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The East Kimberley won't hold fond memories for Lofty and Helen Atkinson; it was where their vintage car trip came to a sudden halt.
The couple had driven their 1924 Dodge Bros tourer from Adelaide across the Nullarbor to attend the Dodge 4 Rally in Perth on October 11.
Then, instead of returning to Adelaide via the Nullarbor, they decided to take the long way home and head up through the Kimberley.
Everything went well until they got to Halls Creek, where they did in a big end bearing.
Lofty managed to get a replacement sent up, and with the help of some Halls Creek people, rebuilt the motor in 10 days.
They arrived in Kununurra on Friday and booked into the Town Caravan Park, unloading some items into their chalet.
They then took the old Dodge up to the viewing area on Kelly's Knob.
As they were returning through Ngahliwah Community, they stopped to photograph a boab tree.
The car backfired and the next thing they had children yelling out: "You're on fire; you're on fire."
They grabbed their fire extinguisher but were unable to quell flames in the engine bay.
Lofty and Helen then dragged everything they could out of the car.
Eventually the Kununurra Fire Brigade put out the flames.
Helen and Lofty have owned the car since 1974.
They had intended to spend the afternoon having a cold beer with Jim and Leonie Bailey out on Lake Kununurra.
Instead, they ended up spending the afternoon arranging for the remnants of the car to be moved and stored until it could be freighted back to Adelaide.
Bevan Spackman loaned them a car to get around in and offered to store their much-loved old car.
Lofty said he would restore the car, despite the severe damage done by fire.
It would be a long project he said.
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