The supremely wet wet season has turned some normally dry Outback destinations into spectacular locations filled with colour, wildlife and wildflowers.
It has been a treat for thousands of adventurous grey nomads but the visual magnificence has come at a cost. Roads have been damaged, favourite destinations temporarily closed off to traffic, and once manageable creek crossings turned into death traps.
Ivanhoe Crossing near Kununurra in far north Western Australia is probably the most famous creek crossing photo opportunity in the country … but it’s been a huge disappointment this year. Even now, the wait continues for water levels to return to normal so both locals and travellers can drive across the mighty Ord River.
The river is fed by Lake Argyle, which swelled to more than double its normal capacity this year, meaning over 10 million megalitres has steadily been pouring out of the spillway and keeping crossings like Ivanhoe completely impassable.
Of course, it’s a disappointment for visiting grey nomads and others, but it’s a nightmare for some locals.
The ABC reports that Rod McColm normally takes 10 minutes to get to work using the Ivanhoe Crossing but this year he’s been forced to take the long way around … which can take him up to an hour!
“It’s a 100 kilometre round trip and when the road is a bit rough it can put an extra two hours on the day,” he said. “And the thing is we’re still doubtful on whether we’ll be able to use it at all this year, with such a high water level – we’re not expecting to.”
The Water Corporation says Lake Argyle is still discharging 216,000 litres per second. It’s expected to continue overflowing until mid November … provided there’s no more rain.
However, if you’ve got your fishing rod somewhere in your van, it might not be all bad news.
Local fisherman Francis Bright told the ABC that the high water level means the fishing ahead should be great.
“Ivanhoe Crossing is usually an obstruction to fish migrating upstream, but not this year,” he said. “The bait run has been nothing short of phenomenal and it means there will be a lot of small barra up the Ord River and way up the Dunham River.”
