Day 9: Alan Kellet rest area to Kununurra

June 4, 2022

Start: 6:05am
Distance: 64 kms
Ride time: 3:26 hours
Average: 19km/hr
Max: 40km/hr
Finish: 8:45 am

It was another warm night. I don't even bother taking my sleeping bag out of the pannier these days.

After about 15kms, I arrived at the Western Australia border. Wahoo!

Everyone has to stop at the border for a quarantine check. It's forbidden to take fresh produce, seeds, and honey into WA.

A nice man asked me a few questions and I was allowed to pass. I had seeds in my muesli bars and this was okay.

I had heard stories of intensive searches of caravans looking for contraband.

I was hoping to gorge myself on surrended fruit but the road was very quiet at this time of day.

Crossing the border also changes the time zone back 1.5 hours. I am now 2 hours behind Canberra time.

The road was undulating which was nice as its been flat all week. Its nice to have some downhill runs.

A big boab greeted me when I rolled into Kununurra.

A few days ago I heard that Kununurra was very busy. I asked Serena to find some accommodation for Saturday and Sunday night for me. I need a rest day to get supplies for the Gibb River Road and to collect a food parcel that I posted from Canberra to Kununurra before I left home.

My first stop in a town is always food related. I stopped at a cafe for second breakfast. The cafe was very busy and the food good.

Next stop was the information centre. I wanted to confirm that there would be water in the creeks and rivers on the Gibb River Road. They didn't know. They advised me that there 'should' be a lot water around as the wet season has just finished. I guess I can't get more definitive answers elsewhere.

I booked a flight to the Bungle Bungles for tomorrow. Unfortunately I couldn't get a sunrise flight. I'm still expecting some awesome views. It is about 1 hour flight south of here.

I went to a camping shop and was fortunate to get a replacement inflatable pillow. A lucky find that I wasn't expecting. It was outrageously expensive but I don't have a better alternative.

For one night, I used a water bladder inflated with air. This was barely acceptable as it was hot and rough feeling.

I went to the supermarket and bought some metho.

They didn't take my ID or details. Also behind the counter was the hand sanitisers. They have a high alcohol content and are also consumed by people with substance abuse issues. It's all very sad and not something I'm exposed to in Canberra.

Next I went to a jewellery shop. Argyle pink diamonds used to be mined near here. The diamonds are beautiful. They are very rare. They cost about 20 times more than a white diamond. I would love to buy some. They are so pretty. Like really pretty! Alas they are not within my budget.

While in the shop, someone mentioned that Monday is a public holiday for Western Australia Day. This is a big deal for me as the Post Office will be closed. This means I will have to stay 3 nights here. And because Monday is a public holiday, the museum and galleries, and day tours are all closed.

I checked into the Town Caravan Park. It has a big fence around it. I've heard other people say negative things about Kununurra. Going about my business in the day time, it all seems like a normal top end town to me.

They only have a few camps sites and they were all booked, so I get to stay in a little luxury for a few days.

Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 543 km (337 miles)

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