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Destination Guide updates and a look into the future. January 30, 2011 |
31 January 2011, Issue #030 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 ALWAYS use the contact page: www.kimberleyaustralia.com/contact.html In this issue:
Hello from a still very soggy Kununurra! Like most of Australia the Kimberley has seen heavy rain all across it through all of January, leading to the normal flooding issues, water over main roads etc. We are, however, used to it. Just had to deal with the usual: empty supermarket shelves, delayed mail, not being able to go anywhere etc. Minor inconveniences not even worth mentioning compared to what many Queensland residents and also many people in other parts of Australia have experienced and are still going through. At the moment the Kimberley sun is out again, which is nice, but brutally hot and steamy. This time of the year you can't win! (I still love it though.) I have been without any internet connection for over a week and am still struggling to work through the backlog that piled up in that time. That's part of the reason this newsletter is somewhat late. Not that I keep a regular schedule, I write when there is something to tell you. But whenever I take too long there will be some of you writing and asking if they missed an issue or when the next one will be out. From that I know that I've been taking a bit longer than usual. That's ok by the way. You are welcome to give me a kick in the you-know-where when I look like I'm slacking :-). Destination Guide Updates I update my Destination Guides all through the year whenever I become aware of changes, and I let you know about important changes via this newsletter. But I also do one major read through at the end of the year, where I check all the links, update prices as much as possible (many businesses do not decide on prices until the season actually starts), event dates, and check a million other details as well. There are far too many little updates and changes to put them all into a newsletter. If you bought any of the guides in January, you have the latest version. If you bought them during the last months of 2010, you don't. But obviously I want you to have the latest version. Please do NOT write to me about it. Rather, wait for the next newsletter. It will tell you how to get access to the latest version. Do you need those updates? I would prefer you have them. Things up here are changing faster and faster. It really pays off to hit the road with a current guide. (To all those people who have written and wondered about how to cross the Tanami, now that Rabbit Flat has closed, of course that's all covered in detail in the updated version as well. In short: you still have Tilmouth Well and Yuendumu at the southern end, with Tilmouth Well being reliable and more tourism orientated. Unfortunately there are no other overnight or supply stops between Yuendumu and Halls Creek, unless you visit one of the more out of the way Aboriginal communities on the northern end.) Updates from the Home Front The cane toads are here! Yep, we knew it was only a matter of time. The cane toads have arrived in Kununurra and are now firmly established in and around town. Due to the relentless toad busting that the community has carried out over the last years the front is a lot thinner than it could be, the toads are smaller, it could all be much worse. Still, it is a sad thing to witness. I picked up the first toad on my doorstep (literally) a couple of weeks ago. Knowing it is inevitable, and dealing with it happening, are two different things. The rest of the Kimberley is still toad free for now. But it's a big wet season so far. Lots of water and flooding helps the toads advance at greater speed. If you want to enjoy a toad free Kimberley, best start reading, planning and packing! Who knows where the front will be by next year. As for myself, I have been hit by the usual yearly flood of a different kind: Email! Every year, as soon as Christmas and New Year are done with, people get serious about planning their yearly big trips. Traffic on my websites explodes, and so do enquiries. Both increase a lot every year (which is good!) and somehow I always manage to forget from one year to the next just how much work it is to stay on top of that. The email flood means that all other work has ground to a screeching halt... Many things that I had hoped to be able to announce in this newsletter are just not ready yet! Apart from the new download for dog owners that I talked about in the last issue (a big thank you to everyone who responded, I got some GREAT photos), I am also working on a download that is of interest to all Kimberley travellers. Both those downloads will be free bonuses for Destination Kimberley customers, both new and existing. Something that will definitely NOT be happening in time for this season is a full Red Centre guide book (i.e. Destination Red Centre). What I plan to do instead is put together a free bonus download for Destination Top End buyers (both new and existing) that gives you all the Red Centre information from my outback website, updated, with lots of added detail and maps, easy to read, well organised, and in printable form. Unfortunately I can not guarantee that it will be ready before the season starts. More about the reasons below. A Look into the Future While I have a million ideas for things that I could do and would love to do to provide you with more and better resources NOW, I also have to face the reality that the unexpected huge success of my guide books is taking its toll on my health. I simply spend too much time sitting in front of this screen. Nobody can spend that many hours in front of a computer, seven days a week, for months on end, without paying a price. Every year between January and June I seem to work myself to the edge of a nervous breakdown and collapse, and then I need the rest of the year to recover. Not a good long term strategy... (And that's not even taking into account the effects of the long sitting on my joints, ligaments, muscles etc. I'm slowly becoming chair shaped...) Therefore, a few things around here have to change. These changes will be good for all of us in the long run. They will make my life much easier, and you will end up with more current websites (some information on my outback site is so hopelessly outdated, it is awfully embarassing), more guide books (I have a big surprise in the works here), more free downloads and much better resources. But implementing all those changes that will allow me to deal with the ever increasing demand, and then overhauling and updating the websites to the same standard as my guide books, all that is a huge task. And that's what I have to tackle this year. I'll gradually reveal all the details in the next newsletters. Don't worry, there will not be any sudden drastic changes and I'm not planning to abandon any of my projects. Everything will happen little by little. Just wanted to let you know the reason why I am not adding another full sized guide book this year, even though I know many of you are waiting for it. And now I have to get back to work. There are emails to answer, free downloads to make, etc. So last but not least, in keeping with the flood theme of this newsletter, a link and a lesson: More from the Kimberley soon. B. Feedback? Go to https://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/contact.html (c) 2005-2011, Birgit Bradtke. All rights reserved. The Kimberley Guide is published by Birgit Bradtke in Kununurra, WA 6743, Australia. Reproduction of any material from this newsletter without written permission is prohibited. |
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