Day 17: Mitchell Plateau to Kalumburu

I was dreading today. Been asking other travellers if they've done the section from Mitchell Plateau to Kalumburu and Pago. No-one had. I got a few sharp intakes of breath and one guy laughed. So not feeling optimistic as to the state of the track...

Creek crossing on the track out of the Mitchell Plateau

What a lovely drive! The track quickly dropped to single track, and since so few have come this way so far, it is in great condition until the last dozen kms. At which point it's like someone forgot that a road needed to be built. It just stops. But the tyre tracks are easily visible and the road restarts fairly quickly.

Single track, no corrugations. Bliss!

Very different scenery to the Mitchell Plateau

First impressions are pretty good. Kalumburu is an Aboriginal community with a Benedictine Monastery. Town is clean, there are new buildings and they all seem to be in good condition. I'm sure the town has it's issues, but they aren't apparent to a casual tourist. The main problem was that we arrived at 11:30. Town is closed between 11 and 1pm. Bugger.

Thankfully we didn't drive all this way to camp in the grounds of a Monastery. The original Monastery was built on the northern WA coast at Pago, which (along with Kalumburu) was also the site of an RAAF base during WW2. To get here is a real track. Graded roads give way to soft, sandy single tracks and the turn off to the old mission ruins isn't obvious. There's very little left of the old mission and just a few old fuel drums on Pago beach, but it does mark the northernmost point of my travels. Everything else from here is further south. Jen has 2 weeks holidays left so isn't overly fussed about Pago as a milestone on the trip, but for me it marks the start of another part of the trip I've been looking forward to. A drive across the deserts to the south coast. But all that's still in the future. There's plenty more to see in the Kimberley yet...

Fishermen at Longini

Welcome to Pago

Remnants of a USAAF/RAAF fuel dump on Pago beach

We get back to Kalumburu in time to get to the Mission office, then the Mission shop. This is quite informative. There is a counter just inside the door and all the shelves are behind it. You do your shopping by asking the assistant to get the product for you. It's only put within reach when you've paid for it. Fuel is also paid for in advance. I made a mental note to put stuff away and lock the car when we go to bed. No point in leaving obvious temptations for the local insomniacs.

We also got a better look at the campsite. The showers are good with plenty of hot water, but the Mossies are driving us nuts and seem impervious to all repellents. We also seem to be under a tree that is fruiting an popular with the local fruit bats. Its amazing how much noise skin membrane wings make when not covered by feathers...