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.

16. Sweeping towards Broome WA through Gorges, Stations and Caves.

Here we are back after quite a while off air, having been away from civilisation and internet experiencing and photographing some mind blowing areas of the Kimberley both on land and at sea.
As a result, we will hopefully be publishing a few blogs in shorter succession to catch up the backlog.

The size of Australia is staggering and surprises so many of the foreign tourists we have encountered. The following photo shows the comparative size to Europe.

Leaving Kununurra, time was spent idling South West, seeing some of the  El Questro sights; with stays at roadhouses and stations whilst enjoying some out of the way settings.

Crossing the Pentecost River into El Questro Station.

Emma Gorge, El Questro

No time was spent in any of the towns across to Broome apart from refuelling and stores due to regular reports of theft from caravans in the towns.
This resulted in some brilliant out of the way station stays with cattle and endless sunsets, roadhouses and free camps, including one camp in an old RAAF quarry.

Doon Doon Roadhouse outlook
Tranquility in the quiet life.
Even the fence post blended in with the colours.

Spring Creek Free Camp
Just don't go near the water!!

Snapped out the car window.

Love birds, one a little shy!!

Being chased by a dust storm!!

After a hard day's work, a drink is shared.

Branch meeting of Explorer's Compass birds.
These face E, SSE, NW, and S. 

What am I and where am I going??

Heading home (or herding home) after a long day on the hoof!

Typical view on road to the RAAF Quarry Camp.

Limited dusty view from the camera mounted on the back of the van.
The bike needs some TLC, however the bell still sounds great. 

The target of Geikie Gorge was set by our Geologist friend Alan.  Hence we obliged and were impressed.
Geikie Gorge is part of an ancient barrier reef that developed during the Devonian Period.  Tunnel Creek Caves also featured in this blog are part of the same reef system.
The gorge is approximately 20km from Fitzroy Crossing.
.

The lighter colours show flood levels.

Flooding regularly filled the vast sandy flood plain upon which we stood, stretching back hundreds of metres.
The main picnic area can be inundated by up to 8m of flood water. 

Mega-fauna petrified/fossilised/ossified turtle??

Impressive weathering

Perfect swallow nests

Time was spent reflecting on these marvelous formations.

Logadile

Croc on a rock.
And we thought they liked sandy beaches!

We started our day not knowing what a Spelunker was, however within a couple of hours we had become Spelunkers and even possibly Speleologists.
Tunnel Creek Caves were well worth the 220km of dirt and dust to venture in.
Torches, wading gear, along with a lack of fear of freshwater crocodiles and bats were the order of the day for the trek into the 750m long Tunnel Creek Cave system.

After climbing over boulders to gain access, this mind blowing scene presented itself.

Truly wonderful colours, light and shade; and a sense of journeying into the unknown.

Brilliant architecture and lighting

The torch light was absorbed by the darkness.
Large low ceiling with no visible means of support.

The flash of the camera illuminated the area far better than our head torches.
Venturing into the gloom.

A bright idea!!

Half way along the cave, a hole in the ceiling allows light and air to enter. 

The natural light looked totally unnatural.

Rocky base due to the cave-in many years ago required careful stepping.

 Cricket Bat which has been allowed to dry out due to lack of maintenance.
Regular application of linseed oil is a must. 

There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
John 1:5

Out at the far end to a different scene altogether.

The view back in for the return trip.

A simple floor contrasted by an elaborate high ceiling.

Shadows pointing the way back in.

We sensed we were being watched!
The red glows are the eyes of  fresh-water crocodiles cloaked behind a stalactite curtain and darkness.

Back out to daylight 

And finally a quick quiz from Ellendale Station where we camped by a billabong for a couple of nights in an idyllic relaxing Aussie setting.

Spot the odd one out.

The camp at Ellendale Station is a wonderful setting that provides a large billabong and roughly about 100 sites for self contained vans and campers in an idyllic setting.
Many thanks must go to the station for allowing all to enjoy this great part of Australia.

We continue our sweep towards Broome for some dusting off in a somewhat maritime environment.

Trusting all is well, and thanks for sharing our experiences.
Best wishes, Don and Carrol