Saturday July 9        Fitzroy Crossing – Windjana Gorge

We slept in till 7am! While preparing breakfast in the sun we were visited by some curious large dogs. We met our neighbour in the campsite, Phil Tanner, a caricaturist, who was financing his trip around Australia by his art. He travelled mainly by bike, but was not so time-constrained as our Swedish companion of the previous morning. Phil agreed to draw each of us, and did so while we packed up. During John's sitting (literally on the ground, with an upturned garbage bin as Phil's drawing desk), Bob returned with another boab nut – quite a small one and beautifully carved. "May we buy it?" Cheryl asked. "Well I'm trying to sell it to you!" was his amused reply.

We shopped for food in the supermarket, and despite a list, managed to forget to buy bread. We did however find a one-day old newspaper, so could read our first news of the London bombings. At the visitor centre we bought a painting "Woman" by aboriginal artist Raelene Mirindo, and a hat for Cheryl with its own fly net. Some postcards were bought and posted here: the post box would be cleared next in two days time – but this was to be essentially our last opportunity to send mail until we reached Kunnunurra.

Finally we headed out of Fitzroy Crossing towards Tunnel Creek. One hillside was covered with majestic boabs, standing like sentinels. Mystical. As we pulled into the car park at Tunnel Creek, we saw the Kolfen children running towards our car. They had seen our car at Geiki Gorge, but not us. David had recognised our car by the rope typing on the parking light. Carolyn assured us that the water in the Tunnel Creek Gorge was only thigh deep, and she enthusiastically told us that they had seen a freshwater crocodile on a rock in the middle of the tunnel. This was to be the last time we saw the Kolfens on the trip – until they came to stay with us for a few days in Perth in September. We exchanged addresses and bade them farewell. As our torches were only just strong enough to make our way along the ¾ Km of the Tunnel Creek cavern, we did not see Carolyn's crocodile. But we very much enjoyed the experience. The coolness in the dark cavern, the beauty of the creek as we emerged at the other side. This is the area where the aboriginal leader Jandamurra hid for many months and was eventually betrayed and killed in a police shoot-out.

After leaving Tunnel Creek we headed towards the Windjana Gorge where we would spend the night. We stoped off at the remains of Lillimilura Station where we read an account of Jandamurra. There were memorials here both to Jandamurra and to a policeman he killed. History is very political. We arrived at Wyndjama Gorge with plenty of time to set up camp, do the sudoku from our newspaper, and cook beautiful scotch fillet steak for dinner.