Here We Go Again - Chapter 67 - Victoria River Roadhouse to Lake Argyle

The sunset was pretty and inviting as we dined in its fading light. The sunrise is even better. I wander around the area, getting to the extremities to get uninterrupted views of the vistas. Whilst you cannot see the river from the park, the surrounding topography on either side of the park heralds its existence.

We are not in a hurry to move this morning. Something to do with the enormous amounts of vegetables consumed the previous evening one might think. We are about to gain an extra hour and a half in the transition form Northern Territory to Western Australia, the instant we cross the border.

The immediate thought as we start the trip, is that we should be spending more time here. The views scream “look at me”. The roads off into the wilderness beg to be journeyed but with 400 kilometres plus on our plan for the day, we let them pass. We will return here. We will spend time answering the call of the wild.

.

The road meanders along the river for many miles. The view teases you as glimpses of the water come and go. The cloudless sky mirrored on the azure of the river water. The river bank shrouded with trees and hiding, I am sure, no end of dangers.

The river cuts through the land, until finally it wanders away and we are left to travelling through the tableland topography with its vast plains, hemmed in by large red escarpments, intermingled on the flat land grass covered land dotted with trees and termite mounds, between with other escarpments and hills of black rocks as the road pases them by.

I send my son Justin, the videographer and move maker of the family, countless shots of the land here suggesting the movie based on the book he is presently writing would do worse than be shot in a place like Victoria River Roadhouse and its surrounds. From what I have read of the early parts of his book the landscape here could easily have been the inspiration. He suggests another well known family landscape was more the place he was thinking and the two are somewhat diametrically opposed on topography. Funny how the mind works.

First stop, Timber Creek has a legendary bakery. We file on in, and do a top up. As we arrive a group of aging bikers hit the station as well. The stereotype of the 60 year old accountant looking to scare the public as they ride their Harleys into town in a reenactment of the Easy Rider (1969 Colombia) genre.

The bakery is very disappointing. Perhaps its the pressure of the demand the Grey Nomads, those not travelling overseas, now wandering the country. Whatever the reason, service levels this trip around have been decidedly poor. For us the users of goods and services, the experience is diminished but for the businesses hanging on the politicians whims, imposing lockdowns it must be heart breaking. You have demand you cannot possibly meet, and should you increase supply to cover it, there is the fear a lockdown will see you holding lots of unsaleable (in many cases perishable) stock.

The disappointing morning tea consumed its back on the road and the border checkpoint.

Much like the Queensland/Northern Territory checkpoint, the police manning the station along with the quarantine staff (but these guys not quite as so) are jovial. For the quarantine staff it is their job here day in day out, 24/7, 365 days per year, whereas the police I suspect are on rotation. The quarantine staff invade travellers’ privacy and their job requires them to be invasive as they seek to protect Western Australia’s fresh food markets from pests “rampant” in the other states.

For us we have 2 fridges and a cupboard which are easily accessed and checked the check is a mere formality. For many others in the queue, a seemingly never ending procession of cars, trucks and all other manner of transportation, it could mean an almost complete unpacking of the vehicle in search of contraband. Once apprehended the contraband is simply binned – a waste product lost. At least ours has been converted into the now significant amount of leftovers.

We are beckoned out of the line of traffic and pulled aside by the police, quickly have our passes checked, the quarantine staff do their bit and we are back on the road. Not sure why we were short tracked around but we appreciated it.

I joke to the police officer, suggesting not to take any crap from the van behind us – Silver Leader and Rose – and potentially turn them around. Evidently he obliges and plays along, letting them know I had put them in. Plaudits are exchanged on the UHF as we pull out.

It would have been 3.30pm when we drove into Lake Argyle, had our Cruiser clocks not automatically updated. Because we had booked quite some time ago (thanks to Silver Leaders inborn need to dominate), we have adjacent sites in nice spots right beside the amenities. Not too close as we get the noise of showers and laundry but close enough that a late night expedition is easily traversed.

With the time difference, dinner is a long time off. Needless to say, after a walk and an investigation update of the bar area, the infinity pool and the other niceties of this place, we had an early dinner.