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Kimberley News: Still very wet up here, Red Centre Pocket Guide ready for download! February 24, 2017 |
24 February 2017, Issue #051 Please do not reply to this message. To unsubscribe or change your address please use the links at the bottom of this message. To contact me please use the contact page. In this issue:
Hi, Yes! As you saw in the TOC above, I have a brand spanking new Pocket Guide for you. But before we get to that I also have the regular updates. So let's get them out of the way... Wet Season Still Wet As I am writing this it is still very, very wet across the north. Since the last newsletter the highway has been closed more days than it has been open, flood relief efforts were carried out by plane and helicopter to supply cut off pastoral stations and Aboriginal communities, houses in Fitzroy have been evacuated as flood waters rose (they did not get inundated in the end) and art works from the Warmun gallery, the one that was devastated in the big 2011 floods, were moved to higher ground as the Turkey Creek threatened to do it all over again. Some people in remoter places have now been totally cut off since before Christmas! It's a huge wet season and it is still in full swing. I had a bunch of links and videos in the last newsletter issue to give you an idea. Here are some more, just for the hell of it. Though nowhere near us, I thought this is a great video to add. (Twitter) It was released by the Marble Bar Police on February 3. It's a great reminder to not underestimate the power of water, especially when it's flowing fast. The crossing at first glance might not be looking that deep, and you'd think a big road train has enough weight and power to push through. Think again. What you can see, just, to the left of the crossing, is the roof of the cab and a bit of the third trailer of the truck that got washed off. Closer to home, the Lennard River on February 7. (Facebook) Wow! And you can see the same thing all over the place. Creeks and rivers have been running high and running fast! After the latest heavy rains the Fitzroy River is also pretty full (though luckily it didn't reach major flood levels). If you're on Facebook, check out this photo album that was put up by ABC Kimberley. Now that's what I call wet! (If you are on FB you may also want to scroll through the ABC Kimberley page. More great photos there.) As I wrote last time, we don't know yet what all this will mean for the start of the tourist season up north. (Or, as a reader succinctly put it, when we'll be able to take the flippers off!) It's much too early to tell. I'll keep you in the loop! Destination Kimberley and Destination Top End Updates As I also mentioned in the last issue, I have started to go over Destination Kimberley and Destination Top End, as I do every year, to update them for the next season. However, doing this reminded me why I usually do it a bit later in the year. Much of the information for next season is not available yet, and with everything being so wet and communications at times being cut it is really hard to get a hold of anyone up there. So, as usual, this will be an ongoing process, with me regularly going through my lists of info I still need to chase up. What does that mean for you? Really, the same as every year. For one: keep an eye on these newsletters. Any important changes I become aware of will be covered here. Beyond that, don't worry. If you bought my guides only recently or even some time last year, the information will be very current, only prices possibly out of date and web links broken. You can expect little changes to be made to my guides at least until well into July, and even during the rest of the year something may come up that requires a change. Therefore I do recommend you get a fresh download of your guide a few weeks before you travel. That way you will have the most up to date information with you on the road. Look in the first pages of your guide for instructions on how to obtain a fresh download link for the latest version when you need it. (If you have an older version there won't be instructions. So simply go to my contact page and follow the instructions there.) What if you have an older or much older version of one of my books, and are planning a trip now? In that case I recommend you request an update and do your planning with a current version. Too much has changed in the recent years. Again, go to the contact page and follow the instructions there. Easy peasy. Having said all that, here is one important update that only people with a very new version will be aware of: If you want to visit Mornington, even for camping you can and need to book ahead! As you can see on that page, the place has become crazy popular, with the safari tents already booked out for the whole season. Several readers have asked what will be happening at Mt. Elizabeth Station next season, as they were not able to contact the station. Answer: nobody seems to know yet! Even the caretakers don't. Once I find out more, I'll of course let you know. And now, let's leave the Kimberley for a bit, because I have a different kind of news for you... Your Red Centre Pocket Guide Is Ready For Download! To publish and maintain a guide book with the level of accuracy and detail as you find in the Destination guide series is only possible if you know a region VERY, very well. Ideally you should have lived there or at the very least spent extended time there many times. Even though I wrote in my existing books that I plan to publish a guide to the Red Centre, secretly I had almost given up hope that I would ever be able to do so. (As long time newsletter readers might remember, a bit over a year ago I was even thinking I might have to shut down this whole business due to health reasons.) Then some time last year, in response to a newsletter issue, I received an email from Monica. Monica introduced herself to me and suggested that we might be able to work together. What Monica told me about herself and her husband Phil in that email sounded very interesting to say the least, so we got together on Skype for a brainstorming session. Once you read about Monica's background you will quickly understand why I was immediately very enthusiastic to get her on board. And when she mentioned how well she and her husband knew the Red Centre, and that they planned another extended stay there for the upcoming dry season, it was clear to me that I had found the perfect person to help me realise my dream of this third Destination guide. Long story short, I managed to lure her in! I am not sure how much she regrets that now or how often she has cursed me in the last weeks. The very last phase of such a project is possibly the most labour intensive, it certainly is the most frustrating. Monica has been awesome through it all. I have been impressed with her work right from the start. The time frame in which she pulled this off, her professionalism, her dedication to the project, the depth of her knowledge of the region, its history, its people... I think you will be impressed, too! We are currently in the process of putting the final touches to the new full guide book, Destination Red Centre. I believe we will be able to release it to you by mid March, possibly even a bit earlier. In the meantime I am proud and happy to let you know that the accompanying Red Centre Pocket Guide is now ready for you to download! By reading the Red Centre Pocket Guide you can get to know Monica a bit better and you will certainly get to know the Red Centre a bit better, enough to start with the planning of your holiday there. (Hint: you will want to make it a long one!) Monica has also included a very generous reading sample from her full guide. When you are finished reading it I think you will agree that not only does the upcoming full guide Destination Red Centre deserve its place in my series of Destination guides, it might just be the best yet! So what are you waiting for? Go and download your Pocket Guide now! Enjoy, let us know what you think, and talk more soon! That's it for today! Those of you planning on leaving for their trips soon, please always also refer to the appendix of Destination Kimberley and Destination Top End or to the links in previous newsletters to keep yourself up to date about the conditions. Happy travels, Birgit Feedback? Found some out of date info in one of my guides? Let me know via https://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/contact.html (c) 2005-2017, Birgit Bradtke. All rights reserved. |
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