Day 32 Lake Argyle

We’re all awake especially early today, courtesy of the 1.5 hour time change between the NT and WA. 6:00 and everyone is raring to go. We’re making the 45 minute drive from Kununurra to Lake Argyle where we’ll board a boat for a sunset cruise on the lake. We spend the day at the caravan park located at the lake. Some ingenious soul has built a spectacular infinity pool overlooking the largest body of water in the country. The kids are beside themselves with excitement. Until they get in. ‘Freezing’ they report. I feel the water and estimate it’s about 22 degrees. The tough Victorians are going soft. Still, it’s a pool so they swim awhile and we have lunch until departure time. Sunset here is around 5:30 so the boat departs at 2:45. The skipper is cheerful and amazingly knowledgable about the local wildlife and the history of the dam. Lake Argyle was created in 1972 after a three year project to dam the Ord River. The amount of water it holds is astounding. I won’t bore you with all the facts (I’d invariably get them wrong and end up telling you 99% of the water in the entire world is located in the lake, or some other such nonsense I’d make up) but I will tell you that the water needed to raise the lake by 1 metre would satisfy Perth’s water requirements for 5 years. The trip takes about three hours and we spot numerous freshwater crocodiles (35,000 inhabit the lake), wallabies, birds and various other plant life. It’s breathtaking site after breathtaking site as we make our way around. The highlight for the kids is a swim in the middle of the lake capped off by all three kids and me (not Handbrake) jumping off the top of the roof of the boat, about 3 metres above the water. My highlight is a spectacular sunset over the escarpment and water to the west. Just about a perfect day. Tomorrow, I’m handing over the keys of the Blog to Sarah for a week or so. Expect much more talk about feelings and maybe some holding of hands. It will be great.