Powered by Twitter Tools

“Nothing Like Australia” encouraged ordinary people to submit their images of their favourite Australian experiences. This was a clever way to involve the most important people in showcasing some of the best and quite often, lesser known, Australian tourism experiences.

The website received over 29,000 entries and it was whittled down to just 8 finalist. One of these finalist was West Australia’s very own Purnululu National Park or Bungle Bungles as it is also known. The photo entry describes:

“There’s nothing like the echo of people singing in Cathedral Gorge, the Bungle Bungles. Everyone has a go…” submitted by Brian Dullaghan, Newstead, TAS

The Bungle Bungles is located in the Eastern part of the Kimberley region, with Kununurra and Halls Creek being the closest towns. The National Park covers nearly 240,000 hectacres and the Range rises up to 578 metres above sea level and stands 200 to 300 metres above a woodland and grass-covered plain, with steep cliffs on the western face – it is magificent to see from both the ground and the air. Even though it has been home to indigenous Australians for many years, few Europeans knew about this amazing phenomena until the mid to late 1980’s. It was then World Heritage listed in 2003. The National Park is home to Echidna Chasm, Picaninny Gorge and of course Cathedral Gorge as shown in the campaign entry. There are some fantastic bush walks or visitors can opt to take a chopper flight from inside the park, or from Warmun (Turkey Creek) or a scenic fixed wing flight from Kununurra.

“Purnululu” means sandstone in the Kija Aboriginal language. The name Bungle Bungle comes either from the corruption of an Aboriginal name for the area, or from a misspelling of one of the common Kimberley grasses found here, bundle bundle grass.

In addition to how it got its name, the other most popular question about the Bungles is: how did this remarkable landscape come about? The distinctive beehive-shaped towers of the Bungle Bungle are made up of sandstones and conglomerates (rocks composed mainly of pebbles and boulders and cemented together by finer material). These sedimentary formations were deposited into the Ord Basin 375 to 350 million years ago, when active faults were altering the landscape. To the north of what is now the Bungle Bungle Range, uplift occurred along the Osmond Fault to create the Osmond Range, and to the west took place along the Halls Creek Fault. Streams and rivers eroded these ancient highlands and at their edges slopes were steep and the energy in the streams and rivers was high, allowing them to carry large boulders and dump them at the foot of the scarp. Such boulder conglomerates can today be seen in the walls of Echidna Chasm. Most of the rocks in the Bungle Bungle Range, however, were formed from sand deposited further from the highlands by lower-energy braided rivers flowing across broad plains in open valleys. As more sand accumulated, the older channels consolidated to form sandstone.

The distinctive beehive-shaped landforms seen today have been produced by uplift and erosion during the last 20 million years. Contrary to its solid appearance, the sandstone is extremely fragile. The weight of overlying rock holds the sand grains in place, but when this is removed, the sandstones are easily eroded and the rounded tops reflect this lack of internal strength. Water flowing over the surface will exploit any weaknesses or irregularities in the rock, such as cracks or joints, and rapidly erodes the narrow channels that separate the towers.

One of the most obvious features of the sandstones is the alternating orange and black or grey banding. The darker bands are on the more permeable layers of rock (which means water is able to move through them with relative ease). They allow moisture to seep through to the rock surface, promoting a dark algal growth. The less permeable layers in between are covered with a patina of iron and manganese staining, creating the orange bands. These outer coatings (the rock beneath is a whitish colour) help to protect the lower parts of the towers from erosion. (source: www.dec.gov.au)

Channel Seven Reveal the campaign winner

So back to the campaign…
The eight finalist experiences were shown on a special Channel 7 show ‘Holiday Hot Spots’ culminating in the winning entry being announced…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

...and the winner is...

“There’s nothing like going on the back of a camel at dawn to see the sunrise in the heart of my beloved Australia – Uluru”. Rookie Alvarez, Condell Park, NSW

This final leg took Doug and the boys from Broome up the Dampier Peninsula to Beagle Bay and Middle Lagoon ending at Kooljamen at Cape Leveque. The three were guided by Neville Poelina, a local indigenous identity who’s knowledge of the area is second to none and runs his own cultural tourism operation in the region, Uptuyu Adventures.

Then it was time to get the adrenalin pumping with a seaplane flight from Cygnet Bay to the Horizontal Waterfalls. Aboard the jet boat the boys experienced the thrill of this natural phenomena. The Falls are located in Talbot Bay where the twin gaps (part of the McLarty Ranges) have two ridges running parallel approximately 300 metres apart.

Horizontal Waterfalls at McLarty Ranges

Aerial view of the Horizontal Waterfalls

The first gap is about 20 metres wide and the second, most spectacular, gap is about 10 metres wide. Given the region is subjected to almost 10 metres of the tidal movement, when the huge quantities of water push through these gaps, the effect is a Horizontal Waterfall.

Water rushing through the gaps

View of the gaps on the approach

Upon their return from the Falls, Nev met Doug and his passengers and took them to meet Irene, a Bardi elder and her grandson Brandon where they were shown around their hatchery where the local people are farming green turtles and Barramundi to name but a few. Joe said, given his blindness, he was very touched by how much effort everyone went to to ensure he got the full experience. Read more about the extraordinary adventure…

“…Fours seasons in one day…”
“… To change your mind as often as the weather…”
“There is no season such delight can bring, as summer, autumn, winter and the spring.” (William Browne)
“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.”
(Unknown)
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
(Mark Twain, attributed)

The weather is such a huge part of all our lives whether we like it or not. Up here in the Kimberley region, there is just no denying it!! To say the weather is unpredictable has been the hugest of understatements this year in Australia’s North West. Nowadays many would blame it on climate change, others would just blame it on the weather being the weather.

The Kimberley has a tropical climate with hot and humid summers and warm winters. There are two distinct seasons: the ‘wet’ usually from December to March and the ‘dry’ for the remainder of the year. From October to April (Wet Season) maximum temperatures average over 33°C with plenty of huimidity that is synonymous with the Tropics. By contrast the Dry Season (winter) is mild, with July average maximum and minimum temperatures being 26.9°C and 12.0°C respectively. Overnight temperatures rarely fall below 5.0°C and only fall below 10°C about once a week during July on average.

It is not uncommon for very little rain to occur for months on end but we do not generally expect it to be dry during the ‘Wet’ months and wet during the ‘Dry’ months as the median rainfall for the months of July to October is actually zero. But not this year!!

On average, over 75 % of the annual rain falls from January to March associated with the inclement weather that the region experiences during these early months. However this year, Broome experienced a meagre 6.4mm of rainfall in February! Wyndham experienced just 43mm in March which made us all a little worried about how well those waterfalls would have been flowing. However, April brought a further 92.4mm of rain to Wyndham whilst other areas of the coast experienced hundreds of millimetres of rain in May (Kuri Bay 274.7mm) – tours were interrupted, National Parks were closed – it was as if Mother Nature through the region into chaos. Nothing like a good Kimberley adventure!!

Wyndham and Broome experienced 76.6mm and 26.4mm of rain respectively in May which was quite a shock to the system after such a dry end to the Wet Season but we all did a big high 5 for the waterfalls knowing what rain was falling on the coast and here in Broome, we breathed a sigh of relief for the abrupt end to the long hot days of February and March!!

So here in Broome, just when we thought we had seen the back of the wet weather, and families rejoiced for the school holidays, Mother Nature had its revenge on parents here in Broome by sending us more than 100mm of rain by day 10 of the month!! I am sure the indoor movie theatre and accommodations were most surprised (and I daresay thankful) for the unexpected rush after the heavens opened.

But as I sit at my desk on a Tuesday afternoon, even though grateful for the rain, I am glad to see a return to what we know best this time of year, blue skies and sunshine!! The winter sun has found its way back, the races are back on and the waterfalls are topped up leaving us a lush green region to explore and enjoy. I am sure those in the Southern parts of WA and the Eastern States would give anything right now for a little Winter Sun!!

If you are planning a visit to the North West, the Staircase to the Moon happens each month between March and October. It take splace on a low spring tide and as the moon rises over Roebuck Bay, its reflection on the exposed mudflats gives the illusion of a ’staircase to the moon’. It is quite a sight to see.

As there is no more rain predicted, pop these ‘Staircase’ dates in your diary:
JULY 31st TUESDAY 6.53PM
AUGUST 1st WEDNESDAY 7.51PM
2nd THURSDAY 8.48PM

AUGUST 29th WEDNESDAY 6.37PM
30th THURSDAY 7.36PM
31st FRIDAY 8.36PM

SEPT 27th THURSDAY 6.19PM
28th FRIDAY 7.22PM
29th SATURDAY 8.28PM

OCT 26th FRIDAY 6.05PM
27th SATURDAY 7.13PM
28th SUNDAY 8.23PM

That is what Doug Slater, WA’s most famous taxi driver is doing and he is currently doing it in Broome on leg 8 – “Northern Coast Escape”. Doug is born and bred in Bunbury and is over the moon to be showcasing the state to the rest of Australia and the world! To meet the man himself click here.

This massive 11 leg taxi ride began back in early April, when Doug picked up his first passengers to explore ‘Vines, Forest, & Beaches.’ This took in Perth, Bunbury, Dunsborough, Yallingup, Margaret River, Augusta & Pemberton. This section of the taxi ride also featured on Sunrise. Click here to view the video clip from the Sunrise morning show. Then Natalie Barr, Sunrise News Reader and Bunbury girl at heart, joined leg 6, The Ningaloo Reef Adventure.

Leg 2 was the “Great Southern Explorer”, then “Perth Lifestyle”, “Natural Outback Wonders”, “Coast and Nature Spectacular”, “Ningaloo Reef Adventure”. Leg 7 was the “Karijini Discovery” and now, the taxi is driving to Broome from Port Hedland to spend the next few days before leg 9 “Australia Way” begins. Leg 10 is the “Gibb River Road” and finally leg 11, “North West Highlights”.

The 11 pairs of taxi passengers have been chosen from all over the world. Albert and his wife, Moira have joined Doug to explore the North West which will no doubt include a camel ride on Broome’s famous Cable Beach and front row seats to Broome’s first beach polo match held on Sunday afternoon.

The taxi ride will finish in mid-june following a stay an the award winning Kooljaman Wilderness Camp at Cape Leveque followed by a flight over the Horizontal Waterfalls in the Buccaneer Archipelago!! What an extraordinary way to finish the 10,000km adventure!!

The resort, a low impact and largely self-sustaining resort is just a 90 minute drive south of Broome. The resort is built to the highest environmental standards and comprises of 55 rooms made up of 25 upmarket villas and 30 deluxe safari-style tents, there is a pool area and the famous Jack’s Bar & Restaurant where you can enjoy a meal whilst over looking the breath taking coastline.

At the resort there are a range of activities for all visitors from day-trippers, corporate groups and those holidaymakers wishing to get away for a few days. According to Karl Plunkett, the resorts owner,

“We have found that many of our clients are seeking unique experiences…”

There is an amazing array of outdoor spaces where guests can chose a number of activities from canoe safaris, indigenous tours, whale watching and fishing.

If you do not have your own transport or do not wish to drive to the resort, you can hop aboard the transfer bus, or there are the options to sail or fly.

Staying at Eco Beach is a relaxing and great way to see more of the stunning North West and a fantastic option for your pre or post cruise accommodation and activities.

For more information, click here.

Beware!! Cable Beach experiences 9 metre tides which is enough to get anyone in trouble if you do not check the tide book regularly!!!

Cable Beach got its name in the late 1880’s when the new telegraph cable was established linking the colony to England providing essential communications to the outside world.

As most visitors view the beach as the home of sun, sea and (occasional) surf, The Yawuru people have been closely connected to country for thousands of years. This is perhaps best illustrated by their seasonal calendar. They recognize six climactic seasons throughout the year. The seasons are broken down according to prevailing winds, ecological cycles (such as when certain fruits are prevalent or when the dugong and kangaroo are fat) and temperature. Their connection to the landscape is as much practical as it is spiritual.

The area of ‘Minyirr Park’ that is behind the dunes of Cable Beach is a sacred site to the indigenous population. It is believed to be the site where Aboriginal people were created. It is their traditional belief that three groups of people formed by spirits came from the sea and moved inland, singing life into existence and creating language groups, tribes and sacred law and culture. Minyirr Park now boasts an interpretive site and walk the trails amongst the sand dunes where you can learn about, and respect this important connection.

Having been voted WA’s best beach in previous years, Cable Beach is now in the running to be ‘Australia’s leading beach’ at the 17th Annual World Travel Awards. Get online to view this pristine beach from the Broomecam then place your votes!!

Broome has been particularly hot over the past month with little rain falling on the town itself which makes us all feel like we are ‘goin’ troppo’!! Thankfully the rest of the Kimberley has had much more rain than here in Broome. We have had 0.6mm of rain in Broome in March so far this year compared to 76.8mm in March 2009 – I think QLD has had our share this year!! (source: www.bom.gov.au)

Broome has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons: the ‘Wet’ usually from December to March and the ‘Dry’ for the remainder of the year. If you wish to know more, the Bureau of Meteorology has a great web page describing in depth, the climatic systems experienced by the region.

In brief, from October to April maximum temperatures average over 33°C while overnight minimum are a typically warm 26°C in the summer months. By contrast winters are mild, with July average maximum and minimum temperatures being 26.9°C and 12.0°C respectively. Overnight temperatures rarely fall below 5.0°C and only fall below 10°C about once a week during July on average.

Over 75 % of the average annual rainfall falls from January to March associated with thunderstorms and tropical lows or cyclones. At the end of 2009, we were welcomed into the Wet Season by Cyclone Laurence who got the region off to a great start followed in the New Year by Cyclone Magda. It was fantastic to see the town come alive; from the sounds of cicadas and frogs to the lush greenness of the tropical palms.

So, as we bid farewell to another ‘Wet’, Broome and the Kimberley will now come alive with visitors, events and festivals. It is a great time of the year!! There are many events to look forward to including; Staircase to the Moon (click here for dates), the Broome Race Round (June-August), Gibb River Bike Challenge (22nd – 29th May) and Shinju Matsuri to name but a few.

Over in the East Kimberley, the Ord Valley Muster and Kimberley Moon Festival are fantastic events to experience in May. In fact, Kununurra Visitor Centre recorded their highest number of visitors through its doors in 2009 – a 5.9% increase on 2008 (source: MICE BTN magazine). No doubt with John Farnham headlining the Moon Festival this year, there will bound to be big crowds!!!

For more information about Broome and Kununurra events, click on the town.

“PIAF success confirms the vital role of the arts”.

“Perth’s International Arts Festival has established itself as a vital and distinctive part of our lifestyle, whether it involves a relaxing night at the Somerville with a picnic and a glass of wine or a challenging night at the theatre”.

Monique and her team went on to say;

“After more than three magical weeks during which Perth was transformed by more than 800 performances by 1,000 artists from Australia and around the world, the 2010 Festival is almost behind us, with the pleasure of Lotterywest Festival Films carrying us gently to the conclusion of another wonderful summer of art. The 2010 program has enabled our audiences to experience moments of joy, wonder and enrichment that only come about at Festival time. We are on track to meet our target of 190,000 tickets sold and we are pleased that the count of people in Perth and the Great Southern, experiencing either a paid or free event, will very likely exceed 350,000.

Perth International Arts Festival takes place every year in February and showcases some of Australia’s talent as well as welcoming acts from other parts of the world. We are proud to be affiliated with the festival by donating a Stateroom to the festival as a prize for the ‘See Three and Win competition’.

To read the official media release to wrap up the festival, click here

We were all very excited to be heading over to the major cities to celebrate with our guests, past and present, 10 successful years of The Great Escape Charter Co. We also surprised everyone when we introduced our special Sydney & Melbourne guest, Mr Wayne Poon!!

This was our chance to shout everyone those beers that Kylie, Trippy, Poonie and Jez had always promised. The parties were a great opportunity to catch up on ten years passed – what yarns were spun and laughs were had by all!! Some even stayed after the party to show us the sights of the big city!!

The functions were also a great opportunity for us to premier to our guests, our brand new Rowley Shoals DVD, click here to see for yourself.