DAY 64 – TYRE PROBLEMS MEAN WE GET TO STAY AT KUNUNURRA FOR ONE MORE NIGHT….

Early start again today as we head off again, this time heading towards the Bungle Bungles.  Ian and Kathy were hitched just before us and took off to the servo to get their caravan tyres checked.  We got caught talking to our neighbours as we were hitching and it is probably a good thing that we did, because the next minute, Ian and Kathy arrive back at the Showgrounds, and start reversing back into their site again….

It turns out that when they went to pump up the tyres, Ian noticed that the tyre on the driver’s side of the van had huge bubbles all around the outside of the tyre.  Not good at all, and especially since we were heading west and had hundred’s of kilometres to go before we would be in an area to get help.  

It just meant we had to stay another day, and since we were staying another day, we might as well do another load of washing whilst here seeing that it is free.  Kathy and I headed to the laundry, whilst the boys changed a tyre and we let Roger the caretaker know that we would be staying another day.  

Out for a Father's Day lunch

Roast Beef and Vegetables

Seeing as it was Father’s Day, and they the boys would not be getting gifts or cards from their children as we were on the road with no fixed address, Kathy and I thought it might be nice to take them out for lunch to celebrate…

I think they enjoyed it....

There is not much open here on a Sunday, but we ended up at the Kununurra Pub.  They didn’t do a special Father’s Day lunch and their dining room was not open so we just had to sit in the beer garden.  The food was good, but the atmosphere wasn’t that great, with no real family atmosphere happening,  lots of smokers playing pool, and groups of men drinking so we didn’t stay for long after our meal.  

Reach Beyond Headquarters in Kununurra

Some of their towers

A quilt for Reach Beyond made by a number of their volunteers over the years...

Since it was Sunday and “Reach Beyond” in Kununurra do tours of their facility on a Sunday afternoon.  Since we knew Lorraine and Merv Johansson had volunteered here at least 7 times, and also Steve and Sandra Keen had visited here and volunteered when they did their big trip in 2011, we were keen to check out the station.

We arrived just in time to do the tour, thinking it would only be for about an hour.  It was very interesting, especially in the ways that God had provided for them right at the very time they needed things, and it was really encouraging to hear about it.  Steve also found the technical side of it very interesting as well.  It was after 4.30pm before we left there.  

Inside the Boab Tree

Putting our investigation skills to use...

Boab Fruit from the Boab Tree.

We stopped off to look at a large Boab Tree on Packsaddle Road.  It was hollow inside and Steve climbed in to check it all out.  It is unbelievable how a tree like this can be so hollow inside but still growing.  There are several famous Boab Trees in this area that were actually used as Prisons.   We are yet to check them out…

.

We came home and had a simple tea.  We didn’t have to do a lot of packing as we were already packed and we didn’t bother getting anything out today, eg chairs etc….

Tomorrow we start the long haul over to the WA coastline, stopping off first to visit the beautiful  Bungle Bungles.