Red dirt, red cliffs

The fog had lifted and the sun was once again beaming down on us, packed with our tent and food supplies we headed for Cape Leveque, at the tip of the Dampier Peninsula.
Numerous aboriginal communities are established along the Dampier Peninsula. But rather than the alcohol ravaged stereotypes of Central Australia, these are thriving, self sustaining communities. Usually run by a large family group, they offer accommodation, tours and a chance to enjoy their remote wilderness.
Our mornings were spent snorkelling in the azure waters and after lunch we ambled along the beach, watching the whales play.

Western Beach, Cape Leveque








Our evenings were spent enjoying a tipple as we watched the setting sun create pools of gold across the ocean.
Leaving Kooljaman, where we had set up camp, we headed for Whale Song, operated by the Munget Community. Here we camped atop the red cliffs overlooking Pender Bay, the humpback whales nursery and resting grounds. With the sun beating down, there was only one option, a cooling swim. The short walk to the beach took us past the community, camels and vegetable garden (complete with scarecrow). The beach proved great for beachcombing with many unusual shells, both small and large. We soon discovered how this place got its name- diving underwater you could hear the whale song, as they communicated with each other.
Opening a bleary eye in the morning, we could see the sunrise over the bay from our tent. Gazing out to sea we enjoyed the tranquillity of the morning with a hot cuppa and the odd whale waving a flipper hello.

View from our tent, Whale Song

The beauty of this area has long been known by aboriginals. It is heritage listed, and ancient fish traps can still be seen at low tide along the reef.
Whale Song is sympathetic with the natural environment, however the solar powered outdoor shower has been one of our best to date! Sculptured just right to allow for privacy, you simply hung the ‘In Use’ sign on a tree and showered ‘in the bush’.

Showering in the bush, Whale Song

It was time to depart and venture back along the vibrant red, dirt road to Broome. Stopping at Beagle Bay, we saw yet another thriving aboriginal community and visited the local church. Built by Pallotine Monks and local aboriginals in 1918, it is notable for the beautiful altar made from mother of pearl.

Mother of Pearl altar, church at Beagle Bay

Mother of pearl made Broome the hub of the international pearling trade in the late 19th century, and would not have been possible without the Japanese divers, who sometimes risked their lives to ensure a big haul. Many divers came across from Taiji, which became a sister city to Broome. However, since the movie release of ‘The Cove’, all historic ties have been cut. Highlighting the slaughter of dolphins at the port town of Taiji, the Broome local council was inundated with messages to sever all ties. How could you not? Huge numbers of dolphins are herded into a narrow cove and then hacked to death with knives and harpoons for food, or captured for sale to amusement parks.












Japanese Cemetery

Many Japanese still live in Broome, with relatives buried at the Japanese Cemetery. Racial tensions are running high and a day after we visited the historic cemetery, it was locked, with no public access. Overnight, pictures of dolphins had been plastered over this sacred place.

Beach Babes

After a week of sightseeing and socialising, we slowed down the pace and got into the groove of Broome. We found ourselves enjoying endless days on the beach, with the water temperature a nice 23 degrees. It is funny what a difference a week makes to the water temperature- it was too cold for me last week!

Cable Beach

After a few days lying on the white sands of Cable Beach, we discovered the red dirt road to Reddell Beach. This beach is not signposted although only a few kilometres from the famous Cable Beach. How different we found the surroundings though. The red dirt giving way to the golden sands we are more familiar with. This beach is not as frequented as Cable Beach and throughout the day, we only counted 5 other people. The wildlife was more abundant than humans!
Reddell Beach is great for beachcombing, however be careful with the shells that you pick up. Each one is home to a cute hermit crab. We were both amused by watching countless shells walk along the sand.

Hermit crabs eating lunch

But it was the sight of another shelled creature that disturbed us. Washed ashore was a flatback turtle, who had obviously had an encounter with a shark. She had two flippers that had been brutally ripped off, leaving her weak and unable to dive to the safety of the ocean floor. We monitored her throughout the day, but we don’t think she was long for this world.
However, our day ended on a far happier note. We have seen many whales out to sea, the sprout of water giving them away. But, today we were in for a real treat. Watching the sprout of water, we noticed it would then disappear completely. This was due to the whales diving down deep in order to then project themselves from the water! Two whales delighted in entertaining us by constantly breaching. Such an amazing sight to see. It was also an amazing sight to hear- the slap of the beast hitting the water reaching us a couple of seconds after the splash.

Whales out to sea

We are coming up to a year on the road, and whilst we have seen so much and have many fond memories, life still feels as if it has only just begun. After 35,000 km’s to date, we have no plans to stop or settle down just yet. Lucky we still have so much of this island to see and adventures to have.
Many people ask us how long we will be on the road, but for now our plans extend to the day ahead only. Whatever will be, will be. Today we are not off to the beach, for it is Dave’s birthday and we have made a booking at the award winning Thai Restaurant for a long lunch. We are both looking forward to a lunch out and celebrating this day.

The Big Bang

Life is never dull when Mum and our friend Beryl are in town. They had not been in Broome 5 minutes and already a fit young man was in their bedroom.....
Being the busiest week here in Broome , no taxis where available to give them a ride from the airport. Never fear the above said young man was on hand to give these two ‘old ladies’ a lift and carry their bags into the apartment. Dave and I were already making use of the washing machine in the apartment and wondered who this young man was!

Mum and I on the apartment balcony

After such a long plane ride, the next morning, we ventured out for a walking tour of Broome. Passing a group of aboriginal ladies sitting under the shade of a tree, Mum engaged in conversation, but when they started calling her ‘Sista’, we decided to move her on. Broome was built on the pearl industry and much history abounds, we soaked up the sights of Town beach, but after a long walk lunch was very welcomed.
The sandy red, yellow and orange rock cliffs of Gantheaume Point, are home to many 120 million year old fossils.

Leisa, Heather, Beryl at Gantheaume Point

It is no wonder then that huge dinosaur footprints have been found here. Although now mostly under water, replica casts have been made for you to discover on the cliff top. The point is also home to the lighthouse. Back in the 1920’s the lighthouse keeper lived here with his arthritic wife, Anastasia. To soothe her ailments he concreted a large rock pool, for her to sit in and gaze out to sea.
Mum in Anastasia's pool (no there is no water in it now)


We got to enjoy our own sea gazing aboard the Intombi- an original pearl lugger. Sailing the aquamarine waters off Cable Beach, we walked the same decks as the divers who sought their fortunes over 100 years ago. As we watched the magical hues of a Kimberley sunset a mother and calf whale entertained us frolicking nearby. We had heard that Broome was overdeveloped, however this could not be further from the truth. Where else would the coach drive onto the beach, so you could then get into a tender to board a pearl lugger.
Aboard Intombi

We are still in croc country, however not as abundant as further north. So to see these mighty creatures it was off to the Malcolm Douglas Wildlife Park. Even though this is the busiest week in Broome, there were not many other tourists around, and so we got to play with the crocodiles. Yes, you read right- we played with the big menacing Saltwater crocs! Kept in pens as close to natural as possible, these crocs wallow in murky waters, often not visible. However, throw a ball attached to a long piece of string near his billabong and you soon know he is definitely there.

Fighting crocs at feeding time

Lunging towards this ‘intruder’ you can certainly imagine how terrifying an attack would be. My favourite memory of the week is Beryl playing tug-a-war with a huge croc. After all that play it was feeding time. Stand well clear, as the two males fight over a piece of barra. It was snapping jaws and a menacing growls, the loser coming away with a bloodied mouth.

Mum and cute little croc

Cultured pearls are such an important part of Broome, so it was only fitting that we learnt more (and checked out the best to buy). Willie Creek Pearl Farm is 38 kilometres from Broome, so we hopped into Mum and Beryl’s rental 4WD to travel along the red dirt road, which then turned into the white sandy tidal mudflats. Although not far from Broome, you really feel you are in the middle of nowhere, before reaching the farm. We learnt about the intricate process of cultured pearling, including seeding a live oyster shell. After some damper, it was then aboard the boat to see pearl panels suspended in the creek and a chance to check out the native fauna. However, it was the azure colour of the pristine water that had us spellbound.

Pearl nets, Willie Creek

After buying one of everything in the showroom, we decided to continue along the red dirt road to Quondong Point. Untouched by man, we made ourselves comfortable on one of the rock ‘lounges’ to enjoy a picnic lunch. Looking out to sea we were rewarded with some whales slapping their flippers, making a large splash. It was very relaxing sitting on the beach watching the whales play.
Just as well we were all feeling so calm as the drive back home, took us past a family that had broken down. Stopping to check if they needed assistance, we were soon glad we had. For further down the road our hire car started to not sound right and steering was not so good. It was evident that we had blown a tyre, the rubber having perished while travelling at 110km’s an hour. Our ‘friends’ behind now stopped for us and assisted us on our way (Dave was rather shaken up, while trying to keep the car on the road).

Our shredded tyre

With all the excitement of the day, that evening we made our way to Cable Beach to watch the camels saunter along as the sun set.

Leisa, Beryl, Heather on Cable Beach

We had a relaxing last day together of lunch followed by a tour at Pearl Luggers. It was here we learnt more about the pearling history, tasted pearl meat (yuk) and viewed artefacts from the early perilous days of deep sea pearl diving. That evening we perused the Town Beach Markets before taking in the ‘Staircase to the Moon’. This natural phenomenon is caused by the rising of the full moon reflecting off the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide, creating an optical illusion of stairs reaching to the moon.

Mum and I, Staircase to the Moon (is a little hard to photograph)


We thoroughly enjoyed our ‘guests’ for a week in Broome, we got to eat out, but also enjoyed some of Beryl’s home cooking, including shortbread. We are now back to fending for ourselves and relaxing on Cable Beach.