Port Hedland to Broome

This is what I imagined the country to be like- flat, with few
distinguishing features- over 600kms and one is rather glad to see
the occasional stray cow or little euro near the road. A slight
problem with the vehicle increased the sense of isolation – not the
place to be stranded without water.
Broome – crowded with tourists – its main industry now – along with
pearling and some ships loading cattle for export. At least a dozen
resorts and almost as many caravan parks all full every night this
season. Some come and stay, others for several weeks and others, like
us come and go. A must in Broome is to go to Cable beach and watch
the sunset. Many go to the Surf club for a meal but we grabbed some
fish and chips and a drink and sat on the beach. Really felt like we
were on holidays! NOTE: Do this soon before the beach is closed to traffic!!!
Broome museum is award winningly excellent. What stories can be told.
Pearling, blackbirding (kidnapping the indigenous people to work on
the pearling ships), massacres, Japanese pearlers who stayed even
after 1900 (White Australia Policy exempt), war time bombings and the
Cultured Pearl industry. The unique mixture of cultures here is well
represented.
Gibb River Road
From Broome we headed off along the Gibb River Road. Some try in
2WD’s but 4WD’s is safer especially with lots of dips and floodways
to negotiate. We stopped one night at Windjana Gorge – one that can’t
be missed – easy access by foot – once you get to the camping site, wide stream and sandy beaches. No swimming
because of the freshwater crocodiles but evening and morning
reflections of the cliffs are magical. Morning reflections in the
water of the cliffs really do look like a chasm is there instead.
From there we went to Tunnel Creek – walking in and out of the water, right through the mountain. Fantastic – as long as you have a good torch and shoes that can get wet.
Next night was at Silent Grove which, like Windjana, is a well run

campsite within Aboriginal Corporation country. It is part of the King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park. Bell Gorge is nearby – a steep rocky walk with a waterfall and swimming for those who want to venture down again. A little precarious for us – slippery rocks, a
king brown snake that took a lot of notice of us for 2-3 minutes and
then I decided to hug a boa tree (because they are cool to touch) and
I was bitten by an ant! Better than the snake!
Third and last night at Manning Lagoon – now there is a nice place to
swim! Especially late in the afternoon when the sun is casting long
shadows …. Better that the alternative cold shower!
We rattled, dipped and splashed our way out of Gibb River Road and
into Parry Creek Farm near Wyndham to de-dust and watch birds for a
couple of days.
More to follow….
Hope you are enjoying the ride.