On the last leg from Kununurra to Broome we stopped overnight at a cattle station named “LARRAWA”.

We selected the site from the CAMPS7 book of camps around Australia.

It turned out to be the same station we stopped at 2 years ago.

It is a bush camp half way between Kununurra and Fitzroy Crossing and the campsite is located 4kms off the hwy and near the homestead. The camp is complete with showers and toilets and running water even though it is termed a “bush camp”.

There were only two other families camping on the station when we were there.

After dark all the Milky way was overhead and it looked fantastic. Not a cloud in the sky and stars from horizon to horizon.

After a very quiet camp we were up early and off to Broome.

Arriving at Broome we headed to a small caravan park called the PYCC.

The camp is one of two run by volunteers and the fees go to the local police youth club.

The camps are supposed to be “over flow” camps for the main council operated caravan park but the word has got around and many campers are coming direct to the youth club camps. We were told of the camps by a camper at Kununurra who had the idea that the kids could use the money better than the large “Chain operated parks.”

We had a power less camp the first night but were offered a powered site for the next three nights we are here. First day was a little look at the shops, some refilling the food box and enquiring about our next trek up to Cape Leveque and Middle Lagoon.

Thursday

We have had a quiet stay in Broome so far and leave Saturday morning for Middle Lagoon.

Looking at the shops, reading and I had a couple of hours fishing off the pier but with no luck. The people leaving as I arrived all had large fish to take home and I suspect they had been there for the high tide which I missed.

PIER AT BROOME

Tonight-we had a Chinese dinner and went a couple of doors up the street to the movie theatre and saw Jersey Boys.

The movie theatre was built in 1916 and had it's first talkie in 1930.

It is an open air theatre with about half the seats in the open air and half under cover. The seats are deck chair type seating.

The show was OK but not as good as the live show that was on in Melbourne a while back.

Friday

To day we went to the information service here in Broome to find out about a camel ride tonight at sunset. Instead we left in a hurry to get back to camp to have a quick snack and to get ready to be picked up at 12.20pm to go on an all afternoon whale watching trip.

The driver was 10.00min early and we rushed to pack and get into the bus. A short trip collecting some other people on the way and we were dropped off on the beach opposite the race track where races are in progress today.

The strange boat / vehicle, pictured below picked us up in groups of about ten and ferried us to the larger 30 ft boat anchored about 300 metres off shore.

 IS IT A CAR OR BOAT

 IT TILTS FOR EASE OF ACCESS

THE FIT PASSENGERS CLIMB OVER THE REAR

The boat motor stops about 100metres from the shore and the wheels start rolling and takes the craft up onto the sand. The boat then drops and lays over on one side so the less nimble people can easily climb on board. The hydraulics then lift the boat to a level status so the nimble people can then climb over a wheel and step into the craft. Then seated on the sides we motor out to the “Tradewinds”.

THE TRADEWINDS

All aboard and we receive a safety warning about boat safety and fitting life vests before heading out to sea all watching for a whale. Soon the skipper alerts us to the fact that he has spotted some whales surfacing some distance ahead.

Soon the motor is switched off and after not all that amount of time we have our first whale surfacing not all that distance from all the 50 plus cameras on board.

From then on it was a bit of sailing then stopping then sailing then stopping for the next 4.5 hours. As the whales came close, some came closer and several times they swam straight under the boat.

 THE WHALE WATCHERS

 THERE SHE BLOWS

CAME UP UNDER THE BOAT 

CAME IN CLOSE FOR A LOOK 

THERE'S THAT WOMAN AGAIN!

Some pics of the stars of the afternoon..

During the afternoon we were all provided with drinks, cakes, a cheese platter and an anti pasto tray carried around by the crew.

The crew was made up of the skipper two young girls assisting along the way and a young chap who was a marine biologist to answer any questions we had.

We arrived back to be collected by a bus to take us back to where we were staying about 6.00pm.

An afternoon enjoyed by all.

Tomorrow its off to Middle Lagoon for the wanderers.

Wednesday

The wanderers reached Middle Lagoon about 3.--pm on Saturday after stocking the food box and fuelling the tanks.

Middle Lagoon is about 180km North of Broome. About 30 km of bitumen then about 60km of dirt road. Then some more bitumen then a final 33km of dirt road.

The first stretch of dirt road was a bit of a worry as we had heard that the 200mm of rain that fell a couple of weeks ago had washed out the road. But as we booked our camp site we heard that the graders had just finished grading the road. Well some of it. It has stretches that are a bit rough and provide a bumpy ride.

The second 33km stretch of road is poor to bad with speed humps to slow you down . They are actually washed out gutters that look like a giant speed hump about 800mm high or deep depending on which way you look at them.

Having arrived and set up camp we met the neighbors who promptly gave us a bag full of fresh Trevally fish fillets.

The neighbours are a retired couple who have been here since July 2 and will be here for about a month or two. Sunday he went fishing again and came over with two huge fillets of Mackrel .

His fish had been about 1.4 metres long, so it must have had a few kilos of good fillets.

That night the local school and local children, mostly aboriginal kids. Put on a concert of a mix of traditional and modern dancing for the residents of the campground. The concert commenced with a local chap playing the didgeridoo, while the women folk were selling some chicken dishes with rice or a mix of chilli crabs, turtle and dugon with rice or noodles.

THE MUSICIAN FOR THE NIGHT

The food was followed by several groups of kids of various ages performing the dances. After he kids came some adult dancers doing a selection of traditional aboriginal dances.

ONE OF THE MEN 

HIS PARTNERS

First day was spent walking the beach and relaxing.

 MIDDLE LAGOON BEACH TO THE LEFT

THE BEACH TO THE RIGHT

Second day was a short trip to an isolated restaurant named Whale song.

THE VIEW FROM THE RESTAURANT TABLES

This restaurant sits on a cliff top overlooking an 4 to 5km stretch of white sand beach.

After a snack of sticky date pudding and lemon/lime cheesecake washed down with a banana and a mango smoothy we took to the long trek down the beach and back looking for sea shells.Not as productive as last time but still a few more for the collection.

Third day we were off to Cape Leveque and the Kooljamon resort some 70km further North.

A snack for lunch and we explored the swimming beaches with their pure white sand and sandstone rocky outcrops. This was followed by a trip over the narrow strip of headland to the Western beaches with the same sand but bright rad rocky outcrops. This side of the resort is non swimming due to rips and undertows.

Back home to another feed of fish and resting the feet.

Tomorrow is our last day so we are hoping to post this latest news and walk on the local beach again before we head back to Broome and the start of our return home.

MORE COMING FOLKS.