The tour we chose today was "Discover Lake Argyle". We were picked up from the caravan park at 8.00am to commence our day long tour. There were four other pick-ups that made a total of six people on board the 56 seater bus. It is a 75km scenic drive to Lake Argyle and our tour guide had lots of information too impart. Our first stop was at the Argyle Downs Homestead Museum.
The home has an interesting story as it was built by the pioneering Durack family. If you have ever read the book by Mary Durack, Kings in Grass Castles, you would know the family history that I won't go into as it is a long story. The Argyle Downs Homestead was relocated stone by stone from its existing location that is slap bang in the middle of what is now Lake Argyle. The rebuild is remarkable and it must have been one hell of a job to number everyone of those stones. As we wandered through the museum we almost felt like we were in another era. I commend these pioneering families enormously. It must have been a harsh and hostile environment to live in.
Back on board our bus we made the journey to the Lake Argyle Resort, home to the iconic infinity pool that overlooks Lake Argyle. It was a brief stop here to pick up more passengers to be taken on a three hour Island Explorer Lunch Cruise on Lake Argyle. We were welcomed on board by a cheery team of three and once we were all seated, off we sailed.
A little information for you.
In 1967 the Commonwealth Government provided a grant for the construction of the Ord River Dam to provide a major storage reservoir that they called Lake Argyle. It was officially opened in 1972. Lake Argyle is now one of the worlds largest man made water bodies and was formed by an earth and rock filled dam in the Carr Boyd Ranges. The Ord River Dam is quite small in comparison to the amount of water it holds back and it is an incredible engineering feat.
The commentary on board our boat was both informative and fun and we made various stops en-route to our lunch destination. First stop was to feed the fish, mainly catfish, at a quiet cove. The fish are ferocious eaters and the water was churned up as they feasted on the bread that was thrown to them.
We saw a couple of freshwater crocodiles along the way but they are notoriously shy and ducked under water whenever we drew close. Our next stop was to feed some tame rock wallabies that have made themselves at home in a rock cavern high above the waters edge. As soon as they heard the boat they came down from their ledge to feed on the food that was thrown out to them. They are cute little things. We also passed an island where a Jabiru had made itself at home.
By this time it was almost midday so we picked up speed across the Lake and made our way to a quiet cove where we anchored and where the crew cooked up fish on the bar-b-que. To accompany the grilled fish there was a delicious array of salads and also a beverage if you cared to indulge. We were also invited to go for a swim in the water that was actually quite warm at 28 degrees.
We stayed here for around an hour before the crew called us all on board to start heading back to where our bus was waiting to take us for a tour of the Dam Wall and down to the Ord River Gorge and Hydro Power Station. The hydro station takes in a massive 35,000 litres of water per second to produce enough power to supply the town of Kununurra.
It is only a short drive from the dam to Lake Argyle Resort where we are invited to enjoy the resorts facilities for an hour. We chose the infinity pool, and wish we hadn't. The water was freezing! 🥶 We only stayed in the water long enough to get a couple of videos but it was worth it to look out on that view from the pool. It was spectacular.
The resort is very popular and I can understand why. It was established as the workers accommodation when construction of the dam was in full swing so the infrastructure, including gardens is well established. The lawns are green and lush and the huge Boab's and Fig Trees add a cool touch. There are lots of tables and chairs scattered across the lawns that are just begging to be sat in. The caravan park is packed with vans and our guide told us that you need to wait in line to get a powered site and you are given an un-powered site while you wait.
The hour at the resort went very fast and the return trip by bus back to Kununurra passed in the blink of an eye, or maybe it was because of the catnap that I had on the way home 😁. In any case the tour was very good value and it was one I would recommend. The tour was run by Lake Argyle Resort and I do commend them on getting the show up and running with large staff shortages due to covid. It seems the case wherever we go.
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