Week Eight: Kununurra.

Aptly named Elephant Rock on Lake Kununurra

After we left Broome we were looking forward to a week of R & R and that is just what we have had this week.  We slowed down and took our time getting to Kununurra stopping at free camps along the way. It is a great way to meet fellow travellers and swap yarns about places to stay and things to do. We have picked up lots of great ideas and are really looking forward to some of the free camps people have recommended.

GK and Bron with the Big Rig minus the Chevvie that tows it.

It is 1049 kms from Broome to Kununurra and our first stop was a comfortable 263kms to Ellendale Rest Stop. The next day we called in to Fitzroy Crossing to have coffee with GK’s cousin’s daughter Bronwyn who lives out on Go Go Station. She works in Fitzroy at Kimberley Country Outback Department Store and also drives their monstrous rig out to all the local rodeos and camp drafts where they sell outback clothing, boots and hats to all the cowboys in the area. They are flat out this time of the year as all the shows are on as well. They can make a killing as there is nowhere else to shop and people really appreciate being able to have ‘the shop’ come to them. 

Despite being flat out Bron had time to have coffee with us and we caught up with all the family news. She is going to be a bridesmaid in Broome in August and the wedding party is arriving in four helicopters. The bride is even piloting one, as she and her fiancé own Fitzroy Helicopters. The ceremony is on a station and the reception is at the Mangrove Hotel in Broome.  They sure know how to do things ‘big’ up here and they will party hard. I think it will be spectacular and I would just love to see it. Only in the Kimberley!

Photo taken from the safety of the steps of the Cubby de Wheels MK II
I 

From Fitzroy we pushed on and stayed at the very popular Mary Pool. We arrived mid afternoon and there were already about fifty caravans parked haphazardly around the campground. It swelled to over eighty by nightfall. Cattle from the nearby station strolled through the grounds and it was hilarious to see a busload of Chinese tourists stop to use the drop toilets and have to weave their way nervously through the cows. I was a bit nervous too as they walked casually past our door. They are so tame they take food out of your hands. Not that we were offering any!

We camped on the banks of Spring Creek.

The following day was another free camp opposite the Bungle Bungle campground at Spring Creek. That night we met up with a great group of travellers and shared their campfire. As we had visited the Bungle Bungles last year we were happy to push off the next day and head for Kununurra. After booking in to our caravan park on the banks of Lake Kununurra I tried to make a doctor's appointment to sort out my nagging cough.  It was Friday afternoon and I was advised that the next available appointment was Tuesday at 3.15pm. I explained that I really needed to see a doctor as I thought I needed an antibiotic to fix my cough. The only alternative was to go to the Emergency Department and wait to see a doctor. Luck was on my side, as I only had to wait 45 minutes before seeing a great doctor who ordered an x-ray. I have bronchitis caused by allergies to all the red dust I have been inhaling and am now on a course of antibiotics as I predicted. “Thank God!” says GK who has been an absolute saint for putting up with me as I have been barking like a seal for the last four weeks.  Fingers crossed things will settle down soon. 

Great mates from Moora - Sue (Pocket Rocket) and Peter Stubbs

While in Kununurra we caught up with great mates from Moora, Peter and Sue Stubbs, who now live here. Together with two mates, Pete has built a barge to paddle up and down the river. They invited us to go out on Lake Kununurra on Sunday for a BBQ lunch with their friends, daughter Rachael and baby grandson Jay who were visiting from Perth. It was a magic day as the weather was perfect and the company fantastic. An absolute bonus was stopping off at a little known cave up a creek off the main waterway filled with ancient Aboriginal artwork. We were blown away and so fortunate we had local knowledge to point out this phenomenon. Thanks again Pete and Sue for your wonderful hospitality. We had a ball.

GK with 10,000 to 40,000 year old Aboriginal artwork. Mind blowing!

We are going to spend the next couple of days doing all the touristy things around Kununurra. We have met lovely neighbours here at our caravan park and spend Happy Hour watching the glorious sunsets over Lake Kununurra before being driven indoors by the mozzies. That is the only downside of living on the banks of the lake. Tomorrow will be 31 degrees so it should be lovely to take a drive up to Lake Argyle for a picnic. Wish you were here! Until next week, lots of love and keep safe.

Beautiful sunset from outside our caravan on the banks of Lake Kununurra

Water spilling over Ivanhoe Crossing, Kununurra

Enjoying a beer at the Hoochery with old mate Kevin Cooke (Bronwyn's Dad)

One for the Moora mob. High flyer Stubbsie with the light of his life - Grandson Jay. Adorable!

Week Seven: Broome – Highlights and Lowlights.

Spectacular Cable Beach

When we originally said we would stay in Broome for three weeks we were worried that we would get bored and keen to move on. We rarely stay anywhere that long as GK gets cabin fever and wants to hit the road after three days. That hasn’t been the case as we have been busy, busy, busy helping Kell and Grace with their growing business, Fresh Peddlers, plus doing all the Broome touristy things. It has been fantastic and time has flown. We have booked an extra day to help the girls on Monday for their delivery day and then we are heading to Kununurra for some R & R. We need it after the week we have had!

When we reflect on our stay in Broome there have been some definite highlights and a few lowlights thrown in to keep us on our toes. An absolute highlight has been the quality time we have spent at Cable Beach sunning ourselves between swims and our favourite pastime - people watching. We have loved spending time with the girls, the spectacular sunsets and laid back, friendly vibe of Broome in general. The weather has been fantastic and we have loved the sunny days and balmy nights. We have embraced ‘Broome Time’ and enjoyed chilling out and taking things slowly. Well, sometimes.

Chilling out on Cable Beach

Poor little Yaris.

An absolute lowlight was waking Saturday morning to find someone had thrown a very amateurish Molotov cocktail under Gracie’s car leaving it a write off. Neighbours had been fighting and arguing through the night and thought it would be amusing to set bins and Grace’s very reliable little Yaris alight. A lovely neighbour found flames coming from underneath it when he returned home from night shift and very fortunately had a fire extinguisher handy to put out most of the fire before the whole car erupted in flames. The girls were so upset as it is their only means of transport apart from their bikes. The insurance company has given them a hire car for two weeks while they sort out the pay out which will be a great help. They lost some of their personal possessions in the boot as well as their banners and business cards for Fresh Peddlers. It has been a real blow for them but they will get over it and hopefully will be able to afford a used van for their business. Every cloud has a silver lining so they say.

Before photo of the Cubby de Squeals

It really dampened their enthusiasm and excitement after their huge purchase of a $500 caravan to store their fruit and veggie boxes in at PCYC. It was due to be delivered on Saturday morning so the girls had to get over the shock of the fire and supervise the transporting and relocation of their Cubby de Squeals as I have dubbed it. Their spirits soon rose as we have spent this weekend gutting and scrubbing it and we can really see its potential. GK came to the fore with his demolition skills and my clean freak genes (thanks Mum) have come in handy.  We can’t make a silk purse out of a sour’s ear but we have given it a good shot and with some more TLC it should come up a treat. The girls are thrilled with it. They are happy so we are happy. Win win once again.

 

Cable Beach Resort

Another highlight was redeeming our gift voucher the girls had given us for Christmas to be spent at Cable Beach Resort. We chose to have exfoliating scrubs at the spa, as our skin feels dry and gnarly with all the hard water showers at some of the free camps along the way as well as the red dirt everywhere. (A lowlight I have droned on about before).  As we entered the very ritzy spa, keen to be pampered and scrubbed of all our bumpy bits, I should have been more aware when our beautiful masseuse suggested the ‘couples room’. I said that would be fine but soon began to rue my decision.

We were led into a deluxe room with two massage tables swathed in towels. Despite the low, soothing music of the pan flutes GK still struggled to hear what our beauticians were saying when they said remove all our clothes, don the disposable underwear and climb onto the beds face down. I had to repeat the conversation and explain that we had to wear paper knickers. It took all the strength of my pelvic floor to prevent myself wetting my pants even though I wasn’t wearing any! The look on his face as he unwrapped his navy blue Chux boxer shorts was priceless. I had a tiny white ‘thong’ also made of Chux material and felt like a sumo wrestler in it. I couldn’t get on the bed quick enough to hide my head in the hole provided at the top. 

After our very relaxing almond scrub, the girls explained that we could step outside and shower before returning for our moisturising treatment. Again I was sorry I had chosen the ‘couples’ option, as we had to step outside in the nuddie to have our showers. I was in hysterics as we washed all the almond kernels off ourselves with only a low wall for privacy. I was totally out of my comfort zone. We had to shower, dry off and put on new knickers before the girls returned, as we wanted to spare them the sight of two old people in their un-ironed birthday suits. They were very gracious and polite when they safely returned to find us back on our beds, modestly covered up with our heads planted firmly in our holes, as instructed, to finish our pampering.  It was very relaxing but next time I wont choose the ‘couples room’.

 

All scrubbed and pampered enjoying a drink at the Sunset Bar.

We came out of the spa on a high and decided to have ‘one off the wood’ at one of our favourite places in Broome, the very aptly named Sunset Bar. It is from this vantage point you can enjoy the most spectacular sunsets while watching the camels returning along Cable Beach. The camel rides are a very popular tourist pastime but it holds no attraction for us, as we couldn’t think of anything worse than rocking and rolling on the back of a lurching animal ten feet in the air. Plus you have to be under 90kgs and someone doesn’t qualify. No names, no pack drill. 

 

Camels at Cable Beach.

Johnny Chi Lane

We love Broome’s unique architecture, which is an eclectic mix of Japanese, Chinese and Australian influences. Red and green feature predominately on most of the buildings and structures around town as the bottoms of the pearl luggers were painted with antifoul to deter barnacles, algae and marine organisms and the only colours it came in were red and green. The left over paint was used to paint the buildings. It gives the town a coordinated look and feel with the old and new buildings featuring these colours. It looks great. 

GK at Town Beach

Three weeks haven’t been long enough for us to see and do everything we had planned this trip. We will have to come up again next year to finish off. That wont be hard as we love Broome and having Kell living here is an absolute bonus. We have loved helping the girls fix up their caravan and GK has had more than enough of his Bunnings ‘fix’ to last him until Darwin where he can trawl the aisles buying his bits and bobs once again. As I said before we are looking forward to getting to Kununurra to have some lazy days around the pool and catching up on some reading. We have three nights of free camping on the way, which should be fun. We will let you know all about it next week. Until then, keep safe and love to all. 

After photo of the newly painted Cubby de Squeals

Before

After

Before

After

Week Six: Cape Leveque and Beyond.

The corrugated dirt road to Cape Leveque - not for the fainthearted

Cape Leveque – been there, done that and wont be hurrying back. We were looking forward to travelling up the Dampier Peninsula as we had heard so much about the spectacular scenery, pristine coastline and fascinating cultures. It certainly lived up to it on all accounts but the bone jarring, white-knuckle, roller coaster ride on the 86kms of corrugated dirt is a massive deterrent. The blurb describes the trip from Broome to Cape Leveque ‘for the traveller with an adventurous spirit and a desire to experience the road less travelled’. It is less travelled because it is bloody horrendous. We both agreed we don’t need to have the fillings shaken out of our teeth to enjoy spectacular scenery blah, blah, blah as we have it all here in Broome. Despite the road/track/dustbowl and my princess attitude we really did see some amazing sights and had a good time.

A very nervous altar boy at Beagle Bay

Our first welcome stop off the dirt was the little church at Beagle Bay with its famous mother of pearl altar. We had to call in as GK’s Auntie Pat (Sister Mary Germanus) was a sister with the order of St John of God and lived and worked in Beagle Bay for a number of years. The church was modelled on a black and white photograph of a village church in Germany so it really stands out in this isolated little community in the Kimberleys. It was built by hand in 1918 and will celebrate its Centenary on August 12 this year with a special mass. We wont be there.

Iconic corrugate iron church at Lombadina.

We stopped at another iconic little mission church at Lombadina built of corrugated iron on the outside and lined with paperbark on the inside, supported by bush timbers. Lombadina is a working Aboriginal community of 70 people aiming for self-sufficiency. The young girl at the reception desk was very helpful and extremely proud of her community. Despite its tiny population Lombadina is listed as one of Australia’s 10 great indigenous cultural experiences and is also winner of a Western Australian Small Business Award as well as a Kimberley Tidy Towns award. Very impressive.

 

Our wilderness camp at Kooljamin.

We thought we had seen the last of the dirt but the drive into Kooljaman on the most northern tip of the Dampier Peninsula at Cape Leveque was another nightmare experience. It was a huge relief to finally arrive at our destination at Kooljamin which is an eco-tourism wilderness resort owned by the local Aboriginal people. It is certainly a wilderness location surrounded by crystal clear blue water, bleached white sand and dramatic pindan red cliffs. It remains largely untouched although our camp was heaving with happy campers in camper vans and trailers. No caravans are allowed because of the unsealed section of the road from Broome. We were so glad the Cubby de Wheels MK II was safe and sound (and in one piece!) parked in Broome.

CK centre stage below the cliffs at Kooljamin.

There are two beaches at Kooljamin and we set out to explore both of them. The western beach has strong currents and ‘big bities’ and is not suitable for swimming but has spectacular soaring red cliffs and is the best place to see the amazing sunsets. The eastern beach is suitable for swimming because it has no ‘big bities’ – seriously that’s what the brochure says – and no stingers. ‘Phewww’ – also on the brochure. At least they are honest. We weren’t about to find out so enjoyed a long beach walk before dinner at the restaurant. 

The eastern beach at Kooljamin suitable for swimming.

The type of accommodation we wish we had.

As we didn’t have the caravan we had booked a mini-safari tent for the night. Dainty is not a word I would use to describe GK and the minute we unzipped the door/flap I knew we were in trouble. Picture a walrus floundering up the beach and that is the image of GK climbing into bed on our mattress on the floor. To compound our problems we had to swap our usual sides of the bed as I have a barking cough at the moment and needed quick access to my water bottle, Strepsils and cough medicine in the night. He usually sleeps closest to the door as he wakes up first to go to the loo but in this case had to clamber over me which woke me up and starting me coughing up a lung. This was followed by much ‘shushing’ and carry on which only made we laugh, exacerbating my cough. We expected to find a mob of angry, sleep deprived campers circling us in the morning but the coast was clear so we made a hasty exit out of Dodge and headed back down the track to Cygnet Bay.

Beautiful Cygnet Bay

We were very impressed with Cygnet Bay, which is the oldest family owned pearl farm in Australia still operating as a working pearl farm. There were a few tour options but we decided to just walk through the tropical gardens and enjoy the spectacular bay views from the sun deck. We knew we had to face the drive back to Broome so were anxious to get going. 

In a rare unselfish gesture I offered to drive the 115km of bitumen leaving the 86km of dirt to GK. They say the trip home is always quicker but in this case we still found it gruelling. GK has done the Gibb River road and said it is a doddle compared to the Cape Leveque Road. We are glad we have done it as we can tick it off our bucket lists but as I said before – we wont be hurrying back. A few days on Cable Beach, reading, relaxing and people watching has settled our jangled nerves and we are now ready to see what to do this week in sunny Broome.

Literally perched on the cliffs!

Last night Kelly and Grace took us to one of their favourite spots in Broome to watch the sunset. Despite being perched perilously on a steep cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean we had a lovely night catching up with the girls and witnessing another spectacular sunset. GK is out dropping off flyers to all local businesses around town promoting their business Fresh Peddlers before doing their deliveries of fruit and veggie boxes this afternoon. He loves being useful and busy and it helps the girls get on with more important things. A win/win situation. I have done my water aerobics this morning and finished our blog so I think I will mosey back to the pool for another swim and some leisurely reading. Wish you were here! Until next week, keep safe and lots of love. 

 

Waiting for the sunset. Magnificent!

A girlfriend for our grand dog Kevin. Shame she lives in Beagle Bay.

Week Five: Broome Time (Not!).

Easy to see why Cable Beach is the third most beautiful beach in the world. Stunning.

We are glad we had a relaxing two weeks before we arrived in Broome as we have hit the ground running. The last week has been pretty hectic but we have managed to have some time by the pool and a swim at Cable Beach, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The weather continues to be amazing with the temperatures in the low to mid thirties. The evenings are balmy and we have spent a lot of time outside sipping our drinks, swatting the mozzies and swiping the sand flies. I guess paradise has to have some drawbacks. 

Our tropical pool.

Our caravan park isn’t as ‘deluxe’ as the blurb stated as the sites are quite dusty and it is looking a bit run down.  The thirty metre tropical pool makes up for it but there are kids on bikes and in the pool from 7am to 6pm every day. It isn’t even school holidays. They are cramping our style. I guess we have forgotten what it is like to have kids around. Luckily they don’t bother us when we do aqua aerobics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8am. Gotta keep fit!

It was fantastic to catch up with Kelly and Grace at PCYC (Police and Citizens Youth Club) where they hand over their organic fruit and veggie boxes. They have started their own business supplying organic produce to the Broome locals called Fresh Peddlers. (Check it out at www.freshpeddlers.com.au) It is building very steadily after a baptism of fire in their first week when the first cyclone hit Broome and flooded the only road into town. Their truck was one of the first to get through the floodwaters and the girls managed to get their orders delivered before Coles got their fruit and veg so their new customers were very happy. GK has been roped in to delivering this week’s orders to those who opt for home delivery. Good. Another project to get him out from under my feet. It is fantastic having Bunnings in Broome as he has been there three times this week. He has missed his weekly ‘fix’ and I am sure Bunnings shares would have had dipped over the last four weeks when he hasn’t been able to visit/spend money.

 

Kell in black shorts and Gracie #8. "Carn Beach!"

Picking winners at the Broome races.

On Saturday morning we went to watch Grace play footy for Cable Beach women’s team. They were playing the Derby Tigers. Kelly has the dodgy Kent knees and can’t play but is team manager. They love it and have a lot of fun. We left at half time as we had to go to the Broome Races. It was another great day of people watching. We had mixed results and didn’t come home empty handed. GK had a couple of early wins but I lost my money on Shady Gray and Ballidu Bomber. It was all good fun as we caught the bus there and home again with new friends from the caravan park. No drink driving up here as the police are everywhere. 

I spotted a special on the park notice board for a day trip by catamaran to the Eco Beach Resort. We signed up and once again bussed it to Gantheume Point, where we were tendered onto our fantastic 70 foot catamaran for the two and a half hour sail down to Eco Beach Resort. The ocean was like a millpond and as we sailed along the coast we were served freshly cooked muffins and quiche from the galley. Yum! We enjoyed a lovely lunch after a tour of the resort and an explanation of all the sustainability measures the resort has in place to meet its eco standing. The resort is really struggling at the moment as the record rainfall from the cyclones has left the only access driveway off the main road under 70 centimetres of water four months after the floods. They have to bring guests in by helicopter or boat and their trade has dropped off dramatically. We were pleased to add to their economy in a small way as we know how difficult it is to bounce back after a natural disaster. 

View of Karma IV over the infinity pool at Eco Resort.

The sail home was very relaxing and we enjoyed the most amazing sunset as we approached Broome. As the tide was out we had to walk the last two hundred metres across the beach in the dark. Vehicles on the shore shone their lights to show us the way and we had lots of laughs with the other happy day-trippers as we carried our shoes and bags across the sand onto the bus. Another great day.

Staircase to the Sun! Beautiful sunset at Gantheume Point Broome.

Staircase to the Moon.

Friday night we witnessed the spectacular Staircase to the Moon once again at the Mangrove Hotel. There were hundreds of people there and we managed to get seats quite close to the railing to see this natural phenomenon caused by the rising of a full moon reflecting off the mudflats in Roebuck Bay creating the illusion of a staircase reaching to the moon. It was breathtaking to see the moon peep above the horizon and then climb quickly up into the night sky. The conditions were perfect as the sky was so clear and the stars were dazzling. Dare I say it – another great day.

This week will be quite busy again as Kell had asked us to draw up a plan for organic garden beds at PCYC that resemble dinosaur/emu footprints from above (?!!) The things we do. Another trip to Bunnings is called for to buy some spray paint to mark out the beds and string lines etc. GK was in charge but my anal personality has taken over and I have been busy cutting out dinosaur feet to scale to plot out the ‘trail’. My old mantra of "Let’s work as a team and do it my way” has surfaced much to GK and Kell’s horror. Bad memories from the past. Too bad, too sad – I am on a mission.  Hopefully it will be under way before we leave in two weeks. We will keep you posted on our results.

We have lots more planned for this week including a trip to Cape Leveque at the top of the Dampier Peninsula. So much to do – so little time. It has been lovely chatting with you. We love news from home. Please drop us a line with all your news about the kids, grand kids, travel plans etc. Our gorgeous 94 year old Mum will be a great, great grandmother this month (a little girl, Elizabeth Jane) and my brother Gary will be a great grandfather. My sister Jenny (and brother-in-law Terry!) are expecting a new baby grandson in December. Congrats to Brooke and Richie. Wonderful news for our family. Life is good. Lots of love and keep safe. 

The Krazies xxxx