Kings Around Oz

Our journey has now taken us back to Broome, the birthplace of the kids! They were both very excited to visit the town that they were born in, and Glen was excited to show them where he grew up! We saw many sights around Broome which included a trip to the movies at Australia’s oldest outdoor movie theatre! The movie was good, but the kids especially enjoyed the novelty of seeing the plane fly just over the top of the screen as it came in to land. We were also lucky enough to be in Broome to see the ‘Staircase to the Moon’, this is a natural phenomenon where the moon rises over the mud flats and the reflection of the moon creates the illusion of a staircase leading up to the moon. A trip to Broome is also not complete unless you go for a camel ride on Cable Beach. We enjoyed a sunset tour with Haydan and Emmalisa on Jebbee and Glen and Laura on Mufasa. Mufasa was a rather ‘friendly’ camel and kept getting up close to Haydan and invading his personal space, much to his frustration! Haydan was just glad that they had put a muzzle on him so that he couldn’t get bitten! Whilst in Broome we made the most of the clear skies and went on the Astro Tour and learnt all about the stars, constellations and ‘flat earth language’. We learnt that we should not be saying that we are watching the sunset because we are in fact ‘watching the earth turn away from the place in the sky that the sun is in’…. but we still think sunset sounds better! We wanted the kids to learn about the rich history of Broome so we went to the Broome Museum and spent the morning looking at all the artefacts and learning the history of the pearl industry, the bombing of Broome, the pioneers of the town as well as it’s multiculturalism. While we were in Broome, it was also the last round of the Broome Speedway, so we took the kids to see some racing action! There was also a Demo Derby at the end which was fun to watch but didn’t quite live up to the hype. To round out our tours we went on the Willie Creek Pearl Farm Tour and learnt all about how pearls are farmed. We all found this tour so interesting, and we were lucky enough to be there during the harvest and were able to witness several rather large pearls get harvested. Emmalisa in particular fell in love with pearls and the magic of finding them in their pearl shell. We also enjoyed a trip up the coast of the peninsula and camped right on the beach for a few night at Quongdong. We enjoyed exploring the rockpools at low tide and were amazed to find a Bluebone fish swimming around in one of them! The rest of our time we spent catching up with friends and family and enjoying some time to just relax and stay in one place for a while. The kids and Glen were lucky enough to go out on Uncle Bruce’s fishing boat and came back with many stories of ‘lost fish’. The kids enjoyed going to Yoga with Aunty Carlee and tried their luck with Uncle Zak’s metal detector on Cable Beach. We particularly enjoyed days on the beach with the bogie boards, making sandcastles and just going for a walk along Cable Beach. Another favourite thing for us to do was to drive down on the beach and cook dinner on the tailgate of the car while we watched the earth turn away from the place in the sky….. oh it’s easier to just say sunset. Another activity we enjoyed doing on the weekend was go to the Courthouse Markets. Emmalisa was in awe of an artist there and each week would check in on his progress on the painting he was completing. She even bought her own print from this artist and it has inspired her art even more. We also enjoyed walking through Chinatown and looking at the art galleries and unique shops. The kids were also very amused to see the planes land basically in the middle of town. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable time in Broome and we were all a little sad to leave.

Staircase to the Moon

Getting ready to ride the camels

On the camel ride on Cable Beach

Kids riding Jebbee

Mufasa getting up close and personal to Haydan!

Camel ride on Cable Beach at sunset

The loot from the morning with the metal detector!

At the Astro Tour

View from our camp at Quongdong

Enjoying a day out in the boat!

Kids learning to tie knots at the Museum's Sailmakers exhibition

Watching the racing action at Broom Speedway

The pearl we saw harvested while on the Pearl Farm Tour

Learning about pearls on the Tour

Emmalisa loved the pearls at the Willie Creek Pearl Farm

Enjoying a Broome Sunset

Entrance Point

We enjoyed playing, building sandcastles and walking along Cable Beach

After leaving El Questro we went and camped at the Pentecost River as we heard people talking about the Barra and people catching them. We tried all afternoon but once again those elusive Barra escaped us. Glen tried a bit of night fishing, and we were lucky enough to see dinoflagellates in the water create a bioluminescence (basically you can see the fish glow in the dark as they swim through the water!). The next morning we headed to Wyndham but since we had to pass the intersection for Zebedee Springs we thought we better stop in for one more soak! Then we went to Wyndham. We did a little tour of the town but being Sunday afternoon, everything was shut. We did enjoy our walk down the jetty and exploring the settlement history of Wyndham and why they moved the town to where it is now. Then that evening the sunset at Five Rivers lookout didn’t disappoint. The next morning, we started our journey to the Bungle Bungles and we stopped off at the Grotto for a look. Last time when we were here it was the end of the wet season and the waterfall was flowing and this was a very inviting swimming hole. This time being the end of the dry season the waterfall has dried up and the water looked a bit stagnate for a swim, but this meant that we could walk along the dry river bed and find the rock art. We were a little disappointed to find that someone has tried to draw over some of the art work with chalk, however we were able to appreciate the original art that has been left relatively untouched. It was then back in the car to make our way to the Bungle Bungle road we have heard so much about. When we arrived we spoke to someone that had just driven the road and he gave us confidence that it was not as bad as some people say. So we let down the tyres and away we went. We were pleasantly surprised that the road was not as bad as we were expecting. We did get a little concerned at the first water crossing as there was nothing to tell us how deep it was. We made it through and continued on our way commenting on how the road was not great, but it is not that bad. Then disaster struck, a car passed us and flicked up a rock and smashed the back rear side window. So it was out of the car for some running repairs, bushman style. We ‘fixed’ the window with some garbage bags and duct tape and then continued our way to camp. That night we all sat at the sunset lookout and marvelled at the landscape before us and decided this was bucket list stuff! It was then home for a rest before we tackle the walks!

The first walk we did was the Mini Palms walk. This was spectacular! It really is a place that you have to see to believe. The photos just don’t do it justice. Everywhere you look you see something different and beautiful in it’s own right. We once again enjoyed the walk over rocks and boulders and were again rewarded with a spectacular view at the end.

It was then on to Echinda Chasm. This was once again a walk that needs to be experienced. You feel so small as you walk between the huge, towering cliff faces and the colours in the rocks are incredible. As we continued to walk the light continued to change and this changed the colours of the rocks in the chasm. As you went further in the path got narrower and narrower. The glow of the sun hitting the rocks made it once again something that photos just don’t do justice to. We waited for the time that the sun is directly overhead of the chasm to see the light fill it and then the glow starts to happen on the other side as the sun continues it’s journey to sunset. We then went back to camp to rest up for a big hike the following day.

On day 2 of our Bungle Bungle exploration we decided to do all the walks on the South side. This meant the 10km walk to Whipsnake Gorge was up first! Along the way we added to the 10km by completing the Piccaninny Lookout walk and the Natures Window walk. These both gave a different view of the Bungle Bungle Range. We continued on to Whipsnake Gorge and were very pleased to find shade as we got closer to the Gorge. Once we made it to the Gorge we stopped for some well earned morning tea, a rest and enjoyed the beautiful scenery once again. It was then time to start making our way back and the walk back was HOT! It was now about 36 degrees and not much shade at all. On our way out we also completed the Cathedral Gorge Walk where Emmalisa enjoyed hearing how her voice sounded when she sang in the natural amphitheatre. To finish off our big day exploring the South Side we went through the Domes Walk and were amazed by these orange and black dome structures. We worked out that by the end we had walked about 13km in stifling heat and we had previously made the deal with the kids that any walk over 10km earns them an ice cream. So we headed straight for the visitors centre and all enjoyed what seemed like the best tasting ice cream we have ever had! It was then back to camp where we all rested our very weary legs. On our last night we enjoyed one last sunset over the Bugle Bungle Range and enjoyed watching the colours change on the range as the the glow of the sun went down. The next morning we were up early as there was 1 walk left that we hadn't yet completed and we felt we could not leave any trail un-walked! So it was off to Homestead Valley. This was a much easier walk and was in the morning shade so it was a nice way to finish off our time at the Bungle Bungles.

It was then time to head back out to the highway and find some smooth bitumen again! This time we made the drive on the infamous Bungle Bungle road incident free! That night we stopped at Ngumban Cliffs to camp and enjoyed yet another amazing WA sunset! The next morning we went on the Mimbi Caves Tour which was interesting but definitely conducted 'Kimberley Casual Style'. The kids were intrigued to be part of the smoking ceremony that welcomed us to country. We all were a little unsure if the tour guide was having a lend of us when we were told to pick up a rock to take to the cave with us. When we got to the entrance of the cave we were told to rub the rock under our armpits and then throw the rock into the water. It was then explained to us that in their culture we had a foreign scent to their land so by rubbing the rock under our arms and throwing it in the water our scent then becomes familiar with the land. It was interesting walking through the caves and learning about the German Geologists that have studied this area and all the things they left behind like a chess set carved from the rocks.

After the Mimbi Caves tour we made our way to Langi Crossing, an old fishing spot of Glen's. We could not get over how much it had changed. 12 years ago when we used to camp here you would just bring a mossie dome or a swag and camp on the river bank and you would be lucky (or unlucky?) to see another person. Now there were caravans and camps set up as far as the eye could see. Last time we were here you might have seen a few boats on the river and now it looked like Sydney Harbour! We thought that this must be a good sign as people wouldn't come here if you didn't catch fish! That afternoon, through no lack of trying we still didn't manage to catch anything. We did however enjoy a campfire and toasted marshmallows! The next morning was our one last shot at a fish and.....Glen caught our first Barra! The kid were so excited and now believe that Barra do exist! The good news was, we caught a Barra, the bad news was, it was 1cm under size so we had to put him back to grow a bit bigger for another day. To celebrate our catch we enjoyed a chocolate chip damper for morning tea and then made our way to Broome!