Broome to Fitzroy Crossing

I set off from Broome with grey skies and dire weather warnings about heavy rain and flooded roads. I wanted to see what was going on at Fitzroy Crossing after the main bridge was washed away in January. For a few months there was no means of crossing the mighty Fitzroy River: the Great Northern Highway was blocked. Then a temporary bridge at a lower level was constructed, but of course it will be unable to withstand a massive amount of water coming down stream. On the radio this morning, they said it might have to be closed on Wednesday if there is a lot of rain.

Leaving Broome, the skies grew darker but no rain fell. After crossing the Logue River, the first Boab trees came into view. Travelling up here once with the Nats Club, Daphne offered a prize to the person who spotted the first one - but of course she knew where they were. They are so different from other trees, with their big bulbous trunks:

This is my Prius parked at Willare Bridge Roadhouse:

At the next rest stop, there is a very old and huge Boab:

I arrived at my accommodation, Fitzroy River Lodge, checked in and immediately went out to take photos as the light was fading:

The first pic is from my room which is up on stilts and cars get parked underneath. The second pic is from the edge of the river bank - which this year is much nearer to the accommodation.

It’s obvious how much of the bank was washed away in January’s flood. The cranes are working at the site of the original bridge. In front of it is the new low level, temporary crossing.

The lady in the room next door told me to drive up the road to see the other, single lane temporary bridge which will be the last one to close in the event of flooding. When I got there, I found the ABC were filming:

The cameraman was working hard to get the best shot!

This car had come to a sad end at some point:

Looking across the river (I believe) is the location of the Crossings Inn, where I stayed for one night last year. It is closed now.

The other bit of info worth reporting is that my next door neighbour is Deputy Principal of Fitzroy Crossing District High School. She arrived up here a week after the January flood and lives in the Lodge because there is no suitable housing in town. Of course, the town is on the other side of the river! So she had to be flown to and from school by helicopter, and later crossed in a barge. It sounds exciting, but she said they all got very dirty. It must have cost a bomb for the WA Education Department. When I arrived here, she was sitting outside her room being interviewed (by phone) for a new job next term in another remote posting. That’s life in regional Australia!