To Ningaloo Reef

A day around Exmouth

Security (from LJ): usemask

Updated my personal log for our trip from Broome to Marble Bar, Western Australia. It's at http://www.marmot.net/2002au/2002-08/log/default.htm?Log_2002-0819.htm

I must say while this was a pretty boring drive... and I was kind of feeling snotty when I wrote it... the four days since then have been anything but boring. The Pilbara region of Western Australia is much more interesting than the Kimberley... yet it's treated as a poor second cousin to the heavily promoted Kimberley. The Pilbara has much more dramatic mountains and gorges, with lots of …

To Exmouth

To Karijini National Park

XXX

To Marble Bar

Pearls and dinosaur prints

A down day in Broome

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Often, we've been comparing our travels in Australia with other travels we've done. It's something everyone does—we weren't the ones to invent the analogy that "Sydney is just like San Francisco". But some people think that Chris and I do it just a bit too much, and are too harsh on Australia, not accepting it on its own terms, and always comparing it to the US.

Perhaps. But there are three factors at work here.

The first is simple: Australia is very different to anywhere else in the world. It's sparsely settled, often hot and …

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I've come to realize that whenever Chris and I open our mouths, most Aussies mistake us for Canadians. At first, I thought they were just being polite, like the Kiwis, by asking "Are you Canadian?" But then (silly me) I realized they weren't being polite, they were being serious, and when we tell them we're from California, most seem relieved. "Ah, they say, you didn't sound like a Yank!"

I'm wondering what mischief we can get into with this... could we, pretending to be Canadians, ignite an argument over national cricket teams? Or maybe something like …

To the Horizontal Waterfalls and Cape Leveque

In Broome, WA

Getting out of the Kimberley. Enough.

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The flies in Western Australia are amazing! Here's a picture of Chris' back.

Comments

nfotxn

August 14 2002, 05:04:54

Wow, that's a lotta flies!

beardoc

August 14 2002, 06:43:25

65, in fact.

haenck

August 14 2002, 06:46:31

It looks like they are getting ready to try to spell out something.

Or, possibly do 'the wave'.

XXX

To El Questro on the Gibb River Road

Sunday in Kununurra. yawn

We wait until Monday in Kununurra

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Well... we've had our first big mechanical problem. After 35000km (at least 5000km of that on dirt roads), one of the power steering hoses went out. And it happened on a late Thursday afternoon. And it happened in the Bungle Bungles, a good six hours away from the nearest town, three of which are by a rough dirt road. We weren't going to give up our helicopter ride over the Bungles, though. It was very much worth it; the Bungles are spectacular, right up there with Uluru.

So we didn't leave the Bungles until mid morning …

Flying over the Bungle Bungles

To Purnululu NP and the Bungle Bungles

Into the Kimberley

Heading west from Darwin towards the Kimberleys

Relaxing day in Darwin