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After spending one night in Derby we left for Broome. Arriving at our destination, the Cable Beach Caravan Park, we realised that it was Halloween. Dozens of kids were dressed up in costumes, hunting for sweets from caravan to caravan. The atmosphere was great. Seb donned his Crocodile Dundee hat and together with Patrick they went on a lolly hunt while Marcin and I set up the caravan. After coming back with more lollies than they could carry we went for a dip in the awesome swimming pool followed by dinner at the Diver’s Tavern.

The next day we headed out for breakfast to the nearby Zander’s cafe (which set Seb’s expected standard for pancakes going forward, thanks Zander’s 😀) overlooking Cable Beach. Afterwards we went for a spur of the moment drive on the beach and ended up spending half a day there – it was the first beach on our journey where we could partially go into the water without fear of crocodiles, although we still had to be careful as they do sometimes appear at this time of year. Seb had fun learning how to drive on the beach by himself in the driver’s seat. Patrick also had a go with dad. The next couple of days were spent exploring Broome. We looked for fossilised dinosaur tracks at Gentheaume Point. Unfortunately these are only visible at extremely low tide so we only saw the replicas at the top of the cliffs. Seb and Ania tried their luck fishing from the wharf (we saw big fish but caught none), enjoyed the glorious beach sunsets and prepared for the next week of adventure north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula.

On the 4th of November we drove to Pender Bay on the Dampier Peninsula. The last 35km of the drive was on a narrow and very sandy road, but with the tyre pressure down we had no problems. The views of the bay from our campsite were sensational – the best on our trip so far. The beach was only a few meters away. The tides were big and we loved walking out and exploring the rocks and marine life at low tide. The next day we went fishing off the rocks at the front of our caravan and caught four fish. Seb caught three: two garfish (one we released as it was small) and one Longtom. Mum caught one, a Longtom as well. Given our successes of the first day we went fishing again the next day but the water was choppy and it was windy, and the fish didn’t bite. Ania was the only one to catch a fish, a Yellowtail grunter – very yummy though. In the afternoon we went for a walk to love heart rock and looking for shells, which were the best we’ve ever seen. We all agreed this was the best camping spot so far on our trip.

The following day we drove further north to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and the day after Marcin and Seb drove back to Broome (2.5 hr drive) to get the car serviced and to pick up grandma (Ania’s mum – Basia) who flew in from Adelaide to spend some time with us. At Cygnet Bay, Basia enjoyed her first glamping experience in a Safari Tent with Seb right on the mangrove-lined bay while we stayed in the caravan. During our three days together here we went on a pearl farm tour, at which grandma bought Seb the pearl that was found inside the oyster on our tour; a really nice memento. We had lunch in the restaurant, for the first time trying pearl meat from the pearl oysters, which was delicious – kind of similar to scallops but firmer. The next day grandma and Patrick enjoyed some long overdue one-on-one time together while Marcin, Ania and Seb went on a half day Reef Discovery tour in the King Sound with a traditional indigenous owner who was just starting off his tour business. We collected cockles and oysters, and our guide caught a rock cod and mud crab using a spear – all in his “backyard” that is the King Sound behind his family home. We learnt of the traditional ways of food gathering and hunting in the region and a little about his family history. With the help of his mum and niece he cooked all of the gathered food over the fire the traditional way – no gutting or cleaning. Fortunate to be the only three people on the tour, we got the entire delicious feast to ourselves. Seb’s favourite was the cockles dipped in vinegar, Marcin’s the mud crab and Ania’s the oysters. In all this was one of the most special experiences so far, the hospitality was great and we left feeling so grateful for the incredible opportunity.

On the last day at Cygnet Bay, grandma, Seb and Ania went on the Waterfall Reef tour on an extremely bumpy speed boat that bounced across the outgoing tide. The waterfall reef was just spectacular and the massive tides were unlike anything we see down south. After the tour we drove back down to Broome where we spent six more days with grandma staying at the RAC caravan park, making the most of (“taking over”) her spacious and comfortable air conditioned cabin. We spent our remaining time enjoying the great things that Broome has to offer including some excellent meals and cocktails (Mangrove Hotel, Matso’s Brewery, Sunset Bar & Grill), the markets, regular dips in the cool swimming pool, visit to crocodile park and of course a camel ride on the beach. The time passed quickly and we were very disappointed when grandma had to fly back to Adelaide. It was great fun having her with us. We stayed in Broome for another couple of days as Seb and Ania really wanted to visit the museum where we learnt about Broome’s interesting and at times brutal pearling history. To feed our new fishing obsession we bought some more fishing gear and went fishing at Gantheaume Point – this time with lots more success catching many different types of fish – but unfortunately all undersize. We also went fishing at Willie Creek where we caught about eight fish, most of which we thankfully could keep and eat. To wrap things up we visited the Moontide Distillery coincidentally on Australian Gin Day. We departed Broome/Dampier Peninsula wishing we didn’t have to leave but with lots of excitement for the next part of our trip. Next stop: Eighty Mile Beach.

This was written by SEB! 🙂

On the 24th of October we arrived in Kimberleyland caravan park in Kununurra where we stayed by the lake. In the evening before hopping into the pool we saw a freshwater crocodile called Gummy in the lake we were camping by. The next day we woke up very early to go drop dad off in emergency because of his kidney stones. He had a CT scan and a drip, they confirmed he had a couple of stones and stayed for the night.

In the morning we picked up dad from the hospital, dad felt weak and not good from the hospital. Mum suggested that we go for a drive to the Mirima lookout and dad said, and I quote “alright”. So we got here and it was a walk. So mum said and I quote again “let’s do a little bit of the walk”. Then dad said, (yes there is a lot of talking) “let’s do the whole walk it’s only 30 minutes.” So we did the walk in 43 degree heat and dad just coming out of hospital from his kidney stone attack. It was good, the views were great, tiring but good. However when we got back to the caravan dad regretted when he said “let’s do the whole walk it’s only 30 minutes.”

It’s the 27th October today, the day we drive up to the distillery. Oh! Before we drove up we did something, we went to the pool. Exciting right? Anyway we drove up and walked in, I found two $2 coins, which makes… four dollars – I’m gonna be rich! Mum and dad did some tasting you know ordinary things. Drinks that I can’t have. But I had coke instead. (Later on today) Ivanhoe River Crossing yaaaaaaay! So we did a river crossing that is half a kilometre, “apparently.” It wasn’t that long but it was still pretty cool especially as the sky was orange from nearby grass fires. We didn’t do much just cross the river and came back to the caravan park. And also jumped in the pool. In the evening we saw awesome lightnings in the sky. Looks like the wet is coming.

Today (28/10/2021) I woke to pain in my left eye and this was a different pain you wouldn’t expect. I had an ant grabbing on to the edge of my left eyelid with it’s teeth thingies. Mum used tweezers to pull out the ant from my eyelid. Patrick woke up too. His eye was swollen and we realised we were in the middle of an ant infestation. Not a very good morning. The ants crawled in using the the water hose and inside the caravan, those cheeky buggers. Mum and dad spent half the day trying to get rid of the thousands of ants. We all ended up with dozens of painful bites. But we solved the ant problem (not really for many weeks.) Then after like always, we went to the pool, fun day today (not).

After the swim mum and I left dad and Patrick to deal with the ants while we went to a museum in Kununurra. It was small not like one you would see in a city. But it was interesting. You could touch everything in here, literally everything, including the giant 40kg crocodile skull that had once been stolen and thankfully was found again. I got to hold the 2000 Sydney Olympic torch that went through Kununurra. Since we were here alone we got a guided tour of the place. Mum really enjoyed what the museum curator was talking about, (especially his searches for the original store of Black Pat north of Wyndham), I did too. I learnt how to use the old typewriter. Also the museum curator was a descendent of Patrick Durack who was one of one of the first European settlers in the Kimberleys. It was a fun experience, really enjoyable.

The next day we were on the road again. Driving to Mary’s pool, but there is no pool. On the way our car needed petrol so we stopped in the middle of Halls Creek, an Indiginous Australian community that didn’t seem very friendly from the online reviews we read. Every fence was barbed, cameras everywhere. When we got to Mary’s Pool we set up, then went for a walk on a dried river then slept. The next day we went to Derby where we went to watch the tides come in. Derby has the 8th highest tides in the world and 2nd highest in Australia. In the evening we ate dinner at the local pub. There was no pool at the caravan park so after we went straight to bed. Tomorrow’s stop is Broome.