Broome & Beyond: Kununurra

Wednesday 19th July

Fuel, yesterday at Warmun: 92 litres @ 159.0, $146

for 790 km travelled

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Wake up, not too early. Enjoy a slow start to the day in my very clean and comfortable hotel room :-) Two cups of tea to start the day. Out to the truck...

... To drive across the road, to buy sandwiches for breakfast. Which I take with me, to eat on the road. I stop twice to eat "breakfast" at different points with different views of the Buddha. I only spill one lump of sandwich filling on my lap.

Into the farm... For those who came in late, this is my brother's farm. I'm here to say hello to the family, then I turn round and go home again. Give it a couple of days... Normally, when I visit, I would stay on the farm. This time I don't want to wear them out with visiting... This is my *older* brother :-)

Once again, the farm has changed since my previous visit. It's easy to find the entrance but the drive in has more buildings, more trees, more signs of occupation. There are three generations plus several people renting, occupying various corners of the farm. It's all so ... grown... I begin to wonder if I'm on the right track!

Then I spot the original "homestead"... I've arrived :-)

The gardens are lush. It's amazingly peaceful. There's a note on the door, Checking cattle, back by 10am. I settle down to wait.

Two things strike me. One, it is so very peaceful. No traffic, no people. Occasional birds. A view through the garden to the creek and distant bush.

Two, this is my first visit since our father died. He had lived on a corner of the farm for years, watching as the family expanded to four generations. Each morning I would walk to his patch to say hello, perhaps get some breakfast, come back to the homestead for a later breakfast. I'll miss those visits.

Anyway, life goes on. My brother and his wife return. We sit, chat, brag about our families. Relax, read. Our catching up is always low key :-)

After lunch I'm called on to wander down the road to help Jono. Simple stuff, just lifting and shifting metal beams. The shape makes it easy for two but impossible for one person to move them. Jono is building a verandah to add to their house. The house is already trwice the original size. After several extensions Jono has realised that it would have beeen easier to build a second house.

I spend some time just sitting, watching Jono weld, with occasional conversation. Also check the inside of their house -- which is very nice.

Three girls appear... their mother appears soon after... the rate of conversation is no longer languid :-) We chat, mostly inconsequential stuff. I'm not after a detailed history, just a snapshot impression of how things are now. All well, from what I can tell ! Though high shool for the girls -- a better high shool -- is still a big question.

Back to the main house for a nice dinner and more idle chit chat. Very enjoyable. Time to head back to my hotel, to let the exhausted farmers sleep :-)

All looks to under control here. I'll be back tomorrow. Then, probably head south on Friday. That's the current plan, I'll see how it all goes...

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"If it's green, it's biology; if it stinks, it's chemistry; if it has numbers, it's maths; if it doesn't work, it's technology" – Author unknown.

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