LAKE ARGYLE

Playing games in the dirt outside the Durack Homestead, Argyle Station

The reconstructed Durack Homestead

On Lake Argyle aboard the Kimberley Durack

Beth had a drive of the boat

As did Tess.

Ben took it very seriously.

Bridgie thought she WAS the captain.

Father and Son on the Kimberley Durack

What a great adventure for us to remember in our old age.

Sunset over Lake Argyle

All went for a dip with the 35,000 freshwater crocodiles!!!

How's the serenity?!?!?!

DAY 38 – LAKE ARGYLE                                                      Tuesday, 9^th August

We have just spent the most magical day at Lake Argyle.  I have to say, at the outset, that I was a bit non-plussed about Lake Argyle.  I kind of knew where it was (ie. In the middle of nowhere in the bush), and knew that my dear husband had intentions of “seeing” lots of things, but apart from that, I had pretty low expectations …. which is often when you are most surprised.

Lake Argyle is magnificent – and the pictures I have taken just won’t do it justice.  It is HUGE!!  And when I say huge, I mean that, in the wet season, the amount of water rushing through the Ord River could fill Sydney Harbour in 1 hour!!!  Even now, in the dry season, the amount of water gushing over the spillway in four hours, is enough water to supply every single one of us (22million Australians) with our daily water consumption of 300 litres!  Unbelievable! 

This morning we went on a walk (left at 8am – but already soooo hot!) to the revamped Durack Homestead.  The original homestead was flooded when the dam was built in 1973.  The Durack family is such an interesting one and must have had such enormous drive and passion to do what they did.  Aunty Noeleen was telling me she has just finished reading “Kings in Grass Castles” which is the story of their land holdings in Queensland.  “Sons in the Saddle” is the story of their foray into the WA Kimberley region and both were written by Mary Durack, the granddaughter of Patrick Durack who came to Australia from Ireland in 1853.  They ended up with a million acre holding (which is the largest permitted in Australia) and, basically, you cannot see the extent of their property with the naked eye, in spite of being able to see …. forever.

We have just come back from a 3 hour cruise on Lake Argyle which was absolutely spectacular as well as being very informative.  To give you some idea …. at one point, we can see Western Australia but the lake is too vast for us to see the Northern Territory, on the other side of the lake, beyond the curvature of the earth!!  We took a Sunset Cruise which takes you on a great tour of a very small part of the lake (given that it is the biggest freshwater lake in Australia) and show you some of the 35,000 freshwater crocodiles that live there.  It culminates in a pause in the tour where you can get off and swim in the lake whilst having soft music and wine and cheeses!! The sun sets at about 5:15pm here which confuses us a bit – because the sun set at around 7pm the night before.   The sunset and setting is amazing and words cannot describe how beautiful it is – I just wish you could have all been here to share it with us.

The man next to us had been here for two and a half months.  He left today.  I am sure that had nothing to do with our four children.  Actually, we have been receiving such nice comments about our cherubs as we have been cruising around.  (I did say to David that it is unlikely the nasty comments are going to be said to our face …).  Most people are very complimentary and it is so nice for parents to hear that others think their children are well behaved!!