Camels

The mystery of the camels is now solved.

Last night I went across the road to get a beer at the Spinifex Brewery. There was a bewildering choice of beers on tap. I was given one to try in a small glass and decided to settle for that.

There was a sign outside which read Camel Feeding at Dusk. That was in 10 minutes (5.47 pm). The camels were soon making their way along the road: their distinctive smell preceded them. All the diners came out of Spinifex with their cameras at the ready. The staff brought carrots and we were all invited to give one to a camel. I preferred to watch!

One woman said her camel just spat out the carrot! You can probably eat too many carrots!

Apparently they now come up off the beach by the surf club, since their original way near the Cable Beach Club is all fenced off. They have a lot of handlers with them as they are on a public road.

About 25 minutes later, all the blue camels came past, but they had no carrot feeding to detain them.

I paid the price for my camel watching by getting a million mosquito bites.

Chinatown

I went into town early, before it got too hot to walk around. One of the first things I saw was the Sun Picture House. I’ve never been inside in all my trips  to Broome. Nothing showing in the morning, but tonight was The Devil Wears Prada. There were 2 market stalls inside, doing a brisk trade in clothing, made by women’s co-operatives from Halls Creek and Broome. I was tempted, but I have more than enough clothes as it is!

The cinema is semi outdoors:

Projection is from the little square windows

Appropriate signage

Screen with clothing stalls in front

Info board outside

Later I called into the Broome Gallery. The owner is the brother of a girl I met on a trip a few years back. She is now in Queensland and had asked me to look him up. Lots of interesting art on sale:

Boabs and more boabs

Staircase to the Moon

This is a big event in Broome! I didn’t know when I booked; it’s just a happy coincidence. Someone in town gave me some useful advice: watch it from the Mangrove Hotel, as opposed to the more normal Town Beach. The Mangrove is at a higher level, so it has a better view. 

This morning, I went to check the place out and took a photo:

Last night, I walked down the road from Beaches to observe the sunset:

It was sad to see all the reconstruction going on. The piles of incredibly red soil were everywhere. The views north and south were better, but you can’t escape the ugly fencing. What about the famous camels? Are they still going, and how do they get on and off the beach? No idea!

————————————————-

In order to obtain a prime spot for viewing the Staircase to the Moon, I was there 90 minutes early. Crowds had got there even earlier:

I went to order a beer (it would be rude not to) and then secured a seat on a lounge bed, next to two young women who were discussing breast feeding problems and solutions ad infinitum. Fortunately, they had to leave in order to see to the baby. They were replaced by a mother and son. Monique said she was working on the reception of a caravan park and had come over from the Eastern States to do this for the season.

Finally, it was time for the anticipated Staircase to begin. Monique gave me her photo, because it was much superior to mine:

Cable Beach

Lovely day here in Broome.. This is my accommodation at Beaches, inside and out:

After a siesta, I walked down to see the obligatory sunset at about 5.30 pm. There was a scene of mass destruction near the Cable Beach Club’s Sunset Bar, as the whole area is being reconstructed.

The construction is all fenced off

On the way back, I decided to celebrate my arrival with dinner at the Wharf Restaurant: chilli mussels and a glass of sparkling:

This morning it was time for a shopping trip to The Boulevard for some supplies from Woolies. Someone had taken a brick to the ATM:

No cash out!

Cable Beach

Lovely day here in Broome. After a siesta, I walked down to see the obligatory sunset at about 5.30 pm. There was a scene of mass destruction near the Cable Beach Club’s Sunset Bar, as the whole area is being reconstructed. On the way back, I decided to celebrate my arrival with dinner at the Wharf Restaurant: chilli mussels and a glass of sparkling.

Photos to follow! I hope!

Arrived in Broome!

Really happy to be here again, especially as I’ve escaped a very bad storm back in Perth by all accounts.

I spent the night at Roebuck Plains Roadhouse, only about 35 km from Broome. This was a cheap option for me, and still enabled me to get to the Saturday markets for breakfast. This roadhouse had received good reviews for an overnight stop, as opposed to Sandfire farther back down the road. Everything in the room was new, with pristine white bedding and a lovely hot shower. Of course my neighbours were tradies who got up at 5.45 am, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I was soon in Broome, enjoying a coffee and a serve of Dutch pancakes (Potjes?) which hit the spot:

You can have this coffee sent home

I know this man!

Photos of the boab tree are popular

I admired a few other stalls: clothes, quilted coats and jewellery:

Then I drove to Cable Beach. Too early to check in, but Beaches of Broome (upmarket backpackers) have a lovely shady courtyard area, where l’m writing this and having a rest.

Port Hedland

I hadn’t realised how tired I’d become with all the driving. Since I was now ahead of schedule, I could afford to stay here for two nights. I’ve been to Cooke Point Caravan Park before, so I knew it was a good spot.

It’s lovely to walk over the sand dunes onto the beach. I took a few photos in the late afternoon:

On the way up here, I’d stopped at Roebourne for petrol and bought a big salad from the BP garage. I felt that I needed more veg in my diet. There was enough for both lunch and dinner. Up to Roebourne I had been overwhelmed with flies whenever I stopped; now they are all gone, thank goodness.

Time to explore Port Hedland this morning:

I observed the comings and goings in the port, and then went to the Visitors Centre for more information. They put the shipping movements on a whiteboard outside, but this doesn’t show the port of origin. I was told that all the ships come empty from China and return loaded with iron ore, lithium and other minerals. You can tell if a vessel is empty because there is a lot of red showing below the black line. If it’s loaded, not much red can be seen.
I also learned that a helicopter flies the pilot out to the ship to steer it into port .

I had seen the Mount Gilboa arrive and the Solar Dolphin waiting to go out later in the day.

A big block of lithium on display in the Visitors Centre.

I had actually picked up a lump of lithium as big as my fist on the beach near Cooke Point. It must have fallen of a ship.

I went for a coffee near the Visitors Centre. It was in an old Fortescue train carriage: