Broome has a fascinating history originating from the early pearling days when there were  400 luggers working in the pearling industry.  These days pearling still plays a major role in Broome's development.  It has a very strong cosmopolitan feel about it and seems to be the holiday destination for most West Australian's escaping the winter down south.

Cable Beach, Now That's My Kind Of Beach....    Cable Beach was one of our first spots to visit.  It is a pristine 22 kms beach named after the telegraph cable which left Australia here to link with Indonesia.  Due to cyclone Rosita in January there are a number of exposed rocks in one small section but other than that, if you weren't told,  you probably wouldn't know a cyclone had occurred and removed much of the sand.  Getting to the section where 4 WD's are allowed onto the beach is a little more tricky as you have to navigate through rocks.  Once past this rocky section, the beach just goes on and on.  If you accidentally forget to bring your bathers, you need not worry, as long as you don't  forget your binoculars to take in all the different shapes and sizes lying on the beach.  Again we experienced a beautiful sunset.

Another unique experience in Broome from March through to October each year is the "Staircase to the Moon".  We were lucky enough to arrive during a full moon when this phenomenon occurs so we took ourselves off to the Mangrove Hotel for the best viewing.  It is caused by the rays of the moon reflecting on the exposed mud flats of Roebuck Bay at low tide creating the effect of a staircase reaching to the moon.   The hotel turned off all the lights a couple of minutes before the moon came up over the horizon and an aboriginal played a digereedoo just as the moon came up making the entire experience eerie and mesmerizing.

Heading North,
The Dampier Peninsular.....    After storing the caravan we set off north up the Dampier Peninsular.  Our first stop was Quondong Point on the way to Cape Leveque.  Here we found a very remote camp site and a 50 meter walk found ourselves in a secluded inlet which we had all to ourselves for two days.  The photo shows our own private beach on which we spent the entire day without seeing another person.  Fishing, swimming, snorkelling and taking in the beautiful warm sunshine.   Just superb.  It was then onto Beagle Bay, an aboriginal community, 120 km north of Broome.  Here we visited the mission which was established by Trappist Monks in 1890 and the church which was built by the Pallotine Monks during and after World War 1.  The church was built out of local stone and inlaid with pearl shell and cowries.

It was then on to Middle Lagoon on the coast, a camping ground run by an aboriginal family.  Again the beaches were so pristine and at low tide you could walk the beach and find all kinds of shells.  We tried a spot of fishing off the rocks and were successful in catching a variety of edible fish.  There was also some good snorkeling to be done.    A couple of days here, and then it was time to head further north to our destination of Cape Leveque.

Lombadina, An Aboriginal Community With Style ......
About 30 km south of Cape Leveque we called into another aboriginal community at Lombadina.  This small community is self sufficient, and from the time you entered the town, you could feel the town pride.  The village is built around a town green which is well watered with lush lawn and the houses including the bakery, general store, clinic, trochus shell business, the church and the craft shop make up the village.  The church here was again established by the Trappist Monks in 1892 and was built from mangrove wood, iron and paperbark.  We took time to visit the bakery which, although very basic,  makes really nice bread in a wood fired oven.
 
 

Cape Leveque, If This Isn't Paradise.......   It was then onto Cape Leveque, 220 kms north of Broome.  The road is a corrugated, sandy road  with a great deal of concentration needed to miss the dips and loose sand.  It is a good 3 hour drive from Broome, but well worth the trip.  We stayed at Kooljaman Resort in a beach shelter for 5 days and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  The beach shelter was right on the beach and made out of palm fronds with a cold water shower in the corner on a sand floor, so the housework was minimal.  We pitched our tent under the shelter and relaxed.  We had great fun at Hunters Creek fishing off the bank.   To reach this spot it meant letting your tyres down to 18 psi and travelling either along the beach 7 km while the tide was out or travelling along the edge of the sand dunes where the sand was soft.  The scenery along this stretch is truly beautiful with orange/red sand dunes with palm trees growing in clusters,  meeting the pure white sand and then the clear turquoise water.  The fishing was very plentiful here and we managed to catch enough for a couple of feeds.  A huge cod fish (approx. 1.5 metres long  - no exaggeration) in Hunters Creek  was the highlight of the day.  There were five of us trying to catch this monster, but he outsmarted us each time and ended up consuming a big trevally, one long tom and a whole squid all on different rigs.  It turned out that he has lived there for 5 years and is called Henry.  He plays with the fisherman and adds some fun to the sport.

A Cruise With A Difference.....   One of the highlights was a boat cruise for a full day to an outlying island called Sunday Island in the Buccaneer Archipelago.  This cruise is run by a local aboriginal called Unja who has lived all his life at One Arm Point Aboriginal Community and has had the initiative to start this business.  He was a real character and had lots of tales to tell.  We went reef fishing, snorkeling, and had a picnic on Sunday Island, and as he called it "all in his backyard"  Again the scenery was fantastic.  The tidal movement in this area is up to 11 meters. You can observe the huge tidal movements of the area and the strong currents as they flow around the smaller islands.  This creates unbelievable turbulence in the water and the effect of horizontal waterfalls.   Just an amazing sight.

The five days went so fast that in no time it was time to leave and return to Quondong Point where we caught up with some people we  had met along the way.  We were given a 45 cm silver trevally to eat and enjoyed two nice meals back in Broome. We were lucky to obtain a caravan site with ensuite (luxury) back in Broome in quite a good park for the next 14 days.  We had two days to clean up and be ready for the arrival of Jenny and Bob Gault who flew in from Melbourne to spend 10 days with us.  It was really good to see them at the airport on Friday 30 June, after a flight via Perth.

Broome Gets The Olympic Flame......  The Olympic Torch also arrived in Broome on Friday.  We headed for Cable Beach to watch the torchbearers bring the flame along Cable Beach.  At sunset it was passed to a torchbearer that rode one of the famous Broome camels.  The torch was then brought up to the ampitheatre where the pomp and ceremony continued and the cauldron  was lit.  Then celebrations continued into the evening with different school groups forming a choir and singing, and local groups entertaining the audience.

A Dinner With All The Trimmings......   What better way to impress the holiday makers from cold and wet Melbourne than to take them for dinner on Cable Beach.   So after a visit to the Pearl Luggers Exhibition (a recommended visit) we packed a BBQ dinner and down onto the beach we went. You are allowed to drive on Cable Beach providing you head in a northerly direction from the entry ramp so we travelled about 2 km up the beach to a suitable spot and set up for an award winning dinner.   We were greeted to a magnificent sunset as we had hors d'oeuvre's and pre dinner drinks and once darkness had fallen we followed up with award winning wines, succulent eye fillet steaks and gourmet salad. All this took place to the delicate lapping of the Indian Ocean onto the pristine sands of Cable Beach.   As darkness fell we were treated to a magnificent 'pomme a le creme' dessert and the superb Kimberley starscape.  We chauffeured our guest's to their 5 star international resort and we returned to the staff quarters (caravan park) for a well earned rest.

We all enjoyed a great day on the "Willie" pearl lugger which cruised out into the Indian Ocean to look for dolphins and whales.  We were so lucky to see both.  The dolphins followed the bow of the boat, swimming quickly from side to side, rolling over and over as they kept up with the speed of the boat.  As we enjoyed a BBQ lunch we were lucky enough to see some whales and were able to get within 150 metres as they frolicked around.  The "Willie" pearl lugger cruise is good value for money and was a great way to see Cable Beach and enjoy the pristine aqua waters of the Indian Ocean.   We would certainly recommend it.

We thoroughly enjoyed Jenny & Bob's company for the 10 days and we filled our days in with sightseeing around Broome and the surrounding area, relaxing on the beach and around their hotel pool, enjoying some nights for meals and just general catching up with each other.

We will leave Broome on Wednesday July 12 but we certainly intend to return and spend more time in this northern West Australia tourist spot.  We now start to head south towards 80 mile beach for a few days then to Port Hedland and into Karajini National Park to hit the gorges.

Until our next update.