ShangriLa's PhotoBlog

18 July - Ochre Paintings from Red Rock Gallery, Kununurra

2012-04-13T10:44:54Z

More to come. Well i hope so at some time. I can't open photoshop so i can't convert my images to jpgs. I will have to reload my software i think. What a drag.

18 July - Kununurra - Artist Hats

2012-04-11T07:08:46Z

18 July - Back in Kununurra - Visiting the art galleries

2012-04-07T06:21:35Z

So back in Kununurra where i can go shopping in the supermarket and visit all the galleries that were closed when i came through last time. For such a small town, there are really quite a lot of art galleries here. The one above is the best in some respects and the one i will show next is the other best. They differ because the art in this gallery comes only from this region where as the other shows art from all over. About ochre painting techniques http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/methods/methods.php The Rover thomas - the most famous ochre painter. In fact it is said he is the inventor of this style in contemporary art. Others have been influenced by him. http://archive.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media/archives_2004/rover_thomas/index.html paddy bedford is my favourite ochre painter though i've never seen one in the flesh yet. All paintings have been bought up by galleries in the southern cities and individuals. Nothing is available in the Kimberley. He has died. His story is interesting. If you want to see more of his image google paddy bedford. http://www.huliq.com/4318/museum-of-contemporary-art-presents-first-major-retrospective-of-paddy-bedford The easiest way to understand these images is that they are maps of the land. All the features in the pictures are landscape features. hills waterholes rivers etc. http://www.grantpirrie.com/exhibition.php?g=gallery1&e=9&s=3&i=1

17 July - Between Wyndham and Kunnunurra Day 2

2012-04-06T08:04:16Z

I haven't posted yesterday's pics yet. Its a bit boring and there are many. So this is my second evening on the road after wyndham. I elected to take a back road rather than go on the highway. Its a nice road because there's almost no traffic. There is some nice scenery (which i didn't photograph) and quite a few kangaroos. This creek was a good find.

15 July - Wyndham from the Lookout

2012-04-04T06:35:54Z

Today was all about riding up the hill and then moving on to my next location i think.

14 July - Wyndham Caravan Park

2012-04-03T05:35:39Z

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Wyndham_location_map_in_Western_Australia.PNG Map shows where Wyndham is located. Between crossing the Pentecost and arriving here there is another night on the road. I remember it. The campsite itself was nothing special. I camped along the road leading up to the turn off towards Wyndham. However, when i walked down to the creek i past some gum trees in flower and they had the most beautiful buttery honey fragrance. mmmmmmm. Yummy. I wished i was a bee. The next day i was back on a proper road again with bitumen and speeding traffic. Not so far from Wyndham, i met an old German man who was moseying about for a few months in his 4WD. He wasn't poor but he was avoiding staying in paying campsites as much as possible. He doesn't live here but comes out to Australia quite often to do trips like this through the outback. I think the Kimberley or Australian outback would be an excellent antidote to europe. I stopped and chatted to him for quite a while. I think in a former life he'd been a biologist - some sort of professional anyway. He really relished the simple life. In Wyndham, rode through the town checking it out. Its a two part town. An old part and a newer part. I wish i had taken more pics now but its not really an easy place to capture. But it certainly has character and atmosphere especially in the old part of town. The caravan park was ok. Nothing to get too excited about. A very old van park in need of some refreshing. ah yes, there were some movie people staying. They had just made a film called mad bastards which i would get to see in Kunnunurra shortly. his film was about this wyndham. I liked it. clip from the movie Watch the trailers. I love the songs in this film. I'll see if i can find a better clip of it. Music... Nothing Really Matters by the Pigram Brothers from Wyndham/Broome. Lovely. Nothing really matters some more good aboriginal music archie roach Paul Kelly this is the original political version

13 July - Crossing the Pentecost River

2012-03-31T12:11:25Z

11-12 July - Home Valley Station

2012-03-30T13:10:29Z

10 July - Durack River to another spot by the side of the road

2012-03-28T09:43:29Z

Well i can hardly remember anything of this day but what i do recall is mainly about looking for a campsite at the end of the day. There had been signs around here saying that camping was illegal. But what else was i to do. I've come to the conclusion that the rule pertains to those with a caravan especially. We are now on Home Valley Station property. Home Valley is an aboriginal station and its being run to provide income, training experiences and the like for local aboriginal communities. I will be there tomorrow. But today i ride and ride and find nowhere with a little water course that is suitable for camping. I do find some swampy areas but i can't even access the water very easily because of the long spiky grass. I think i may have had to stop traffic once or twice today or in previous days for top ups to my water supply. I can't really remember. Even though that is the case, i think always managed to wipe of the dirt before jumping into my sleeping bag. Once again, its annoying that these are all the pictures i've got to show. Sometimes i make it a rule to always take a snap of my campsite but i seem to have changed the rule. Next trip i am resuming that rule, no matter how repetitive my campsite pics might end up being.

9 July - Creek with Rosella to Durack River

2012-03-27T08:50:21Z

We were very rudely awoken in the morning by woman from a road gang driving her toyota ute into our camp, stirring up a heap of dust and letting her dog bark at us all. She was most offended that i had pitched my tent in the middle of the little circular driveway. (I had pitched my tent in the dark so what else would you do). I told her she could drive around me - there was room but no, she just wanted to be pissed off at me. She'd come to scout out a spot for her big road crew to make a camp. When arrived a bit later it was a long truck with a cabin on top. The man was much more conciliatory than the cranky old cow had been. She told me i had to hurry up and pack up but i don't know on what authority. Was this campsite theirs? They evidently thought so but we had no way of knowing. Again i can't remember what else transpired during the course of this day. I was pleased to arrive at my campsite on this high river bank at the end of the day of course. I didn't really like my campsite on top though. At this end of my route, i am starting to get more casual about camping right by the side of the road. By this stage i am well and truly convinced that there's not an axe murderer in the whole of the kimberley so i never lose any sleep. In fact, if since the beginning of my cycling adventures i have ever lost any sleep it has probably not been worrying about who might attack me during the night.