Posting #7 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

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Ah, I arrived at my destination – Kununurra – after 9 days of driving and bush camping. Here are some images around the greater Kununurra area from the first day or so.

Not far short of Kununurra, and the scenery, topography, and geology changes (after leaving Halls Creek).

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Great Northern Highway 2AM-003678. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

Assorted roadside grasses…

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Grass 2AM-002958. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

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Grass 2AM-002960. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

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Grass 2AM-003141. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

The fishing is fantastic in the Kimberley; this is a 1.14 meter Barramundi (released immediately after photo) caught on the lower Ord River.

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Fisherman and Barramundi 2AM-3066. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

The ubiquitous estaurine crocodiles (“Saltwater Crocodile”) necessitate care around the water.

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Saltwater Crocodile 2AM-004748. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

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Saltwater Crocodile 2AM-004757. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

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Saltwater Crocodile 2AM-004771. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

Iconic Kimberley vistas…
If you have watched the movie “Australia” then you may recognise this geologic feature, known as ‘House Roof Hill’ – it is the backdrop to the fictional “Faraway Downs” homestead.
This image was captured very early on another glorious Kimberley morning.

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House Roof Hill 2AM-003047. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

The next image is “False House Roof Hill” – neighboring bluffs along the Ord River.

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False House Roof Hill 2AM-003013. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

The April 2014 Lunar Eclipse occurred whilst I was in this area. The following image captures part of this eclipse over a Kimberley range.

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Lunar Eclipse 2AM-004793. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

Lake Argyle is Australia’s largest artificial lake (by volume). It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is a sight to behold. Unfortunately these “roadside” images are all I managed to capture of this vast and beautiful feature – I must return and spend time above and on the lake!

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Lake Argyle 2AM_3131-3134 panoramic. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

An alternate view of the Ord River Dam – construction was completed in 1971.

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Lake Argyle 2AM-003126. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

Grass in seed along the dam wall – beautiful April conditions.

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Lake Argyle 2AM-003137. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

 

Posting #6 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

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Into the Kimberley Region…

Highway-Outcrop-2AM-2808-09_2811-13_2815-panoIf you plan on being near Halls Creek I thoroughly recommend taking the time to explore along Duncan Road…

China Wall – a quartz outcrop.

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China Wall 2AM-002820. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

A light painting of China Wall.

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China Wall 2AM-002895. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

The very refreshing, and aptly named, Palm Springs.

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Palm Springs 2AM-002836. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

A ‘selfie’ in Palm Springs – lovely safe place for a dip.

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Palm Springs 2AM-002832. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

Mulla mulla wildflowers along Duncan Road, Halls Creek.

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Mulla Mulla Flowers 2AM-002861. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

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Mulla Mulla Flowers 2AM-002823. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

One of the water crossings along Duncan Road, Halls Creek.

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Duncan Road 2AM-002841. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

Sawtooth Gorge is a beautiful and secluded camping/visiting area- well worth the short bumpy dirt road in.

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Sawtooth Gorge 2AM-002827. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

An iconic avian species – the Wedge-tailed Eagle – perched on a termite mound outside Fitzroy Crossing.

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Wedge-tailed Eagle 2AM-004698. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

An iconic boab tree at dusk on the Great Northern Highway – a common Kimberley vista.

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Boab Sunset 2AM 2791 and 2793_pano2. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

 

Posting #5 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

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All images in this post are from a very brief (overnight) stop in Broome and its immediate surrounds. A town full of history, gorgeous scenery, and the fabled Cable Beach.

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A glorious storm building over Cable Beach, Broome – Western Australia. In addition to the much needed rainfall, this storm did wonders ameliorating the hot conditions on that day. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

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A portion of Cable Beach. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

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Pioneer Cemetery, overlooking the bay. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

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Pioneer Cemetery, overlooking the bay. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

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Mangroves on Roebuck Bay. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

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Mangroves on Roebuck Bay. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

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Patterns by a sand bubbler crab. © 2014 Andrew McInnes

 

Sun Pictures (Sun Picture Gardens) is reportedly the world’s oldest picture garden still in operation.

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Sun Pictures. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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Sun Pictures. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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Sun Pictures. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

Another glorious dusk as I departed Broome.

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Highway at dusk. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

 

 

 

 

Posting #3 of my road trip from Fremantle to Kununurra, Western Australia.

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This post contains images from my express visit to Coral Bay and Exmouth, Western Australia.

 

Ah, the tropics 🙂

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On the Minilya – Exmouth road. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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A ‘short’ road train delivers supplies to Exmouth. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

These next three images are from Coral Bay – a stunning and simple place.

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The front of the image is shallow water over a sand substrate; this then abruptly drops off into a deepish lagoon which is protected by Ningaloo Reef (Australia’s “other” reef) in the background. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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A mooring line and buoy – the cerulean water deepens rapidly here, making for fantastic swimming. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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Two youths paddle in the tranquil waters behind Ningaloo Reef. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

Unfortunately I only spent about 8 hours in Exmouth which is nowhere near sufficient. Nevertheless, here are some scenes of this fascinating area.

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A light-painting of Yardie Creek (Cape Range National Park) during dusk’s blue hour. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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Pebble Beach, Exmouth. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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Pebble Beach, Exmouth. © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

A light-painting of the retired (non-functioning) Vlamingh Head Lighthouse – Exmouth. The evening air was thick with moisture from the Indian Ocean as it pounded Ningaloo Reef so I thought I’d make an image to suggest how the light from the lighthouse may have appeared to mariners of yore. During the 30 second exposure I mimicked a beam of light from the lighthouse by aiming my spotlight on the structure for a few seconds, allowing the moisture in the air to appear as a beam.
This image includes the Southern Cross (and pointers), along with a portion of the Milky Way.

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© 2014 Andrew McInnes.

 

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Star trails caress the retired (non-functioning) Vlamingh Head Lighthouse – Exmouth, on a blustery and balmy autumn night. This is a stacked image consisting of 61 images (each image f4 for 30 seconds at ISO 800). © 2014 Andrew McInnes.

More posts from this road trip to follow this.