LAKE ARGYLE

Beth and her friend, the Whistling Kite

Near the Ord River Dam wall

Bridgie and her first fish!  Beth was appalled.

Ben and his first fish.  Pa would be so proud.

Sunset over Pannikin Bay, Lake Argyle

Our little family - alone at sunset on Pannikin Bay!  Words cannot express ....

Loving the quiet and the music.

Sunset over Pannikin Bay.  So romantic.

DAY 39 – LAKE ARGYLE                                                             Wednesday, 11^th August

Today was a very relaxing day.  It has been a new experience for us – trekking in the Top End.  Whereas in Central Australia, all of us could walk all day with no problems, up here it is much more difficult.  In Central Australia, we were walking in temperatures up to 21 or 22 degrees.  Here we are walking in temperatures of 31 – 33 degrees and often it is 25 or more degrees by 9am.  So this morning, we lazed around after breakfast.  The last two mornings Mummy and Daddy have been told to “go off and have a romantic time”.  So we would head off for a shower and then not be permitted back into the caravan for half an hour.  Our beautiful children had been tidying the whole van, making beds, sweeping, cleaning up after breakfast so that Mum and Dad “could have a relax”!!  So beautiful.

We drove down to see the Dam Wall and the amazing amount of water pouring out of only one of the three valves operating at the Hydro Electric Station.  That one valve at the moment is keeping the Ord River running.  We went to some great vantage points around this part of the lake and it is just astonishing how far the lake goes. 

I then had the fascinating experience of watching my beautiful husband try to teach his children to fish.  Absolutely hysterical!  Even though David tried to tell the kids it was all going to be fine because people call him “David, the great fisherman”, Ben replied:  “Dad, I have never heard anyone call you ‘David, the great fisherman’.  So there we were at the boat ramp at Lake Argyle, with David trying to attach sinkers and hooks and bait, Beth practically crying at the injustice of all this senseless murdering of wildlife, and Tess going pale and almost fainting at Dad trying to cut a catfish off the hook!!  After witnessing for much of my childhood, my expert father, grandfather, uncles, cousins etc fishing and catching numerous fish with ease, this was an absolutely hysterical sight!!  After telling Beth to put up or shush up and putting Tess’ head between her knees, all the while trying to give my husband consoling looks and telling him we had to put up with numerous discussions about “sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks” so he could damn well put up with an hour’s fishing, we managed to catch three catfish or possibly black bream!!

Back for a swim before heading up to Pannikin Bay lookout (not far) for sunset.  Words cannot describe how beautiful this was.  Just the Hansen family – alone on a rocky outcrop, overlooking Pannikin Bay, with a cloudless sky, drinks in hand, Geoffrey Garamul Yunnipingu playing softly in the background.  The silence was deafening in its beauty.  The photos just cannot do it justice but it was one of the more spectacular moments with my family.  We are so blessed to have been able to share these times with one another and to experience such beauty around us and within each other.