Cooling Down in Tunnel Creek

Zoonie
Tue 28 Jul 2020 02:27

Cooling Down in Tunnel Creek

None of us knew how deep the water would be, Sean hadn’t been out this way since Lockdown, so when he said the water might be up to our waists, I thought, well, that could be up to my chest, being of short stature, so should I take my snorkel? I’m joking and after a fun scramble over the rocks to the entrance and past a welcoming committee of one solitary freshie we were off.

Our neighbour back in Port Smith campsite had said that when she did the same subterranean walk she hadn’t been warned about the eels, so I was kind of ready, although I was not sure how I would react if one started squirming around my legs!

But it didn’t happen and the walk was gradual and very pleasant. We took our time and Sean would stop and tell us about rock formations and how the water here is permanent, even in the dry season. The break in the roof half way through shows how easy it was for Jandamarra and his fellows to evade capture.

Through the 750 metre tunnel beneath the Napier Range to the other end you can just make out a pool where visitors can usually have a swim, but on our occasion there was meningococcal algae present in the water, so we stayed on the banks and studied the Aboriginal wall paintings instead.

A most unlikely place to make new friends but our return wade through the tunnel was in shared company with two lovely young professional ladies from Perth who had just moved in to their newly finished home, built to their own design, and shared with their dog and cats.

Sean brought the truck to a decided stop soon after we set off to let a pretty little Agile Wallaby get up from where it had been sitting in the middle of the road and move to safety. We saw more on our way back to the roadhouse but they all got away safely. I hate seeing roo roadkill and wish there were local numbers we could call should a roo escape injured and alive.

We had a tasty banquet back at the roadhouse in the company of our new friends and Sabine decided she was going to buy the picture of the green coloured honey eaters as soon as the staff could find out what the artist wanted for it. I like her choice – don’t you?

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