Wistwahd Hy

As we travel west toward the setting sun, recent sightings seem geared to tell us not to take life too seriously. For example….

Why settle for a bedroll when you can have an entire bed? Unconventional camping at its most comfortable. And his car is missing its engine. You never know who you’ll meet in the next campsite.


We realize we’re still in Dr. Seuss country when we enter the enormous state of Western Australia and bulbous boab trees appear in riotous profusion. Now really, what was Ma Nature thinking when she invented them? Perhaps that they would be handy as temporary gaols (jails) since they become hollow as they grow older? This photo shows just one of several such prison trees used in the 1800s and early 1900s.



Here’s a super-sized boab thought to be 2000 years old.




On this road you can choose which one-way you want. How accommodating.

Despite an engaging smile the crocodile has few close friends. Windham greets travelers to the town with a giant grinning salty. Is there a message there?

The primary attractions in northern Western Australia are The Gibb River Road through the Kimberly Plateau and BungleBungle (really!) National Park. People are more than willing to risk their tires and vehicles for hundreds of kms on ragged-rocky, corrugated, bull-sandy 4-wheel-drive roads to see the spectacular rock formations, gorges, and waterfalls. And they have been more than willing to tell US to do it, too. Who are we to refuse? So we have a rear wheel bearing repaired, and we load up on food and water and a tire repair kit. And then the temperature drops to frigid and it starts to rain. Well, obviously THAT won’t last since it never rains during The Dry. And then it continues to rain. For four days and nights straight. All the unsealed roads are closed, and it’ll probably take about a week of drying out before they are opened again. Oh well. Apparently we weren’t supposed to have all the fillings jiggled out of our teeth visiting those places. Onward we go.

Architecture varies from one locale to another. Termite fashion is no different. Here is the northwestern home design.

Ultimately we trevel wistwahd until the land runs out. We are face to face with the Indian Ocean. Time to turn south.