I am sitting in Kununurra, in the north-east of the Kimberley and only a few kilometres from the NT border. As there is not much ground to cover between here and leaving WA, I decided to hang out on the shores of Lake Kununurra for a while.
Kununurra is a small country town, but has the usual facilities to provide most things you need. But I reckon that being in the Kimberley is a bit like being on a different planet.
Now, I don’t mean that in a nasty way, it is just that up here you can very easily forget you are attached to the rest of Australia – it all seems a very long way away.
And it is! In fact I am closer to Singapore here than I am to Sydney.
The park I am staying in is on the shores of a lake. There are actually two man-made lakes in this region, formed by damming the mighty Ord River. The really big one is Lake Argyle and I will visit there soon. Lake Kununurra is much smaller and provides a pleasant backdrop to the town.
There is plenty of birdlife around here, especially waterbirds enjoying the lake.
I usually head down to the water’s edge of an evening (until the freaking mosquito hoards drive me screaming back to shelter in the camper, to spend the rest of the night madly itching and furiously scratching) and I am often joined by this stunning fellow.
There are crocs in the lake, but apparently only freshwater ones. The nasty Salties that want to eat you are told to stay away!
The Wet is approaching, with the temperature sitting around 40oC every day and the humidity is dramatically increasing.
Every day now has massive clouds building up and you desperately hope it will break, bringing rain and cooling everything down. But no, actually nothing happens and the heat and humidity just continue unabated.
Funnily enough, the park swimming pool is quite a popular destination for me, most days.
We have had some rain though and one massive storm that brought in a cyclonic wind that wrought havoc through the park in the space of a few minutes and then just died away to nothing. It was quite amazing to see and I don’t think I have ever experienced wind quite like that, ever!
The wind was so strong it actually blew out the clear vinyl that covers the front window in the camper. The wind force ripped the window, which is held in place by strong Velcro, clear off and unceremoniously dumped it on the bed. I had to jump up onto the bed and quickly get the canvas zipped up, before the accompanying torrential rain soaked everything!
I guess this is a taste of what to expect for the Wet!
Not far from the town centre is Mirima National Park. Jagged hills and rugged valley have been carved out of the surrounding sandstone layers by the torrential rainfalls of the Wet.
The higher paths overlook Kununurra town, so you are always aware it is not far away.
Although it is close to town, it is a pleasant place for a walk, if you can catch a breeze on a hopefully cooler day.
Although it appears very natural and is usually very peaceful, Kununurra airport is not far away. Most planes seem to come in over the lake, so you will be enjoying the view when suddenly a 737 will roar over your head, loudly shattering the illusion you are any distance from civilization!
The Kimberley is also home to the boab trees, which really are everywhere. These are fascinating trees that seems to grow upside down, as they only have leaves for a short period in the Wet. Some of these trees reach astounding size.
In fact, a number of the older boab trees proved to be hollow. Supposedly, in the early days, the police cut doorways in the hollow trunks of a couple of these and used the interiors to hold prisoners for the night.
A Bit of a Rant
Which you don’t have to read, I just needed to have a growl. But there are more pictures (that have nothing to do with the rant but highlight more of the beautiful Kimberley), so you can just scroll down and look at the piccies if you want.
I will now jump on my soapbox…
I was recently setting up camp in a caravan park and I was approached by a gentleman who was from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). After providing verification, he asked me to participate in a survey about “homelessness”.
Now, first off, I should tell you that I have a fairly healthy disrespect for surveys. I firmly believe that the survey instigators can – if they wish – skew the results in their favour by ensuring the ‘right’ questions are asked. Call me cynical, but I would think this goes double for surveys carried out by any government department!
Anyway, I had noticed he had only approached single campers and not any couples in their caravans nearby. And as the conversation progressed, it became obvious to me that Mr ABS was making quite a few assumptions about me.
Now I suppose technically, as I live fulltime in a camper, I would be considered ‘homeless’.
But I do NOT define myself as homeless. Because I do have a home! The camper might only have a few square metres of space, but it is my home!
It saddens me that there are such preconceived ideas and stigma attached to homelessness by society and our media.
For me, the key selling point of this lifestyle I have chosen is increasing the quality of my life.
In my travels, I have met many, many people who enjoy life fulltime on the road, as I do. I know I am not the only one living this lifestyle out here! I have also met many who are looking forward to embracing this wonderful lifestyle in their future.
It was a lifestyle choice I consciously made and it is one that I have never looked back on with any regrets.
But it constantly amazes me the number of people (even those working in the caravan park industry, who I would think encountered us every single day) who do not understand the concept of living fulltime on the road.
I choose not to live in a massive, ugly, inefficient and power-swilling McMansion in the ‘burbs. I choose not to be tied down by the shackles of ownership of purely material possessions, most of which are pointless and most of which are not really needed.
But life in the camper still gives me all the things I need to live comfortably. And I can move my home where and when I wish – try doing that with a house!
I carefully explained to Mr ABS that I am very happy that I chose this lifestyle and I really enjoy my life on the road.
Then he said that they would need to reconnect with me in 6 months or so, to “see if you had found work”. Of course I am retired, so this statement just confused me. I just thought, “Huh? Why would I be working?”
That’s when I realised he wasn’t actually getting it! He remained totally defined by his parameters on ‘homeless’ people, whether set by his own prejudices or by his ABS training, I am not sure.
I believe he assumed that I must be out of work and had therefor lost my home, which was why I was now ‘living’ in a caravan park and was presumably homeless…
Anyway, he eventually decided I wouldn’t meet the requirements for the survey, thank goodness!
I was rather pleased, as I reckon I might have had difficulty answering the questions truthfully.
Although it might have been interesting to hear what the ABS (and by extension, the government) actually wanted to know about being ‘homeless’.
I will now get down off my soapbox…
