[WA] Derby,Broome,Barn Hill Station,Eighty Mile Beach,Karratha

We left Fitzroy Crossing with the intentions of staying in Derby, but on arrival there accommodation was hard to get and it was stinking hot. We had a look around town and at the jetty and then decided we would move on to Broome. On our way out of town, we stopped at the famous Boab tree site which was used by police as a prison cell for the aboriginal criminals on their way to Derby jail back in the 1890s. The huge hollow tree measures a circumference of over 14 metres and the door is a metre wide and two metres high.

Arrived in Broome on Sunday 4 July and settled into a tight spot at the Cable Beach Caravan Park. It was unbelievably busy there and we were lucky to get into the Caravan Park. We got an unpowered site but luckily located close to the camp kitchen which makes cooking and cleaning up a bit easier. We had a walk around the area and noted a lovely spot for dinner called the Zeebar - a trendy place with a great menu (including lots of gluten free options for Paulie), a great bar and some live music as well - had a great evening there. We experienced a lot of rain and a few beautiful sunny days during our time in Broome. We heard on the radio that the road was closed between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing, so we were lucky to get out of Fitroy Crossing when we did - a lot of travellers were stuck there for a week. The Gibb River Road was also closed a couple of times and the road to Cape Leveque (which we intended to visit by hiring a 4WD) was closed the whole time we were in Broome. Will do that next trip! We noticed that none of the buildings have guttering nor are there any storm water drains, so when it rains, the ground floods really quickly.

We did touristy things in Broome like visiting Jimmy Chi Lane in China Town to read all about the pearling industry history, drove to the Ports for a look and photos, rode our bikes along beautiful wide Cable Beach to the Gantheaume Point lighthouse and saw a cast of the dinosaur footprint (the original can be seen only at very low tide).

On our bike ride back we were so hot we stopped for a swim back at Cable Beach, but just as we were about to put our toes in the water, we were warned not to go in - someone had seen a shark or something nasty in the water! So we headed back to camp for a swim in the pool instead. Another day we did a stock up of grog at the Broome BWS (thanks QAO girls for my gift card which I used there for some wines). We also had to get another crack in the windscreen fixed - that's fix No. 2 now. On Thursday 8 July we did another bike ride along the other end of Cable Beach (it's a pretty long beach) and noticed a lot of nudies strolling down to the water - then realised it is actually called "Nude Beach" and it's totally fine to get your gear off (no, we didn't), but there were plenty of oldies nuding up! This day we finally got to have a swim in the beautiful blue water, very cool water but so refreshing as the day was hot as. We had a new camping neighbour turn up this day also, Debra, who was a barrel of laughs and loved to chat - we all got on famously, and as she was travelling pretty light sleeping in a little tent, we shared our tacos dinner with her which she really appreciated.

Next day it rained on and off all day, so we visited the museum at Roebuck Bay (great shell collection there Daz), and then couldn't resist another evening at the Zeebar for drinks, tapas and fantastic live music again! Saturday morning we went to the markets near the Court House and after strolling around for a while we got separated - I then look up to find Paulie talking to a man - he had been cornered by a Morman who was walking around the markets spreading the word of the Lord. Well as we all know, Paulie can talk his way out of just about any situation, so he just let this bloke go on and on and then told him "we could stand here and debate our beliefs all day, but I've got to go"! Sunday 11 July we went down to the beach for a swim as it was very hot, the beach was packed and the surf was pretty big - I went in the water but freaked out at the size of the waves and hurried back to shore and left it to Paulie as he loves the surf - I prefer the nice calm water. On the morning of 12 July, we had one last morning walk on the beach and took some photos of the camels as they lined up ready for the tourists to ride them - they have the longest eyelashes! Strangely enough, in all the days we had been in Broome we didn't actually do a camel ride, oh well, next time!

We drove just 147kms from Broome to Barn Hill Station, and then 10kms of quite badly corrugated red dirt and muddy road into Barn Hill. Thankfully we were greeted with a spectacular view on arrival at Barn Hill, an awesome place set on the cliffs high above the water with absolutely beautiful beaches. The camp sites are a nice change from caravan parks too, as there is much more space between sites.

We did a walk on the beach straight away and took heaps of photos. We also checked out the very different and interesting amenities - open air toilets and showers, made from corrugated iron and no roof but quite nice with lots of fresh air whistling around you while you go to the loo or shower! Next day we did a very long bare-foot walk along the beach and both ended up with sore feet, then had a nice swim. Took lots more photos as it was just so picturesque. The next day started with a long beach walk and then up over the rocky headland - another very hot day.

We rested up in the afternoon and then went along to the happy hour entertainment, a country singer named Max - we didn't stay long - that might give you an indication of how talented he was! Headed back to camp for dinner and to take some sunset photos.

Thursday 15 July we drove just over 200kms to Eighty Mile Beach, settled into our site, noticing that most of the trees around us had been cut right back to bare, we wondered why. Anyway, we headed down to the beach - it was a very hot day with not a lot of breeze. The beach goes forever and is covered in heaps of white shells. There were a zillion people fishing off the beach but not many seemed to be catching anything. Later we saw a guy carrying back a huge thread-fin salmon.

We experienced a spectacular sunset that evening, which is similar to what is called a staircase to the moon, but was in fact a staircase to the sun!

Next morning we walked along the beach before breakfast and then visited the office/shop where we learned about Cyclone Laurence which flattened the park in December 2009, showing photos of how the trees and buildings were destroyed (this answered our bare trees query). They had 235km winds and everyone was evacuated except the caretakers who bunkered down in a shipping container bolted to the ground, absolutely terrifying. Most of the trees in the park died from the battering but a few survived and have started to sprout new growth. 

Saturday morning we drove to Karratha (stopping at Whim Creek for lunch). On arrival in Karratha, we stopped at the information centre and met our friend Johnsie (a neighbour from Zillmere days) who we stayed with for just over a week. Karratha is primarily known for the surrounding resource industries - Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt, Woodside Offshore Petroleum and Burrup Fertilisers. Johnsie is living in Karratha til the end of his work contract and goes home every six week to see his wife Peta and the kids in Buderim.

On the Sunday, he took us on a scenic drive to Cleaverville - a popular fishing location at the mouth of Cleaverville Creek, then on to Cossack - where we visited a fantastic art exhibition which is Australia's richest regional art award in prize-money and the world's most remote. Browsed through the old court house and jail and snapped Paulie behind bars - hopefully that's the only time I see him in jail! There was also a fair underway that day with jugglers, kids face painting etc. Next we went to Point Samson, a pretty beachside spot famous for snorkelling and fishing. We had a great week just hanging out at Johnsie's place, exploring Karratha on our bikes and walking, a bit of shopping, cooking and enjoyed being under a roof for little while. Paulie gave the van a good wash as well to get rid of all the red dirt. One day we drove out to Dampier and an oncoming mining truck threw up a bunch of gravel onto us and yep ... windscreen crack No. 3 - that's three cracks in three months and it probably won't be the last unfortunately. We got it fixed that same afternoon before it could spread further.

Saturday 24 July we went to the Roebourne Cup Races (about 38kms out of Karratha) with Johnsie and his friends and work colleagues. We were lucky to be included in a corporate area with free drinks! There were nearly 5,000 people there. The racecourse is red dust and so of course our shoes were covered in red dust in no time. When we would go down close to the track to watch each race, the red dust would fly up as the horses thundered past.

Paulie and I picked first and second places in Race 2, but then they called it a "no race" because there was a false start - just our luck! Our punting luck didn't really improve for the rest of the day, our total winnings were a grande $13 (but that included the $10 we got back from Race 2)! Anyway, we still had a great time and after we got home, showered off all the red dust, had a bite to eat and were just settling in at home for the evening, when Johnsie got a phone call inviting us all out to a party just a couple of blocks away - so off we set on foot and we stumbled home around 11.30 and fell into bed exhausted.

[NT] Daly Waters,Katherine,Darwin,Timber Creek, [WA] Lake Argyle,Fitzroy Crossing

Friday 18 June we drove to Daly Waters (via Banka Banka, Renner Springs, Elliott, Newcastle Waters, Dunmarra). On arrival, we checked out the very famous and interesting pub with all its hanging bras, undies, thongs, t-shirts, and different currency notes visitors have nailed to the walls.

The camping area was full of vans when we arrived and so we were the first to camp on a spare vacant lot but in no time we had neighbours, as more vans and campers rolled into town - talk about a popular spot! The town of Daly Waters is basically "the pub" so that's where it's all happening. The entertainment for the night was an old guy singing and playing the guitar (with a live large chook sitting on his head), he told a few jokes and stories along the way - he had everyone laughing.

Next day we headed for Katherine and stayed at Takaru Bush Resort, 44 acres of lovely green grass but there's no camping allowed on the nice green stuff, so camped on the crusty dry grass. The local fire brigade were burning off in the area so there was a lot of thick smoke when we went into town for some groceries. We only had the one night there and next day headed for Darwin.

Arrived in very hot Darwin on Sunday 20 June staying at the Free Spirit Caravan Park for eight nights, as we had a few things to sort out for the van and had to hang around waiting for delivery of some items. Paulie received a phone call from ABC Radio to advise that he had won the last "Juke Box" competition he had entered when at Tennant Creek and they would post his prize (three CDs) to home!  During our time in Darwin, we drove into the city for a look around and noticed an improvement since we were there in 2001. We visited Cullen Bay with its beautiful aqua blue water. We took a bus trip to see the popular evening Mindil Beach Markets with all its variety of local entertainers, colourful stalls of jewellery, clothing and all manner of international cuisine. The SkyCity Casino is also close to the markets so we popped in there for a quick look and to feed $20 into the pokies, and we ran into an old work mate of Paulie's - Trevor and his wife Carol - who we then caught up with the next day for a lovely barramundi lunch at the wharf, sharing a great time and lots of laughs. At the back of our caravan park was a very long flat bike/walking track, so we did a couple of 10km bike rides and walks - tough going in the 32 degree heat each day! On Saturday 26 June we decided to go to the Fannie Bay horseraces, so in order for us to both be able to have a drinkie, we endured a rather interesting one hour bus ride to the racecourse in the company of some of the locals. We had a great time at the races but didn't leave there rolling in money - oh and we decided to get a cab home and skip the bus trip!

Monday 28 June we backtracked to Katherine again for one night at the Springvale Homestead caravan park, which is a pet friendly park, and so our camping neighbours included a huge german shepherd. It was very hot in Katherine and a million flies everywhere, which is so much fun when trying to cook dinner! Next day we drove 300kms to Timber Creek (about 170kms from the WA border). They have small fresh water crocodiles in the creek and have a feeding at 5pm each night. That night we cooked up all our fresh vegies in preparation for going through the WA border quarrantine check next day.

Wednesday 30 June we set off, eating the last of our fresh fruit for morning tea and headed towards the WA border. Once into WA, we drove to the beautiful Lake Argyle, again experiencing very warm weather. We drove down to a lovely green grassy picnic area for lunch, where the hydro electric system is and then drove to other lookouts to view the enormous Lake Argyle (the biggest body of fresh water in Australia  covering over 900 square kms) with its spectacular red rocky hills surrounding it. We checked into the caravan park and had a swim in their beautiful new "infinity" pool which overlooks the lake and appears to have no edges - quite breathtaking views. Our next day at Lake Argyle started off warm and lovely but turned overcast and by the afternoon was blowing a gale and showery, so we had to batten down for the night.

Unfortunately travelling in WA at this time of year coincides with school holidays, the grey nomads, local shows and rodeos etc, so most accommodation is booked out along with tours to the most popular tourist sites e.g. the Bungle Bungles which require 4WD vehicles. We are restricted with our current vehicle, so we intend to return in the near future with our own 4WD to visit all these special places including the Gibb River Road ... we are already planning our next trip!

Friday 2 July we drove about 670kms to Fitzroy Crossing camping for two nights at the Fitzroy River Lodge at their grassy camp area. Very warm sunny weather once again. We did a walk along the road towards town on Saturday morning, crossing the Fitzroy River which is mostly dry this time of year. Later we drove into town for some fresh fruit and vegies which we purchased from the supermarket (which was basically a large tin shed - no Woolies or Coles here yet) - not a very big town and not much to see unless you have a 4WD. We will be heading for Broome (via Derby) over the next couple of days.