Barn Hill Outstation 28-30 September

Packed up and skedaddled out of Kooljaman nice and early and headed back down the oh so special road towards the Great Northern Highway and points south and west. The plan was to stop either at the Roebuck Plains Roadhouse, or a freebie wayside stop for the night and head on to 80 Mile Beach the next day. This all went out the window when Hazel spotted a note on the sat nav map about Barn Hill Outstation which has camping facilities. We decided to give this a go and turned off the highway onto the 10k dirt driveway. Well, our jaws dropped when we finally arrived. Expecting a barren paddock and a pit toilet, we were presented with a very picturesque little campground with lots of shade, drinking water, and fully plumbed facilities (including showers), all of which is situated a very short walk from yet more pristine beaches and red red cliff faces. So nice we decided to stay an extra night and recharge everything (especially us) after Cape Leveque. Heaven on a stick.

Prado Spotto reached a signifigant milestone as we reached the Barn Hill turn off. Yep, we are into a new century - Len 208, Hazel 204.

Only birds were flying on this beach. Couldn't get the damn Aldi kite to work :-(

Another fantastic sunset. There seems to be one of these every night!

Cape Leveque 27-28 September

Very mixed impressions of Cape Leveque. So much was terrific, scenic, challenging and interesting, yet it was also the worst place we have stayed from a campsite and weather perspective, and these factors combined to leave us feeling happy that we could only stay the one night, instead of the two or three we intended, as being the start of WA school holidays, and Queens Birthday long weekend, there were no vacancies beyond Friday night.
Anyway, the good bits: The road north from Broome is a little over 210 kilometres with almost half of that unsealed. By now we have come to realize that 'unsealed' can mean anything from billiard table smooth, to teeth rattling corrugations, to near vertical rock climbing and all permutations and combinations in between. This one is special! Basically it is fine red sand over a sandstone base for 100 k's. The depth varies from a light sprinkling to wheel grabbingly, speed suckingly, direction changingly exciting. The width of the road varies as well. One minute it is wide enough for four roadtrains to go side by side, and the next it is about a Nissan and a half wide, and you can bet which sections you will meet oncoming traffic on.... Not only does it get quite narrow, but it tends to slope steeply in towards the middle making the camper trailer continuously try to slide down the hill (quite exciting when passing oncoming vehicles or overtaking slower ones!). It is also quite badly corrugated in places, but these are nowhere near as bad as the Gibb River Road or Oodnadatta Track as being sand they don't cause the same intensity of vibrations. Having said that, the retaining latches on the fridge slide both failed on our way back down the next day (Vibratum wins again). There was a distinct lack of Jaycos on this road where even the school buses are serious 4x4 trucks.





So, we were feeling very tough and special with our Patrol and go anywhere camper, among plenty of like company. This was seriously out of the way country, frequented by serious travelers. POP! The bubble burst when around the next bend came a falcon wagon loaded up with camping gear.... Oh well it was a good feeling while it lasted. But seriously, what were they thinking? It must have been a horrendous drive with only two wheel drive and bugger all ground clearance. And it wasn't even a hire car!
The bitumen starts again just south of Beagle Bay as you enter the native title part of the peninsula. The Bruddas, Cuz's and Sistas get all the good roads.
Beagle Bay is not what we have come to expect of an Aboriginal Community (at least the ones near or in the bigger towns). While there were still derelict vehicles (mostly Land Cruisers and Patrols here with only a sprinkling of Commodores) in almost every front yard (one even had three - must have been the mayor), the houses looked to be in good nick, and everything was neat and tidy (except for the dead 4x4s). There was a real sense that the people actually cared about the place. Good to see. The Sacred Heart Church is quite special. It was built in 1917, and the altar and walls have been decorated in mother of pearl and cowrie shells. The whole church is slowly being renovated/restored, but is magnificent just as it is now.















We spent the night at the Kooljaman Resort (which just means it is a caravan park with permanent tent accommodation as well, with a restaurant and bar). The scenery was spectacular (I'm going to have to buy a thesaurus at the next big town we get to as I'm running out of adjectives!) with the usual pristine beaches and red red cliffs. Yet another beautiful sunset over the ocean was enhanced by the spotting of several whales spouting. Unfortunately they were too far off shore to see anything more, but terrific all the same. Followed all this with a wood fired pizza and the best chips ever all washed down with an icy cold sparkling. Divine.

Broome 23-26 September

Please forgive me El Questro. You are not the most expensive place in the top end. That honor definitely belongs to Broome - $48 a night!!!
It is a fantastic little town though. Had a stroll through China Town and drooled (well one of us did) over the pearls and diamonds for sale in the afternoon, then went out to Indian for dinner (excellent) followed by a late session at the Sun Pictures garden cinema. Very quaint with it's indoor and outdoor deck chair seating. It is the oldest continuously running garden cinema in the world.





The town reminds us a bit of Sorento, but a lot more relaxed. It is a wonderful place, and if it wasn't for the extreme temperatures during the wet season, and the cyclones, it would be a fantastic place to live. Nah, stuff the wet temperatures and the cyclones, I think it would be fantastic if you were able to afford to live here. Afford is the important bit. Newly reclaimed swamp land is going for $350,000 per 750 square metre block, then you have to build, hope there's no cyclones, then when there is, hope that the drains work so you are not living in the middle of the swamp again.

Went on a Trike Tour of town with Roger the Dodger from Broome Trike Tours and had a ball. Roger was great. Full of knowledge about the town both back in the day and now. A real character, even if he is an expat Kiwi ;-) Thoroughly recommend it next time you are up here. He even has a stretched limo trike that seats six! We were very lucky and got the full treatment even though we only booked for the town tour. Went out to Anastasia's pool, tried some bush tucker, rode down onto both ends of Cable Beach (so many four wheel drives & so many people enjoying a beer or wine (or both) while waiting for the sun to go down), and sampled his range of bush tucker liqueurs while watching the sun set (it seems to do this at every night up here - amazing!!!!). The guy is an entrepreneur in the making, and as soon as he gets the licensing sorted (been trying for three years so far...) Kimberley Bushtucker Liqueurs is going to go gangbusters!

Easy Rider eat your heart out.

Cable Beach is just to die for - whiter than white sand, aquamarine water and just a hint of surf. Went for an hours walk along the hard packed pristine sand Wednesday morning. Temp was a balmy 30 degrees, and the water was 27. Just beautiful. And for a change, you can actually swim in the ocean here as there are no salt water crocs around (that anyone is admitting to) and the stingers haven't arrived yet.
The museum was also a really great place to spend a few hours and terrific value at $5 a scone. Paid a lot more for a whole lot less many a time.
Went down to Gantheaume Point to see the dinosaur footprints which are just off shore there but the tide was too high so we had to mae do with the copies cast in a slab of concrete at the top of the cliff. Not quite as inspiring... Bloody tides have been working against us the whole time we have been here realy. Too high to see the footprints, too high to sea the WW2 seaplane wrecks in Roebuck Bay, too high for the Staircase to the Moon. Oh well, guess that means we will just have to come back :-)

Lighthouses just aren't hat they used to be, but the Kestrals seem to like the new design (two nests)

Cable Beach

Cable Beach

Gantheaume Point - there's footprints somewhere out there.

Anastasia's Pool, Ganthaume Point

Heading for Beagle Bay and Cape Leveque tomorrow, followed by 80 mile beach, so probably no more updates for a couple of days while we are out of mobile coverage.

Derby 20-22 September 2013

After our brief sojourn at Tunnel Creek it was on to Derby where the Prado Spotto scores were suspended at Len 191, Hazel 189.
First stop after settling in was the pier and one amazing sunset (again - I know....).





Seeing it was Friday night we decided to treat ourselves to barra and chips for dinner, so off to Derby Fish and Chips, where we met Mrs New Best Friend and caught up on all the stories since we parted at Mount Barnett while her dad cooked our dinner.
Next day was a day of catching up on the washing, shopping, and rewiring the fridge in the truck so we can have cold beer and wine again without having to throw out some of the food in the camper fridge! It's all a matter of priorities. Also had a look at the driving lights which have not been working since Painted Desert. Turned out to be a broken wire and a blown globe - bloody Vibratum! Murphy is not completely absent though as the reversing camera has now gone on the blink. GRRRRRR
Went back out to the pier to see what it was like with the tide almost out. Turns out it's quite muddy,and there is lots of old pier and boat related rubbish lying around.

Next day we saw the tourist highlights of the Boab Prison Tree (where aboriginals may have been chained up when on there way to gaol - gotta love the definitiveness of the local history), and Frosty Pool which was built during WWII (after suggested by a corporal Frost - duh) as a place for the hot troops to cool off.

The simple pleasures of days long gone

Had a three quite different encounters with the traditional owners and their culture while in town. We spent a couple of hours at the Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre, which was fascinating. Most of their artwork features Wandjina creator spirits and the original people (Gyorn Gyorn) who they passed on their culture and laws to. Some of the Wandjina realy look like they could be spacemen or aliens.

Wandjina

 The second encounter was when I was sitting outside a dress shop (as you do if you are not a woman, but are married to one ...) and a white haired gentleman of a darker pigment came and sat next to me. Colour me surprised, but it turned out that he would greatly appreciate a donation of five dollars so he could get something to eat. Funny that, but he looked particularly well nourished to me, so I declined his generous offer to increase the balance of my karma bank. He then started to point to his wrist wanting to know the time. I showed him my watch and then remembered that I had left it on Melbourne time and explained that he would have to subtract two hours for local time. "Melbourne time?" he asked. Yes Melbourne time. "But we livin' in 'stralya Brudda. Not Melbourne." and with that he shook his head and went back to his own seat a little way off. Soon his significant other rocked up with a shopping trolley full of groceries (so much for needing the five bucks for food!) and he proceeded to tell her (in language) all about the strange guy with the "Melbourne Time" watch. They both walked off shaking their heads in bemusement.
The third encounter happened at around 11:45PM when I was finishing off a blog entry. From out of the darkness staggered an aboriginal woman. She was absolutely spifflicatingly stinking rotten reeling drunk and had trouble standing upright without swaying from side to side. Strangely, she also was in dire need of five dollars, a beer, or a drink of water in that order of importance. Once again I had to disappoint her. Her next question was the killer though - "Have you got a misses?" WTF, OMG, and LOL. I shudder think what her next statement would have been if I had answered "no". As it was she staggered off back into the darkness muttering something about her old man and beer....
After all this cultural excitement we packed up and headed off towards Broome, but not before I was overcome with Jerry Can Envy on the main street of Derby:

Now that's a jerrycan!

Monday morning peak hour in Derby :-)

Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek 19-20 September 2013

Drove back to the Gibb River Road after packing up and headed off in search of Windjana Gorge. There are several other gorges along the way, but many of them are closed due to bush fires, so we went right past. Stopped at Imintji Store to top up the tanks, and had to wait while a 4x4 tour bus/truck/monstrosity pumped over $400 of the good oil into it's belly from the only pump. Don't envy them one bit as they head the other way on the Gibb with their 2 inches of suspension travel on the back wheels before the tyres hit the guards. Not very well designed I'm thinkin.
Anyway, we eventually filled up and headed further west. The road is a lot better maintained at this end than the other, and we could keep to 80-90 kph most of the time. Still shaking, rattling and rolling, but a bit easier on the fillings than the first bit.

Queen Victoria's Head

Turned off the Gibb onto Leopold Station Road and headed to Windjana Gorge National Park for the night. Had to ransack the truck for change to pay the camping fee.
Two things you tend to take for granted in life these days are mobile coverage and eftpos. Well you shouldn't if you travel out this way!!!!!
After setting up and having some lunch we set out to explore the gorge by foot, and happy days, no rocks to climb, just a nice winding dirt path to follow. The rock walls here are a little different to the East Kimberleys as while the east end is mostly sedimentary, the ones around here are the remains of a barrier coal reef from the Devonian era (bloody long time ago), and you can even find fossilized marine critters in the rock walls.



The other thing you find are fresh water crocs. Packs of them sunning themselves on the edges of the remaining water holes.





 

What we did not find was the 3 meter python the ranger told us was in there. She claims that it is as thick as her thigh, so it must be an impressive sight.
Another potential suicide victim was camped in the park. Yep, another idiot on a bicycle. This one had a single wheel trailer (told you these guys were weird), so technically I suppose he was riding an in line articulated tricycle.

Next morning it was off to Tunnel Creek where you walk along an underground creek bed which goes from one side of the old reef to the other, largely in pitch darkness. You walk through several permanent water pools along the way which have various fish and crustaceons in them and can get as deep as waist high, but you only needed to cross a couple of knee deep bits if you go the right way. Fresh water crocs are not unknown in the pools either, but we didn't see any (our torches were pretty useless so they could have been hiding in the shadows). The other major life form in the tunnel are bats. There are  Western Cave bats, the common bentwing bats, horseshoe nosed bats, and Australia's only carnivorous bat - ghost bats. All hang noisily from the cieling waiting to adorn your shoulder with white blessings. Around half way through the tunnel the roof has collapsed and if you stand there and actually look up into the trees above you can see flying foxes/bats of one species or another going from tree to tree and occasionally skimming just overhead as they enter the cave to roost. Very impressive indeed.