Port Hedland to Newman

We left the caravan park and went in search of the auto electrician. Thank goodness for Sat-Nav the sea mist was thick. We could barely see two metres in front of us, so there is no way we could see any street signs. By 8.30am a new Anderson plug had been fitted and we were on our way. We didn’t fancy the planned alfresco breakfast in the thick, damp, mist, so headed south out of town, leaving the mist behind us. The photo taken below was on the way out of town where the mist was lighter.

It wasn’t long before the flat, barren land close to Port Hedland gave way to the stunning ranges and glorious colours that signified we were nearing our planned destination of Mt Robinson.

We were in Iron Ore country using roads frequented by road trains, and heavy mining transports. Twice we were shunted off to the verge by the support vehicles to make way for gigantic loads.

It was just after midday when Mt Robinson came into sight.

We found a lovely secluded spot and were looking forward to enjoying a few hours exploring and photographing the surrounding countryside. It was hot, so we opened all the windows to keep the van cool, and put the awning out. We don’t usually take the time to put the awning up in overnight spots, but with a long afternoon in front of us, it would be worth while. I cooked Tilly’s dinner, then we sat outside with a glass of iced water, eating our lunch time sandwiches. There were some wild flowers, purple mulla mulla, nearby, so I wandered off with my trusty phone camera, leaving a full glass of water on the little table attached to my chair.

The wind blew up and with it the red dust. It was strong enough to blow my chair over, breaking my water glass as it hit the ground. Tills was looking like, ‘red dog’, as he was hot so chose to lay in the red dirt rather than on his mat. An hour of that breeze and the inside of the van would have had a layer of red dust over everything. Once red dust gets in, there’s no way you can get it out, and nothing will age a van faster. The few hours of peaceful solitude enjoying the Pilbara landscape suddenly lost its appeal! We rolled up the awning, and left Mt Robinson behind, setting off for the overnight caravan spot at the Newman’s visitor’s centre.

Picturesque it isn’t, quiet and peaceful it isn’t. But it’s clean. We paid our ten dollars fee, and set about washing the red dust off Tills. We were next, a shower to get the red dust off ourselves, and over to the pub for a cool drink and their Wednesday night special of steak and chips. Dinner was ok, nothing great, but we didn’t have to cook it, or clean up afterwards. So that was yesterday’s travel. That extra 109 kms will shorten today’s trip considerably, so I’ll have time to give the van a bit of a clean before we leave. It’s starting to feel grungy…..

Broome to Port Hedland

We were hitching up to leave Broome when we noticed that Anderson plug for the caravan stability control was missing, with the casing that holds it battered and bruised. Whoops, the Mr forgot to plug it in after our last overnight stop, and clearly it had dragged along the ground as we travelled along. Oh well, ya get that sort of thing when caravanning. Plans were revised quickly with an 8am appointment at an auto-electrician in Port Hedland the following morning.

it meant a slightly longer travel day than we’d anticipated, and it meant a $55 caravan park fee in Port Hedland as apposed to a free 24 hour roadside stop. We’ve only ever driven through Port Hedland before, so we made plans to get the Anderson plug fixed first thing the following morning, and then we were going to drive into the town for an al fresco breakfast, and a quick squiz at the town before travelling to our next nights destination. We had left Broome at around 8am, and were set up in the caravan park before 4pm.

With the caravan park right next to a beach, and a couple of hours of daylight left we took Tills for a long beach walk.

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The Sand Bubbler crabs clearly enjoy the deserted beach. I’ve never seen such extensive patterns before.

Then steaks cooked on the communal barbecue with salad for dinner, a look at the news on TV, a few pages of my book and an early night.

I quite like the heat, but I’m sure it’s hotter up here than it usually is at this time of year. Mr Tilly’s not doing well in the heat. He’s off his food, and is having trouble keeping things down. We took him to the vet a couple of weeks ago. Seemingly nothing to much to worry about, but the vet put him on a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice for a few days to settle his stomach. Paul’s in town as I write this fetching more chicken breasts and rice.

We were due to leave here Wednesday, but have decided bring that forward to head for cooler weather sooner. We’ve spent today packing up, and will leave tomorrow morning. It’ll take a couple of days to get to milder weather, and then a couple more days and we’ll be feeling the cold. Once we hit the cold we’ll be in wild flower country. I expect internet cover will be hit and miss for a few days, but I’ll post details of the journey when I’m able to. So watch this space…..

A great place to start any visit to Broome is to visit Chinatown, and walk down Johnny Chi Lane. The arcade runs between Dampier terrace and Carnarvon Street, and is easily found by its distinctive, Broome styled, entrance at either end. If you allow yourself a couple of hours to meander down the twisting lane you’ll emerge with a good insight and appreciation of Broome’s history, and how it evolved to be the popular tourist destination it is today.

In Broome’s hey day Johnny Chi ran a long soup kitchen from the site. Today the lane has been rebuilt in the style of architecture that typifies broom, and named to honour Johnny Chi.

Twenty story boards are spaced along the lane providing good insight into Broome’s early days. They are definitely worth taking some time to read.

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There’s a mix of souvenir shops, clothing shops, art shops etc in the lane to browse through.

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A free to use art table with supplies is located in the middle of Dampier street end of lane, and alongside it a second hand book cart. The second hand book cart sells donated books with the proceeds going towards animal welfare for the town. Broome doesn’t have a good reputation as far as animal welfare goes!

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By the time you’ve finished browsing the shops, and reading about Broome’s history you’ll be in need of some refuelling. I’d suggest a delicious fresh juice or smoothie from Chi Mayi. The Green Reviver did the trick for me.

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Broome has a colourful history, which coupled with its unique ecology explains why it’s grown into such a popular tourist destination. Some people, like myself, come here and fall in love with the place, a love affair founded on the amazing weather, the unique ecology, and the history. Broome has the ability to transport one back in time, to almost feel the buzz in ones bones of the frontier town Broome once was, to feel the deep, deep sorrow when learning about the cruel practice of Blackbirding….

The indigenous history, the pearling days, the wars, and the mung bean days off the 1970s have all played a part in making Broome what it is today. Some people hate Broome, seeing it only as an over priced, over populated touristy town. I’m sure those people have never taken the time to take a slow walk down Johnny Chi Lane. If they had, the history of Broome would have planted its seed, a seed that when fertilised with the unique colours and ecology of the surrounded landscape, and watered with a cooling dip in the turquoise waters of Cable Beach – well how can one help but fall in love with this little piece of paradise. I certainly have. What a pleasure it is to come here again, and again, and again….

Apologies in advance if this all sounds complicated. I mention the tides in Broome nearly every year mainly because at least a few cars are lost to the sea here each season. Understanding the tides is a necessity if one wants to drive up Cable Beach, and hundreds do just that every day. A knowledge of the tides is worth having even just to know where to put one’s umbrella or towel on the sand before taking a dip in the inviting waters. A bit of self education, and it becomes simple…..

The tides in Broome are amongst the largest in the world. I wrote a post on them a few years ago, which is one of the most read posts in my blog. https://lifeofrileyow.com/2017/07/20/broome-tides-explained/

Continue reading →

Our day trip out on the Karma 1V took us to the gorgeous bay on which the expensive Eco Bay Resort is located. We were dropped by tender onto the stunning white sands of the bay at around 11.30am. Shelters equipped with hammocks hanging in the shade dotted the shore, a perfect place to relax after making use of one of the many kayaks or paddle boards lying on the beach ready for guests to use.

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A short trudge up the sand hill took us to the meeting place for the passengers from the boat. Lunch was available when ever we chose to have it, as long as we were finished and ready to board the boat again at 2pm. There was a short free tour available of the the resort including a look at the accommodation options. Or we could have a swim in the pool or bay, use the kayaks, or make use of the bar or the on site cafe.

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We took the tour. The accommodation is all linked by a series of wooden boardwalks. First we visited a garden view glamping tent. During the peak season (winter months) these start at $230 per night, (accommodation only). The glamping tents are set up with a generous, very comfortable looking king sized bed, made up with hotel quality linen. A small wicker table, two wicker chairs, a free standing hanging rail, an esky with ice, and a fan complete the bedroom. There’s a basic ensuite to the rear, and a big canvas patio overlooking the native gardens to the front. A barbecue can be brought up for use on the patio if required.

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Next we went onto the garden view villa. These were rather special. The main living room held a table with four chairs, a set of bunks, and a big sofa that converts to bed. The kitchen was equipped with a fridge and microwave, but no other cooking appliances. Again a barbecue was available if required for use on the verandah. Off the living room was a king sized bedroom with a dressing table, and both areas were linked by a two way access bathroom. An added touch of luxury in the villas was air conditioning.

Ah, now this had us dreaming. We’d want an ocean front villa of course. we could just imagine how amazing it’d be to be lying in bed listening the waves gently lapping against the shore through the night, then pulling the curtains back in the early morning to look out over the stunning turquoise bay. But with in season prices starting from $780 per night – perhaps not!

The accommodation prices don’t include any meals. I wonder how much extra these following two options would set one back.

Apparently the usual stay here is three nights, and if you’re wondering what there is to do here for three nights besides the beach activities, here’s a look at the activity boards.

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Our tour over, we headed to the restaurant. We both chose the crispy skin salmon, which came with sweet potato chips and a generous side salad, followed by a tangy Citrus tart. Paul had a cool ale with his. I would have liked a fruit smoothie, but alas they didn’t do smoothies. Never mind, water was better for me anyway. The lunch didn’t disappoint, and the view from our table over the bay was amazing.

We finished lunch in time for a cooling dip in the bay before the tender arrived at the beach to take us back on board the boat for our return trip to Broome. A gorgeous little piece of paradise for a variety of champagne budgets. Me and mine though – well our holiday budget is more in the beer price range, but how lucky are we anyway that our beer budget could still stretch for us to sail in and take a look at what would certainly tempt us with a nice lotto win. Ah! the stuff dreams are made of……

With Tills safely lodged in doggy day care we made our way to Gantheaume Point for our rendezvous with the Karma IV, a catamaran with a capacity for around 60 passengers. Our meeting time was 8.25am, our destination for today, a lunch date at Eco Bay Resort approximately 100kms south if Broome. We arrived early, and so were among the first to be taken by tender out to the boat. Coffee, tea, water, and jars of ginger and peppermints were available to help ourselves too. A cup of green tea, and a square of ginger to settle our stomachs in case of sea sickness, and we went in search of a place to sit. The nets on the lower deck did look interesting, but I wasn’t sure I’d manage to get out of them, instead we found a nice bollard at the rear of the boat on the upper deck, and settled in for the trip.

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We were underway by 9am, leaving behind the various craft anchored in the bay, and the red cliffs bordering Gantheaume.

Shortly after departure the crew came around with trays of cheese and tomato croissants. Having been warned against eating breakfast, we were ready for something by this stage. Yum! Considering they were no doubt prepared and heated in the galley, and knowing how limited most galley kitchens are on board boats, they were exceptional. Hot, light, and crispy, just the way I like them to be. There was a bit of a breeze, so it wasn’t long before they pulled the sail up the huge mast, and we settled back mesmerised by the wake trailing behind the boat.

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A whale was breaching on the horizon, but there would be time for following whales and taken photographs on the return journey (at least that was the plan). More food came around. A tray of spinach and ricotta pasties, followed shortly afterwards by a huge platter of warm blueberry and white chocolate muffins, and home made biscuits. Pleased I didn’t eat breakfast….

We sailed into Eco Bay resort around 11.30. The boat anchored offshore and shunted us in by tender. A lovely 2 1/2 hours in the bay, time enough for a short tour of the resort (more about that later), a leisurely lunch and a swim in the bay.

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Then back on board for some whale spotting on our return trip. The onboard bar was open, actually it’d been open for the duration of the trip. A few people, obviously with with a better ability to metabolise alcohol than Paul or I have, had made good use of the bar from early in the day. Paul purchased a beer, I was happy with cooled water. The speakers were placed on deck, and ‘fossil rock’ played creating a party atmosphere as we sailed back towards Broome. Being on an open deck with shade sails above us, the music was never too loud. We rocked away to the sounds of (amongst others) AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Springsteen, Queen, and Billy Joel. The crew kept a look out for whales.

A few turtles could be seen swimming by, but no whales. One of the crew climbed the mast for a better view….. yikes! Pleased it was him and not me.

Eventually a whale was spotted. The skipper manoeuvred the boat to a better position – and the whale dived down, never to be seen again. This happened several times. Clearly the whales were in a hurry to complete today’s section of their journey south and weren’t interested in hanging about posing for pesky tourists. It wasn’t for lack of trying that the passengers went home with cameras void of any whale photos. The luck of the draw I guess when photographing wildlife.

A constant supply of food was handed around throughout the afternoon. Lightly toasted Turkish bread with dip, pastries, dumplings, and spring rolls. Lots of food to help soak up the bubbles and beer. Goodness, some people have an amazing ability to consume alcohol without any obvious effect. More than three glasses of bubbles and I would have been asleep, some people would have had more than ten glasses without showing any obvious signs. It had the potential to get messy, but thank goodness, it didn’t. Perhaps the crew were monitoring the signs and pacing people accordingly.

We sailed back into Gantheaume as the sun was resting on the ocean. By the time we were back on solid ground, the sun was long gone, leaving just a strip of colour to say good-bye to the day. What a great way to spend a day, relaxing on the ocean, glorious weather, and even more appreciated because I’m all to aware that most of this country can’t take advantage of such pleasures at the moment. As I’m typing this, the news just out is that NSW recorded 1029 cases of community acquired Delta strain yesterday. In WA we currently have no community transmission, so are free to travel, almost without restriction, anywhere within our own huge state. (Fingers crossed that it stays that way). Who knows if our luck will run out sometime soon. We currently have the freedom and we will make sure we use it. A lovely day out. What a pleasure!

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Mr Tilly is over four now. He’s a delightful dog who enriches our lives in so many ways. When we decided to get a canine companion four years ago, we decided we’d get a puppy from a responsible breeder. We loved the idea of getting a rescue dog, but recognised that a lot of rescue dogs come with emotional baggage from their early life experiences. Being 25 years between dogs, we made a commitment that this new addition to our household would absolutely be our last pet. If our pet was to develop any emotional problems then it had to be of our own making. That meant a rescue dog was out.

First we chose the breed, one that wasn’t to big, and one that didn’t shed. A small sized Labradoodle fitted the bill. Next we chose our breeder, Eungai (pronounced Yoong Guy) in Kalamunda, Perth. Eungai is a small, accredited breeder, and research indicated that Mandi from Eungai gave her puppies the best start possible to develop into healthy, well adjusted dogs. So far so good…..

Mr Tilly came to us approximately four years ago. He was perfect! He still is – almost. I say almost, as we have, somehow, allowed him to develop one little bit of an emotional problem. This first became evident when we were staying at our sons in Katherine two years ago. We decided on a day out at a National park, so gave Tilly his usual treat when leaving him home, and left him safely inside our son’s home with the air conditioning running. We came home to one very stressed dog, and a slightly torn up house. He had strewn rubbish all around the living area, and had torn up the vinyl by the front door. We were shocked! He had never displayed such behaviour before.

We’re two years on from that now, and he’s come away with us on most of our caravan trips, We’re realising he’s very anxious when separated from us if he’s away from his home environment. Most people who travel with their pets are able to live their lives much as they do when at home. They take good care of their pet’s needs, exercise and mental stimulation, food, and plenty of love. In return they can turn the TV and air conditioning on in their van, kiss their fur balls goodbye and toddle off for a swim in the pool, or a meal out in the evening at a nearby restaurant. Not so Mr Tilly….. we’ve tried having drinks at a neighbouring caravan. He whined, barked and generally threw a tantrum. We’ve tried going a little further away, in the hopes that once we were out of sight and hearing, he’d settle down. No such luck. It’s clear we have allowed him to develop what’s commonly known in dogs as, separation anxiety. A problem he deals with reasonably well in his own home, but he’s clearly very stressed when we’re away from our own bricks and mortar residence

Now we have clearly recognised we have a problem, we need to work out what to do about it. Hopefully he’ll still be travelling with us for at least another ten years to come. It’s important for us that we can have a little bit of ‘couples only time’ in the coming ten years when away from home. And it’s important that he isn’t overly stressed when we take a few little breaks away from him. Any suggestions will be most welcome.

In the meantime, we did make use of a dog sitter that came highly recommended here in Broome. He might not be happy, but we could at least make sure he was safe, and had some good, caring company. Simone has a home based dog grooming business and also does doggie day care. Her home is very secure, and she has two well adjusted friendly dogs of her own. Dogs are cared for in her home and get the run of the place just like her own dogs do. They’re even allowed on her sofa. (Contact me if you would like her contact details).

We booked him in for a day so as we could make use of some much needed, time out. Simone exceeded any expectations from the recommendations. She is just lovely, and clearly loves dogs. I gather Tills wasn’t excited about being left, but it sounds like he stayed calm, and didn’t wreck havoc, or scream the place down. At one stage he went missing, a search found him comfortably curled up on the main bed – sounds like he even started to settle in….. it’s a start. We did have a great day out on the ocean on Karma IV. More about that next time…..

Providing the tides are lower than the rocky entry to Cable Beach, it’s relatively easy to access the beach by vehicle. During the season picnics, beach chairs and umbrellas, fishing gear, beach games, and boogie boards will be loaded into cars ready for when the tide is right. As soon as the sea has exposed the rocky entrance to the beach hundreds of vehicles can be seen carefully making their way through the rocks and onto the firm packed sand. Some park up close to the exit, an area that’s usually reasonably crowded. Others find themselves a place somewhere further down approximately 4 1/2 kilometres of beach, usually with sufficient space to feel like they have their own piece of paradise for a few hours.

We’ve seen 4 x 4s, two wheel drive, motor bikes, normal bikes, and trucks down there. We’ve seen cars towing camper trailers, and cars towing caravans, however no camping is allowed on the beach. Although we always choose to go onto the beach in 4 wheel drive, with care, a two wheel drive vehicle can easily get through.

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Hundreds of vehicles can be seen making their way back after sunset. Some speed back up the beach, despite the 15km speed limit, others take their time in the dark carefully watching for the big rocks that signify they’re nearing the exit.

Occasionally a vehicle will leave it until after everyone has left the beach, and then get bogged in rising tide. The tide rises fast and with no-one left around to offer assistance, the occupants are left with little choice but to watch as their vehicle gets taken by the incoming sea. I’ve heard of five such instances in the past few weeks. The moral of the story – know the tides, drive accordingly, and don’t be the last to leave the beach.

The beach isn’t scary to access providing one educates themselves as to the tides, and providing one uses common sense. Funny thing about common sense though, it’s not that common, as can be seen from the following photos.

I gather the driver was speeding back along the beach in the dark and hit the big rock just before the exit.

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A tow truck carefully made its way between the rocks, loaded up the damaged vehicle, and took it away.

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For most, the privilege of finding that little piece of paradise on Cable Beach is worth taking the necessary care needed. For others, well their negligence results in a costly end to what could have been a holiday of a lifetime.

Check the tides, drive with care, and mind the speed limits. It’s not rocket science!