Here We Go Again - Chapter 69 - Lake Argyle Day 3

Of course that promised phone call from Telstra didn’t come and regardless of whether or not the sales people are busy, they have our money, and whether or not the services paid for are provided, its the next sale for them rather than issues like ours.

Its Saturday morning and as we get no answer, other than the message suggesting we have called out of hours, we check the website. Perhaps we read the opening hours incorrectly.

We hadn’t

.

I decide enough is enough and I will vent my frustrations in a poor review on Google. It makes me laugh when I see many, many very similar reviews as I am about to write. Simple things like, and I quote – “ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONES” to much more eloquent versions like the one I am about to pen.

Seeing them all makes me ponder whether there is any point to the exercise but the quote wrongly attributed to Edmund Burke (according to my computer research) “The only thing for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” rings in my ears. In a “people in glass houses” approach I reduce my bile levels, waxing lyrically about our experience. Hoping above hope that someone will not only read but place the jack book in the appropriate rear of someone responsible.

Robyn has found online access to an expert, who is actually willing to respond. We run through the issues. Whilst being most helpful, willing to listen to our concerns, their only alternative is to find another shop.

Sorry – we are in Lake Argyle.

Perhaps you can purchase a prepaid SIM. Will we be able to append Robyn’s present phone number to it – no. Then what’s the point of that.

For this online person to be able to do anything he needs to be able to “post” a new SIM to us. Yes, that is going to be an easy outcome while we are travelling in no internet coverage areas, free camping on the sides of rivers or ….

No not an option. Our best is to find a Telstra shop or partner in the next large town. Perhaps Kununurra.

This is beyond a joke. We went to Telstra because they do not allow their resellers access to their entire network. The original SIM was left in Darwin (at their suggestion) so we cant simply go back. Not that it gave any more coverage that the phone presently enjoys here in Lake Argyle, only my Telstra direct mobile has any access, and lets not talk internet in that conversation.

The morning wasted, time to cool off in the infinity pool. Last time we tried this the temperature difference was so intense, Robyn’s back went into spasm for three days. We approach the water with trepidation, only to find  it is the most comfortable temperature. We alternate between the laze in the shade of the umbrella and the radiance of the sunshine.

We talk to a young mum, with three children cavorting around in close proximity. Her and her husband are professionals from Victoria and much like us see the tyranny of distance asso diminished they were able to pack up the horde, home school them on the road and still maintain their businesses whilst seeing the country and avoiding the possibilities of lockdowns and illness.

The pool having suitably wrinkled the extremities, what to do for lunch. Why not pack a snack in the Cruiser and head down to the park on the other side of the dam wall. At the rivers lower level and in a manicured parkland, trees and seats await. The water gorging from the hydro electric tunnels send the water turgid until the rivers current takes over in the calming downstream waters. 

There Is a high ringlock fence here which I suspect has two purposes. The first is obvious. The fence acts as a safety mechanism against the not quite sheer drop into the river, several metres below AND I suspect also might just keep any or all toothy visitors to the park at bay and in the water were they belong.

We are in the shade. The sun is setting behind a cliff to our west but remains lighting the cliff to the east. The dull browns of the sun deprived cliff face on one side contrasted by the brilliant oranges of the sun enriched cliff on the other. While we are taking the contrasting pictures we notice a wallaby clamber through the sun lit rocks. We are not close enough to be of any danger so I suspect the movement was not caused by us.

In the tranquility of the park we make a call to Forbsy on the premise we are about to do several water crossings in either Kununurra (at Ivanhoe Crossing) or El Questro (to ford the Pentecost River) and someone needs instruction in checking water levels. When we travelled here last Forbsy whilst a passenger in the Cruiser opened the back door to check of the water was up to the running rails. It wasn’t, but alarms went off everywhere and when asked about why – “its not my car” was all he offered. One of the girls needs to be instructed on such operations of course.

Silver Leader is introduced to bourbon, the way I like to drink it, in a 500mil tin mug with enough Wild Turkey to be able to taste it against the Coca Cola filler. He tries one, then tries another and the is glad he is not driving back to the park actress the dam wall. Of course the drinks are washed down with dips, bikkies and cheese.

There are others in the park which closes at 6.00pm and is locked. Between us and the dam wall there is a boat ramp of sorts. It is steep and gravelly and thats just the road in. The girls do not want to trip down the road and back up again even though the terrain would be no match for  the Cruiser in 4WD mode.

I stop at the start of the dam wall to allow the amateur photographers to get their video options into operation for the trip across. One one side, one of the largest freshwater impoundments in the world, on the other cascading eater heading towards the Kimberley Irrigation Area of Kununurra and surrounds.

Althoughrelatively filled with afternoon tea, we still feel dinner is not beyond us. Perhaps like ion other nights we may simply share a main. There is entertainment most nights here. The singer plays to his audience well. The children initially, then the adults seem to want to join in the dancing. Some songs have way more than suggestive undertones which make the adults laugh and the children, they just laugh along as well.

We eat and party with the crowd, for tomorrow we are on the move again. Its not far to Kununurra so we are not pressed to retire early. Like the bulk of the crowd we stay until the entertainment finishes and mosey off to our part of this paradise.