Back to the grindstone so to speak; this takes us from us leaving Darwin, heading back down the highway 300km and then turning right to head over to Broome. Because we only do 2 – 3 hours a day driving it did seem to take a while but this is as much as we wanted to do on a daily basis, you could bypass a lot of places if you want to do the long hours driving
This is quite a long haul with basically overnight or a few night stops; it was great to finally reach the west coast but there was quite a few things to see and do along the way. We did stay one night just outside Katherine after leaving Darwin before then moving west with our first stop being Kununurra.
KUNUNURRA
Remember just before Kununurra is the W. A border crossing; see HERE for the list of no go items (including honey). You must either consume or get rid of them before the border; be aware this is manned 24/7 and fines apply for not declaring, and yes they do go through you van cupboards.
We pulled into Kunanurra and elected to stay at Kimberleyland Holiday Park which sits on the edge of Lily Creek Lagoon and about 1km from the town. most of the sites are grass but the grounds are well kept, don't expect too much grass as it is a dry region. The park has a nice pool, boat ramp, car wash bay, camp kitchen and some of the best kept amenities we have seen. We paid $30 for the first night then $33 for the 2nd night (start of the higher seasonal rate); internet and mobile phone was good and analogue channels were available.
I would suggest you stock up with groceries and meat etc in either Darwin or Katherine as from this point on things can get quite expensive. Kununurra does have an IGA so some specials are on offer. There are a few other shops, take-aways etc and the usual pubs but be aware Kununurra does have a significant population of indigenous; alcohol is on restricted sale and wine is only available after 5.00pm (2 bottles max).
Our site at Kimberleyland Holiday Park right next to the pool; great spot and the sites were very roomy.
Lily Creek Lagoon which is at the back of the park, great outlook and good place to sit and read.
Some of the boab trees which line the main street of Kununurra; these trees are quite predominant across the top and grow to extraordinary sizes,
HALLS CREEK
We did not overnight here but stopped for a look around; the town does have a caravan park but it does not look that inviting, we were told it is okay by some but others said best not to stay (your choice if you are passing through). They do not have a web site so I am unable to include a link.
Above is the best picture of Halls Creek park I could get; you probably cannot see the barbwire fence which surrounds the park, it's there to keep you know who out.
MARY POOL
Mary Pool is a free camp that is 106km further on from Halls Creek; providing it is not the wet season this is always open and is a good alternative. It has toilets and plenty of shaded area for vans, it has a very pleasant vista and it's free. During the wet season the causeway is underwater so the camp is not accessible but once the rains stop the river drops and access is fine.
Us coming out of Mary Pool across the causeway.
Probably can't see but centre behind the trees is us and a few other vans; as you can see it is very picturesque but it was bloody hot. Someone said you could swim safely but no one was game to check out the theory.
FITZROY CROSSING
Another small town but only has a couple of shops and servo so not much here at all but it does have a caravan park which is quite good. If you stay here make sure you stay at the Fitzroy River Lodge; there is another park in town but not recommended. Everything here is very good and the park is part of some beautiful cabin style accommodation, it has a restaurant and bar (expensive) so it is sort of an oasis out this way. We paid $38 for the night but this is not unusual out this part of the world. Amenities were old but kept very clean so no complaints from us, there is a pool but it is a fair way from the caravan area, closer to the cabins.
Above are the grounds at the caravan park; we had just pulled out and forgot to take our site photo.
Hope you can read some of the sign above; it is just outside the door of the restaurant/bar and reception and they are fair dinkum about being barred.
BROOME
After a week or so (seemed like a month) we arrived in Broome. It was good to get back on the coast and get a cooling breeze; I am not a big fan of sand but getting from central to coastal even brought a smile to my dial. Mobile and analogue TV is okay for most channels, we used the dish.
We pre booked in to Roebuck Bay Caravan Park as we were told it is getting busy up the north end of W. A; glad we did as for large vans it was getting a little full. This is a council owned park and is in a prime location as it sits as the name suggests on Roebuck Bay; this is one of the viewing points for the “stairway to the moon” spectacular. The price here was $35 per night which is very good given the location; there is no pool or camp kitchen but several BBQ's are about the grounds. The worst part about this park is the amenities which are some of the worse we have seen; I must admit I have seen better amenities in $5 showgrounds. There are 4 blocks and all are equally as bad, the council should be ashamed in not getting these up to standard.
Other than the amenities there was at the time a lot of thievery going on to the point we had at one stage a bloke open our van door whilst we were inside watching T.V, seems a couple of out of town crews were operating in the area. It is a good location but having to close everything up as tight as a drum at all times soured the experience.
Looking from our site out to Roebuck Bay; it was great waking to this each morning.
Another shot of our site; we had plenty of room and good non overhanging shade.
Above is the start of the “stairway to the moon”. This natural phenomenon is caused by the rising of a full moon reflecting on the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide - creating a beautiful optical illusion of a staircase reaching up to the moon.
Staircase to the Moon occurs from March to October along the coast of Australia’s North West. The best viewing spots are at Roebuck Bay in Broome, Cooke Point in Port Headland, the Lookout at Cossack, Hearson's Cove near Karratha and Sunrise Beach in Onslow.
The famous Cable Beach.
The main part of town; there is Woolies, Coles and Target here so it is a welcome relief from some of the small town high prices we had been through.
Best known for the current and old pearling industry there is a bronze statue in the main street depicting the way it was.
Another bronze statue in the main street; I think from memory the plaque said “centrelink is that way”
The above is Sun Pictures in Broome; it is still operating and is the worlds oldest picture gardens and was established in 1916.
Above is the Gantheaume Point lighthouse; check out the house as it is the residence for the lighthouse keeper; not a bad job if you can get it.
A blowhole at Gantheaume Point; the rock formations are incredible, this are is where you can see the dinosaurs prints at low tide, not this particular spot though.
One of the many spectacular sunrises at Roebuck Bay.
There is plenty to do in Broome and to do some of the things you will need a wallet that is bulging at the seams. We stayed here for 2 weeks and the location and things to do certainly offset some of the bad points outlined earlier.
Our stops after this were Eighty Mile Beach, Dampier, Exmouth,, Coral Bay, Carnarvon, Denham (Monkey Mia), Steep Point (the most westerly point in W. A), Hamlin Pool, and our current location Kalabarri.
Looks like I am only about 2 posts from getting to a point where I feel I am pretty much up to date.
Love and warm regards to all our family and friends and until the next one hope you all stay well and travel safely.
David & Linda – The DavLin Rig
