FITROY CROSSING - DERBY - BROOME

The Prison Boab tree outside Derby where they suspect Aborigines were put inside when "blackbirders" were sent to find Aborigines to work on the pearling luggers.

The jetty at Derby which has the highest tide differential in Australia - 11.8 metres between low and high tide.

David and Beth - sunset at Cable Beach

Sarah and Tess - sunset at Cable Beach

The Ships of the Desert at sunset on Cable Beach

A "YMCA" for Steu (with an exclamation point) at sunset on Cable Beach

You just cannot resist taking hundreds of photos of this magical site.

DAY 49 – FITZROY CROSSING – DERBY – BROOME                            Saturday, 20^th August

CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE IN BROOME!!!!!  I seem to have looked forward to this for so long, it seems somehow unbelievable that we are actually here.

Packed up and were on the road before 9am.  Hubby was so disappointed about missing the Prison Boab Tree at Wyndham and kept saying that he thought he might do a day trip from Broome to see the one at Derby.  But given that is a 440kms round trip, and that Broome is our time for saving petrol money, we decided to divert to Derby for lunch.  It was interesting to see the large Boab which was hollow inside and so “blackbirders”, who were capturing Aboriginal people to work on the pearling boats, held Aborigines inside the boab tree, as a type of prison.  We then went into Derby and saw the jetty where the differential between high and low tides is 11.8ms!!  We could actually SEE the tide coming in, it was so fast and so great.  A lovely man catching mud crabs from the jetty allowed all the kids to have a turn at hauling in the mud crab cage.  We saw a couple of crabs being caught and the kids had a ball.

Finally on our way to Broome!!  There really isn’t anything at all between Fitzroy Crossing and Broome, just pastoral leases all the way.  It surprised us how big Broome is – a town of 14,000 permanent residents which swells to 45,000 during the tourist season of May to October.  We set up the caravan and although there is no grass, it is a very shady site which is the main thing, and big enough for us to put the caravan, awning out, tent and car which is very important.  Broome is like the Byron Bay of Western Australia  - beautiful beaches and a bit trendy.  But it is also like Sorrento in January – absolutely packed!

Given we are unable to carry milk at the moment, because of the fridge, we went out to explore the town and drove firstly down to Cable Beach, which is in walking distance of us but there is a section which has vehicle access.  Driving out onto the beach was just an amazing site.  The beach, although only 22kms long, must be 200 metres wide at low tide.  So many four wheel  drives on the beach with people just bringing down their chairs and drinks to watch the sunset.  The beautiful white sands with the setting sun and the camel trains going past were just amazing. 

The scene quite took my breath away and was just so much better than I had imagined.  The expanse of the beach was stunning.  And the perfect beach for beach cricket!!  We have vowed to spend as many sunsets on the beach as we can.  You can bring your portable BBQ down and just cook up on the beach!!  Words and photos cannot possibly explain how beautiful it is!

Went to Mass at the “cathedral” tonight – really just a fibro shack but there is something quite beautiful about the Catholic “cathedral” being so humble.  The church was full and seemed to be such an alive parish.  In fact, in reading about the diocese in its local magazine, the whole Broome Diocese seems amazingly alive and there are parishes in places in the middle of absolutely nowhere!!

Off to the market in the morning for some retail therapy!!  Looking forward to a lazy two weeks!!