Getting to Kununurra from Sydney since borders reopened is no mean feat. Baggage-handling delays, mechanical problems, a power outage and staff shortages make for a day of travel to this far northern outpost of Western Australia painful in that first-world sort of way.
But when our two guides, Janaya and Glenn, come to collect me the next morning at 7am, all is forgotten. I have my walking boots on, my day pack is ready with water, sunscreen and plasters, and all I can think about is the adventure that stretches before me.