We arrived in Broome in time for lunch before we tackled our setup number 50 for this trip. The time taken to set up has been getting shorter, like super athletes that improve on previous best times through training and refinement. We all know how many poles, pegs, ropes and other bits and pieces are required for a setup. Mostly by the time the trailer is unhitched all the locks are open and tie downs removed ready to open the camper up. Rarely now do we make an error like not putting matting down before poles are set. We have also found several handy short cuts, like one rope on a corner instead of two, but this shortcut may get us up in the night.
After basking in our own glory of Lth setup we visited the visitor centre to find the Broome highlights. This was left to Angela while Nicholas made enquiries on our roof bag that was not performing so well. Angela and the girls seemingly collected every brochure in the tourist center and when Nicholas rendezvoused with them a little later our time in Broome was mostly sorted and planned. They even managed to find time for Chelsea to be stung by a bee. Incredible.
One must do when visiting Broome is to drive up to Cape Leveque. The Cape is the piece of land that juts out north of Broome and is west of Derby into the Indian Ocean. The tip of the cape is only about 200km north of Broome.
Wednesday
Broome could be the smallest town in Australia to have its own China town. Not much of one at that either. Just a couple of loosely Chinese themed shops amongst more contemporary shops. We saw the Sun Theatre, oldest operating outdoor cinema in the world. (You might have been there as a young girl Nina?) We checked the schedule but there were no kids movies on this week, Planes finished last week.
Thursday was Chantelle's cooking day. She had planned a days menu from the Coles magazine, and shopped with Angela from a prepared shopping list for the required ingredients. It was pancakes for breakfast, 'pretty' sandwiches for lunch and starters, main and dessert for dinner. She did very well, everyone was catered for and no one went hungry.
We spent Thursday morning at the Broome Library with backpackers who were abusing the free wifi (the backpackers could shower a bit more regularly). All the books are from the State Library of WA and are transferred from library to library. We are now temporary members at Broome but that membership should be good at any library. A system that is logical.
In the afternoon, and to walk off the lunch by Chantelle, we took a stroll along Cable Beach. The name doesn't come from the cable like marks the water makes on the sand but from the cable that once entered into the water there and ended in Singapore for the telegraph. There you go.
Friday
A doosy of a storm.
Thunderbolt and lightning - very very frightening me
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo Figaro - magnifico
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo Figaro - magnifico
The thunder woke Angela first, Nicholas followed. At first we thought it would be but a few spots of rain, nothing more. Before long Angela was pole wrestling against severe winds and drenching horizontal rain while Nicholas was wrestling canvas that had blown loose. The noise of the storm woke Chelsea who got up to close the main door but slipped on the wet floor and went down like a sack of potatoes. This woke Chantelle who got up to assist her sister and used every towel to stop others slipping on the floor. By the time it was all over we were all awake, Angela made 3 trips to the toilets, and everyone over 12yo were wet to the skin like they had come out of a bath.
We finally all got back to sleep and for us slept late which wouldn't have been a problem had we not booked a pearl tour for first thing. We needed to leave before 8am to make the rough drive to Willie's Creek. En route Angela took a phone call telling her that we needed to take the alternate, and longer, route because of the rain. Once we left the made road we were driving on muddy sand and avoiding massive lakes on the road.
Even with the sleep in and the treacherous roads we still managed to beat the tour bus to Willie's Creek so enjoyed a look at the pearls minus the hordes. When the tour bus arrived with another eleven people we were ushered to a shed where Megan explained, in intricate detail, how they produce cultured pearls. Before the cultured pearl process was invented the pearl divers found a pearl in at a rate of 1 pearl in every 1000 oysters. Now they get 4 pearls per oyster over 8 years. Most oysters have a crab that cohabitates with the oyster and the crab keeps a very tidy house so pearls don't occur naturally very often. The cultured pearl technicians are paid $80k for 3 months work on a boat, plus bonuses, to open up the oyster and implant a pearl seed inside the body of the oyster in a place that would make a grown man's eyes water!
After a demonstration on how the pearl is removed by three lovely assistants there was morning tea before a boat ride to look at how the pearls are grown and the oysters cared for. Thankfully we had a very calm day, but why would you offer food to tourists before taking them on a boat?
Every couple of weeks boats with backpackers clean all the barnacles off the oyster shell to keep them healthy and happy. Happy oyster happy pearl apparently. Once the backpackers have cleaned oysters for 3 months they are given a certificate so they can work pearl farms anywhere in the world. Also, apparently there is high tech security around the pearl farm and in the water as every 10 oysters in a frame could contain pearls worth up to $100,000! Nicholas might take up scuba diving.
Back in Broome we took the girls to Town Beach for a play in the water play area. Not quite Muddies Playground Cairns but enough to get Chantelle and Bianca wet while Chelsea read her book.
Next to the playground was Broome Pioneer Cemetery. Nicholas walked across to have a look and unwittingly into a disagreement between two 'over refreshed' groups of locals being refereed by Broome's finest. Interestingly one grave was a policeman who was instrumental in quelling the race riots in December 1920. Other graves were those of captains and other notable townspeople and a few Japanese. The unrest was becoming worse so we moved on.
Bluey's Fish n chips had been highly recommended to us from various places, so we ordered and ate them, picnic style, on Cable Beach. That is how life should be, enjoying good food on the beach while watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean in fantastic company.
Saturday morning Angela, Chelsea and Bianca visited Broome markets. Apparently this market has the best iced coffees going around. The one Angela bought and brought back for Nicholas was indeed pretty good. The Broome market satisfied Angela's market craving for now. The market had plenty of fresh produce, craft and other markets type stuff.
In the afternoon we enjoyed an activity that we cannot do in Victoria. We took a drive along Cable Beach. Not along a road beside the beach but actually down on the sand between the dunes and water. At low tide there is several hundred meters of sand to drive on. Many locals obviously enjoy the beach also. There were dozens of 4wds on the beach, some fishing some having BBQ parties on the beach and then there was us pulled up for a swim. The water was so deliciously warm for a beach, easily the warmest sea water we have swum in. We found all sorts of interesting things on the beach, crabs, sand balls from little crabs, and massive fishing floats. Chelsea ruined our time on the beach when she brought to everyone's attention the charcoal clouds blowing toward Broome. A quick check of the rain radar confirmed a storm heading for Broome. In no time at all we packed up, loaded up and were heading back to Broome in convoy with several others.
Back at camp we made preparations then waited and watched the heavens with other campers. Other than a few drops we got nothing. Keeping an eye on the radar the storm hit all around us and completely spared us this time.
Sunday morning we packed the car to drive to Cape Leveque for a couple of nights. We had booked a cabin to stay in to save the fun of a pack and setup back in Broome for a few more days. Also the road up to the cape is very wet, slippery and narrow in places. Nicholas had arranged to leave the camper setup at Palm Grove at storage rates since the park was all but empty. But when he went in to say we were leaving the other receptionist was having no party to the arrangement. With a bit of robust discussion Nicholas brought her around.
The second challenge of the day was to find something snacky for lunch, like a dip platter, or tasting plates. After searching and asking we ended up back near our caravan park at the Zoo Cafe, which has no zoo. One place Nicholas looked at had exactly what we were looking for on the menu, but when all the family were out of the car and seated we were told that they are only doing breakfast on Sundays during the wet season.
The drive to the cape was about as wet and sandy a road could be without closing it all together. In places the road was reduced to a single lane by huge puddles (lakes) of water along the road. It just so happened that these sections mostly coincided with a car coming the other way. Before we had driven very far the car was covered is red muck from the road.
After we checked in and checked out the room (which didn't take long) we wandered down to the beach. The beach was beautiful with fine white sand down to crystal blue water. The tide was well out and we could see some rocks and Chantelle skin dived with her pool goggles.
The resort is called Kooljaman and is one of those eco resorts. Build on land that is traditionally owned by two groups the resort is externally managed with the hope that the groups will wholly manage it in time. Nicholas thinks eco is the term used for something that is not finished or someone cannot be motivated to finish. Our cabin had two rooms, a bedroom and a bathroom. The kitchen was a plastic tub for washing and a BBQ for cooking. There was no air conditioning, nor glass in the windows. The windows had shutters that opened upwards with no insect screens. Insect protection came from nets over each bed. Now our view of the place might have been poisoned by the thought of eating inside (most days we have had three meals outside), having a plumbed kitchen, and perhaps some ac. Anyway it was what it was.
Monday morning we drove a little way to Long Arm Point. This is one of the communities that own Kooljaman. In order to visit we need to register at the supermarket, pay $5/adult and wear an arm band. Of the communities we have visited and seen this is one of the better ones. There was little rubbish around the place and the houses looked well kept and maintained.
At One Arm Point there is a Trocus hatchery, so we visited. Trocus is a shellfish in a conical shell and is prized in Asia for its shell and how the meat helps men perform. Indonesians come into Australian waters to take Trocus back to sell. One trip into Australian waters can yield two years wages worth of Trocus and sea cucumber. The hatchery breeds many different sea creatures for the aquarium industry in Australia. Clown fish are particularly popular.
Round rock lookout offered a view over the straight where the ocean rushes through on tide changes. We saw the incoming tide rushing in like a river in high flood. We had never seen sea water flow with such ferocity.
On the drive back to Kooljaman we stopped at Cygnet Bay Pearl farm. Seems that pearls are a side line business here as they also offered meals, accommodation and tours. In their pearl shop they displayed a 27.3mm perfect round pearl for just $27,000. We left it there for the next people to admire.
Back at Kooljaman Nicholas lowered the tyre preasure so we could drive on the beach. We drove as far as we were allowed on the beach then stopped for an explore and swim. The shells on the beach were large and unique. We collected lots to sort for later. Because there was water Chantelle took a swim.
Tuesday morning on the drive back toward Broome we detoured off to Beagle bay to see the 'Sea Shell' church. On the way into the church we met Deacon Dan who instructed us to ignore the no entry sign and go right up to the altar and into the room off the altar.
They had recently finished restoration works to stop rising damp. The restoration work required the removal of some of the plaster over the handmade bricks. In the bricks they found the names of some of the monks that made the bricks. As well as making the bricks by hand the monks crushed shells to make the mortar mix.
Inlaid into the floors and furniture are hundreds of shells collected from the area to decorate the church. Beside the doors were giant clam shells for flower vases. The church was quite beautiful.
Back in Broome the tide was low enough to see dinosaur foot prints in the rocks. We drove out to the point to search. The footprints are not obvious but we think that we either found interesting shaped rock pools or dinosaur footprints. Because the footprints are important to aboriginal culture they cannot mark footprints for us tourists.
Wednesday morning we took the girls to the Broome museum. Each of the girls were given a set of questions and were to find the answers within the museum. There was quite a good section on the pearling past of the area. We were all horrified to learn that around the Broome area aboriginal people were bought and sold as slaves, mostly as divers on pearl luggers.
There was also an informative section on Broome and WWII. The story we all loved, as truly Australian was about 'Diamond' Jack Palmer. In short a cargo of diamonds went missing during the bombing of Broome in 1942. One of the Dutch DC planes, flown by Ivan Smirnoff, was shot down about 100 kilometres north of Broome. The diamonds were supposedly found by Broome resident Jack Palmer who spent them generously around Broome before handing over a package containing the remaining diamonds, worth about A$20million. Jack died in 1958 taking the secret of the diamonds with him, but rumours continue that Diamond Jack had buried the greater part of the fortune in the Broome region. A few years ago a house was being renovated. When the home owner returned no work had been done other than the partial demolition of the chimney, supposibly to retrieve more diamonds.
After lunch we did the Broome walking tour. With a booklet and map from the museum we walked around the city of Broome to find out what some of the older buildings were used for in the past. It seems that the real money in Broome came from retail not finding pearls. Streeter was a name that kept coming up during the walk as building shops for this or that. He was also a pearl agent selling pearls to bidders from around the world.
Thursday morning was packup day number 50 and farewell to Broome. It was also our first wet packup, it rained on and off most of the morning and even as we drove. On the way out of Broome we visited quickly the Japanese cemetery. Many of the headstones were made from local stone which gave the cemetery a very military look of symmetry.
You've been stranded just out of Broome for a long time. You are where?
ReplyDeleteHope all is well. Chooks are not yet pregnant.
Cheers
We have had a technical difficulty with the blog. The other night the iPhone decided that at 13% it needed to turn off without saving the post in progress. We are all well at Carnarvon. Next post will be up soon. We have had very sporadic Internet access for the last week.
DeleteI'd write to Mr Turnbull, no internet in the outback. Outrageous.
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