30/07/2011
A bit of an early start to catch the dingy over to an island in the lagoon, for a mornings fishing, bird watching, swimming or what ever takes your fancy. This is another service the camp provides for a donation to the flying doctor. The boat goes a couple of times a week depending on tide and we were taken to the boat on the back of a rough old pick up. It only takes a few minutes to the island but we got a conducted tour of the mangroves where the best crab holes were pointed out. These are paces where the very large mud crabs hide up whilst the tide is out and apparently you catch them with a long steel hook which you stick down their hidey-hole and pull them out. On the island we chose to swim and bird watch and were lucky enough to see a pair of sea eagles hunting along the tide line. We saw one of them swoop and take a fish from the shallows. We watched a turtle swimming back out to sea from the lagoon and all this sitting on the sand working on our tan.
We had a visit first thing this morning from a kangaroo patrolling the rehab fence. We weren’t sure if he was an ex inmate wanting to get back in or just a nosy old roo!
31/07/2011
What a way to start the day! A free breakfast provided by the same people who cooked the fish and chips the other night, OK it was just pancakes but yet another surprise from this super caravan park. These family run parks like this, Marble bar and Moora (early on in our trip) are far more personal and better run than the big camps like Port Hedland and Karratha, and usually cheaper. Other than relax after breakfast, we haven’t done a lot I have wandered around taking photographs of Port Smith van park, including the 9 hole golf course, nothing special, more sand than grass. Just another little extra you don’t find very often. No fee, just another donation to the R F D S.
There is a new inmate at the kangaroo hotel, an 8 week old orphan whose mother was shot.
Another of our neighbours who are also winter residents have invited us round to their awning for happy hour 5.30 onwards.
01/08/20011
Happy hour was lovely, there were about a dozen of us, chatting about nothing much but very entertaining. We were enjoying ourselves very much and regret wasting time in Port Hedland but of course we weren’t to know about W A’s secret spot. No doubt had we stayed longer there we would have probably had an invite for a days boat fishing, but here we are in Broome. Port Smith was so peaceful, now we are going to have to adjust to large town life and the background traffic noise which we find irritating. We called into Broome town centre on our way in as we had run out of everything, a trip to the mall and bottle’o‘, desperately needed.
It’s just over 2 years since we were here and in that short time it is noticeable how much the place has grown, it is now one of Australia’s premiere holiday resorts, and very busy. Hopefully it will quieten down as the month goes on, as the “swallows/nomads” migrate south as summer returns to their homes in the south of Australia.
02/08/2011
This part of W A is known as the Kimberly , we crossed from the Pilbara somewhere between Port Hedland and Port Smith. It may be a different region but you wouldn’t know it yet as the countryside is still red sand and scrub. Another thing that hasn’t changed is the problem of sandflies. As we have described before, they are vindictive little buggers and we are still struggling to cope with them. We have twice daily religious routine which starts “Let us spray” but the sods take not a jot of notice!
Broome is another oasis in the red desert with Cable Beach, probably one of the most famous beaches in the world, just miles of golden sand, turquoise sea (temp 22C) and great surf. At the moment, no nasty stinging things, like the jelly fish that come later in the year.
Our campsite is a way out of town so until we get sorted we will be driving in and out daily, then we will investigate the bus service that passes the gates.
This afternoon we went down to the beach for a swim followed by an off the beach beer on the way home. The Divers Bar hasn’t changed much in 2 years except they seem to have stuck 2 fingers up to the government and allowed smoking in most parts of the pub. Beer prices have gone up, but they are not as stupid as Perth prices.
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