3km up the road is Lillimulura Police Station ruins where aboriginal tracker Jandamarra (Pigeon) shot dead his friend and workmate Police Constable Richardson on 31 October 1894. Only a few crumbling stone walls remain at the site of so much heartache and pain for the local Bununba people who were forced off their lands and rounded up like cattle.
Onwards to Tunnel Creek part of WA’s oldest cave system. You can walk the 750m through to the other side of the range by wading through permanent freshwater pools where small fish and yabbies reside and flying foxes roost overhead. Tunnel Creek was the final hideout of Jandamarra after a 2 ½ year battle with the law, he was shot dead by an aboriginal trooper in 1897 at the entrance to Tunnel Creek.
Back along the dirt we head for Derby and the bitumen. It is a 2 caravan park town but only 1 that accepts kids (weird) – think we’ll stay at that one! Family friend Paul Jones is up here getting up his flying hours flying for Bush Air and has a charter out over the Buccaneer Archipelago at 4, but he suggests we go out to the Wharf for the sunset. The wharf was built in 1894 and has seen wool, pearl shell, and live cattle, lead & zinc exports. Today however it is pretty derelict with the odd fuel, oil & provisions going out to the northern mines. We watch a cloud filled sunset over the King Sound with the swirling brown waters of the 11m low tide far below. With the kids dying of hunger we walk over the ‘The Point Restaurant’ and spend some more of the kids inheritance on fish and chips, but the beer came in glasses and the food on enamel plates so were happy. Paul and housemate Greg arrived for a quick beer and proceeded to tell us their adventures. Later we left convinced that they weren’t starving or neglecting themselves and on their return to Sydney (Paul is to be married in November) they will be better young men for the experience.
Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park (Powered $30/night)
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