Broome to Kununurra

Even as the man at the Broome caravan park pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, for me staying any longer was not an option. There was no room at the Inn, (the Inn being Broome). Ahead of me was a 1044km drive to Kunununurra via Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek & Turkey Creek.

Along the way it wasn't kangaroos I needed to keep an eye out for, it was stray cattle & horses.

Mega cow!

There's no fencing for a lot of this drive, and a lot of strays around so you really do need to be vigilant. The cows just take their time a cross, or stand on the road whenever they want.

Boab tree

The scenery as I got further north in the Kimberley was absolutely stunning. Mountain ranges, horses & cows taking shelter under boab trees, huge eagles lunching on roadkill (!!), and the occasional lizard bounding across the road.

There's an eagle in this picture. Your job is to spot it!

It's a pretty decent drive, so I pulled over a couple of nights to freecamp. I've decided this is my favourite way to spend afternoons/nights while travelling. The silence under the stars and the full moon gives you a real sense of where you are. And at no point when I've been out in the middle of nowhere have I felt at all vulnerable or worried. The only annoying thing is when another camper decides to turn on their generator. Where's the serenity?!!!!!!

The sun sets over the campsite.

After a few days drive I arrived in Kununurra, and found a perfect place to set up camp.

Right at my doorstep has been crocs, beautiful birds, and goannas.

Freshwater croc lazing in front of my van

Goanna just passing by

The view just over the grass

Kununurra has a 'Celebrity Tree Park' where 'celebrities' who pass through town are asked to plant a tree. Nicole Kidman, Princess Anne and Peter Brock among a few who have left more than their mark.

Kate Ceberano's Pom Pom Tree

I went to buy some wine when I arrived, (well it been a LONG drive!) and discovered a bit of a setback. You can only buy wine and beer (over 3.5% alcohol) AFTER 5pm. In fact, anywhere north of Port Hedland the restrictions. Meaning you also can't buy casks anywhere. It's okay, I'll work around it.

So now it's time for me to get out and enjoy all that the Kimberley has to offer, and there's plenty of it.

Next stop, Wyndham.

Simple Stats

Days since departure: 81
Distance travelled: 9866km

Emergency mechanic stops: 1

Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

Broome, Broome, Brooooome!!! W.A

Firstly, apparently people have had a problem commenting on my blog. Good news is, I've fixed it!

Well it turns out Broome's a bit of a tourist haven. Who knew?!!! An average of 30 degrees for the week I spent here, and plenty of time spent at the stunning Cable Beach, where the water temp was 22.

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

If you've seen the film 'Bran Nu Dae' you might recognise this cinema

Sun Pictures, Broome, W.A

Another highlight here in Broome was bumping in to some friends I'd made about 1200km back in Coral Bay, and then later some my old neighbours from way back in Canarvon!

Ice-cream justified because it's HOT!

I hadn't planned to stay here as long as I did, but by staying just a few extra days I was able to see the 'Staircase to the Moon', when the full moon rises over the mudflats at extremely low tide. It was breathtaking! The colour and size of the moon as it rose was one of the most amazing sites I've seen. I had to capture the memory in my mind, as my camera wasn't up to the spectacle. But here's how it looks.

A pic I borrowed from someone on the internet much more talented than I.

Also waiting for the low tides so I could check out the dinosaur footprints. There's only a few opportunities when the tide is low enough to see them, so there's a big crowd. 

The footprints aren't easy to find, but the trick is to spot the right people to follow! No photo proof however, as they were underwater. Was enjoyable then sitting waiting for the sunset as I watched and counted, the amount of people who fell from rocks either hurting themselves, or their cameras. I stopped count at 15.

I was extremely lucky to be able to stay the time I did, being the peak of peak season and not having a booking. The guy who runs the caravan park just shook his head every time he saw me and said I should be buying a lotto ticket with the luck I'd had!

Back in Karratha I bought a CD by the Pigram Brothers, Broome musical superstars. They are performing on Cable beach this afternoon, so of course I'm sticking around just long enough to catch them before heading out of town to freecamp the night.

And then east I go!

Simple Stats

Days since departure: 78
Distance travelled: 8822km

Emergency mechanic stops: 1

Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

Car troubles & Eighty Mile Beach

Apart from crossing the Nullabor, I was heading off on probably my biggest stretch of 'nothing' between Port Hedland & Broome. The distance is 600kms and in between there are just 2 roadhouses. About 50kms out of Port Hedland Jean Claude (Camper Van Damn!) started to backfire. Being the optimistic un-knowledgable van owner I am, I decided that rather than head back, I'd push on in the hope that the problem wouldn't worsen, or maybe it would just go away!

Stopped at the first roadhouse 200kms in to the drive in the hope there'd be a mechanic. No, the closest was either back in Port Hedland, or Broome. With no phone service anywhere along this trip, I wasn't in the best position at all. So I pushed on another 50kms to Eighty Mile Beach to sit it out for a couple of nights.

10km corrugated road heading in to 80 Mile Beach 

Maybe a couple of nights rest, plus a good talking to would help JC would feel better? And I DID talk to my van. Out loud. I even promised him he'd get a wash in Broome if we made it that far.

Eighty Mile Beach - looking right

And left

Getting ready for the sunset 

Eighty Mile Beach sunset

So the stop at the beach was lovely, and of course very picturesque, but don't even think about swimming here! Saltwater crocs like to inhabit the area, but the sharks keep the numbers down ;-) 2 metre tiger sharks are caught right off the beach!

So back on the road again, attempting the next 350kms to Broome. I discovered that if I keep JC in 4th gear (he's got 5), and stick between 75-80kmph there was a lot less backfire. So that's what I did....for the very long journey. BTW, there's really nothing to see on this drive. At all!

Late in the afternoon I found my oasis and looked for somewhere to camp. No free camping, and being the first day of WA school holidays, it was like looking for accommodation in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve!

With an obviously desperate look about me, one of the caravan parks said I could park on their lawn out the front....next to the sewage dump point. And I didn't care one bit!!

Just before they shut shop for the night, they came over to say they had a no show, and I got upgraded. Yes, I was allowed INSIDE the gates!

Next day I found my saviours.

Superstars!

Some new spark plugs, new fuel filter and a good tune up, and we're back in business!

Now that it's over and I look back on that drive, a backfiring van travelling at 75kmph for 350kms, it's a little bit funny.

Days since departure: 72
Distance travelled: 8822km

Emergency mechanic stops: 1Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

The Pilbara Region, WA

After visiting the beautiful coast and swimming with whale sharks, I thought a trip inland would be worthwhile, so headed off for the big drive to Tom Price. It is primarily a mining town which was once  private, now public, named after the former vice-president of Kaiser Steel, and is in the heart of the Pilbara.

BIG tonka trucks, worth $4.5 million each

I went on a tour through the Hamersley Mine, where iron ore is in abundance, and it's being mined 24 hours a day. A miner here earns around $150,000pa, and pays an average of $250pm for rent, so if you're up for the 12 hour shifts and dirty work, a great way to make some $$$!

They've finished with this mine, and moved on to the next.

Sorting out the grades of iron ore 

A swimming pool for lunch breaks?

Loading the train

 This one's heading to Karratha

Each of the trains leaving here have approximately 230 carriages, and they depart 4 times daily for the coastal town of Karratha. It's about the length of the trains I used to get stuck waiting for at the Leader Street crossing in Adelaide. I'm sure!

The money being spent, and made, plus the sheer size of the place was pretty incredible. And although it's not the biggest producer of iron ore, the quality is apparently brilliant.

Tom Price is the closest town to the Karrijini National Park, which is meant to be beautiful. But, with my van not being 4WD, and recent rains making the roads muddy, it wasn't ideal for me to get there. Next time.

So back to the coast I went needing to backtrack a bit (200kms) to visit industrial ports Karratha & Dampier. This is where my friend Fiona spent some time working on a film coming out next month called 'Red Dog'.

Small pub on the way to Karratha

Red Dog, Dampier, WA

It's based on the true story of a dog that was famous in the region and was owned by 'everyone'. And it looks like a fantastic film! For a really good idea of what the area looks like.....have a look at the trailer by clicking on this link....  RED DOG Trailer

From here I headed back towards Port Hedland and made camp overnight by a dry river bed.

The drive to Port Hedland is like much of the driving in this area, very scenic.

Port Hedland itself however, not so much. There's a HUGE rail yard leading to the ships, with processing and shipping of iron ore done here. And much of the coast looks like this.

Port Hedland, WA

Apparently if you're a fisherman, it's not a bad place to spend some time. But I'm not a fisherman, so, um...

It has quite an industry, producing 3 million tonnes of industrial salt for export each year.

Salt Mine, Port Hedland, WA.

So as interesting as all that was, time to move on to see what the next adventure will be.

Days since departure: 71
Distance travelled: 8085km
Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

Coral Bay & Exmouth/Whale Sharks

My next drive took me 250km north of Canarvon to Coral Bay. It's a very small town/settlement with just 2 caravan parks, a resort, a backpackers, and a few houses. And it's right on Ningaloo Reef.

On my first night I had a delicious dinner of freshly caught snapper. My neighbour had been fishing with her husband, and caught 3 big ones. It was the first time she'd ever cast a line so was pretty happy to share her spoils. I was impressed with her efforts, and very happy to enjoy the rewards with a (squeeze of lemon).

The next morning as I took to the water I realised just how plentiful the fish were here...

The reef is right there with no boats needed to reach it, there's loads to be seen with just a snorkel set. I knew the snapper came in close to the shore looking for food each day, but no one had warned me about the sting rays! I'd been in the water only a minute before I almost stood on the first one, then I noticed the sneaky little buggers were everywhere! They hide just under the sand but you can make out their outline when your foot is almost on top of them.

The weather for the last few weeks of the trip has been great. An average of 24 degrees most days, but there have been a few rainy days in among them. It's interesting to see how everyone 'survives' the rain. With so many different types of accommodation, from massive caravans, to smaller poptops, campers and tents, some of us do it much better than others. Between myself and 2 of my neighbours we had exchanged a number of films, so some time to catch up on movies filled in a rainy day nicely!

My second to last night in Coral Bay was one of my favourite so far. My closest neighbours were leaving the next day so we had a little farewell party at their van, and it was just a really lovely bunch of people with all different stories from their travels to tell.

My next move was to Exmouth, 150km north of Coral Bay. You can imagine my smile as I got close and saw this....

The BIG Prawn, Exmouth, WA

Exmouth is a much bigger town than Coral Bay, the place to fill up with petrol and restock with groceries.  I stayed at the Lighthouse Caravan Park about 20km out of town, much cheaper than in town, and comparatively quiet.

It's this stop in my trip though that'll be one I will NEVER forget. Let me start by saying that I'm not a fan of swimming in the ocean in water that is above my head. I've had a phobia of sharks since I was about 5 years old and in the charge of my brothers who had me sit and watch Jaws. So it was with much that trepidation that I booked in to go snorkelling with Whale Sharks!!!!!

The night/day before it was all I could think about, with an equal measure of excitement and nerves.

On the boat I met a couple of English girls, Tara & Steph who did their best to reassure me about the swim. I think the words 'Oh just bloody get on with it' or similar were used. It worked though. When we made our first stop on the inner part of Ningaloo Reef we jumped in for a snorkel to get warmed up, and quite incredibly I was one of the first in the water. We saw some beautiful fish and a big sting ray in warm clear water. I wasn't particularly happy to raise my head at one point to hear Steph yell out 'oh there's a shark down there, it's just a wee one though'. It was a tawny shark, and it WASN'T bloody 'wee'!

Anyway, I survived to take to the water again when the first whale shark was spotted when we reached the outer reef.

This is NOT one of the ones we spotted, but hopefully when I get the video back I can show you the ones we saw. But it gives you an idea of what they look like.

They can get up to 20 meters and weigh 34 tonnes, but what we saw were typically sized ones. Around 7 metres. They feed on plankton, so I knew I should be okay, but I did take 5 minutes the night before to google 'shark attacks in Exmouth'. Only 1 this year.

Along the way I also spotted my first humpback whale! Actually, we saw a number of them, plus a dugong.

Bottom line is, today I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Swimming alongside this amazing fish was something I'll never forget.

Tonight I think I shall spend throwing up sea water.

Simple Stats:

Days since departure: 63
Distance travelled: 6598 km
Kangaroos hit: 0
Whale sharks snorkelled with: 2