We made it to Kununurra after some free camping overnight it was and made our way to the Kimberleys area and began to explore the forestry areas and started following the signs for a place called Valentines springs which is not too far off the highway and around 12klms in on a rutted but reasonable dirt road. It was very hard to miss as you drive through it and apparently in the wet season it is impassable as the crossing is too deep and the area is essentially a set of rapids that empty into several pools. Even in the dry there is still water in the main pools due to the fact they are also spring fed. Something was in there and we were not sure what but it was not a croc but looked like a large silver fish swimming around. We got out for a while stretched our legs and took a bit of a breather before we explored further in.
Middle Spring
We came across a series of signs that directed us to Black Pool and Middle Spring both of which are inaccessible in the wet. We made it to Black Pool but it was largely dry as rain had not fallen in the area for a while but it was still an ok drive in and a nice walk to the falls area. It was a bit surprising that not much water was in the Springs as the dam flood gates were open in the town as the dam was full and run off was still coming from the heavy rains they had further north.We noticed a track off to the side that said High Clearance 4wd vehicles only. That was our way in to Middle Springs and it was definitely a lot of fun getting there through some very soft sand rocky gullies and a switch back with a water crossing at the end opening out into a great picnic area. We did put some scars on the Hilux and hit the jerry cans on top a bit, although not too badly. It was a really lovely spot and we spent some time chilling out and enjoying the day. When we did move on we went out it seemed shorter and a bit easier but still made for a great day.
One thing I have really enjoyed is seeing the birds of prey as we travel and the sheer numbers of them. I took the following picture near the dam of this beautiful bird and there were probably another 12 or so on the other side of the waterway. My amazing kids gave me an eagle experience at Australia Zoo and I got to hold one of these birds but to see them in the wild is really something else as they area very large bird and have been known to take a lamb. Unfortunately there were also a number of them dead on the road after being hit by cars while having a feed on the road kill. In one spot alone Di and I counted 213 dead roos in 2 klms.
