Wonders of Western Australia

I left the relaxed scenery of Nyaarnna and headed north. I still had roughly 220 km to the next bastion of civilisation, Halls Creek. The track comes close to the infamous (thanks to the backpacker horror movie) Wolfe Creek Meteor Crater. Eager to finish the Tanami, I was tempted to pedal right past it but I reminded myself that I may not return to this part of Australia and that I would likely regret not taking a look.

Without a serial killer in sight, it was nice to take a morning off the bike to walk around the rim and get a better look at the surrounding landscape. I doubt standing on the edge of a meteor crater will ever get old but if I had to choose one I would opt for the much more striking and lesser known Tnorala (Gosses Bluff) back in Central Australia. There were a few campervans and four-wheel drives at the nearby campsite and I was gifted a beer by fellow camper Steve (cheers again!).

There was a marked change in the scenery during the last couple of days on the Tanami. The expansive plains gave way to rolling hills, the bush was becoming more green and cattle appeared by the hundreds. The end did not come easy – I was served another helping of serious corrugations but with the addition of short punchy climbs.

It was with great elation that I arrived at the junction with the Great Northern Highway. I passed a southbound grader whose driver was somewhat shocked to see my dirty, dusty figure roll past on a bicycle. 

I could just about kiss the silky smooth asphalt and flew into Halls Creek with a nice tailwind. I felt the same disproportionate sense of entering a bustling metropolis that had washed over me when I arrived in Yulara many weeks before. A petrol station, a grocery and even a pub! I treated myself to an ice cold ginger beer before heading to the caravan park to get cleaned up.

I met the friendly owner Roland whose tiny shop appeared to have more variety than a ten storey department store. I enjoyed a shave and a cooling shower, emerging from the toilet block a new man.

Many of the people I had spoken to before getting to Halls Creek had warned about rampant crime and violence from the Indigenous Community. I suspected that much of it was hearsay or hyperbole as I find is often the case with this sort of talk. Personally I had a very positive experience in Halls Creeks and got chatting to a few of the friendly locals at the pub. This is not to say that crime doesn’t happen here or that these communities don’t experience some serious challenges. However, my personal impression was that it was overstated by a few of the other travellers I met on the road.

I was keen to check out Purnululu National Park about 100 km northeast of Halls Creek. I would then backtrack and head west towards Broome as I planned to tackle the famous Gibb River Road that runs through the middle of the Kimberly Plateau. I’d heard the road into Purnululu was particularly gnarly with many blind corners and a few boggy river crossings.

A pair of friendly grey nomads Des and Wendy approached me at the caravan park. As it happened they planned to visit the park at the same time as me and they generously offered me a lift in their four-wheel drive. We agreed to meet at the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park.

I encountered my first boab tree along the road to Purnululu. These magnificent trees grow in all sorts of bizarre ways with a trunk that typically bulges out from the middle. I looked forward to seeing many more.

My fears about being more susceptible to punctures with a tubed set up were realised on the way to Purnululu. I experienced several flats in my rear tyre pulling small thorns from the rubber with each repair. Fortunately Des had a compressor in his caravan and I was able to convert back to tubeless when I met them at the turnoff for Purnululu.

I had no regrets catching a lift into the park with Des and Wendy. As forewarned, the road was heavily corrugated, with some seriously dangerous blind corners and a few swampy river crossings.

It was interesting to experience the ‘discomfort’ of corrugations inside a four-wheel drive. I can safely report that there is no comparison with the near constant bucking bronco effect of tackling corrugations on a bicycle. I’ll stop moaning here and have reminded myself that this adventure (and my mode of transport) is completely of my choosing.

Purnululu did not disappoint with narrow slot canyons, a huge cavern and some truly spectacular rock formations. It felt a little strange to be chauffeured around in a FWD after having spent so much time on my bike. All in all I had a lovely few days getting to know Des and Wendy and exploring the park.

Back down the road towards Halls Creek, I opted for a bush camp near the junction with the Tanami. I completed my daily ritual of setting up the tent, doing some yoga and enjoyed the usual fine dining of mei goreng noodles with TVP and rehydrated peas. I hopped into bed, keen to make an early start to escape the heat of the day. 

As I lay down to sleep, I noticed an itchy sensation in my upper thigh. I assumed I’d been bitten by another of the mosquitos that seem to thrive on my blood. Attempting to apply some self control I tried to ignore the itch before finally giving in. 

Unsurprisingly scratching made it worse. I soon found myself voraciously scratching the insides of both my legs and butt. Something else must be going on I thought. I shone my head torch and was shocked to discover hives spreading up my thighs and onto my torso. Fortunately I had phone signal and I gave my partner Belinda a call to see if she had encountered anything like this before. I swallowed an antihistamine (zyrtec) but got a little nervous when not long after the swelling spread to my lips and my eyes. 

At this stage I opted to ring 000 emergency to find out what the best course of action would be. Had I not been in range of phone signal I would have used my Garmin InReach Mini to send an SOS and explain my situation via GPS SMS. This bit of kit is a crucial lifeline for me on this journey. 

If the swelling moved to my throat I could be in trouble. Once I’d explained the situation the operator advised that they would dispatch an ambulance from the Halls Creek Medical Centre immediately. I was surprised by the prompt action but the operator explained that it was much better to be safe than sorry in this situation.

It was a little funny trying to explain the location of my campsite. I felt pretty calm in the knowledge that help was on the way and hoped that the antihistamine I’d taken might help. Within twenty minutes I saw the spotlight of the ambulance scanning the bush. The paramedic Darren, suggested I load my bike and all my gear into the van. 

At the hospital the attending doctor gave me a separate type of antihistamine (phenergen) and had adrenaline ready in case my airways became affected. I was pretty shocked to see how much the reaction had spread in the bathroom mirror.

Fortunately the second dose of antihistamines seemed to get me through the peak of the reaction. The staff at the hospital let me stay in one of the rooms overnight. By morning the swelling/reaction had all but disappeared except for my face. The cause of the reaction remains unclear but I suspect I was bitten by an ant or something. I’ve never reacted like this to a mosquito bite and strongly doubt it was brought on by my food.

After all the excitement, I felt pretty knackered and opted to take the day off to recover back at the caravan park. Roland was very surprised to see me again so soon. All’s well that ends well – a massive thanks to the team at Halls Creek Medical Centre for taking care of me. Little did I know that this would not be my only visit to the hospital in Western Australia…