17 Swapping one caravan for another; along with other gems in Broome.

No trip to Broome would be complete without a ride on a Cable Beach Camel Caravan as the sun is setting over the Indian Ocean.  It felt as if it should have been the Arabian Sea.

Alice, the camel we rode can be identified by the red saddle blanket.

The rider of the last camel in the caravan learnt a valuable lesson in the need to hold on tight.
He can be seen mournfully following his trusty mount.

Shadow dancing.

Camels chasing shadows.
People walking alongside the camels left more of an impact in the sand than the camels.
This is so true in all aspects of human life.

"Look Mum, No hands!"
And almost no arms due to the camel behind wanting respect for his personal space.

Sun setting down under.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, however pearls must surely be a very close bestie.
Hence a trip out to a Pearl farm to witness pearls being harvested, and a couple shells being opened to reveal some stunning gems.

Champagne before lunch over turquoise water en route to the pearling grounds. 

A modern pearling lugger. 

Knit one
Pearl one

What a pearler!!
This shell was opened before us.  Quite impressive!
Looking forward to doing some lucrative diving in Lake Macquarie.

The only licenced Hovercraft Ride in the southern hemisphere is in Broome, taking full advantage of the massive 10m tidal range giving tidal flats up to several kilometres wide.
We hovered (housewives hoovered, or is this just being sexist and very 1950s or 60s) down the coast on sand flats and water to a rock platform highlighting Dinosaur footprints laid down a few years ago.

10m tides lead to some ideal sand/mud flats suited for a hovercraft.

Dinosaur footprints in the rock platform.

Leaving footprints so that in 120 million years, folk will study and photograph them.

Hovering high over Ayres Rock with the Olgas in the distance. 

Noisy, expensive to own and run, largely uncontrollable, but what a hoot!

A night out to the pictures was a real treat at the Sun Gardens Picture Theatre.
The theatre opened in 1916 to silent movies with piano accompaniment and is now claimed to be the world's oldest operating picture gardens.
It seemed so strange watching a state of the art movie, Mission Impossible; Fallout, in such an old world setting.
The sound system was brilliant.  All of Broome must know the soundtracks to all the movies played at the theatre.

Despite the name "Sun Pictures" screenings are only held when the sun is not shining.

Located 500m off the end of Broome International Airport, it was an impossible mission at times hearing the action due to planes and choppers taking off and landing. 

Additional acoustic and sub-woofer effects.

The back of the theatre gives protection from fallout.
The cinema has survived war, cyclones, floods and something recent; television. 

All was prepared for our next expedition, a voyage from Broome to Darwin on a motorised 35m catamaran named Eco Abrohlos. We then are to fly back to Broome via Kununurra. The car and van will be waiting for us in Broome.
Carrol however added some intrigue to an otherwise eventful dark eve of departure badly spraining her ankle on an angled gutter.  As a result we found ourselves in Broome Hospital between 1 and 3 am, leaving with a heavily bandaged ankle, pain killers and crutches, all set for 14 days of voyaging, hiking, swimming and yahooing.  We are carrying on regardless.

Limping into future exploration.
Enjoy life!!
Cheers, Don and Carrol.