Day 17: 20/9/2014   Broome, WA to Karratha WA   Distance traveled:  855km

Today we were back on the road, with an 8 hour drive from Broome, down to the Pilbara, staying in Karratha.  Originally we were going to stop at Port Hedland, but along our travels, we had been told that  Point Samson was definitely worth a stop.  So, we decided to go a bit further, and Karratha is the nearest big town.  We did detour to see Point Samson; It is a holiday spot for people in other parts of the Pilbara, and has nice beaches and we understand there is great snorkeling.  But, after 7 hours in the car, we weren’t really in the mood to hit the water. 

It was an interesting landscape as we drove down…. Once we got near Port Hedland, there were some rolling hills, but for most of the trip, it was just flat as far as you could see.   We were also at low altitude, ranging from just 10 to 20m above sea level the whole way.  Also the number of Road Trains between Port Head and Karratha was the most we have seen all trip. Most were 4 trailers.

We are staying at the Cattrall Park Motel – which looked a bit disappointing as we pulled in – just rooms behind the bottle shop and restaurant, but the room is actually nice enough, and most importantly, we will be able to watch Manly in the NRL finals on TV tonight. 

We went to the restaurant right near were we are staying (the Bali Garden) and had dinner. The place looked nice inside, was full, and the food was pretty good.  

Before that we did watch the Manly Sea Eagles game. It was painful for the first 30 mins. Then they started playing. By the end it was tied at 17 – 17 and went into extra time. Canterbury Bulldogs won with a field goal, and so the end of the season for the Eagles. Tomorrow we head off to Carnarvon, WA

Someone had a lot of time on thier hands. Two converted shopping trollies made into deck chairs.

Day 16:  19/9/2014   Broome, WA    Leisure day

A nice slow start to the day. Today is another R&R day.

We have finally decided on our new route; though as always it will be open to change. Broome is our point of no return. Whicever route we pick it will be a similar distance to home. To date we have traveled around 6,600km and we have a similar distance on the way home. To check our new route click on the “The Route” tab and see the updated map. Remember to click on image to enlarge.
Basically we are now going to head south along the WA coastline and our next stop will be Karratha, which is 832km away. Hard to believe, Perth is still about 2,500km away.

Today is a low activity day.  We went to a place (Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm) where they talk about and show you opening up oysters and harvest pearls from them. Really interesting!  We learned a lot about the process of culturing pearls, and all the various types.  They also have on display the ‘World’s Largest Fine Quality Round Pearl’ – at a whopping 22.24 mm diameter!   Broome was  founded on the pearling business.  Luckily for me (and for our trip budget) Pat was interested in the process, but wasn’t looking to make any purchases!

Then we went to a brewery (yep I actually went into a brewery despite my dislike for beer).  Matsos’s is a Broome icon, and they make a variety of beers and even a couple ciders.  Pat got a tasting sampler, which included their most popular mango beer, and a really refreshing ginger beer.  I settled for a mango & lime cider.   The food was good too.

This afternoon we managed to re-pack the car.   We have, of course, realized that we brought more stuff that we are likely to ever need, and so have re-arranged things so we won’t need to keep sifting through the camping gear and extra books when we are looking for the things we really do need.

Tomorrow, it is back on the road again. 

 Priceless Pearl

Pat and her samplers

Day 14 & 15:  17&18/9/2014   Larrawa Station, WA to Broome, WA   Distance travelled:  550km

Day 14 was a leisurely 550km drive from Larrawa Station to Broome. We first had breakfast with Wendy and some of the guest, and then hit the road around 7:40am. Along the way more weird and wonderful Boab trees and some amazing rock formations.

We arrived in Broome around 1pm. We were a little tired and had a rest, then showered and off to Cable Beach to see the sunset. Cable Beach is listed as one of the top 5 beaches in the world. I can see why. The next Australian beach is Whitehaven Beach, in the Whitsunday Islands. Bondi & Manly don’t even make the top 20 list. Having said that I think it’s very subjective after having seen some of the top 5 beaches.

For dinner we went to a place called Cafe D'Amore. The food was nice, but it just felt strange. Spanish/Mexican music playing, the food on the menu was all Italian, The wine menu had  Spanish/Portuguese writing?  Also, not an inexpensive place to dine.

Day 15, we tried to sleep in, but were awake by 6:30am. We then had breakfast and then off to a place called The Mango Place. We had a look round their souvenir shop and tasted some of their jams and chutney. Of course I had a Mango smoothie and Pat had a Mango Mojito drink (non-alcoholic).

Pat wanted to do some shopping therapy and I stayed back at the hotel relaxing by the pool.

Later in the evening we went for a long walk on Cable Beach watching the sunset and the Camel walks. I initially thought about doing it, but have been on Camels before, Pat was not interested. We also, much to Pats initial protest went driving on Cable beach. For the most part the sand was hard packed, and some areas it was loose. The Q7 did it in style.

 Naturally we took a bottle of wine and some nibbles to watch the sunset. Brilliant day.
Tomorrow is another rest day in Broome.

 Sunset on Cable Beach.  Broome, WA

 I was talking to the owner of this trike. He bought his Harley, then ordered a trike kit from the US. Said it was the best thing he has ever done. He was from South Australia.

 Me on Cable Beach with Camels in background

My trusty Q7 on Cable Beach. It was fun and now I can put another tick on the bucket list.

Day 13:  16/9/2014   Kununurra, WA to Larrawa Station, WA     Distance travelled:  513km

We had a nice, easy drive to Halls Creek, coming through the Kimberly mining region.  We saw lots more Boab trees, and interesting rock formations. 

We had booked a place to stay through the Halls Creek tourist office, and we thought the lady we booked with (Molly) said Larrawa Station was only about 40km past Halls Creek. When we stopped at Halls Creek for lunch and to get better direction, we found out it was 147km past Halls Creek, then an extra 4km on a dirt track. All good fun.

The lady that runs it, Wendy, was very nice and gave us a tour of our room and facilities. Yep very basic room, no A/C and outside facilities, again all nice and clean.   We had a communal dinner with Wendy and Brock and the other guests, it was a great evening and seeing the stars out here was amazing. We also got a few tips on where to stay and what to see for some of the places we are going. I would recommend staying here. I had a great time after dinner talking about sports, local issues, world politics, etc. On Facebook look for Larrawa Nature Stay.

Some fact about Larrawa Station. While they are small for a station in these parts, it’s only about 500,000 acres. They have at any time around 5 – 8 thousand head of cattle, plus sheep.

Tomorrow we are off to Broome, WA. We booked for 2 nights, but Pat wants to stay at least 3. We will see how we like it.

 Me along side a very large Boab tree. Near Derby there is a larger tree that was used as a temporary prison. Now thats big

 The end or start of the Tanami track from Halls Creek. I had thought about doing it at one point but was talked out of it because of the harsh road conditions. It's 1,014km long.

 How the Tanami track looks.

 Pat outside our accommodation at Larrawa Station

 Pat next to a Boab tree.

My poor car needs a clean.

Day 12:  15/9/2014   Darwin, NT  to Kununurra, WA   Distance traveled:  850km

We left Darwin around 7am and headed south to Kathrine, then west toward Kununurra, WA. The drive was long, but because we were swapping our driving every hour, we found it manageable.

Along the way Pat and I both made comments on the ever changing topography and the stunning rock features.

We hit the border of WA and had the car fully inspected by the border quarantine inspector. They primarily look for fruit and vegetables, plus anything that may affect the WA agricultural or native vegetation. We got a clean bill of health.

We arrived in Kununurra around 2:30pm, that’s allowing for the time difference of 1:30hrs. So that’s a total of -2 hrs behind Sydney time. We had a little rest, and then off we went exploring the town.

A little about Kununurra:   Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi) from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation Scheme around 1961.

Kununurra is the largest town in Western Australia north of Broome, with the closest town being Wyndham, 100 kilometres (62 mi) away. Kununurra is 3,040 kilometres (1,889 mi) from Perth via the Great Northern Highway.

The town is situated in among the scenic hills and ranges of the far north-east Kimberley Region, having an abundance of fresh water, conserved by the Ord River Diversion dam and the main Ord River Dam.

The tropical agriculture crops grown in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) have changed over the years. Tourism and mining have also become important to the local economy. It’s a feel good town.

Tomorrow were off to Halls Creek, or about 40km past Halls Creek and staying on a working Cattle Station. That should be fun.

 The only place in the world to find the unusual Boab tree is the Western Australia Kimberley region. Every Boab tree is unique. They have character and personality as you would expect of such an ancient creature. Some individual Boab trees are 1500 years old. A mature Boab tree is a sight to behold. Though not exceptionally high, up to 15 metres, they appear huge. The name bottle tree relates to the swollen trunk that can reach a massive girth of up to 20 metres.

The Boab is a very slow growing tree and it takes many hundreds if not thousand years to grow into one of those impressive specimen.

 Pat and I at the border crossing near Kununurra

Some of the rock features around Kununurra. While not the most impressive we have seen, it was the one I photographed.

Day 11:  14/9/2014   Darwin, NT  Day of leisure

Today we had a relaxing day in Darwin.  After a couple days of early starts, it was great to sleep in a bit and not worry about packing bags in the morning.  We spent the morning sightseeing, driving around Darwin, checking out a beach area (Fannie Bay!) and then went to the Darwin Military Museum.  Along with military memorabilia from many eras, there is an extensive exhibit on the Defense of Darwin – related to defending   Darwin from the Japanese bombing during WWII.  The exhibit was a fantastic mix of historical photos and film and computer generated graphics with personal accounts both from journals and records from that time, and transcripts of interviews done more recently with local residents who lived through it.  Outside the museum there were lots of large guns and military vehicles.  We both were really glad we went.

After this, it was back to Mitchell Street for some lunch, then back to the hotel to check out the pool.  Since the temperature had been in the upper 30s for the past few days the pool felt great, especially knowing that it will be a while before we can enjoy it back in Sydney.

This evening, we went to the Mindil Beach Sunset Market.  The markets are held every Thursday and Sunday in the dry season, and have a great collection of crafts and food, with a variety of entertainment – including the main act: the sunset over the ocean.  We got dinner, watched an acrobat/juggling team (Jacob & Sophie?) and Pat bought 2 new bags (her ongoing quest during this trip has been finding or making the perfect tote bag.) 

Now, back the hotel to relax, and start packing up for an early start.  We will say goodbye to Darwin, and to the Northern Territory and head to Western Australia.   We have decided not to stop in Katherine, but head right to Kununurra, WA.  We had planned to take a cruise up Katherine Gorge – which is actually a series of gorges and waterfalls along the Katherine river.  But since it is the end of the dry season, we have heard that several of the gorges are dried up, and the waterfalls are not as spectacular as usual.   So, we have decided to save that for another trip, when we will try to get here a bit earlier in the season.   Instead, it’s off to WA.

 This was where the Japanese offensive covered 1941-1942 They landed on Vernon Island, just north of Darwin.

Typical jeep that was supplied by the US Army. Just some trivia, by the end of 2014 a new USA military base will be completed in Darwin to house over 2000 troops.

Day 10   13/9/2014   Darwin, NT to Kakadu National Park (round trip 700km)

Well today we went to Kakadu. First, a little bit about Kakadu National Park.

Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest terrestrial national park. Kakadu covers almost 20,000 square kilometres and is a place of enormous ecological and biological diversity. It extends from the coast and estuaries in the north through floodplains, billabongs and lowlands to rocky ridges and stone country in the south. These landscapes are home to a range of rare and endemic plants and animals, including more than one-third of Australia's bird species and one-quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species. In other words it’s big. It is also a world heritage protected park.

It was good not to drive today as the round trip was 700km, and we did it in a very comfortable AAT Kings coach.

We visited many sacred sites with Aboriginal paintings that tell their story. We also did a cruise of the Yellow Waters and South Alligator River. (Yes, interesting name since Australia does not have any Alligators, story for another time.)

On the river cruise we saw a wide range of birds and plant species. Of course there were many, many reptiles (Crocodiles, snakes, lizards, etc.) There are over 100,000 crocodiles in this area alone. The population in 1972 was just a few thousand and then they became a protected spices and the numbers just shot up. While the rivers are fresh water, mainly saltwater Crocs live here. The male crocs are on average 4 plus meters plus; the females are a little smaller. They can live up to 80- 90 years. Crocs are also the oldest species living today.  At the beginning of the tour, when the guide pointed out the first croc, everyone stood up and exclaimed, and moved around to get the best angle for photos.  The same happened for the 2^nd and 3^rd sightings.  But after about ten crocodiles, it ended up being more like, “Yep, there’s another one” and no one even bothered taking photos.

One of the things our tour guide told us is drink lots on water. On average you are supposed to drink 1 litre per hour.  I managed about 7 litre in 10 hours. The temperatures were sitting from 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. HOT.

It was a long but good day. We got back around 7.30pm, clean up and went for dinner and a walk.

Tomorrow we are again staying in Darwin, and just having a chill out day, sightseeing, shopping and maybe some pool time. 

 This is Nabulwinjbulwinj. He is a dangerous spirit who eats females after striking them with a yam(stick). thats the story told by elders to kids to keep them close. 

Another rock art telling a story about their group. Aborigines have small family groups living together. 2 -3 families at most. They also have very strict rules on marriage. They need to marry 2 - 3 groups away from theirs.

 1^st one we saw. A big male salt water Crocodile.  He was only a few meters away from us.

 One of the species of Sacred Lotus Lilly. The ultimate waterproof leaf.

 Another male sunning himself.

Salt water Crocs have a special glad behind their throat to filter and expel the salt when in salt water. Fresh water Crocs don't have one. This was a she, and also very close to us.

The aboriginal calendar. They don’t have months; they do have 6 seasons though.  Monsoon Season (Jan-Mar), Knockemdown Season (April), Cooler but still humid season (May & part of Jun), Cold Weather season- down to a cold 25-30 degrease (Part of Jun, Jul and part of Aug)- best time to visit, Hot Dry Season(Part Aug, Sept, part Oct), Pre Monsoon Season (part Oct, Nov, Dec) These are the anglo names, not the local language names.