Once Bitten

I'm not willing to risk life and limb on the Gibb River Road again so in the morning I tell Dave I'm going straight to Kununurra. He's still keen to visit El Questro, no matter the road conditions. I wish I had his confidence. We agree to meet in Kununurra in two days time; if he isn't there by then I alert the authorities! Dave sets off early. It's a short ride from Wyndham to Kununurra so despite my relaxed start I'm there before lunchtime.

Kununurra is famous for the Ord River Dam which created an enormous man-made lake, Lake Argyle. I have to see this so I take the 70km (!) scenic drive to the lookout. It's an absolutely brilliant road leading off the highway. It winds through gigantic stone formations, towering above me like skyscrapers. In the distance I see the faces of the ranges surrounding the lake, though I still haven't seen any water. I pull into the Lake Argyle caravan park and there's a sign pointing up an extremely steep incline, promising a lookout of the lake and dam.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but I wasn't prepared for this. It looks like an ocean. The water stretches beyond the horizon, perfectly calm, an irridescent blue. The dam is so tiny! It's a mere pile of pebbles compared to the lake. The Ord River flows out beyond the dam, snaking through the steep gorges. It's quite a sight. It doesn't feel like an ocean though; there are no waves, no sand, no noise. It's sterile. I'm impressed but I don't feel like hanging around.

I roll back into town and head for the caravan park. Dave walks out of reception just as I pull into the driveway. He found the corrugations and river crossings into El Questro to be too much, so he turned back after visiting Emma's Gorge. This works out great; I've seen everything I want to see in Kununurra so tomorrow we can get moving again.