Chapter 48: The Great North West

Thursday Week 21

Jill prepared a substantial breakfast to help them through the long day's driving ahead. Dave had told her that their destination was Kununurra some 512 kilometres south west, which would probably take almost seven hours of driving time plus stops.

As soon as he had finished his ham omelette, Dave got the RV ready for departure, while Jill washed up and put everything away. She dressed and helped Dave with cleaning the windscreen.

Dave pulled out of the caravan park at 8:45 am, commencing the long journey along the Victoria Highway. He still hadn't convinced Jill to drive the RV, so he planned to make sure that every two hours he pulled over for at least a ten to fifteen minute break.

In the end, his first stop wasn't until just on two and a half hours later at Victoria River Crossing, some 194 kilometres west of Katherine. The settlement itself was little more than a roadhouse and campground, but an ideal place for morning tea.

Dave thought that the scenery along the highway as it wound past immense escarpments split by the might Victoria River was some of the most stunning he had seen in the Territory, with the area's colourful scenery featuring grassy plains, boab trees and majestic gorges carved by rivers out of the sandstone escarpments.

Their next stop was at the small township of Timber Creek, just 91 kilometres further west It was the region's main centre and home to about 70 people. Jill made them some sandwiches while Dave brewed a pot of tea.

It was just after 1:30 pm when Dave drove off, going through the northern tip of the Gregory National Park. Before setting off, he and Jill made sure that there were no fresh fruit or vegetables left because they had to cross the quarantine station at the border.

Two and a half hours later he pulled up at the quarantine station near the Western Australia/Northern Territory border. He stretched his legs for a few minutes and had a cold drink, even though there was only half an hours driving to go. They noticed one family of four standing beside their car just off the side of the road at the check point, madly eating fruit. They obviously hadn't realised that they couldn't take fruit and vegetables into Western Australia.

When Dave and Jill had done their last shop, he had made sure they bought some packet and tinned vegetables to cover them in case of emergency. It meant that they had no fresh fruit left fortunately.

Finally at 4:45 pm he was checking into the caravan park at Kununurra. He planned that the RV would be here for eight nights, so set up the annex and unloaded the 4WD. As soon as he had finished, he asked Jill if she wanted a drink, but she declined, so he took the top off a beer and flopped down in the lounge and drank it. He was very tired from the long day's driving.

Jill had stripped down to her panties, put her apron on and started preparing dinner, using the packet beans and instant mashed potatoes as vegetables. Time enough for shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables tomorrow, she thought. She cooked some sausages and made an onion and garlic gravy again using dried ingredients. Dave thought the meal tasted great. He found it difficult to believe she could be so creative with such limited resources.

After dinner Jill went for a shower and Dave noticed she came out naked, clearly ready for sex again. But there was no rush. They sat in the lounge cuddling while they enjoyed a cup of coffee, before Jill made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"Are you coming to bed, darling. I think I need a bit of ravishing. You should have recovered your sexual energy by now" Jill said cheekily, as she strolled sexily to their bed, her hips swaying as she went.

Half an hour later, Dave lay panting, cuddling her, both having attained the release they sought.

What a wonderful and unbelievably great life, Dave thought, and how one's fortunes can change, as he drifted off into a contented sleep. Never in his wildest dreams six or twelve months ago would he have anticipated being in the fantastic situation that he was now.

Friday Week 21

After a relaxing sleep-in and a leisurely breakfast, Dave drove Jill down to the Information Centre. Here they were told that the township of Kununurra was gazetted in 1960 and is the youngest town in the East Kimberley.

From its humble beginnings as a small settlement that catered for the workers employed for the construction of the Diversion Dam, Kununurra had become a vibrant centre that offered modern services, shopping facilities, a host of community activities, an intensive agriculture, mining and tourism sector and a lifestyle that suited the 6,000 people that now called Kununurra home.

Although modern in its structure, Kununurra retained a lot of its laid back feel and it was this quality that brought many people to town, either to settle here or just to visit. It had also become quite popular with tourists.

While at the Information Centre, Dave took the opportunity to book the different activities he planned to do while staying here.

Their next mission was shopping, especially for fruit and vegetables as, thanks to the quarantine regulations, they had none. Both were pleasantly surprised by the large, modern shopping centre and even more so at the quality of much of the fresh fruit and vegetable, apparently much of it locally grown.

Back at the RV, Dave unpacked their purchases and put them away while Jill made them lunch. As they ate, Dave read to Jill from the Alligator Airways booklet he had been given when he booked the Bungle Bungle air and ground tour.

This booklet explained how the Ord River Irrigation Scheme developed in the 1960's and 70's was initially a failure, especially the cotton plantings which made up the bulk of the scheme. Since the mid 80's, however, the scheme had undergone steady expansion and there were some 60 different crops planted now.

The first stop after lunch was to the lookout at the edge of town, where they could see the sweeping vistas across to the Ord River and countless acres of crops, many and varied, including maize and chick peas which were exported as well as sugar cane, sorghum, plus a range of fruit including bananas, watermelons and rockmelons.

Dave decided to spend some time driving around the district looking at many of the farms from the edge of the roads, all well irrigated. Then he drove around the township, which was bigger than he had imagined, but of course, he hadn't realised that over 6,000 people lived here, so clearly it was a bigger town than he had anticipated.

That evening both enjoyed eating the fresh lightly cooked vegetables, but Jill had also cooked a piece of roast beef, which would ensure that they had some cold meat for sandwiches for the next few days. As usual, she had deglazed the roasting pan with a little red wine and made an excellent gravy.

As Jill was doing the dishes while Dave made them coffee, the phone rang. It was Peter, so Dave handed the phone straight away to Jill. She was only on the phone for just under three minutes, but Dave realised that phone access for Peter was very limited.

"Peter sends his love, seeing you didn't get to talk to him. He's still enjoying it, but I get the distinct impression that he'll be quite happy when he leaves the yacht at Fremantle" Jill told him.

"When does he think that will be?" Dave asked her.

"He said in about seven weeks, but he will try and ring every couple of weeks and keep us informed. Will that fit in with your travel plans, darling?" she asked him anxiously, enjoying being with Dave, but still looking forward to Peter's return.

"It does at the moment, but even if it doesn't, we'll make sure we are there to meet him. As much as I love having you to myself, I really am looking forward to him being with us. We make a great threesome" Dave said, genuinely.

What Dave had said made Jill feel really wonderful. She loved both men and would hate to have to choose, but what Dave was saying meant that she wouldn't have to. She felt real warm and fuzzy inside and she knew what she needed.

"Dave, you haven't given me a massage for a while. Would you give me one now?" she said softly, having finished the washing up.

"Of course, dear" he replied going to the bedside table and getting the massage oil.

Jill was, of course, already naked, so just got a towel, spread it on the bed and lay face down. Dave wasted no time, beginning with her toes and feet and slowly working his expert Thai style massage along her legs, pausing for a few moments on her bottom before continuing up her back to her shoulders and neck.

This had taken a good 20 minutes and Jill was feeling very relaxed by the time she rolled over so that he could do her front. Again he began at her feet, massaging the insides of the thighs, allowing one hand to dip under and along her cleft, but avoiding her sex before continuing around her tummy to her shoulders then back to her breasts.

He spent several minutes on each breast, ensuring that by the time he had finished both nipples were standing upright, rigid and pointed. His hand then trailed back past her belly button to her groin. Now his hands and fingers were joined by his mouth and tongue as he worked on her clitoris and vagina, not really in the Thai massage manual. One hand crept under her bottom and he introduced a finger into her anus.

Jill was writhing in ecstasy, her head rolling from side to side, the pleasure almost too great for her to enjoy. She cried out, trying to muffle her noise, as spasm after spasm wracked her body, her back arching, forcing her loins upwards into Dave's face.

When her body was back under control and the trembling eased, Dave withdrew his face and hands from her and removed his shorts. While he was doing this, Jill rolled over, pushing her bottom up into the air with her legs slightly parted.

"Where's that lovely toy you got in Mt Isa Dave? I think it's time for a threesome and I'll just have to pretend that the toy is Peter. But first, bring that beautiful penis here so that I can greet him properly with a kiss" she commanded, as Dave happily facilitated her wish.

As Jill was kissing and sucking his penis, Dave was fondling the beautiful soft cheeks of her bottom. He was able to just reach the tube of lubricant and squeezed some onto the entrance to her anus, then gently inserted two fingers sliding them as deep as he could reach, then moved them slowly in and out of her.

Next he inserted the vibrator that he had already lubricated, slowly into her sex turning it on once it was right inside her. He could feel the vibrations from it on his fingers which were inside her bottom.

Jill withdrew her mouth from him and softly cried "take me there, please Dave, where your fingers are now. I want you deep inside my bottom."

He took his fingers out and guided his penis not to her rear entrance, as she had asked, but rather forcing it in her vagina along side the vibrator, enjoying both the feeling of being inside her and the sensations from the dildo. He thrust in and out of her for several minutes, before then withdrawing from her vagina, leaving the dildo still vibrating away inside her and, still kneeling behind her, lifted her buttocks higher into the air. His erect penis now slid easily into her well lubricated and welcoming anus until it was fully buried inside her.

She moaned as she received the pleasure she sought, gaining even greater pleasure as Dave used one hand to manipulate her clitoris while the other hand massaged and gently fondled a breast.

Gradually increasing his thrusts into her, Dave enjoyed the tight silky feel of her bottom gripping him, providing incredible friction. He also enjoyed the vibrations he could feel coming from her vagina, so close to his penis, caused by the dildo vibrating away inside her. His pleasure was so great that he knew he couldn't last long and tried to slow down, but Jill pushed back harder and begged him to go faster and deeper.

Dave removed his hand from her sex, grasping both breasts and crushed her back against his chest. His hands almost cruelly grasped and pulled on her breasts as he lost control and slammed hard against her bottom, disgorging his climax deep inside her. He then collapsed on top of her as she too flatten out on the bed, but she enjoyed his heaviness on her and squeezed her buttocks to hold him tightly inside her.

Eventually, Dave was able to roll off her, pull her tenderly towards him and kiss her deeply, as he cuddled and held her, before removing the vibrator from her bottom, switching it off and putting it away after wiping it clean. They fell asleep like that, even though it was still fairly early.

Saturday Week 21

Consequentially, it was quite early when Dave woke up, remembering their passionate encounter from the night before. He looked tenderly at Jill still sleeping peacefully on her back, her legs spread wide apart as if waiting for him.

He decided that she must be, so quietly knelt between her legs and used just his mouth on her, kissing and licking her sex lips. After a few moments of this, he used his fingers to ever so gently prise her lips apart enabling him to push his tongue inside her, while his fingers found and fondled her clitoris, the other hand gently rubbing the junction of the lips of her sex.

Jill slowly came awake, at first not even realising what was causing this delicious feeling she was experiencing, but as she became more alert, quickly brought her hands to the back of Dave's head and pulled him deeper inside her.

"What a delicious way to wake up my love, but please don't stop. It feels fantastic" she cried to him.

Dave didn't pause for a moment, continuing until he could feel her orgasm rattle her whole body. When he felt her body's trembling had stilled, he replaced his tongue with his erect penis and gently made love to her ensuring that she climaxed again before he gained his own gratification.

As Dave kissed her and rolled off to go to the ensuite, Jill cried out "I think I'll stay here all day and savour this wonderful feeling."

"Stay as long as you like, my darling, just as long as you are ready to leave in an hour. It's our turn to go sailing, well sort off, down the mighty Ord" he replied laughing as he disappeared.

By the time he came out of the ensuite, Jill was just managing to get out of bed. Dave dressed and then proceeded to make them breakfast. After eating, Jill got dressed and they walked up to the office to wait for the tour bus to collect them.

Their tour commenced with a 70 kilometre scenic drive to Lake Argyle with the first stop at the historic Argyle Homestead, former home of the Duracks. There was time for them to wander through and around the old house, which had originally been built in 1894 on the banks of the Behn River. It had been relocated to this position as a monument and museum to the pioneers of the Kimberley. It had been maintained as a wonderful tourist attraction, furnished with many original items.

The bus then took them to see the huge Ord River Dam wall that stood 68 metres above the river and was made of impervious clay with gravel protection on both sides. Originally it had two tunnels to enable controlled release of water, but a third tunnel had been built in 1996 to enable the production of hydro-electricity.

The bus then took them through the Lake Argyle tourist village that used to house some 350 construction workers, but had now been converted to cater for tourist. The group were then taken to the boat for their two hour scenic cruise on Lake Argyle itself.

Here they were able to explore just a tiny fraction of the waters that resulted from the damming of this massive river system in 1972. Both Dave and Jill marvelled at the size of Lake Argyle, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, their guide had told them.

When the cruise was over, they were taken to the Lake Argyle Pub where there was an opportunity for a quick lunch but they had to pay for this separately as it wasn't included in the tour. Both enjoyed their meal, Dave having a beer while Jill decided on a glass of bubbly.

After lunch, their group was transferred to a second vessel for the cruise down the Ord River to Kununurra, which proved to be a wonderful experience.

Their guide also told them about development of the hugely successful Ord River Irrigation Scheme and how it created a permanent ecological system along the Ord River. It was recognised as one of the most significant bird and wildlife sites in the East Kimberley.

They spent the rest of the day navigating the beautiful Ord River taking in wildlife, birdlife, flora and the history of this unique location. Afternoon tea was provided at a secluded riverside location, with the boat pulling into an inlet and allowing them onto land to stretch their legs as they enjoyed the scones with jam and cream, washed down with their choice of hot or cold beverage (non-alcoholic unfortunately, Dave realised).

Sunset was viewed over Lake Kununurra aboard the vessel before they were returned to their accommodation, just after dark.

Jill told Dave that she thought the wildlife, birdlife, flora, history, statistics, facts and figures, not to mention the brilliant commentary, in fact basically everything they had done, had made the tour a fantastic day and she even forgave him for making her get out of bed to do it, she added with a big smile.

Both only wanted to have a light meal and Jill's suggestion of Tacos sounded good to Dave. He decided to have another beer, but poured a glass of white wine for Jill, who was not really into beer.

They cuddled up on the lounge after dinner, watching a movie on TV, which was forgettable, but nevertheless, both enjoyed just being there cuddling. As soon as the movie was over, they went to bed and slept soundly. It had been a fairly long day and another early start was scheduled for tomorrow.

Sunday Week 21

It was 6:30 am when the alarm woke them. Jill prepared a hearty breakfast which went down well with the plunger of coffee that Dave made.

By 7:30 both were standing at the caravan park office again waiting for the courtesy transfer bus to arrive and take them to the tour office to join the rest of the group.

Just after 8:00 am, almost on time, the driver with a young lady for their tour guide got the pair of them and the rest of the tour group organised on the big bus that was being used for the tour, then set off on the two and a half hour drive in the air-conditioned bus down the Great Northern Highway to the Argyle Diamond Mine.

It was a special tour that normally only ran on Thursday, but because a reasonably large group wanted to do the tour, the company had agreed to put an extra tour on and there were still a few spare seats available, fortunately enabling Dave to get seats for them both.

Their guide told them that the Argyle Diamond Mine, in the rugged Kimberley region of Western Australia, had placed Australia as the world's largest diamond producer, producing in excess of 38 million carats per annum. Not only was it Australia's only major diamond producer, but it produced extremely rare and valuable pink diamonds, as well as fine whites and intriguing champagne and cognac diamonds.

She also explained how the glittering crystals of carbon, called diamonds, have enthralled people for thousands of years. These crystals of light, formed billions of years ago deep beneath the earth's surface were an elusive prize.

There were only a few producing diamond mines in the world today and, hard to believe, but the gem quality stones mined each year from millions and millions of tonnes of rock would hardly fill a room. Australia is fortunate that the Argyle Diamond Mine was one of the most successful operations in the world.

The tour company offered a unique site tour of the Argyle Diamond Mine that took about four hours, almost all of it on a bus through the giant operation.

It was a long, fairly boring drive there, but the morning tea stop opposite a beautiful rugged range was the highlight, not only because of the scenery, but the variety of beautiful, cold melons served to them at the morning break. The juicy fresh fruit was particularly welcome on this hot day.

When they finally arrived in the mine, their first stop was at a viewing platform located on the southern face of the open cut, showing panoramic views of the mine. It was very impressive. What was hard to comprehend, though, was the value of the diamonds exported from the area they were looking at.

Next they enjoyed a comprehensive guided drive through the processing plant, from ore extraction to pre cutting and polishing stages. Each step was simply and interestingly explained to them. Most of the processing was done by machines that were shown to the group. The mined material was then crushed, scrubbed and screened, using gravity separation.

"Wouldn't that crushing machine break any large diamonds?" one of the tourists asked.

"Yes" responded the guide, adding "but there are so few that it is just not economically viable to try to find them, so the company crushes the ore down to the most likely size."

The sorting and grading of the finished product, they were told, was done in the company's headquarters in Perth by highly skilled diamond sorters, who were assisted by sophisticated sorting machines.

The highlight, though, was the visit to the Diamond Viewing Room where they were shown the displays of rough and polished diamonds. Jill made several suggestions as to which one Dave should buy her, but for some reason he didn't offer to buy her any of them.

Finally, the group got to enjoy a full buffet luncheon at the Argyle Village. This was the Argyle employee living area, where visitors were able to experience the living conditions of a modern mine worker, first hand. It was explained to them that the miners tended to do two weeks work in long shifts seven days a week, before being flown back to Perth as a new group was flown in.

When they all finally boarded the bus for the long drive back, both Dave and Jill were wishing they had flown there. But just as the driver had them back on the highway, their lovely guide asked them who would like a cold drink, initially offering soft drinks, juice or water, however, as the tourists started to yell out their orders, she added "oh if any one would prefer a beer or wine I have that too."

Naturally almost every one changed their order. Not only did she produce the unexpected drinks, but then started passing around trays of beautiful finger foods. Suddenly the boring trip back bustled with life and everyone enjoyed the trip immensely. Dave thought it was amazing how just a few alcoholic drinks and some quality nibbles suddenly made everyone talkative and friendly; the drive back just seemed to fly by.

Dave and Jill had eaten so much, that neither felt like dinner when they were back in the RV a little before 6 pm. A shower was the first thing on the agenda, followed by a plunger of coffee accompanied by some chocolate and a glass of port.

Very early, which was not surprising seeing that they had been up since 6:30 am, both were yawning and ready for bed. Definitely it was just to sleep this time.

Monday Week 22

Waking early after a good night's sleep, Dave got up and used the ensuite, but went back to bed. Jill stirred as he got back into bed.

"What time is it, love?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"It's only a bit after 6 am and we don't need to leave until 8:45 am, so you can go back to sleep if you want" he told her, thinking to himself that another hour's sleep would be nice.

"I've got a better idea. I think I have had enough sleep, but I haven't had enough loving. Got any for me?" she said teasingly.

Dave quickly changed his mind, thinking that was an even better idea and happily complied with her request, making sure that she experienced the pleasure she not only wanted, but as far as Dave was concerned, she definitely deserved. Not that he felt that it was any hardship to do this, though.

Just before 9 am, Dave pulled into the car park at Kununurra airport, having enjoyed a big cooked breakfast. They had an overnight bag with a change of clothing and their toiletries, because today's itinerary was to fly into the Bungle Bungle Range and then stay overnight in a permanent campsite before flying home tomorrow.

Taking off in the light aircraft from Kununurra, Dave and Jill were able to view the Diversion Dam Wall and the Ord River irrigation area that highlighted the vast, fertile farming lands. The plane followed Lake Kununurra before crossing the Carr Boyd Ranges. Then they saw the immense body of water that was Lake Argyle, now classified as an inland sea. Seen from the air, Dave and Jill could truly appreciate how big it was and how little of the lake they had cruised on. It was massive.

They had also been able to see the historic Argyle Downs Homestead and the Ord River Dam Wall, everything being drawn to their attention by their pilot.

Continuing south, the flight went over cattle territory, overflying Lissadell and Texas Downs Stations before arriving at Purnululu National Park, where the plane spent almost 20 minutes orbiting the unique Bungle Bungle Ranges. The views were amazing with the striped bee hive formations so unusual and they were lucky that the pilot of their small plane flew close enough for them to see all the different features all of which he pointed out. It certainly was, as their pilot told them, some of the most spectacular scenery the East Kimberley had to offer.

They were met on the small dirt runway known as Bellburn Airstrip by an air-conditioned four wheel drive mini bus, or more correctly by the driver of one. They set off for their ground tour that took them deep into the ranges. The drive was exceedingly slow as the track was very rough. Their driver told them that many amateur 4WD enthusiasts broke down driving too fast in this unforgiving territory.

Each member of the small tour party was given a lunch pack and a drink bottle as they stepped out of the bus.

Then it was the added adventure of hiking through the Bungle Bungles on an informative ground tour through the mighty beehive domes of Piccaninny Creek with their guide pointing out highlights as they walked along. Finally they all got to enjoy a picnic lunch in the cool surrounds of Cathedral Gorge Amphitheatre; a spectacular recessed area with high domed ceiling and a small pool of water.

After lunch the group walked back to the 4WD bus and were taken along a different track to the base camp that was set up for permanent camping. Here light refreshments were served in the comfort of the base camp before the rest of the small group were transferred to the airstrip to catch the flight back to Kununurra. Dave and Jill stayed in the base camp as they were over-nighting there.

Both settled into their tent, leaving their overnight bag there then went back to the mess tent where they could enjoy some alcoholic refreshments - beer and white wine.

After a typical camp dinner, they used the communal facilities to shower and then retired early, talking softly to each other about the wonderful things that they had seen and done during the day until eventually both of them drifted off to sleep.

Tuesday Week 22

After waking early, Dave and Jill enjoyed the hot breakfast before their tour guide took them back in a 4WD vehicle driving towards the Echidna Chasm. Once as close as the driver was able to get them, it was time for more hiking past the chasm's dramatic sheer walls and the Livistona Fan Palms.

Once Dave and Jill with their driver/guide had returned to the vehicle, there was time for some more four-wheel driving around the area before going back to the base camp for lunch and then transfer to the airstrip.

On the return flight, they were able to view the famous Argyle Diamond Mine and Ragged Ranges before landing. Seeing them from the air after seeing them from the land was a wonderful experience for them both.

It was only a bit after 3:30 when Dave drove back to the RV, but both he and Jill were happy to be able to shower and get clean, washing all the dust and perspiration off them. It had been quite hot out there, although the evening had been surprisingly cool.

Jill cooked them some steaks with smashed potatoes and fresh tomatoes, a simple but very tasty meal. Dave opened a bottle of red, but enjoyed a beer before dinner. Jill was happy to wait until she had served their dinner before joining him for a drink.

Soon after dinner, while drinking their coffee, the phone rang. Once again it was Peter ringing to let them know he was going OK and was still on track for Fremantle and of course making sure that Jill, in particular, was happy. He told her he would try and ring whenever he got an opportunity.

Speaking to Peter seemed to have a double affect on Jill; it made her happy and horny.

"Coming to bed, darling? You didn't look after me last night" Jill said in her sexiest voice.

Dave laughed, but was happy to look after his darling Jill and soon both was glad he did. She was especially glad when he produced his love toy, the vibrator and introduced that, first teasing her clitoris with it before thrusting it into her vagina and then later, after removing it, cleaning and relubricating it, he slowly inserted it into her bottom before he drove his penis into her very aroused sex. It was extremely arousing for Dave, while for Jill it was yet another unbelievably good sexual experience.