Jul 2008

Today we left Jude to sort out her flight back to Perth, and we went and had lunch back at the Egyptian Kebab shop. Steve read up on some Egyptian history and I caught up on the latest trashie mags. We then walked down to the Monsoon Gallery to Helen Norton's latest exhibition. Her work has really come of age, but we still preferred the curly cows and dogs of her old work, along with the price tags with the latest pieces around 1.5m x 1m costing around $14,000! Since the Gallery was next to Matso's, we had to stop and have a jug of Ginger Beer before we could head off.

Helen Norton @ Monsoon

We also popped into another local gallery Denise Walker, and Broome 6 gallery who represent the Mowanjum people. I learned a little about the Wadjina spirit that was creator along with the rainbow spirit. You can tell the Wadjina by the very large all seeing all knowing eyes. It also represents energy, being able to control etc. This is very much the style of painting that permeates through the Mowanjum area.

Denise Walker

Wadjina from Broome6

Steve took off to Town Beach with kayak and fishing gear in tow. At low tide he saw all the old rotting and abandoned boats and old tools and equipment rusting in the low tide water. He caught 5 brim 2 catfish in 1 hour! He put them all back in. Was late back and in trouble as he has my bottle of champagne in the fridge.

Today, I was Jude's tour guide, taking her around the sights of Broome. First stop was Cable Beach, so named after Cable House (the previous life of the Broome Courthouse) and Australia's first cable connection from Java arrived at the now famous Cable Beach. The kit home/office of Cable House was shipped out from England in 1880's and on the way, stopped off in Singapore to pick up the teak interior fitout materials as well as labours to construct the building on its arrival, and also staff for the Cable Master's family. As there was no jetty, the entire iron kit home and all timber had to be dragged up the mudflats to the waiting horse and carts to take it to its position. The Cable House remained so till 1914, when it was relocated closer to Perth. In 1921 Cable House was reopened as a Courthouse and remains so today. Although the interior has been spoilt by horrid fluro lighting and inappropriate 1970's fitout, it remains a classic Broome icon with all teak lining boards, windows and French doors appearing to all be intact.

We then travelled to the Port to view the huge tidal jetty, then back to town via the Japanese Cemetery showing the sad demise of over 800 Japanese divers and assistants during the early pearling days.

Next on the itinerary was Town Beach where Jude admired the lovely crystal clear turquoise water before we headed into town to see Stretters Jetty. I believe about only one third of the jetty remains, and the tide was out, so it wasn't much to look out. But I do remember when I came up to Broome for work about 12 years ago and was staying with my friend Jane who was also working for ATSIC at the time. A cyclone passed quite close to Broome and on the high tide, I remember seeing people walking out on Streeters Jetty with the water over their calf muscles! That's not far from the street level! Interesting stuff! Click on the link to view the live webcam of Town Beach: http://www.broomewa.com/cam/townsite.htm

We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Egyptian Kebab shop and wandered round some of the finer pearling shops of town and the Pearl Luggers. Jude then organised a great tour leaving Thursday, up the Gibb River Road and right up to Kalumburu and back through the Bungle Bungles and a few more gorges on the way back to Broome.

We finished the evening off by taking in Sunset at Gantheaume Point. Another perfect end to a perfect day!

It seems that when you're living in a house, there is no escaping cleaning. The dust is amazing in Broome. It seems that if a door or window is left open then within a day or so there is the fine pindan dust over the floors. While its nice and cool and practical to have a fully tiled house in this climate, there is no escaping the dust.

Today we were busy getting the house cleaned for the arrival of Ange's rellie from England, Jude. Jude is just completing a 12 month holiday in Vietnam, Thailand, NZ and Australia. Her 12 months is up at the end of July. Arriving at 7pm sharp, we wisked her off to our fave, Matso's for dinner.

What a great day! Although with swollen eyes we made the Broome Markets for our second Sunday. We sold quite a few globes and more chockies! We enjoyed yet more busking, and spent our profits on pressies and environmentally friendly mossie repellents (which you need litres of round here!).

Sporting huge hangovers, not much was spoken this morning, as we enjoyed our bacon butties. Still not feeling the best, we drove to the Broome Races. It was a great afternoon as we joined the Health Workers Tent and enjoyed the lavish food provided in the tent. We finally met up with Sue who we hadn’t managed to meet up with since arriving in Broome. It was great to see her so really happy and enjoying being in a great place.

We stayed till the last race and walked home. Unfortunately for me, I got some of the fine pindan dust in my eyes and the swelled up like footballs. They were incredibly itchy. In the one and a half hours walk home, I’d rubbed them to death, so they were raw before I got some antihistamine into me. Ehew!