Jul 2008

Last night was really cold. Even the dog wanted to curl up under the covers. The forecast in Broome was a very chilly 10oC. We had to reach for the throw rug (on top of the doona!) to keep us and the dog warm.

We actually went in search of Paradise but think it was actually a property and was behind a gate, with no sign, so didn’t venture in, so it seems we weren’t welcome in Paradise. Sorry Terry & Ange. We also tried the turn before Paradise, Camballin, one that Terry & Ange said they’d been too, but the road was too corrugated so we turned around. We couldn’t handle 50kms of this (each way)!

We were greeted on our entry to Fitzroy Crossing by two gorgeous Jabiru’s taking off from a park just before we hit town. Actually we found the town to be quite clean, since our last visit. Obviously the alcohol restrictions, coupled with the closure of the Crossing Inn (well it seems to be only open for short stints (not sure on the alcohol regulations, but it appears that drinking is only allowed at the resort, and no take-away is permitted excepts I think half a carton on a Wednesday afternoon or something like that), but the lovely 100 year old building had been turned into a lovely Aboriginal Art Gallery for local artists. It was very well put together, and also culminated in a gorgeous anti-graffiti campaign that seemed to have gone a whole lot further, by giving the kids free reign at the local high school to come up with artwork for the outside of the previously always graffittied exterior. They had done a terrific job. The place was spotless, green and really inviting.

Found a nice place to camp on the banks of the Fitzroy River, that no one else had appeared to have discovered. We soon realised it was located right next to their sewerage farm, so we relocated closer to the large resort but set back about 200m off the Great Northern Highway. We had quite a peaceful sleep, except for the unexpected visitation of about a million insects attracted by the lights (or perhaps the sewerage). We found they got in all around the badly designed area where the windows and the flywire don’t meet. We were breathing them in, inhaling them and generally getting them stuck to every part of our body during the night!

Well getting ready to head off tomorrow. Finally did some work and sold a few light globes to BP Solar and also a pretty out there electrical contractor. Hopefully they’ll be happy with them and purchase some more from us shortly!

Steve went out for his last paddle and caught a Threadfin Salmon, Silver Bream and a Catfish. The bigger they are the uglier they are, and get uglier by age as do all things. The last one nearly made him fall out of the boat! The last catch was a Longtail Sting Ray, very pretty indeed, and made up for the shear ugliness of the catfish. He was very careful de-hooking it to make sure he didn’t wear its barb. All fish were returned from whence they came. We are finding it hard to kill any of them. The winds have definitely died down, but it was still quite windy out there. Midget and I walked home from Town Beach for a bit of exercise (and rest from being shredded by BJ)!

Made a large batch of Anzac Biscuits for the trip… Need some good kayaking food – easy to pack and eat on the run, or should that be ride…

Another thing I’ll miss about Broome, is Goolarri TV. We watched another great show about Streeters Jetty you’ve heard me mention from time to time since we’ve been in Broome. Well this latest show put a few things straight for us that the near on useless sign stuck on the jetty failed to note. First of all the jetty currently there isn’t the original one. The original one was in fact 2-3m south (closer to the buildings) than the current one. The original one went right out to the edge of the mangrove line which would be approx 1km in length and also had train tracks installed on it to allow the easier loading and unloading of the luggers when they docked in town.

Tonight was our last night in town. We had booked a table at Som Thai for dinner as my friend Jane (who used to live in Broome while we were in Hedland) was visiting for work. We had a great night with Jane, Ange, Steve and I. It was a great finish to a fabulous month in Broome. Sorry you missed it Terry & Sue.

From Parasites to Paradise… Had a late start, as per usual, and managed to get as far as Willari Roadhouse just outside Derby before dark. Stopped the night at the Willari Bridge on the Fitzroy River. It was quiet and peaceful, and with the numbers of cattle on the roads, few trucks made the journey in the dark of night. Steve & Midget thoroughly enjoyed themselves walking the Fitzroy banks to where it joins King Sound. They only bumped into one camper who’d been there for 4 nights and hadn’t seen a sole. Maybe it’s the crocodiles or maybe its because the Camps4 Book (the caravaner’s bible) said it was a day stop only.

One thing we did notice on the beginning of the single lane bridge country we’ve entered is the changing colour of the termite mounds. They’ve moved from the pindan red so prevalent in the Pilbara to a sandstone colour, even though the roads are clearly edged in pindan dirt. As soon as you get close to Willari (before Derby) the camel coloured earth starts to rise above the pindan and it fades in and out for the next few hundred miles. Its just a really pretty landscape.

The aboriginal method of burning off, in checkerboard squares appears to be being adopted by Calm up in the Kimberley. We drove through small areas that were being burned on our last trip to Derby a couple of weeks ago, and smaller areas nearby were also alight. The sky with quite overcast with cloud and smoke cover creating an eerie haze in our pictures.

We’d also like to say a huge thanks to Terry, Ange and BJ for having us. We had the most fabulous time over the past month and have seen lots more places in an around Broome that we might never have seen without your kind generosity in sharing your home with us, and teaching the torturous excitement of cryptic crosswords. Thanks so much. Hope we can return the favour one day!

Hard to imagine that a small white fluffy dog and inflict so much damage to a staffie, yet there you have it. Midget has really enjoyed her time with BJ. We returned from our 4 nights away to find her yet again with many bits of her face and chin missing. She looked as happy as ever to play with him. She really plays quite gently with him, considering her brute size and weight. They also took advantage of having no day time supervision, to destroy two of BJs favourite stuffed toys; moo cow and farmer jack. When we opened the front door we were not only greeted by one crying dog (at the top of her lungs and vocal chords), but also to a lounge room littered with the fruits of their labours - toy stuffing from one end to the other.

Today we decided to take the dogs to Gantheaume Point and have a bit of exercise. Unfortunately the wind was whipping up all the dirt, so we kept our stay short and headed home. Steve had heard that the Breakfasts are great at the Ali Bar, so we walked up to take in the busy brunch crowd. Nice to know Broome-time is alive and well at the Ali Bar. Their breakfast menu is from 8am – 12pm!

We organised a few other things we had to do around town, but only just missed seeing Terry off on his work trip to Kununurra. We watched him board the plane from the gate. Happy holiday to Terry. See you soon!

The drive back was anything but relaxing. In fact we were both dreading it. The van although completely seeled up, all windows clicked closed, the ceiling vent tight as tight can be, and the A/C on recirculate, yet the van is still filled from head to toe with the fine pindan dust we have not grown to love. Its surprising that on a black dashboard, you can still see red dust! It was also stressful on a driving basis. We passed about 20 cars on the 90km of unsealed road, and each time you get drowned in the dust in their wake. I spent most of my time clutching the door handle and the arm rest trying to breath, but not, as the pindan dust smell (you'd have to have been here to understand what I'm talking of. Anyone who's lived in the Pilbara/Kimberley will know what I'm talking about. We knew our van that we bought had been up here, because as soon as we turned the A/C on recirculate, the smell abounded the cabin of our van.

Today being Terry’s Real Birthday, we decided that as the weather will remain so windy, we may as well get an early start back to Broome. Arrived just after lunch and found it was still quite windy here too.

Ange had booked us all in for Terry’s Real Birthday celebration, and yet again, we enjoyed the magnificent surroundings and food that is Café Carlotta. Luckily Ange booked a couple of weeks ago, so we were guaranteed a good seat and a table on a Tuesday night!

We had a great meal and a fabulous night. Hope Terry enjoyed himself! It looked from my perspective that he did!