Monday, April 8, 2013

8 April 2013 - Discovery Holiday Park Lake Kununurra, Kununurra, Western Australia


Today has been a pearler of a day, as they say, however we have passed it in a rather mundane fashion.

Laundry certainly fits into that category although it was not quite as straight forward as expected. I turned up in the one currently functioning laundry facility soon after 8 am this morning and found myself in a rather long queue, all of us waiting for the two functioning machines. The camp owns a great collection of machines all crying out for a competent fix-it technician. I soon found myself engaged in lengthy conversation with the manager of the camp discussing and weighing up the options of replacing the commercial machines, their cost plus the freight, versus the cost of flying in a chap from Darwin. Then came a further conversation about utilising the talent pool of backpackers who are frequently well qualified in particular trades but cannot be legally employed. This took us to the subject of the dilemma of the repairs being undertaken at the second amenities block and the fact that the tourist crowds were about to descend on the area in their masses and need toilets, showers and operational washing machines.

Our washing did eventually get done and on to the line before the morning was entirely gone although Chris did wonder where I had disappeared to for so long. Laundries and swimming pools are definitely the centres of our social life!

I am all too aware that the winter is creeping up and will find us somewhere along our travels, and always aware that I am susceptible to respiratory illness which will eventually see me off for good. News reports have alerted us to the fact that the ‘flu vaccine is now available so I made a call to the local medical centre to suss out the situation in this neck of the woods. First I learned that my own Vodafone cellphone does not function up here. Surprise, surprise! When I got through to the receptionist who then put me on hold for a very long time, during which Chris was telling me to hang up, I found that, yes, the vaccine was available to travellers but I would have to see the doctor. “Not a problem”, I responded. 

“Well”, said Grace on the end of the line, “We have one on 29 April!”
I decided to give it a miss for now.

We set off into town calling at the Home Timber & Hardware Centre. Here we were able to buy a new water jerry can at a cost about double its predecessor and have our gas bottle filled, this for $36. Chris was appalled at the charge because we generally pay in the early to mid $20s for this service. Although I do not retain figures in my head very well, I did think we had paid the same sort of inflated price before, at a Home Timber & Hardware. I checked back and sure enough, two years ago in Goondiwindi we had paid this and 90 cents more. This inflated cost for gas is not a Kununurra matter, more a penalty for not using BCF or the like.

We also called into the headquarters for the Department of Environment and Conservation where we secured an annual parks pass. Fortuitously two of the rangers who were heading into the Purnululu National Park this afternoon were there in the office so we were able to discuss details of the park with the experts.

From there we headed to the supermarket, stocking up on canned and dry food, a few cardboard boxes and then filled with diesel, yet again.

We did learn from the park rangers that it was possible that half the walks in the Purnalulu National Park may not be open until much later in the month. This will severely limit our enjoyment of the park and most likely curtail the length of time we spend in there under canvas. I suspect that the purchase of special provisions may have been rather overdone.

The latter part of the afternoon was spent stewing in the swimming pool with our companions of yesterday, exchanging more information and stories, and mostly laughing at ourselves as we each recounted the ridiculous events that befall us as travellers.

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