Week 36/52 -Part 2 - Kununurra - rivers, crocodiles and sunflowers

Welcome everyone to Part 2 of week 36 of our 52 week Tour Downunder Western Australia.

In part 1, I showed you aerial views from around Kununurra and beyond, and tonight I will bring you some photos from the ground.

Kununurra is located only a few kilometres west of the Western Australian/Northern Territory border. The Ord Dan and the Ord River Irrigation Scheme feeds an area covering 14,000 hectares of agriculture. Kununurra itself is a modern town established in 1960 as a centre for the irrigation project. It is the major administrative centre for the East Kimberley.

Here is a view of Kununurra from Mirima National Park on the edge of town. In the distance on the other side of town you can see Elephant Rock, also called Sleeping Buddha, a rock formation on the edge of the Ord River.

From Western Australia

I was amazed to see sunflowers growing in this rugged environment. Sunflowers are just one of the crops that grow in the irrigation area. Those are beehives in the boxes.

From Western Australia

We took a lovely afternoon cruise on the Ord River from the Lake Argyle Dam back to Kununurra. The scenery as you can see was spectacular.

From Western Australia

Some close detail of the cliff faces - amazing how trees grow in tiny cracks.

From Western Australia

This is Ivanhoe Crossing in Kununurra. You can drive across if the water is low enough. On the far left hand side of the photo what appears to be a rock is actually a salt water crocodile laying on a rock - we'll see one a little closer next week when we go to Margloo Billabong near Wyndham. These are the crocodiles you don't want to mess with.

From Western Australia

The gorgeous white dragon tree....

From Wildflowers

A resident fresh water crocodile near our cabin at the caravan park in Kununurra where where stayed. He was on the bank sunning himself every day - and we were able to get quite close to take photos. Freshwater crocs are reputed to not be dangerous - but it is wise not to get too close. The croc really wasn't bothered by us and we saw him every day and were told by people at the caravan park that he always comes up to sun himself on the bank.

From Western Australia

And a colony of fruit bats taking to the air at sunset....  The bats were amazing - just on sunset this huge flock (?) of them flew out of these few trees by the river bank like a big black cloud. I ppd a "bit" to get the sky a bit lighter in this shot so they stood out - but taken hand held on a boat I think I did pretty well!

From Western Australia

here is another photo of the Dragon Tree - I had never seen anything quite like it before and it is so different to the majority of our wildflowers.

From Wildflowers

another couple of wildflowers -

The Kapok bush -

From Wildflowers

One of the native Hibiscus family -

From Wildflowers

And this is a Jabiru stalk

From Western Australia

Thankyou for looking