Weeks 10-12 Broome

I've now been here in Broome for just over two weeks and it's been a great place
to spend some time even though most of it has been without Gerry. He's been
working in Brisbane for two weeks but has now joined me to spend a couple of days
here as well as Cape Leveque. Our travelling companions Ray & Barb and Richard 
& Marg joined me for three days then moved on to relax at Eighty Mile Beach for a 
while. When we leave here we'll be joining them again along the track somewhere.

And so on with the journey then.....

 This is the Town Beach in Broome. The water colour is a brilliant
azure blue and very clear and the sand is almost white.

The roundabout gardens in Chinatown are lush with ferns and palms. The
historic marker beside the seat is a reminder of the 1942 Japanese Air Raid in
which the Dutch suffered many casualties, not only military personel, but also
women and children, recent refugees from Java, who were in the Flying Boats
anchored just offshore, awaiting transportation to the southern states.

One of the colourful arcades in Chinatown and below the beautiful Shady Lane

Cafe elfresco area in the heart of Chinatown and Broome's historical walk. 

What a thrill it was to meet up with Brenda Webb here in Broome and

to be able to enjoy a ride together around this area. We cycled a leisurely 

40km today and enjoyed a coffee at Cable Beach. This photo was taken at

The Port just 6km from the town centre. Brenda is a long time friend

and one of my riding budddies back home and she is also enjoying a trip
around this country with her husband Peter and friends Paul & Trish.

Cable Beach is a 22km-long stretch of purest white beach where Broome

meets the Indian Ocean. In 1889, Cable Beach got its name when it became the

site for a telegraph undersea cable which was laid from Broome to Singapore

connecting to England. Drivers park their 4x4s then park their

chairs to enjoy drinks on the beach at sunset.

So here I am on a balmy evening ready for a sunset with friends Peter & Brenda.

What a perfect way to end the day, enjoying a drink and watching the camel
train pass by as the sun sets on Cable Beach.

How's this for a meaningful sign spotted in front of a Broome kindergarten.

Perhaps these should be placed at all school drop off zones.
Kiss the kids and be gone!

Cougar? What me? Don't know why you'd think that. I was just getting some
friendly advice from some obliging members of Broome's local constabulary. 
They suggested a photo and I couldn't help it that Gerry was away working!

Broome - Pearl Luggers Museum

The Pearl Lugger is a Gaff rigged ketch in the style of 19^th Century European and North American trading and fishing vessels. The arrival of Streeters Fleet from Dutch East Indies in 1879 marked the first luggers in Broome. The first Pearl divers were mainly aboriginal men and women, coaxed and forced to dive for shell completely unprotected. This was a time of great hardship and exploitation of indigenous people. Over the years many divers of all nationalities lost their lives to pearling. The pearling industry, has brought a mix of Asiatic, Indigenous and European people to Broome giving it a rich cosmopolitan heritage.

Broome's Sun Pictures originally built in 1916 by Pearling Master Ted Hunter screened its first talkie - 'Monte Carlo' in 1933. The picture garden with deck chairs both undercover and open-air are still original. See photos below...

Toilets are located at either side behind the screen. The airport is nearby so during a movie, it's common to see a plane and its landing gear while it flies very low directly overhead. The noise is so loud it blocks out the sound of the movie briefly.

The back of the theatre with projector room and historic display.

The Roebuck Bay Hotel was established in 1890.

We went to view 'Staircase to the Moon' on three seperate nights but this is the
best we could see. Each night there were clouds on the horizon so the moon was too
high before part of the staircase was visible. The tide was very low, wind light and
the moon full, but the sky also needed to be cloudless for the staircase to be visible
(that's the relection of the moon on the water). At least we got a bit of an
idea of what it could be like.

Well the boring stuff still needs to be done so here's the workroom. An appropriate
mural on the outside laundry wall in the Broome Caravan Park. 
Any socks left in the bottom?

Rocks affected by time and weather at Gantheaume Point. Richard & Marg are
 in the background exploring the surrounding rock pools and Anastasia's Pool
pictured in the rocks below...

Anastasia, the Lighthouse Keeper's wife, suffered from severe arthritis, so
her husband would wheel her (apparently in a wheelbarrow) to this pool which
would fill in a very high tide and the water would warm up enough to give
her some pain relief.

Last evening in Broome for Richard & Marg and Ray & Barb so what better way to
celebrate it than a late happy afternoon on Cable Beach with drinks at sunset.

Another balmy night....a 'Touch of Paradise!'

And the last glimpse of the camel train as it leaves Cable Beach.

On my own again and an early morning ride and walk along Cable Beach when I
spotted this plane coming in to land and looking as if it's about to crash into the
 dunes. The airport is just over the dunes so looks can be quite deceiving.

Early mornings at the beach are great and this Ibis was looking for breakfast.

 Well Gerry's finally joined me and what better way than an early morning drive on
Cable Beach. And look below... he's spotted some birds...but not of the feathered variety!

Well as they say, "When in Rome....." we did try to blend in with the locals but the
white butts were pretty obvious. It was quite warm and nobody in sight for miles as
you can see by the photos and what an opportunity for a dip in the Indian Ocean 
in our God-given birthday suits! Thankfully Gerry has a camera remote device
 so no photographer needed.

This time some feathered birds...Double Barr Finches in the birdbath 
at the Broome Bird Observatory

Enroute to Cape Leveque......

......the beautiful Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Beagle Bay
with its altar made of pearl shells.... close up view below

Christ the King Catholic Church at the Lombadina Mission - this old building has  creaky floorboards and partly open sides and the original bark roof.... and below...

.....the view of the old presbytery from the church porch. 

The beach at Lombadina is a 1km walk from the community through the dunes.
There's Gerry heading uphill and the sea can just be seen at edge of sand.
A quiet spot and a perfect opportunity for some skinny dipping!!

These beautiful kids from Lombadina built this wall and said..."You wanna take'em
photo miss?" I said I would if they would be in it and they were excited about that.
 One of the boys asked.."Where you from madam?" When I answered Victoria, one
of them asked if it was Melbourne. So they seem to have some knowledge of
 'down south'.

This 24 km sandy track off the main road to Cape Leveque,

is the only road to and from Lombadina.

Driving this track was a real adventure for Gerry as he tried to

keep our 4x4 in the worn soft tracks. But when traffic came from

the opposite direction, he had to move out of these sandy ruts

which meant a lot of sliding close to the other vehicles. 

Challenging but FUN!!

This sign on the sandy track is a great way to tell drivers to ease off their
speed. Lombadina and Cape Leveque are Aboriginal Communities and
both are very interesting places to visit.

The beauty of Cape Leveque

This restaurant overlooking the beach at Cape Leveque is a 

unique and very civilized spot to enjoy a coffee.

The sandy, rocky and often orrugated road to and from Cape Leveque is

about 90kms long.It was a very long adventurous journey and completed our stay

in the Broome area. So now our journey continues heading south from Broome.

So the adventure continues..........