Good Morning Broome!
Low 18°c (64°F) – High 30°c
(86°F)
I had a little chuckle to myself this morning. On our second day here in Broome we ended up
with some new neighbours with their flash new caravan and flash new expensive
car. And I guess if there is one thing
that gets up my nose with some people who go caravanning, it’s how they can be
quite judgmental and snobbish about other people and their vans. And given our van is now 18 years old, she
tends to look her age amongst all the shiney new styles on the road now. We love her and despite sometimes being in
need of a little tender loving care, she’s all we need, she’s what we could
afford, and she has helped us make some amazing memories – and to us that’s all
it is about. But we’ve heard and been on
the receiving end of some pretty blatant snobby moments/people in our travels
and this was one of them.
We like to make polite conversation with our neighbours – sometimes it
leads to getting to know some lovely people – sometimes it leads to ignoring
them for the rest of your stay. On them
getting set up I said hello and asked a bit about their trip. The conversation was strained and we got the
“oh and you have a dog” conversation (not in a good way). Most sites in the
park have enough space for the van, awning and car to sit side by side but I
think I mentioned ours had a tree where the car might usually go and so we had
to park across the site at the front.
The car in no way obstructed them from access to their site, however it
seems despite them only having just arrived, her main focus was to let me know
that they would be leaving Sunday and we might need to move our car. I mentioned we would be leaving Sunday as
well to which she replied “Yes but we’ll be leaving early so you’ll need to
have your car out of the way”. It wasn’t
so much what she said but the way she said it and I felt like asking didn’t we
look like the type who also might be organized enough to be leaving early but
after that time she never spoke to us at all.
So fast forward to this morning – we were in no rush by any means, but
were hooked up and driving out the gate by 9.00am and Mrs “We’ll be leaving
early” wasn’t even anywhere in sight although we watched with some curiosity
while Mr WBLE filled his water tank in the van using a water container and
funnel that he continually refilled and decanted from the tap nearby. I wonder if he actually thought of unplugging
his hose and filling his tank that way – certainly a heck of a lot easier for
the rest of us.
A bit of BA equipment (if you are new to this page, please see previous
posts) to start the morning and shortly thereafter all of a sudden the trees
just ceased to grow and there was just grass – and cows. Several kms down the road and all of a sudden
there were trees again! Sadly apart from
the couple of abrupt changes in vegetation, this part of the highway was a
little uninspiring, flat and massive straight stretches of road. We’ve been so spoiled for amazing scenery at
every turn and shouldn’t be sad about 145km that didn’t amaze – I know.
I knew that we had 22km of dirt road off the highway to get to our
destination for the day and for the most part, as per the reviews of the camp,
the road was good with not much corrugation.
The fascinating thing was that it seems to have been graded so many
times that the centre of the road it is now about 6 feet lower than the edges
of the road. It almost felt like driving
down a river bed.
Seeking an outback bush camp for a slightly different experience we
certainly got what we paid for and not in a bad way. Port Smith caravan park is a rustic park but
has everything you need including power and water but in limited supply. The park is powered by a huge generator which
means no excessive use in any van including the use of air-conditioning, and as
water is in short supply – no showers or washing machines are to be used in
vans. Aside from those rules, the camp
provides everything else you need including a shop and fuel (albeit
expensive). Just 600m down the road is a
lagoon which apparently provides an excellent fishing spot. Not being into fishing and not having a 4WD
meant that we were limited to how much we could partake in this particular feature
but the staff were nice and the park was huge and had some interesting sections,
not the least of which being an interesting entertainment stage that looked
more like a shade house, and a 2 hole golf course.
Park residents tell stories of when during a particularly wet period
people were setting up chairs on the edge of the road and throwing a fishing
line in the water that flowed through the road – as we anticipated just like a
river. Also how you have to get out
before wet season starts otherwise you are there for the long haul as the road
is impassable. I have no idea what one
does for months in a place like that when there is no way in or out.
We did take a drive out to the lagoon but the mud flat was too soft to
drive over and the tide was way too far out for me to contemplate a walk all
the way in the hope of seeing any dolphins or turtles reported to swim in these
waters. I did however find the mangrove
swamp quite fascinating.
Back at camp however, after a walk around and some time to relax, we
were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset.
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