Hi-dee-hi campers!

Today’s blog post is an adventure ‘sans’ Charlie. He is back in Frog Hollow pining for me (I think) as much as I am pining for him. And where, pray tell, be I? Why I am at Yiramalay School, which is a boarding High School around 80kms south of Fitzroy Crossing in the land of Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge. I am here with the entire school and their families, around 40 of us altogether. We set off en-convoy yesterday around 9:30am and arrived here just after 4pm. This included 2 stops; Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing.

Journey was pretty cruisy and my 3, then 4 passengers were all very well behaved. Thank the gods (same ones as previous blog), Big Bessie made it here in one piece.

The school itself is around 10 years old and it’s pretty well laid out. Dorms for students, massive kitchen, great big glamping tents which are used as rooms, lots of grass to play on – really nice and our hosts are wonderful.

Today a few staff members and some of the High School students led the way to Windjana Gorge – about 60kms away from the school. May I just say (and I know I own a 4WD and I’m currently living in the Kimberley so by default the following statement makes me a freak) but I really, well and truly, unequivocally, no shadow of a doubt DO NOT LIKE 4-WHEEL-POXY-DRIVING! At any moment I think Big Bessie is going to have all her bits fall off! Bumpy, waterways, then rocks, then windy, then bumpy again, dust, dust, dust and more dust – really not my idea of fun. Oh and to top it all then we had a random day of rain so on the way back it was slippy-slidy as well (black mud is the worst) oh and THEN a massive 4WD tourist bus splashes half the red Kimberley dirt on my beautiful Big Bessie…tuh, RUDE. No manners. The whole way there and especially coming back my heart is in my mouth and my stomach is as hard as a rock from tensing it. Not loving it. I’d much rather be on a sealed road with my beautiful Prince Charles beside me. Speaking of my beautiful boy, I made a solemn declaration to him before I left that I would never leave him overnight again. I just can’t cope.

Made it to Windjana Gorge and it was beautiful. Children had a play around, big feed was cooked up; sausages, steaks, all wrapped up in a slice of bread (I had to suffice with crackers as us vegetarians, well actually one vegetarian, is just too hard). Saw one fresh water crocodile in the distance and that was it. I was really looking forward to seeing whole lot of them but alas t’was not meant to be.

Phone reception here is non-existent and wifi drops in and out/pretty ordinary, but I am pleased to report I am alive and well and thankful I am not bumping around in Big Bessie anymore. Enjoy the photos.