Oct 5, 2009 - Broome - the end

Wednesday 23rd September – Monday 5th October Lorraine: We’re still in Broome but not for much longer. ... We’ve been enjoying being stationery and Broome is a lovely place to sit and be still but we’re kind of getting itchy to be moving again. ... Last Friday I got wind from the Broomer Mill that the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was going to be in town, so being the political groupie that I am, I positioned myself at the entrance to the Shire of Broome’s council offices (along with all the local TV station cameramen and local radio journos) and managed to get myself a happy snap of the PM. ... Very respectful indeed! On Saturday we went for our final kayak in Broome. ... Phew! We bid Broome a fond farewell tomorrow morning but before we go, we’re spending our final night at Matso’s brewery with our mate Steve Moore where they serve the most delicious currys. ...

Oct 2, 2009 - Day 72 & 73 – Broome – Turkey juice

First morning in Broome and we started with a walk to Cable Beach. ... One thing that stands out in Broome is the significantly higher percentage of English tourists (Scientific name – Pommie Lobster). ... “Dad, are you having a turkey juice?” For our second full day in Broome I was given a father’s day present, a scenic flight over horizontal waterfalls in another light aircraft (a Cessna 210 if you are playing at home). ... We tracked out of Broome direct to horizontal falls which are basically two narrow crevices in rock walls where the huge tides that occur in the area have forced their way through the limestone ridges. ... Tracking back to Broome, the pilot referred to the waterways as ‘humpback highway’. ...

Sep 30, 2009 - Day 71 – Derby to Broome – The whockas are going.

Az slept from 30k’s out of derby until 20k’s from Broome. ... Once we got to Broome we headed to the information centre in town and booked in for the camels by sunset tour. ... Have to say first impressions of Broome are very positive. ...

Sep 30, 2009 - The rocky road to Broome

The girls decided they couldn't be bothered waiting any longer and took a lift with some strange old dude we nicknamed Cheech to Broome. ... They abandoned me and then had the cheek to ask me to pick them up in Broome - WTF. ... I had received some sad news whilst stuck in Katherine so, instead of heading off to Broome, the two lovely Irish guys invited me on a mini road trip with them to Kakadu, Darwin & Litchfield to cheer me up. ... I basically drove as far as possible, for as long as possible, enabling to make it to Broome within 2. ... I pit stopped at Kununurra and Fitzroy Crossing, until finally landing in Broome at 12pm this afternoon. ...

Sep 22, 2009 - Broome continued, Josephine & Adam's visit

Saturday 19th – Tuesday 22nd September Josephine & Adam, (special guest bloggers): Dear Readers, This blog comes with the disclaimer: “If you are after a travel guide to Broome, stop reading now. ... ” This blog is about a couple of city folks (Jose and Adam) who go to visit their adventurous friends and partake in cards, gin, cards, more cards, cold beers, the international sport of crab racing and learning (the hard way) the local Broome rules of Pool. ... Not having seen Lorraine and Gary since the start of their big adventure there were squeals of excitement and many back slaps all round at Broome International airport when we landed on Saturday. ... We then went and visited the town of Broome before it was back to the on-site van for some air-conditioning and discussion about our crab racing strategy. ... It is clearly a highly technical sport so happily our in-depth discussion on crab racing paid off because one of our team and her crab were very proud to come second in the first race! After meeting a charming young man with an interesting back handed pool playing shot, a very definite view on the Broome rules of play and an impressively insatiable thirst we took ourselves back to the onsite van for another card playing marathon session. ...

Sep 18, 2009 - Broome continued...

Tuesday 8th – Friday 18th September First off an explanation re: the photos. We didn't have any new photos of Broome so we thought we'd entertain you with some floral photos we've taken along the way. ... On the upside, our good friends Josephine and Adam fly into Broome this weekend for a visit. ... Lorraine: My days are quite different to Gary’s.Tuesday 8th – Friday 18th September First off an explanation re: the photos. We didn't have any new photos of Broome so we thought we'd entertain you with some floral photos we've taken along the way. ... On the upside, our good friends Josephine and Adam fly into Broome this weekend for a visit. ... Lorraine: My days are quite different to Gary’s....

Sep 11, 2009 - On to Broome

From the approach road to Broome we could see that this is a town evolving into a modern centre, with an airport, shopping malls and new housing areas. ... Broome still has a very Asian feel to it with its Chinatown shops and alleys and the older style housing. ... We stayed in Broome for four nights so plenty of time for photographs. ... There are plenty of activities and tours for tourists and several shops selling the famous Broome Pearls. ...

Sep 7, 2009 - Broome

Saturday 29th August to Monday 07 September Lorraine: We’ve been enjoying our stationery lifestyle here in Broome; it’s such a lovely town. ... Broome began as a pearling town and its population was mostly made up of Japanese, Malay and Chinese pearl divers so this festival is in honour of the town’s history and multicultural society. ... Another Broome feature that we’re fortunate to see is what’s called The Staircase to the Moon. ... The maxim of “if you build it they will come” is really lived out here in Broome. ... These guys will come together to celebrate anything! Gary: I can only think that I’m over qualified, it’s been over a week now and I still haven’t found any work, doesn’t anyone want a well travelled ex mechanic with dodgy office skill and a funny accent? Broome is good though, as mentioned before a little alternative where strange facial hair, tattoos, alternative clothing, drunkenness and a near absence of footwear sit happily alongside the more sober multimillion dollar pearl and tourist industry. ...

Aug 28, 2009 - Derby to Broome

Thursday 20th August Gary: A pleasant three hour drive along lovely smooth tarmac roads had us in the very pleasant tourist town of Broome by midday. ... Apart from being a lovely place Broome is also major milestone for us as it marks the end to any pre-planned ‘must do’ sections, the last being, to travel the Gibb River road prior to the wet season. ... We have enjoyed the annual Dragon boat festival, been kayaking, visited a few bars, a couple of restaurants, the odd local attraction, watched the sun set over Cable Beach and probably more importantly decided that Broome is a great place to pause and work for a month or so. ... As well as being a modern resort town, Broome is an old town with a rich and colourful history that is closely linked to the pearling industry. ... Lorraine: First off, Happy Birthday to my brother Paul for the 21st! Broome is a town of two halves geographically. ...

Aug 14, 2009 - Underway again

We saw them again in Port Hedland and Broome. ... In Broome they came screaming up to us as we were about to drop anchor, and as I opened my mouth to tell hem that now was not a convenient time for yet another safety inspection, we were told that we must get the permission of the Broome Port Authority before dropping the anchor – what next? In days past, ships would fly a flag when coming into port to indicate that fever was aboard, and no-one ventured near, so we thought that maybe we should make a swine flu flag (maybe a pig with cross bones?) and hoist that to prevent any further annoying visits from officialdom! When Murray returned from Perth, it was full steam ahead getting ready for the trip to Port Hedland, Broome and then into the Kimberley. ... The trip from Dampier to Broome can be hell in the wrong winds, but we have been forced to burn lots of fuel with the very light airs. ... we were glad to leave! With a favourable weather forecast for the trip from Port Hedland to Broome we decided to make the most of it by turning a 7 day sail into 5 days – hauling the anchor up in the wee small hours for several mornings and dropping it again after dark for just a few hours sleep. ... On the final day into Broome, with humidity again off the scale, we sailed into a fog – a spooky experience. ...

Jul 7, 2009 - Camel Rides and Missing the Stairway to the Moon

I spent the morning catching up on washing and grocery shopping.I spent the morning catching up on washing and grocery shopping....

Jul 6, 2009 - Sea Kayaking at Ganthaume Bay

Sara woke complaining she had no clothes so I took her and Miranda shopping at Target after enjoying morning tea at Carribean Blue.Sara woke complaining she had no clothes so I took her and Miranda shopping at Target after enjoying morning tea at Carribean Blue....