Two Kununurra boat trips

am. Lake Argyle cruise

pm. Ord River cruise, back to Kununurra 

These are cryptic notes: no time to edit them today, Sunday, as it’s been a very full day!

Jacanas “Jesus birds” walk on lily pads.

Jacanas near our camp early this morning.

Ord irrigation scheme

Diversion dam built to supply water for irrigation 

Failure of cotton crop

Tried rice next magpie goose attack trampled rice so it was impossible to harvest

Alternative crops being tried by Asian and German workers in mid 80’s became very successful in broad acre farming incl: Chickpeas, chia, which can be transported to market without deterioration in the tropical climate; also sugar cane but prices crashed and it folded.

Project sea dragon prawn farming venture about to take off. 

Controlled burns mitigation burns very controversial  Baby boabs don’t survive a fire. Boabs store lots of water in their fat trunks. Can save a life.

Kapok flowers pods pop open with white fluff.

Bus trip as far as

Lake Argyle Caravan Park and Village.

400 pax last night

Bowerbird Nest


Dam Wall

Level of water 90m above sea level

2011 wet season very high flood level

101.36n AHD

LOWEST level 78.58 AHD Jan 1991

Set off on boat trip on Lake Argyle (Lunch Cruise).

Kite nest have gdsight most common raptor on the planet can look for creatures  fleeing from fires, have really excellent eyesight.

Hydro power plant from hydro turbines 

Completed 1987.

Golden orb spider so strong web can be used in heart surgery.

Fed fish with stale bread : bottle nosed catfish appeared, fighting off smaller fish for the food. Also saw some sm wallabies coming down a cliff to see us.

Lunch: silver cobbler on BBQ w salads and CHAMPAGNE- that was a lunch!! After a swim in the lake. There were no freshies seen till we got out and a sm one was sighted 100 m away.

Then onto the Triple J Tours downstream on the Ord River, (below the dam wall) .dropping 15 m en route.

#ordsome

White bellied sea eagles flying around.

More bird species since the two dams were built. Then the cane toads arrived and killed off some species.

Triple J skipper: we went on his boat 20 years ago. He told us not to eat all the hard boiled eggs at lunch! He remembered this when I told him.

Very fast trip on the river: almost like shooting the rapids. River is fairly narrow and quite winding.

Black flying fox colony. Hang by their toes. They are mammals, with hands and feet with 5 digits, a bit like humans.

Crab eye poisonous plant at afternoon tea stop; pumpkin scones and pawpaw for us, without any poison:

Crocodile trap to keep salties out of the lake: on spillway creek. Baited with wallaby carcass.

Wow what a day!