DAY 42 – Fitzroy Crossing - Broome

Good Morning Fitzroy Crossing!
 
Low 19°c (66°F) – High 33°c (91°F)
430km
 
Total after week 6 – 8,464km (5,259 miles)
 
Awake early this morning because holy cow!!! those bus people leave early and had absolutely no consideration for the rest of the park who were still asleep.  After our final packup and a quick goodbye to our not so little green friend in the water pipe we headed out around 8.00am, knowing we had a fairly big trip ahead of us and needing to get fuel before we left Fitzroy Crossing. 
 
On the way out of the park we had a visit to the dump point to empty the toilet canister.  Now there isn’t much you can say about this experience other than it’s unpleasant, a necessary evil and not all dump points are as clean as others.  Shane is definitely a hero in my book because I’m not sure I could get through the process without being quite unwell.  It seems that this particular time didn’t quite go as smoothly as possible and without going into too much detail, there may have been an incident where the dump point gave a little back of what Shane was donating which I became highly aware of the moment he got back into the car.  It’s cruel to laugh, I know, but the Mr Stinky jokes continued through getting fuel and for a few kilometers out of town until I finally pulled over and gave him the option of getting changed or riding in the van.
 
Sometimes travel just doesn’t prepare you for the sights you will see.  There are WOW moments and then there are “WOW” moments.  We pulled in to a Rest Area and drove up the back to see a man sitting in a fold-up chair at a covered picnic table completely covered with “belongings”.  Said “gentleman”, a sizeable lad in his early 70’s at a guess, sat rubbing his considerable shirtless stomach as though it contained a loved child awaiting a birth that perhaps was overdue by a couple of months.  We pulled up just to the side of said table while Shane went into the van to change.  The collection of goods on and around the table was puzzling, whether he was a traveller or homeless is anyone’s guess but some strange items accompanied him – not the least of which was a ceramic jug and bowl which looked out of place in his rustic makeshift home.  Another chair was off to the side however we did not see anyone else with him.  As we pulled out to get back on the road again he gave us a large grin and a wave.  As I said to Shane – at least he had a nice tan! But WOW – there are just some things you can’t unsee!
 
The soil in these parts is such an amazing rich red and with a lot of road works and restoration happening, the piles of red dirt were such a contrast to everything else around it.  The terrain between Fitzroy Crossing and Broome has changed to virtually flat most of the way by contrast to the last few days, but the vegetation changes were amazing with thick bushland giving way to virtually bare land with the exception of dry grass as far as the eye could see and then back to bushland again.  Termite mounds were dotted everywhere and changed in colour depending on the surrounding ground, some a more pale hue reminding us of those we see on the Stuart Highway around the Barkly region and also some in a deep red, darker than we have previously come across.  More Boabs all along this stretch, some of which are massive behemoths that surely also fit the “Big Ass” criteria for size.
 
We can’t get over how many single lane bridges there have been, many of them crossing massive rivers.  The rivers themselves tell an interesting story about the difference between the wet and dry seasons in the area.  It’s clear from the eroded banks the height to which the rivers rise in the wet season is many feet above where they sit today which is mind boggling when you think about the volume of water it takes to reach that level.
 
The Great Northern Highway is said to be the longest most remote paved road in the world and is one of the Australian longest roads at 3,195 km (1,985 mi) long and links Western Australia's capital city Perth and its northernmost port, Wyndham. It’s Western Australia’s most important road. The highway was created in 1944 and passes through some of the most isolated areas on the continent.  For this part of our trip there were lots of roadworks and we found it interesting that unlike Victoria, WA uses pilot cars to guide the traffic along areas where only one lane is open.
 
It was after 1.30pm by the time we made it to Broome and our booked caravan park was out of town a little but not inconveniently so.  At first glance it looked OK, mostly fine white gravel, cement pads on which both your van and awning area sits and while most sites have enough room also for a car beside, ours has a large tree situated there and so our parking is at the front of the van – a trade off I guess – parking for shade.  Bats could be heard in the trees and after our experience in Timber Creek where bats were very noisy I was hoping it wasn’t the case here.
 
Broome is the largest town in the Kimberley region and is situated on the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean.  Being situated on a north-south peninsula there is water on both sides of the town.  It is well known for its “Staircase to the Moon” phenomenon where the receding tide at Roebuck Bay and a rising moon combine to give the appearance of a staircase.  This only occurs for approximately 3 days each month and sadly won’t be happening while we are here – not until mid July.  Broome is susceptible to tropical cyclones and these, along with the equally unpredictable nature of summer thunderstorms, play a large part in the erratic nature of the rainfall in the area – none of which are forecast for our stay I’m pleased to report.
 
Broome was attacked at least four times during World War II as part of the Japanese air raids on Australia. The worst attack in terms of loss of life was an air raid in March of 1942 in which at least 86 people were killed, making it the second deadliest Japanese attack on Australia after the bombing of Darwin.  Twenty-two aircraft were destroyed, most of them flying boats, the remains of which can still be seen in the harbour at low tide.
 
Set up was quick and after a late lunch and a bit of a rest we decided to make the most of the rest of the afternoon and get our bearings for where everything was.  Amazingly, just like Darwin, sunset here too is an event where hundreds of people flock to the beach to watch the sun go down.  As we were driving around adjacent to Cable Beach looking for a park we stopped at a roundabout to give way to some pedestrians – and all of a sudden I realized it was Daryl & family who helped us out at Fitzroy Crossing the night before getting our lights fixed.  I’m always astounded by the irony of meetings like this.  People you’ve met once and don’t really know and there they are in the midst of hundreds of other people days later when you meet them at an intersection 400 kms away.
 
The sunset was amazing but because Kitty was still in the car and it was warmish we didn’t stay much after the sun went down.  We drove around to the port and then headed into town to locate a supermarket for a few things.  The colour continued to deepen in the sky and would have been a spectacle from the beach that we’ll hopefully take in over the next couple of nights while we are here. 
 
It’s already clear that the 3 nights we’ve booked in here won’t be enough but we’ll see how we go and whether extending a night or two would be possible.  It’s very busy despite the site next to us being vacant – I highly doubt that will be the case for long.
 
When we returned home I cooked a couple of steaks purchased on our trip into town to have with some leftover pasta salad I had made.  While we were preparing the meal, we were serenaded by a lady from the van behind us who obviously thought she has a future in Opera singing at the top of her voice.  I’m afraid to say that’s a No from Him and a No from Me.  Thankfully after a quick shower she stopped but not before I had contemplated ear plugs.  It was bad.
 
The night was so warm and beautiful that we sat outside until around 10.30pm enjoying the night noises and the peace and quiet of the park which seems to settle by 9.00.