The Kimberley
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Bungles
When I sought permission to fly into the Bungles airstrip I was told it was only available to people who had accommodation booked and only after obtaining a briefing from the CP of one of the local operators.
We stayed with East Kimberly tours for both accommodation and a ground tour of Bungles. They picked us up and dropped as off at the airstrip. Over flying the Bungles is one thing. Walking in to some of chasms is another experience all together.
We found that if you do the research, seek permission and local advice everyone is more than happy to help you out.
Also, did anyone mention that carrying a sat phone is good idea? Really helps in cancelling SAR times and a comfort should anything go wrong.
We stayed with East Kimberly tours for both accommodation and a ground tour of Bungles. They picked us up and dropped as off at the airstrip. Over flying the Bungles is one thing. Walking in to some of chasms is another experience all together.
We found that if you do the research, seek permission and local advice everyone is more than happy to help you out.
Also, did anyone mention that carrying a sat phone is good idea? Really helps in cancelling SAR times and a comfort should anything go wrong.
GB,
Lots of our lovely country that only some of us very fortunate people get to see. No 4x4's nor Grey Nomads ever get to see some of this beauty!
Great photos. Thank you.
Lots of our lovely country that only some of us very fortunate people get to see. No 4x4's nor Grey Nomads ever get to see some of this beauty!
Great photos. Thank you.
Great photos gb. 
What type of missile did you shoot on that second pic? Looks like a direct hit on that goanna....
Back on subject.....If you get a chance, drop into Kalumburu just north of Windham. Small catholic outpost with the an airstrip good enough to land a Kingair on.The local church has a well kept secret. You did not hear it from me. They have a piano in perfect condition donated by....you will never guess....Adolf Hitler himself. He has his own signature on it to prove it. How it got there, you will have to ask the local priest yourself.
Good luck!
What type of missile did you shoot on that second pic? Looks like a direct hit on that goanna....
Back on subject.....If you get a chance, drop into Kalumburu just north of Windham. Small catholic outpost with the an airstrip good enough to land a Kingair on.The local church has a well kept secret. You did not hear it from me. They have a piano in perfect condition donated by....you will never guess....Adolf Hitler himself. He has his own signature on it to prove it. How it got there, you will have to ask the local priest yourself.
Good luck!
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The Kimberley was one of the best bits on Mrs H's and my 25,000k+ drive round the edge and up the middle of the big island. Agree with Bungle Bungles and Wolfe creek crater - both unmissable. Also China Wall 5 minutes drive South of Halls Creek.
Last edited by Hobo; 21st Feb 2015 at 14:11.
What type of missile did you shoot on that second pic? Looks like a direct hit on that goanna....
Back on subject.....If you get a chance, drop into Kalumburu just north of Windham
Back on subject.....If you get a chance, drop into Kalumburu just north of Windham
If you've got a bit of time and it's not to hot, walk across to the other side of the strip, jump the fence and follow the track that runs alongside the water treatment ponds and just beyond that in the scrub you'll find some old abandoned airframes....
....no I didn't mean the 210, parked here on the apron at YKAL. I forget why we dropped into Kalumburu, but we were on our way around to Cygnet bay which is another great place to stay if it already hasn't been mentioned.
They look like Lockheed Hudson's. I can't remember the story as to why they finished up at Kalumburu, but I'm sure someone on here will.
As for the explosion on the side of the hill Le P, we were running up the channel that links the top part of Suspicious Bay with the southern bit (or is it Secure Bay?). If you look closely you can see the incoming rounds in the top righthand quarter of the photo. Evidently they're warning shots from the guys just up the road at the Horizontal falls to stop fools blundering into the CTAF unannounced.
Whoever that was in the Caravan that whizzed by under my righthand wingtip, sorry about that!
I spent a memorable year flying the RFDS Queen Air out of Derby in the late 1960's, so Grassed Budgie's photos were truly evocative. Thank you for a trip down memory lane, GB.
Yours too Hobo - Wolf Creek Meteorite Crater was misplaced by some 25 nm on the then current WAC chart. Fortunately I was warned about this before I blasted off for my first trip to Balgo with half the RFDS Committee on board! On the downside, no-one thought to tell me that the entire mission had been re-located from where it shown on the chart, so you can imagine my sense of impending doom when I arrived overhead what was clearly an abandoned mission.
I found the photos of the Kalumburu wrecks rather sad - in the 60's there was MUCH more there! The Hudson was virtually complete then (although missing instruments and fittings). This was A16-244 from 2 Squadron which ground-looped on 4.11.1943 and was subsequently written off. The fuselage standing against the tree was an NEIAF B-25C Mitchell N5-161 - again it was much more complete and the name "Missisippi Dreaming" was clearly visible painted on the nose. This entire area was littered with live ammunition! Also on the field were the hulks of two Beaufighters, just the fuselage and wing centre-section, minus engines, nose, outer wings and tail group. One was A19-148, a 31 Squadron Mk.IXc, which crashed landed there on 22.1.1944. The other's identity has proved rather more elusive, some claim it as A19-44 but I'm very dubious about this.
Subsequently the wrecks have been looted/scrapped/parts removed for restorations. I believe the Hudson nose is now on the AWM's Hudson, while a great deal of the identified Beaufort went to Duxford for their project.
sms37 - are you sure it's a piano? I'm relying on my memory of nearly 50 years ago (gulp), but I was told it was a powerful radio donated by the Nazi Government as a reward for the mission's part in locating/saving the lost German airmen Bertram and Klausman in 1932 - remember the "Flight into Hell" mini-series on TV?
The irony here was the RAAF extensively used the airfield (then known as Drysdale River Mission strip) as an advanced landing ground until Truscott came into use. They also used the radio, which the Japanese used to locate the base and subsequently bomb and strafe it on 27.9.1943.
I used to spend many hours there, the mission people were very proud in their part of the war, there were collected piles of shrapnel and bullet holes/spang marks visible on the buildings...
Yours too Hobo - Wolf Creek Meteorite Crater was misplaced by some 25 nm on the then current WAC chart. Fortunately I was warned about this before I blasted off for my first trip to Balgo with half the RFDS Committee on board! On the downside, no-one thought to tell me that the entire mission had been re-located from where it shown on the chart, so you can imagine my sense of impending doom when I arrived overhead what was clearly an abandoned mission.
I found the photos of the Kalumburu wrecks rather sad - in the 60's there was MUCH more there! The Hudson was virtually complete then (although missing instruments and fittings). This was A16-244 from 2 Squadron which ground-looped on 4.11.1943 and was subsequently written off. The fuselage standing against the tree was an NEIAF B-25C Mitchell N5-161 - again it was much more complete and the name "Missisippi Dreaming" was clearly visible painted on the nose. This entire area was littered with live ammunition! Also on the field were the hulks of two Beaufighters, just the fuselage and wing centre-section, minus engines, nose, outer wings and tail group. One was A19-148, a 31 Squadron Mk.IXc, which crashed landed there on 22.1.1944. The other's identity has proved rather more elusive, some claim it as A19-44 but I'm very dubious about this.
Subsequently the wrecks have been looted/scrapped/parts removed for restorations. I believe the Hudson nose is now on the AWM's Hudson, while a great deal of the identified Beaufort went to Duxford for their project.
sms37 - are you sure it's a piano? I'm relying on my memory of nearly 50 years ago (gulp), but I was told it was a powerful radio donated by the Nazi Government as a reward for the mission's part in locating/saving the lost German airmen Bertram and Klausman in 1932 - remember the "Flight into Hell" mini-series on TV?
The irony here was the RAAF extensively used the airfield (then known as Drysdale River Mission strip) as an advanced landing ground until Truscott came into use. They also used the radio, which the Japanese used to locate the base and subsequently bomb and strafe it on 27.9.1943.
I used to spend many hours there, the mission people were very proud in their part of the war, there were collected piles of shrapnel and bullet holes/spang marks visible on the buildings...
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Great pix, GB & Hobo.
Dora-9,
Thanks for that informative post.
Slight thread drift here...
Re the replacement nose for the AWM's Hudson (A16-105), I was led to believe that Malcolm Long sourced that from New Zealand during his restoration.
The replacement was found to be desirable because Adastra had so extensively modified the original nose for survey work.
It will be interesting to see if we can track A16-244's nose on its travels from the Kimberley to NZ and thence back to OZ.
So... another little mystery to be solved.
.
Dora-9,
Thanks for that informative post.
Slight thread drift here...
Re the replacement nose for the AWM's Hudson (A16-105), I was led to believe that Malcolm Long sourced that from New Zealand during his restoration.
The replacement was found to be desirable because Adastra had so extensively modified the original nose for survey work.
It will be interesting to see if we can track A16-244's nose on its travels from the Kimberley to NZ and thence back to OZ.
So... another little mystery to be solved.
.
Last edited by Stanwell; 22nd Feb 2015 at 02:19.
They are in a little storage building in either the school or church ground.
It's been a long time since I flew there in my Queenair. I was not aware of the radio but I am sure it is the piano that has the Nazi insignia and Hitler's signature underneath.
It's been a long time since I flew there in my Queenair. I was not aware of the radio but I am sure it is the piano that has the Nazi insignia and Hitler's signature underneath.
