. By now the tyre was almost completely flat and the sun had set, so either way, this spot would do for tonight.

 

Until next time…. Happy and Safe Travels.