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.