James Blundell and James Reyne recorded Way Out West by The Dingoes and sang:
'Way out west where the rain don't fall.........'
And how true is that of late, although Broome recorded plenty last wet.
The road from FC to Broome is like a long ribbon, easy driving though there were some roadworks in the later stages. The Boabs at this end are amazing in that there are some that are completey bereft of leaves while others have plenty. Many are bearing fruit at this time. The raptors are commonly perched in their branches and you see many nests from quite some distance.
We were listening to Elton John's Greatest Hits and discussing his success despite the dysfunctional family and all the rest we learnt from seeing the movie 'Rocketman' recently. When 'The Circle of Life' was playing I was thinking about my Dad as that was the song we chose to play in the background as images of his life were displayed at his funeral. Not long after, we came to the turn off to Derby which meant we were driving by Curtain Air Base which was where Dad was stationed when the end of WW2 was announced. Serendipitous moment.
We pulled into Roebuck Roadhouse and claimed our site for the next 3 nights. Enough of driving west, well almost. The park is located at the corner where the Great Northern Highway turns south to Port Headland. We set up and had some lunch then later drove into Broome which is only about 30kms on. We went to Cable Beach to take the photo I've been dreaming up for the last few days.
The crowd making its way to Cable Beach for the iconic sunset photo with the camels was building and the carport was jammed. We chose instead to head to Gantheaume Point where we sat on the red rock cliff overlooking the same turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean to enjoy the sunset. Ahh.
Then we returned to our van where we enjoyed a lovely Nicoise salad for dinner and a wine to celebrate the end of the western push. It's nice to think we don't have to go anywhere tomorrow if we don't want to, but we spent the evening planning our next few days and while it will include some restful hours doing very little, there are also a couple of things on our 'list'.
I think Eric was already asleep when his head hit the pillow. On the other hand I had the distinct feeling I could smell gas so had to get up to investigate. I could even taste it! Couldn't find a problem though so I just closed the window above our heads (as that is directly above the external gas bottles) and hoped no one walked past lighting a cigarette. Took a long time to get to sleep. I had visions of the headlines reading "Two incinerated in their own van" but fortunately it must have all been imagination. No leaks, plenty of gas still in the morning.
Tuesday 9 July
Its a good thing I am writing this as it is the only way I know what day it is.
We got up early, not difficult with the sun on its early schedule here, and drove out to Broome Bird Observatory. They are currently tagging shorebirds before they fly north to China and beyond. Many make it all the way to Siberia. They use cannon netting to catch and tag then release. Volunteers can join in but the next event is on the weekend and we will be long gone by then. We chose to walk the Spinifex Trail through the woodland and along the fire trail then the foreshore. Unfortunately the tide was way out, so we didn't see any shorebirds at all. Plenty of birds in the woodland though. In fact we can't remember ever seeing so many different little birds in such numbers. Since many were Honeyeaters, and not familiar to us, we were at pains to identify them all. If we have this right it is the Red-headed, Singing, Red-throated and Banded.
Gave up on that and just enjoyed the sights and sounds. Back at the camp we had a cuppa in the shadehouse. It is a great spot to sit as it gets hotter, to watch the birds coming in to drink and bathe at the strategically placed bird baths. A number of people are camped out here and we chatted with like-minded people from Melbourne, Albany and Brisbane.
Back at the van we relaxed until I got frustrated with the lack of network and so ended up in the bar on their guest WiFi (which isn't much better) and had to buy a drink as it seemed the only decent thing to do. We have decided to have tonight's special for dinner so they have done well out of that exercise.
Wednesday 10 July
This morning we packed a picnic and drove north up Cape Leveque. We didn't ever want to go right to the top as most of it is unsealed and either sandy or corrugated, but we took the turn onto Manari Rd and dropped into Barred Creek and Quondong Point. We skipped James Price Point as it was chock-a-block with campers and eventually made it as far as Coulomb Point. The beaches were beautiful. It was still a little too early for a picnic so we returned via Willie Creek. We had made it this far once before, visiting the Pearl Farm that visit. We struggled to find any shade to enjoy our picnic so in the end we took it all the way into Broome and ate it overlooking Dampier Creek as it enters Roebuck Bay against the tide.
I did manage to dip my toes in the water here, the only footprints in the sand for as far as you could see. The touching memorial on the left is to a 60 yr old man who died in 2007.
After our picnic lunch we enjoyed a coffee just across the road from Sun Pictures. No trip to Broome is complete without a picture of this building. The world's oldest outdoor picture garden. Once again we went there on an earlier visit. This time they are showing Toy Story and Top End Wedding (which we have already enjoyed). I also visited Sobrane's Art Gallery and Studio. She was working on a canvas as I wandered around. She is celebrated in many places around the world now for her wall art murals, including the Tungamah silo's. I just love her birds, she really captures their characters. While I was there Eric enjoyed a beer at Matso's Brewery next door. Then it was time to restock the larder in our van for the trip tomorrow which begins with a visit to Derby.
'Way out west where the rain don't fall.........'
And how true is that of late, although Broome recorded plenty last wet.
The road from FC to Broome is like a long ribbon, easy driving though there were some roadworks in the later stages. The Boabs at this end are amazing in that there are some that are completey bereft of leaves while others have plenty. Many are bearing fruit at this time. The raptors are commonly perched in their branches and you see many nests from quite some distance.
We were listening to Elton John's Greatest Hits and discussing his success despite the dysfunctional family and all the rest we learnt from seeing the movie 'Rocketman' recently. When 'The Circle of Life' was playing I was thinking about my Dad as that was the song we chose to play in the background as images of his life were displayed at his funeral. Not long after, we came to the turn off to Derby which meant we were driving by Curtain Air Base which was where Dad was stationed when the end of WW2 was announced. Serendipitous moment.
We pulled into Roebuck Roadhouse and claimed our site for the next 3 nights. Enough of driving west, well almost. The park is located at the corner where the Great Northern Highway turns south to Port Headland. We set up and had some lunch then later drove into Broome which is only about 30kms on. We went to Cable Beach to take the photo I've been dreaming up for the last few days.
The crowd making its way to Cable Beach for the iconic sunset photo with the camels was building and the carport was jammed. We chose instead to head to Gantheaume Point where we sat on the red rock cliff overlooking the same turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean to enjoy the sunset. Ahh.
Then we returned to our van where we enjoyed a lovely Nicoise salad for dinner and a wine to celebrate the end of the western push. It's nice to think we don't have to go anywhere tomorrow if we don't want to, but we spent the evening planning our next few days and while it will include some restful hours doing very little, there are also a couple of things on our 'list'.
I think Eric was already asleep when his head hit the pillow. On the other hand I had the distinct feeling I could smell gas so had to get up to investigate. I could even taste it! Couldn't find a problem though so I just closed the window above our heads (as that is directly above the external gas bottles) and hoped no one walked past lighting a cigarette. Took a long time to get to sleep. I had visions of the headlines reading "Two incinerated in their own van" but fortunately it must have all been imagination. No leaks, plenty of gas still in the morning.
Tuesday 9 July
Its a good thing I am writing this as it is the only way I know what day it is.
We got up early, not difficult with the sun on its early schedule here, and drove out to Broome Bird Observatory. They are currently tagging shorebirds before they fly north to China and beyond. Many make it all the way to Siberia. They use cannon netting to catch and tag then release. Volunteers can join in but the next event is on the weekend and we will be long gone by then. We chose to walk the Spinifex Trail through the woodland and along the fire trail then the foreshore. Unfortunately the tide was way out, so we didn't see any shorebirds at all. Plenty of birds in the woodland though. In fact we can't remember ever seeing so many different little birds in such numbers. Since many were Honeyeaters, and not familiar to us, we were at pains to identify them all. If we have this right it is the Red-headed, Singing, Red-throated and Banded.
Gave up on that and just enjoyed the sights and sounds. Back at the camp we had a cuppa in the shadehouse. It is a great spot to sit as it gets hotter, to watch the birds coming in to drink and bathe at the strategically placed bird baths. A number of people are camped out here and we chatted with like-minded people from Melbourne, Albany and Brisbane.
Back at the van we relaxed until I got frustrated with the lack of network and so ended up in the bar on their guest WiFi (which isn't much better) and had to buy a drink as it seemed the only decent thing to do. We have decided to have tonight's special for dinner so they have done well out of that exercise.
Wednesday 10 July
I did manage to dip my toes in the water here, the only footprints in the sand for as far as you could see. The touching memorial on the left is to a 60 yr old man who died in 2007.
After our picnic lunch we enjoyed a coffee just across the road from Sun Pictures. No trip to Broome is complete without a picture of this building. The world's oldest outdoor picture garden. Once again we went there on an earlier visit. This time they are showing Toy Story and Top End Wedding (which we have already enjoyed). I also visited Sobrane's Art Gallery and Studio. She was working on a canvas as I wandered around. She is celebrated in many places around the world now for her wall art murals, including the Tungamah silo's. I just love her birds, she really captures their characters. While I was there Eric enjoyed a beer at Matso's Brewery next door. Then it was time to restock the larder in our van for the trip tomorrow which begins with a visit to Derby.
Comments
Post a Comment