After restocking the pantry and refuelling in Halls Creek, we briefly joined the steady stream of Grey Nomads making their way around the Big Lap on Highway 1 as we headed towards Broome. After so much time in solitude, it may take a little adjusting to reacquaint ourselves with polite company. Rain is forecast – from here across to the coast and into the region the Gibb River Road traverses. We’ve got a few days yet before we hit the unsealed roads so we’re remaining optimistic.
On Sunday night, we camped at Mary Pool, a popular free camp set on the banks of the Mary River. It’s a scenic and peaceful spot, though we made an early departure the following morning. As it turned out, our timing was fortunate — Council workers advised remaining campers to vacate ahead of the approaching rain.
A shortish drive further on and we came across Ngumban Cliffs free camp. Wow! So unexpected after travelling through flat countryside, and so beautiful.Lots of caravans already here but, being easily manoeuvrable, we got a prime spot – see us, top right.Tuesday night’s free camp was beside an enormous Boab, easily the biggest I’ve ever laid eyes on — an impressive natural landmark in its own right. Wow!
Wednesday, Thursday
And here it is! The Indian Ocean. 30 days from Pacific Ocean to Indian Ocean.Yes we’re in Broome and we’re doing what one does in Broome – we’ve driven onto Cable Beach to watch the sun set over the ocean, and celebrate a great trip from coast to coast.It’s fun watching the camel train pass by as the sun sets.It wasn’t ALL drinking in Broome, but Matsos brewery is one you can’t go past.
Friday, Saturday
The Dampier Peninsula stretches north of Broome and is highly regarded for its pristine beaches, relative isolation and the pearling industry. The pearl industry put Broome on the map in the 1880’s. By 1914 Broome was providing 80% of the world’s pearl shell and still today is highly regarded for producing some of the finest South Sea pearls.
We’re spending two nights at Pender Bay Escape on the Peninsula. While the road to the Cape is sealed, once we turned off to our destination we had 40 km of unsealed road, which the recent rain hadn’t improved. We drove through over 100 of these muddy puddles of various sizes and depths.And this is where we ended up. Hard to complain!Long, peaceful walks along the beach, with the dramatic, unusual cliffs rising beside us, made for a truly memorable experience.Caves and clefts and rock falls and amazing colours characterised the cliffs of our beach.Always a price to pay – the motorhome was filthy. Broome car wash is making a fortune!
Sunday
This is the famous D-shaped jetty at Derby. The tides here are some of the biggest in the world — up to 11.8 metres between low and high tide. We’re here at mid-tide, when the water’s absolutely flying past. It’s hard to show just how fast it’s moving, but let’s just say if you drop something in, you won’t be getting it back.Beautiful seaside sculptures in Derby.
