Home Valley Station

Sunday 21 July 2013

Home Valley Station

Up at the usual time at Drysdale River Station – last night was the coldest that we have experienced and all of us had our sleeping bags zipped up. It was a big change from what we had experienced to date especially the balmy weather at McGowan’s. It was a nice change to experience some cooler weather – whilst it was cold; there was very little dew on the canvas this morning. Breakfast was cereal, milk, coffee and we finished off the last of the raisin bread for toast. The pack up proceeded smoothly and was completed quickly as we did not erect the annex – only in location for one night. Before we departed, Paul could not get a green light from the battery controller so the problems with the trailer battery charging continue. Yesterday we found the trailer plug had worked loose and was dragging on the ground. Unfortunately the cover was worn off and the wires exposed. Paul has done his best to keep it running using up quantities of gaffer tape to provide protection and to stop it falling off. We decided to depart anyway as the fridge ran cold over night so it would stay cool for most of the day.

I drove the 59km from Drysdale to the intersection of the Gibb and Kalumburu Road and Robert took over driving duties. The Gibb is quite corrugated and rocky so much care was needed to prevent damage to the tyres and underside of the vehicle and trailer. Unfortunately we lost a telescopic strut on the trailer as it came out of its ball joint and was dragging on the ground. A vehicle that passed us alerted us to what had happened. The strut on the other side of the trailer had already died on the drive to Derby but was still connected to the trailer. Both of these will need to be replaced ASAP as they aid greatly with opening and closing the trailer hardtop. The scenery during the drive was quite picturesque and I took several photos as we were driving – I had the front passenger seat so I was able to do this. We stopped along the track for a break and bite to eat – this being a cold soft drink, a pear each and two biscuits each. Paul is still having problems adjusting to the minimal lunches but he is hanging in there.

Lunch

(Note Lucy - cleanshaven at last)

We continued on our journey with Paul driving the remainder of the distance into Home Valley. Today we covered a distance of 260 km from Drysdale - one of the longer stretches we have tackled in a day. The Nissan has performed admirably and has been a pleasure to drive on these roads or should I say goat tracks. It is a shame that the trailer fittings have not been up to standard – the underside or independent suspension has been brilliant and has ridden the corrugation extremely well – much better than any single axle trailer. Also the dust seals on all of the openings, other than the battery compartment, have worked well and have managed to keep the dust out of all the key areas including our sleeping area.

The scenery driving through the Cockburn Ranges was simply stunning as the photos will attest.

Lookout to Cockburn Ranges

Three amigos

 

Evening views

Views of the ranges

Sunset over ranges

We arrived at Home Valley Station around 2pm and right from the start we were immediately impressed by the place. Someone has spent a lot of money building the infrastructure – the place caters for all levels of tourists from the top end eco style accommodation and conference facilities right down to basic camping sites on the Pentecost River. You just need to watch out for saltwater crocs! We have decided to pay for a powered site so that we can recharge the trailer battery and run the fridge without having to rely on the generator, which makes a nice change. The powered site cost us $20 while each of us was required to pay $17 a head for the night. I believe the cost is warranted as I have just used the ablutions and they were fantastic. Water that ran hot and cold with varying water pressure, a flushing toilet that works and a basin with a mirror all in the one cubicle. The design is brilliant.

 

Twin boabs at Homevalley campground

 

This evening we decided to visit the Dusty Bar and Grill and booked in for 6pm. It was a bit of a milestone for us – whilst we are still on the Gibb, the worst of the road conditions is now behind us. We are only about 100km from Wyndham and our next step is El Questro, some 45km away. Yes the hard yards have been done!  Just as well as I am not sure if the trailer could have endured much more. A couple of ales were just the start that we needed after being on the dry for so long. Rob enjoyed a slab of barramundi – I say slab because it was huge, Paul had some dainty chicken breast pieces and I had the Home Valley lamb with mashed pumpkin and potato, broccoli and carrots. We had to top off our delicious dinner with sticky date pudding and ice-cream although Rob held back – he heard that word would likely get back to Lee and did not want to incur her wrath. I am most impressed by his discipline when it comes to eating or should I say not eating certain items of food. Enough said!

We are all looking forward to visiting El Questro tomorrow and of course our week stay in Kununurra. Cheers for now.