We were very fortunate to be able to set up our camp in a gorgeous garden on a beautiful property in Cable Beach. Good friends of the Bracher family, (Susan Bradley, Nick and Sarah) kindly extended their hospitality and we stayed for about 12 days, loving not being in a crowded caravan park and enjoying such gorgeous surrounds and wonderful local knowledge! The girls were able to frolic in the garden and fell in love with 'SPLAT', Nick and Sarah's beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback, who was a crazy puppy who loved to chase our car tires. We were glad she did not live up to her name, ending up under our wheels!
After only a day or so in Broome, we headed north to the stunning Dampier Peninsula to Cape Leveque. We had met other travelers who had recommended this place, including Mark and Jan Devine and it certainly lived up to our expectations. We left our van behind in Broome, taking only Walt and our camping gear, as the dirt roads are rough and remote. On the way to we stopped in at Beagle Bay to visit the amazing church hand built in the late 1890s from local sandstone and pearl shell. We rented an open grass hut right on the beach at Kooljaman, an award winning Aboriginal owned wilderness camp. We pitched our tent inside the hut and had a five star view, for a fraction of the price! Such unbelievably beautiful water and white sands contrasting to the rich red rock formations. Our shack was called 'Mindo' - named after the mother of one of the Aboriginal elders, 'Bundi' who was also our guide for the tours we experienced. We absolutely loved this place; literally right on the beach, so remote and unspoiled and the pictures will show you why.......
At night, we lit our campfire, toasted marshmallows, played cards and watched the moon light up the sky. Just breathtaking.
This stunning unspoiled land is still home to many Aboriginal communities and we were able to experience some close contact with some of the Bardi people. We went on a 'Bush Tucker' tour with our guide 'Bundi' and learnt about all the different bush berries and fruits as well as plants used as medicines in the Aboriginal custom. He bought his nephew, Vincent and daughter, Samina along, which was so wonderful for the girls, as they have had so little contact with Aboriginal children growing up in Sydney. Bundi is a senior lore man in his community and father of ten children. He works closely with the white people who manage Kooljaman.
We also learnt about the six seasons that the Aborignal people have on thier calander and how it once determined the food they hunted. Bundi made Sas pronounce them all in his language!
The same afternoon, we went on a 'tag-a-long' tour with Bundi. He took us into his community 'Djarindjin' and we made spears from young trees which we bent into shape over a fire, then filed them down before painting them with ochre.
Then it was time to put our spears to the test and go spear fishing. Bundi, Zeus (another nephew), Samina and her friends all came along. We drove over the hills into the sand dunes and out to amazing pristine beaches, so vast and untouched. This is literally the 'backyard' for this community and its people. Bundi and his family all crammed into a beaten up old Isuzu which they had to push start and we were all wide eyed and thinking there would be no way they would make it through the deep sanded dunes...... ironically, our modern flashy vehicles struggled at times, with one couple in a Prado getting bogged, and another breaking down, while the Isuzu cruised over with no problems! Luckily, Walt was fabulous and we gave some other people a ride.
We hunted for crabs and tried our hand at spearing fishing. Sas had a little luck spearing a crab, but it was not enough to feed us all, so luckily, Zeus speared a Surgeon fish and we cooked it over an open fire with some oysters that Samina and her friends had collected from the rocks over the dunes. Later, they also took Sas down to the rocks and showed her how it was done.
There was no sense of urgency about these people. We asked Bundi what time the tour would finish. 'When the sun go down' was his response...... And so it was. We stayed until the sun was setting and we were all exhausted and amazed by having the privilege of being part of Bundi's world, even for just one day.
The next day we drove out to another community at One Arm Point, a short drive from Kooljaman. We needed a permit to enter this community and stopped in at the registration office and met a beautiful young man who had moved up from Melbourne to manage this community. He was young, compassionate and enthusiastic about helping these people and we had a long enlightening conversation with him about the complexities faced by the Aboriginal people living in these regions. Many of them do well here, as they are on the coast and are busy fishing. Also, the community is a 'dry’ one and it is a long bumpy way back to Broome for supplies, so they have less alcohol induced problems than many. Some of the men also hold jobs at the mines and the companies fly their workers in and out to make that employment feasible. The other point he made was that children still have enormous respect for their elders, with the Grandparents playing a positive and active role in their lives.
Right out at the point, we visited a Trochus hatchery, where the beautiful Trochus are farmed, then replaced out on the natural reef until they are fully grown. They are then polished and used to make mother of pearl buttons for Italian suits. This operation, while managed by white men, also provides significant income for the Aboriginal community. The hatchery also had pools of turtles for research, barramundi and lots more that we were able to see and feed.
On our way back, we stopped in at Hunter's Creek, home to only two elderly Aboriginals, Peter and Elma. We had the delight of a long chat with Peter, who hand carved us a boomerang from an acacia tree that he had combed the bush for. He also had a stash of Trochus shells that he had collected from his 'backyard' - the stunning beaches through the bush track behind his house. He gave the girls as many as they could hold, such precious souvenirs!!
After that, we were given special permission to drive up the sand track through the bush and over the sand dunes into Peter's 'backyard'. It was one of the most pristine and unspoiled places in the world. White sands, crystal waters and not a soul to be seen. We were so amazed to be here, we all couldn't resist the temptation for a skinny dip! We will not delight you with these photos, the scenery should be enough!!
More picture of Cape Leveque
We headed back to Broome and spent a day preparing for Jasmine’s arrival, cleaning up the van, washing clothes and sheets and restocking the fridge. We were so excited to see her. The girls had made welcome signs and she was greeted with squeals and flowers. We went straight out for an early dinner at the Cable Beach Club and caught up on all her news.
Jas was upgraded to the master suite with Danielle, while good natured Shackers pitched a tent next to the van. We had such a lovely week with lots of laughs, late night chats, wines and Phase 10 card challenges. We spent days just relaxing on beautiful Cable Beach….
We all did the sunset camel ride – “back of the camel for you Jas!!” Bella was delighted that her camel had been used in a scene in the movie “Australia” and that his name was ‘Tom’ - also Jas’ boyfriend’s name.
One day we went out to Willie Creek Pearl Farm and learnt how the pearls are cultured and had quite a fascinating “science lesson”, followed by morning tea of home made damper and a boat ride down the creek in the gorgeous aqua water.
Later we spent some time in the show room learning what to look for in a quality pearl and Dan got to wear an expensive strand for a few minutes as she guessed the price. Much to the girl’s embarrassment, she twirled around the crowd……
We enjoyed a dinner out at Broome’s famous “Matso's Brewery” and had their famous mango beer. It was Phase 10 family feud that night!! Dan was the reigning champ and let’s just say that ‘Shackers’ is a better winner than loser!
One night we all went out just before sunset and set up our chairs and wine glasses to witness the ‘Staircase to the Moon’. This is an amazing phenomenon created by the light of the rising moon reflecting on the mud flats at very low tide, creating the illusion of a staircase leading up to the moon. It was a beautiful sight and a great atmosphere.
There was also a night market where we bought dinner and watched the fire dancing.
One afternoon, Dan and Jas escaped for a few hours together and had a much needed manicure and pedicure, and a little shopping and café time alone. Everyone met up later and we all went to the Sun Cinema- a beautiful old world open air cinema in Broome. In fact, the oldest operating open air cinema in the southern hemisphere. We saw the musical ‘Bran Nue Dae’. It was a fabulous night as the film is set in Broome and we could recognize so much of the scenery. The Sun Cinema itself also featured in the film and it was quite surreal to be sitting in the very seats that the main actress sat in in the film! The Qantas jets flying so low overhead coming into land at Broome airport also added humour .We laughed our heads off as the hippies in their combie ran a few parallels to the Fucawis!!
We ended the week with a yummy breakfast at the Cable beach club before dropping Jas to the airport. She made us a CD to play in the car only after she had boarded the plane and of course Dan cried…
It had been a great week with lots of laughs and the freshness of youthful humour. We are up to date with hip music and all the latest soap and comedy recommendations!! We miss you Jas, go the CHIA!
One of our last experiences in Broome, was a fascinating time spent at the Short St Gallery and cottage. We were given a personalized presentation of local art by the gallery director and quite an education about the different tribal groups, how they paint and the story behind the art. Abbey was wonderful at involving the girls and holding their interest.
It was also great to catch up with our friends the Campbell family - the boys hooked up for the Wallaby matches while Kerry and Dan and the kids had some dinners. We fare welled them in Broome as we headed to the Gibb River Rd and they took an alternate route with their Winnebago. Hopefully, our paths will cross again somewhere down the track.
More pictures of Broome
We then pushed onto Derby, a little town at the gateway of the western side of the Kimberley. Derby has an infamous Boab tree, once used as an Aboriginal jail, where prisoners were kept before being transported to Broome and used as pearl divers in the early pearling days; one of the many sad and tragic stories in Aboriginal history.
Then it was onto the next adventure - a 12 day camping expedition into the remote heart of the Kimberley along the dusty dirt Gibb River and Kalumburu roads. A journey not for the faint hearted and a true test to femininity!! We dropped Tilly at a caravan park to be stored safely until we returned. Our first stop was a three night stay at Windjana Gorge and our campsite had a commanding view of the sheer rock face. This is a spiritual place for the Aboriginals who still tell dreamtime stories about spirit babies in the river running through the gorge. We did a long hot trek up the river bank and had our first croc sightings! Only 'freshies' though, who are mostly very placid, but the advice was to stay 4M away and not to swim. The girls made lots of news videos for their distance Ed teacher, Gwen and also some for their class mates back in Northbridge.
We also did a day trip out to Tunnel Creek where we had to wade through waist deep freezing water in the dark, through bat filled caves! It was so pitch black in some sections we all needed headlights and torches to find our way.
Tunnel creek was the famous hideout used by the Aboriginal freedom fighter, Jandamarra. He killed a policeman and several other cattlemen whom were holding prisoner, members of his tribe group, the Bunaba people. He evaded police for three years using Tunnel Creek as his hideout, but was eventually killed in a shootout at the tunnel entrance. We were lucky enough to be there on a day a film crew were filming a documentary on “Jandamarra’s story” told from an Aboriginal perspective. It will be airing on the ABC next year.
More pictures of Windjana Gorge / Tunnel Creek
We then headed east along the Gibb River Road, then north on Kalumburu Road to Drysdale Station. The roads were extremely rough, corrugated and dusty, and we arrived feeling like our eyeballs had been shaken loose. We only wanted to stay one night here, just to break up the journey. The idea of setting up all our camping gear for one night after arriving tired and late was unappealing, so we rented a room for the night and treated ourselves to a country dinner and a drink at one of the most remote bars in Australia. The food here was actually good home style cooking, but the rooms were very, very basic and very overpriced, but that’s life in the outback. We did have a chuckle as Shackers was trying to gee us all up with his positive spin on everything. Sas asked Dan privately “could this just be a little like what a room in jail would be like!!!”
More picture of Drysdale Station
We took off the next morning after breakfast and some school work, (which was proving difficult in a tent in the dusty, hot conditions). We headed further north into more remote parts of the Kimberley along the Kalumburu Road and called in at Doongan Station, managed by Susan Bradley, whose property we had stayed on in Broome. Unfortunately we had missed her as she was on a trip to Broome, so me pushed onto our next campsite - Warnmarri campgrounds on the King Edward river. We set up here for four nights, as the river was fresh, beautiful, croc free, swimmable and drinkable! It was our only water supply and it was so clean it could be drunk without boiling. It had lovely little waterfalls and the girls loved their swims and playtimes without too much supervision needed.
From here, we did days trips further north to the most northerly points of the Kimberley, Mitchell Falls and the little town of Kalumburu. The roads to both destinations were the worst we had travelled, rocky, dusty and unmaintained, but all through vast, stunning cattle country and cobbled stone creek crossings.
In Kalumburu, we visited the old mission, still in operation. The elderly priest was an absolute classic and he did guided tours though his museum. It was full of bizarre and wonderful artefacts from all over the world- some of them rare treasures. He had such a crazy laugh and loved to tell a story.
The little church here depicted a lovely combination of artworks blending the Christian and Aboriginal religions. We were so pleased and quite surprised to see that the beliefs of the Aboriginal religion still held some importance, despite strong missionary influences. It was clear that Father Thomas, who had been in this community for twenty three years had a great love for the Aboriginal people.
We were very fortunate to buy some art direct from a local artist, Gemma, and her nephew, Lawrence, recorded the story behind the art on the back of the canvas.
We drove out to the point and found a beautiful old boab. On the way we came across an Aboriginal family who had been fishing. They were literally carrying armfuls of enormous Queen fish, which they then threw in the boot of their falcon to take home for dinner.
It was dark and late when we got back to our campsite on the river and Walt was beginning to feel the rounds in the ring. The rear tail assembly had fallen out and was hanging by the wires, but surprisingly, no flats! We were all exhausted and relieved to be back, but we were so glad we had made the effort to experience such remote Aboriginal land.
Two days later, we ventured north again to the Mitchell Plateau to see Mitchell Falls. Again, the road was dusty and rough, but the scenery through the tropical Savannah was gorgeous. Lots of palm trees and rocky creek crossings.It was incredibly hot and we trekked from the bottom all the way up to the falls through the bush, stopping at waterholes to splash water on our faces and wet our hats. At Little Mertens waterhole, we found amazing rock art behind the waterfall and what appeared to be an old burial ground. On the wall outside the cave, The Wandjina (Aboriginal Gods) were depicted with their ‘Hands up’, signalling not to enter the cave where ancestors had been buried.
We arrived at the top, hot and exhausted and we were so relieved to swim in a freshwater pool with mini waterfalls.
We had our lunch and took a helicopter ride back down. The view from above was spectacular. The Mitchell Falls and the ancient King Leopold sandstone were incredible. It was our first ride in a chopper and the girls were thrilled that it had no doors!! Dan sat in the front with the pilot and while he was such a friendly man, she was glad to not have to apologise for throwing up all over him!!
Our other viewings of spectacular rock art were at a couple of sites close to our campground at the King Edward River. We have been so enthralled by seeing so much art, up close and well preserved. At one site, there was another burial ground with some visible skulls and bones in a crevice. SPOOKY!!
More pictures of King Edward River / Kalumburu / Mitchell Falls
We packed up at King Edward and made it back to Drysdale Station, hungry enough to eat a Kimberley Burger, which was so big it had to be held together with a skewer! We tried to get to Mornington Wilderness Lodge in one day, but it proved to be too far, so we pulled in at the Mount Barnett roadhouse for a night. We had hit rock bottom. Our food supplies were dwindling, the lettuce had wilted, our clothes were all dirty and the only room available was out the back in a demountable where all the road workers were living for the dry season!!! They were having a rowdy BBQ and they were not the crowd you like to expose to your young girls!! David managed to sweet talk them though and ended up sinking a few cold Coronas around the fire! Luckily the room had a TV. The first TV in 4 months! The girls were glued to it like a magnet and the night did go very quickly. We also managed to do all our washing. We woke in the morning feeling a little brighter and headed out at the crack of dawn stopping in at the beautiful Galvin and Manning gorges.
More pictures of Mount Barnett
We finally made it to Mornington Wilderness Lodge, 90k’s off the Gibb River Rd down another rocky trail, lined with beautiful boabs everywhere. Although we were still camping here, we were so glad to enjoy a cold drink and a cheese plate at the bar and book ourselves into their restaurant for dinner.
We spent three days here enjoying roasting marshmallows around their campfire and even swimming in a waterholes with fresh water crocs! The locals convinced us it was OK and believe it or not, DAN was the first one in!!! We met another young traveling family (Amber and Tim Webb) from Kiama and it was lovely to hear their stories around the fire. As it turns out, Amber might be a distant relative of Dan’s. She has the same rare maiden name…..we are going to dig into the family tree. Small world.
Another day we rented some canoes and paddled down Dimond Gorge, having a picnic on one of the little beaches down the river.
More pictures of Mornington Wilderness Camp
After twelve days, we headed back to Derby. We were all so excited to be back to the relative luxury of Tilly. Real beds, hot showers, lights, phones and power and clean clothes. We went to the Jila Gallery for dinner - great Italian food and ate as much fresh green salad as was possible!! We hadn’t planned to spend much time in Derby, but after exploring a bit more, we discovered there was more than met the eye. We swam at the local pool, did some school work at the cute little library, bought some art from the Mowandjum Gallery and went on a fascinating tour of the Kimberley School of the Air. We were given a personalised tour by the Principal and it was fascinating to see pictures of all the kids’ faces who were enrolled in the school, but living out on remote stations. We recognised many of the names of the stations having just travelled into the Kimberley ourselves.
However, the highlight of our Derby experience was a spectacular daytrip, flying out over the Buccaneer Archipelago to the Horizontal Falls. Our sea plane landed in the remote northern waters, where we were met by the fast boat which propelled us through these falls at such high speeds. The power and volume of water running was indescribable. The girls managed to get the front seats in the boat and there were squeals of delight!!
We couldn’t believe the lemon sharks that hung around the floating pontoon. They have become quite ‘tame’ and our guide taught Bella and Sas how to hold one by the tail!
We were treated to a BBQ barramundi lunch on board, then a cruise into Cyclone Creek, a creek once used as refuge by the pearling boats during cyclone season. The three permanent staff running this adventure, actually live for 5 months in these old tin shacks, recently purchased from the Paspaley pearl farmers who no longer work out of the creek. One of them was a brave young 19 year old girl .It was incredibly beautiful wilderness, but…….no private ensuite here!
More pictures of Derby / Horizontal Waterfalls
As you can see, it has been an extraordinary 4 weeks.
We are now heading to Kununurra via the Bungle Bungles , then onto Katherine and to Darwin. We are so looking forward to meeting up with Jo Hopkins, David’s mum who is coming to meet us in Darwin, where there are also aunties and cousins. It will be great to have a dose of family….
Love to all,
Over and out.
The Fucawis! xxx
