The Crystal Island

taken at the first rock ledge - looking down on the bay in Prudhoe Island

Sunday 16^th June 2013
The Crystal Island – Prudhoe Island Montague Sound

I had a small lie-in, not getting up till after 0600 then cooked a big Sunday breakfast and MrJ had found ABC National on the radio, short wave. He had Macca on a Sunday Morning but it didn’t last for long as the boat swung the signal dropped out.

It was not long after I had cleaned up that MrJ and I dropped the tinny to go exploring. We could see some caves high up in the rock ridge to the south. Maybe we could climb up there was our thoughts. Must have been getting over confident with our thoughts!

I can climb that

Once we had found a way of getting ashore with all the large rocks around the foreshore and the steep banks that were almost like small cliffs.

ready for the climb

Then we had the worry about the tide coming in and not securing the tinny good enough. Try as we may have; MrJ and I were not able to get to the caves we were only able to get about a third of the way stopped by large rocks, small crumbling rocks that slipped under foot and the thick Spinifex bush covering all those hidden rocks and holes to trap your feet and the cliff faces. All just too much so back down to the tinny and onto another part of the bay where the rocks were not so huge and the bank was gentle with even a bit of sand to be seen. Still we were unable to find a path to the caves at the top.

a hard climb

MrJ and I decided to go explore the northern side of the bay. We found a little inlet where there was a heap of mangroves from the shore back into a gully some low level rocks and a bit of a sandy beach. Looked just like great croc country! If there was one there I’m sure that it could see us but we could not see it. Maybe the Prudhoe Island was too far out from the mainland for crocs? I don’t think so!

the crystal bay

do you think this rock looks like a camel's head?

Anyway no croc or any signs of crocs were seen but we did see one very interesting thing. Crystals! A huge vein of quartzite crystals! I had been looking at a long vein of solid iron stone between the sandstone and the quartzite (most of the island of the Montague Sound are of sandstone and quartzite) and buried in the sandy rubble was a mixture of broken coral and shells, bits of ironstone pebbles and shards of quartzite. To my surprise some of the quartzite was in perfect crystal form. Only a few feet away were several huge veins of crystal rock. How amazing! MrJ and I collected several broken off pieces and then left the magical crystal kingdom by the sea. I do know of other places that we have been told to look for the crystals and all places are in this same area of the Kimberley’s but on the mainland.

Back on board AR MrJ and I gave both the outboard motors a clean out with a product called Salt-Away. Salt-Away could be mixed with either salt or freshwater, we put it in a large bucket of salt water and then put the bucket under the outboard propeller, turned the motor over so that the outboard sucked the Salt-Away water in through the sea suction or water inlet to clean the salt build up from inside the water pipes/hoses etc.

Do you know what happens when you start an outboard motor in a bucket of water?
I get wet!!!!!!
Later that afternoon a big aluminium motor catamaran, Orca Blue, came into Shelter Bay to anchor across the way. The fella, Stephen, came over in his large bright yellow poly plastic tinny, too big to call a dinghy for a bit of a chat. There were from Perth and on their way to Darwin to see family. Stephen did offer us the use of his mooring in Broome while he was not using it. Nice fella, maybe we will!

crystal colour in the sunset