Another rest day. Here is some information on the amazing tides here.
The tides in Broome are among the highest in the world. Broome is on a peninsula surrounded by water and the tides affects the lives of the locals and visitors so you need to have an understanding of how the tides work.
The tide moves in for six hours and out for six hours. Each week it alternates between a Neap tide (small movement of water) and a Spring tide (large movement of water) the next week all controlled by the moon.
When walking, fishing, swimming, boating or driving on the beach, you need to be aware of whether the water is coming in or going out, is it a spring or a neap tide and when is high and low tide. Within minutes the ocean waters can be lapping at the tyres of your car if you are parked on the beach and decide to go for a walk.
Neap tide has 2 to 3 metres of movement and a Spring tide has 6 to 10 metres of movement.
If you go to the beach and tide is out then you have a long walk to get to the water!
For the rest of our time here there is only NEAP tides but we have seen the Spring tides and it is amazing how high they come in.
Another interesting thing about Broome is that houses don't have letterboxes. In Broome there is no postal delivery and everyone has a post office box. There are no traffic lights in Broome either.
Something else that we have been curious about is the houses in the north don't have gutters on their roof. The reason is that the tropical downpours are so fast and furious that gutters won't hold the water. How simple is that!
cheers
Pete and Roz
Monday, 25 April 2011
Day 53 Broome - 20/4/11
No photos today, just relaxing, reading and swimming.
A bit more about Broome. The temperature in Broome is an average 30 degrees all year round and it's the minimum temperatures and the humidity that changes. The dry season goes from April to November and is when most people visit Broome as it is winter down south. During this time there is usually no rain except for a week in either June or July when it gets a bit wet. The nights in winter get damp, not because of rain, but because of condensation. We have already experienced that as we had our towels out on an airer overnight and they were quite damp the next morning.
The wet season goes from December to March. The frangipanis are in flower, cicadas and green frogs abound and the ocean is warm. The storms come quick and fast and it is too warm and sticky to do anything else but relax, watch sunsets, drink and read a book!
The Aboriginal people say there are six seasons:
Marul- April, the hot period after the wet season;
Wirralbu - May, easterly winds bring a cool breeze;
Barrgana - June to August, the dry season when the wind blows strongly from the east and fog appears. The nights and mornings become even cooler;
Wirlburn - September, The transition period from the cool to the hot season;
Larja - October to November, the hot time and build up to the wet season when the days are very warm and the humidity is high - everyone starts to go troppo!
Mankala - December to March, the wet season.
I am glad we are here in the Dry!
cheers
Pete and Roz
A bit more about Broome. The temperature in Broome is an average 30 degrees all year round and it's the minimum temperatures and the humidity that changes. The dry season goes from April to November and is when most people visit Broome as it is winter down south. During this time there is usually no rain except for a week in either June or July when it gets a bit wet. The nights in winter get damp, not because of rain, but because of condensation. We have already experienced that as we had our towels out on an airer overnight and they were quite damp the next morning.
The wet season goes from December to March. The frangipanis are in flower, cicadas and green frogs abound and the ocean is warm. The storms come quick and fast and it is too warm and sticky to do anything else but relax, watch sunsets, drink and read a book!
The Aboriginal people say there are six seasons:
Marul- April, the hot period after the wet season;
Wirralbu - May, easterly winds bring a cool breeze;
Barrgana - June to August, the dry season when the wind blows strongly from the east and fog appears. The nights and mornings become even cooler;
Wirlburn - September, The transition period from the cool to the hot season;
Larja - October to November, the hot time and build up to the wet season when the days are very warm and the humidity is high - everyone starts to go troppo!
Mankala - December to March, the wet season.
I am glad we are here in the Dry!
cheers
Pete and Roz
Day 52 Broome - 20/4/11
Today we went back to the park at Town Beach Reserve to have a look around in the daytime. There is a small pioneer cemetary there with some very old gravestones.
Just opposite is a water spray park. We have seen these in quite a few places here in WA and they are free to use. They are great, there is no pool so it is very safe for small children but water comes out of lots of different things and drains out the floor. There are water cannons, high buckets that fill up with water and then tip over and pour the water out, sprays, spurts of water coming out of the floor and much more. I wanted to get in and have a play myself!
Roebuck Bay is a beautiful bay with beautiful turquoise water. Town Beach is on Roebuck Bay. On the edge of Roebuck Bay is a plaque to commemorate the 50th anniversay of the air attach on Broome by Japanese aircraft on 3 March 1942. 70 people died as a result of the bombing.
The Pioneer Cemetery at Town Beach
A view of the graveyard
Just opposite is a water spray park. We have seen these in quite a few places here in WA and they are free to use. They are great, there is no pool so it is very safe for small children but water comes out of lots of different things and drains out the floor. There are water cannons, high buckets that fill up with water and then tip over and pour the water out, sprays, spurts of water coming out of the floor and much more. I wanted to get in and have a play myself!
The spray park
Playground next to the spray park
Roebuck Bay is a beautiful bay with beautiful turquoise water. Town Beach is on Roebuck Bay. On the edge of Roebuck Bay is a plaque to commemorate the 50th anniversay of the air attach on Broome by Japanese aircraft on 3 March 1942. 70 people died as a result of the bombing.
Looking out to Roebuck Bay over the mangroves
Roebuck Bay - you can see the point on the left where people gather to see the Staircase to the moon
Tonight we decided to go and see the Staircase to the Moon again. Last night it was at 6:30pm but tonight it is 7:30pm so we decided to throw in some chairs and get fish and chips on the way and eat out tea while we waited for the moon to show. When we got there we reversed in and put the chairs in the back of the ute and climbed in and ate our tea. Before too long, there were lots of other cars there waiting for the show.
That's it for now.
Cheers
Pete and Roz
Day 51 Broome - 19/4/11
Today we had a real lazy day, I swam in the pool and we both did some reading.
There is so many dragonflies here, all shapes and sizes and colours. At dusk you can see thousands of them flying around in the sky. Lots of them commit suicide in the pool when the pop down for a drink and then get caught. The locals say it is a sign of the dry season when they say goodbye to the humidity and the bonus is that they eat the mosquitos! We have been careful to make sure we have the tropical strength Aeroguard on as there have been cases of Ross River Virus and Murray River Encephalitis here. There are also lots of sandflies here when there is a spring tide. The locals recommend gin and tonic as a remedy as the quinine in the tonic helps with the bites and the gin makes you calm!
There is also the flight of the bats at sundown when the fly off from the mangroves at Chinatown into the sky heading westward for a feed.
Tonight we went to see the Staircase to the Moon. The Staircase only happens between March and October for three nights when the moon is full and it is low tide. The breathtaking natural phenomenon is caused by the reflection of the rising full moon over exposed mudflats at Roebuck Bay at extreme low tide. The effect produces an optical illusion of stairs ascending to the moon. The Staircase Markets are held at night in the park at Town Beach near the viewing site. It reminds me a bit of Mindil Beach Markets at Darwin but the markets are nowhere near as big and jewellery seems to be the most common stall.
We parked in an area just near the markets and walked down to Town Beach. Most people were on a little point but it soon got really packed. We ended up going back to the car to watch. When the moon came up it the moonlight seemed to only shine in a narrow strip and was reflected in the mudflats. It was amazing. There are three vantage points in Broome that you can see this but the markets are only at the Town Beach site. We are so lucky that we were here at the right time to see this.
cheers
Pete and Roz
There is so many dragonflies here, all shapes and sizes and colours. At dusk you can see thousands of them flying around in the sky. Lots of them commit suicide in the pool when the pop down for a drink and then get caught. The locals say it is a sign of the dry season when they say goodbye to the humidity and the bonus is that they eat the mosquitos! We have been careful to make sure we have the tropical strength Aeroguard on as there have been cases of Ross River Virus and Murray River Encephalitis here. There are also lots of sandflies here when there is a spring tide. The locals recommend gin and tonic as a remedy as the quinine in the tonic helps with the bites and the gin makes you calm!
There is also the flight of the bats at sundown when the fly off from the mangroves at Chinatown into the sky heading westward for a feed.
Tonight we went to see the Staircase to the Moon. The Staircase only happens between March and October for three nights when the moon is full and it is low tide. The breathtaking natural phenomenon is caused by the reflection of the rising full moon over exposed mudflats at Roebuck Bay at extreme low tide. The effect produces an optical illusion of stairs ascending to the moon. The Staircase Markets are held at night in the park at Town Beach near the viewing site. It reminds me a bit of Mindil Beach Markets at Darwin but the markets are nowhere near as big and jewellery seems to be the most common stall.
The Staircase Markets
Staircase to the Moon
cheers
Pete and Roz
Day 50 Broome - 18/4/11
Happy Anniversary! It is our 24th wedding anniversary today. Luckily I put a reminder in my phone for the day before because we have totally lost any sense of the day or date. I was surprised that Peter remembered too!
Today we went to Willie Creek Pearl Farm for a tour. You can either go from Broome in their bus or if you have a four wheel drive, you can drive yourself to the pearl farm. We chose to drive there ourselves and could understand why you needed a 4x4 as the road was very deep sand for most of the way. It took us about 40 minutes to drive there.
Once everyone had arrived we were introduced to the staff and then we moved outside to a pergola and were given a talk on the anatomy of a pearl oyster. We learnt the names of all the bits and pieces from a live oyster. It was interesting to learn that most of them have a little blind frog in them. We were told about the different sorts of pearls and that it takes about 8 years to get the Broome Pearl(Australia's South Sea Pearl) which explains why they are so expensive! We got to see the different pearls up close too. Then is was off to have morning tea which included the famous Kimberley Damper, both plain with jam and date with butter. Yum! They gave us the recipe so will definately be trying that when we get home.
After morning tea, it was with some trepidation (given my sea sickness on both earlier boat trips) that we boarded a small boat for a tour. First off we went out to where the pearl oysters were hanging in racks on a line. One of the guides pulled up a rack and showed us how they regulary clean them to get off any algae, fireweed etc and we got to look at one up close. We then went for a tour around the tidal creek and because it was high tide we were able to go quite a way up the creek. When we came back she showed us the jetty that they normally use on a lower tide and it was completely under water. They have huge tides here, up to 10 metres. I didn't have any problem with the boat ride so I think it is just the big swells that set me off.
Then it was into the showroom where we were shown how to care for the pearls and how to identify a good pearl. We also had to guess the prices of some of the ones she showed us and whomever guessed correctly could wear it for a little while. One of the pearl necklaces was $50,000! Then it was shopping time. My lovely husband bought me a pearl for my birthday/anniversary (possibly for the next five years!). We also bought something for our neice's (Meg) birthday. Can't say what it is as she hasn't received it yet. Happy belated birthday Meg!
We drove back to Broome, had lunch and I had a swim and Peter relaxed.
We went to the Bistro over the road for dinner and we both had wild barramundi and it was delicious - melted in your mouth. As we were celebrating our anniversary we also had a strawberry and apple pie for dessert and it was to die for! We both waddled home to bed.
cheers
Pete and Roz
Today we went to Willie Creek Pearl Farm for a tour. You can either go from Broome in their bus or if you have a four wheel drive, you can drive yourself to the pearl farm. We chose to drive there ourselves and could understand why you needed a 4x4 as the road was very deep sand for most of the way. It took us about 40 minutes to drive there.
Willie Creek Pearl Farm
Mother of Pearl
Pulling up a rack of pearl oysters
One up close
The line that the racks hang off
Then it was into the showroom where we were shown how to care for the pearls and how to identify a good pearl. We also had to guess the prices of some of the ones she showed us and whomever guessed correctly could wear it for a little while. One of the pearl necklaces was $50,000! Then it was shopping time. My lovely husband bought me a pearl for my birthday/anniversary (possibly for the next five years!). We also bought something for our neice's (Meg) birthday. Can't say what it is as she hasn't received it yet. Happy belated birthday Meg!
We drove back to Broome, had lunch and I had a swim and Peter relaxed.
We went to the Bistro over the road for dinner and we both had wild barramundi and it was delicious - melted in your mouth. As we were celebrating our anniversary we also had a strawberry and apple pie for dessert and it was to die for! We both waddled home to bed.
cheers
Pete and Roz
Day 49 Broome - 17/4/11
I got up early this morning and went for a walk along Cable Beach. The tide was well out and I was surprised to see that two lots of people had slept on the beach in their sleeping bags. There was lots of rock pools and the colours were amazing. I was surprised how many people were out walking.
Later we went for a drive to Chinatown which was the original commercial and industrial centre of Broome and was once a bustling hub of pearl sheds, billiard saloons, entertainment houses and Chinese eateries. It is the main shopping area of Broome. Not all of the shops were open but we went to a few of the pearl shops. Peter had said that he was getting me something from Broome for my birthday ( I assumed a Broome pearl) but when I saw the prices I thought it might be a bit of Mother of Pearl unless we took out a second mortgage on the house! We booked a tour of the Willie Creek Pearl Farm for tomorrow while we were there. I think Peter was hoping they might give away free samples.
There are two separate main shopping areas. There is the Boulevard Shopping Centre which has Woolworths, Target and lots of other shops and then there is the Paspaley Shopping Centre which is in Chinatown and has Coles, Best and Less and a few other shops. There are also a couple of other smaller centres.
In Chinatown,opposite the Roebuck Hotel, we saw the life size statue of the Hard Hat Pearl Diver which pays tribute to the role the hard hat diver played in establishing Broome as the centre of the world's pearling industry in the early 1900s. There are also three life like statues of three men who were pioneers in the cultured pearling industry in Broome.
After lunch we went for a drive to the jetty at the port. Although you aren't allowed on the jetty itself, a walkway has been built attached to and alongside the jetty. Lots of locals fish from this jetty and we had a chat with them as we walked out to the end.
Then we went to Gantheaume Point which has Broome's only lighthouse, a racecourse, dinosaur footprints, Anastasia's Pool, interpretation boards about the area's natural, traditional and European history and amazing rock formations. Anastasia's Pool was named after the former lighthouse keeper's wife. He made it for his arthritic wife so she could exercise her limbs in it when it filled during high tides. The location is stunning, surrounded by beautiful rock formations looking over the ocean. You can only see the dinosaur prints at a low tide of 2.16cm or less and there is a plaster copy of the tracks at the top of the cliffs.
Filled up the car with diesel at 165.9 cents a litre then back to the park for another swim.
cheers
Pete and Roz
Just before sunrise at Cable Beach
A veiw over the rocks
The lovely waters of the Indian Ocean
Can you see the person in the sleeping back only just above the high tide mark?
Another person sleeping on the beach
Patterns made by the Sand Bubbler Crabs when the tide goes out
Zanders Restaurant above Cable Beach
Park next to Zanders
There are two separate main shopping areas. There is the Boulevard Shopping Centre which has Woolworths, Target and lots of other shops and then there is the Paspaley Shopping Centre which is in Chinatown and has Coles, Best and Less and a few other shops. There are also a couple of other smaller centres.
In Chinatown,opposite the Roebuck Hotel, we saw the life size statue of the Hard Hat Pearl Diver which pays tribute to the role the hard hat diver played in establishing Broome as the centre of the world's pearling industry in the early 1900s. There are also three life like statues of three men who were pioneers in the cultured pearling industry in Broome.
The Hard Hat Pearl Diver
The monument to the Pearl Divers
Monument to pioneers in the pearling industry
The jetty in Broome
Then we went to Gantheaume Point which has Broome's only lighthouse, a racecourse, dinosaur footprints, Anastasia's Pool, interpretation boards about the area's natural, traditional and European history and amazing rock formations. Anastasia's Pool was named after the former lighthouse keeper's wife. He made it for his arthritic wife so she could exercise her limbs in it when it filled during high tides. The location is stunning, surrounded by beautiful rock formations looking over the ocean. You can only see the dinosaur prints at a low tide of 2.16cm or less and there is a plaster copy of the tracks at the top of the cliffs.
The Lighthouse at Gantheaume Point
The amazing rocks at Gantheaume Point
Anastasia's Pool
Dinosaur Prints
The Chimney from the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage
Filled up the car with diesel at 165.9 cents a litre then back to the park for another swim.
cheers
Pete and Roz
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Day 48 Goldwire Rest Area to Broome - 16/4/11
We had a bit of a sleep in this morning and were the last to leave the rest area.
The first sign that we were near Broome was the "Beware of Camels" sign.
On the way in we passed lots of mango farms where you can buy all sorts of things made from mango - wine, smoothies, liqueur cake, ice cream, chutneys, sauces and many more.
We headed to Cable Beach as we had booked into the Palm Grove Holiday Park which is just over the road. We had been given a great shady spot, not far from the pool.
After we set up, we went for a walk to Cable Beach. What a great beach, it is long, sandy, with some gentle surf waves. You can rent umbrellas, lounges, surf and boogie boards and kids toys on the beach. What a great idea. It all packs into a closed in trailer. At the prices charged it wouldn't have taken long to pay off the items so it would all be profit and you get to spend the day at the beach as well!
The first sign that we were near Broome was the "Beware of Camels" sign.
You know you are in Broome when you see this sign!
On the way in we passed lots of mango farms where you can buy all sorts of things made from mango - wine, smoothies, liqueur cake, ice cream, chutneys, sauces and many more.
We headed to Cable Beach as we had booked into the Palm Grove Holiday Park which is just over the road. We had been given a great shady spot, not far from the pool.
After we set up, we went for a walk to Cable Beach. What a great beach, it is long, sandy, with some gentle surf waves. You can rent umbrellas, lounges, surf and boogie boards and kids toys on the beach. What a great idea. It all packs into a closed in trailer. At the prices charged it wouldn't have taken long to pay off the items so it would all be profit and you get to spend the day at the beach as well!
Looking left down Cable Beach
Looking right, it continues around the bend as well
Hiring rates for umbrellas, lounges, surf boards, boogie boards and kids toys
There is an historic marker on the beach where the 1650km long submarine cable from Banjoewangie, Java to Broome provided the third link to Europe in 1889. The cable came ashore at Cable Beach which is how it got its name. The link greatly increased the security of Australia's overseas communications.
Broome to Java Telegraph Cable Marker
Broome has a population of 13,717 and was gazetted as a town in 1883. The discovery of the largest pearl shell in the world, "Pinctada Maxima", in Roebuck Bay led to the establishment of Broome's pearling industry. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Broome produced 80% of the world's Mother of Pearl shell. The industry peaked in 1913 with 403 registered pearling vessels. Many divers dived from the bends, drowning, shark attack and cyclones. The development of the plastic button in the 1950s sealed the fate of the Mother of Pearl shell industry but it was revitalised in the late 1950's with the advent of the cultured pearl and by the 1970s, Broome was producing 60% to 70% of the world's large cultured pearls. Tourism became a new industry in the 1980s which saw the rebuilding of hotels and resorts and the sealing of the gravel road to the south to Port Hedland.
Broome is situated at the southernmost tip of the rugged Kimberley region of Western Australia. October through to March is the monsoon season. It has a multicultural population, made up of many people who flocked to the shores of Roebuck Bay in the hope of making their fortunes from the pearling industry. Cable Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the workd and the pindan (red) cliffs, stark white sands and turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean are part of the appeal.
The temperature here is about the same as Port Hedland (35 degrees) but no humidity today so it is just lovely. A dip in the pool topped the day off for me.
cheers
Pete and Roz
Day 47 Port Hedland to Goldwire Rest Area - 15/4/11
We were pleased to leave Port Hedland as today is just as hot and humid as yesterday. We passed lots of roadtrains and some had four trailers. You can imagine how scary it would be trying to overtake one of these monsters.
Again some wonderful scenery along the way.
We decided to stop at a free camp just before Broome as it is 614kms to do it all in one go. The numb bum gets to you after a while. We pulled up at Goldwire Rest Area which is an approved 24hr stop. It is well off the road and has a drop toilet, rubbish bins and some barbecues and there are lots of areas that you can park.
We were the first ones to pull in so had our pick of all the spots. We decided on one that was a bit out of the way as we wanted to use the generator. Peter had a play with the satellite dish and I did some reading. It was very hot so it was great to have the generator and be able to use the air conditioner. It wasn't too long before other people started to arrive. We turned the generator off once it cooled down a bit. It was so nice to hear all the animals and birds and the stars were amazing as there were no lights to detract from their brilliance.
Tomorrow we are off to Broome.
cheers
Pete and Roz
One of the big road trains with four trailers
Interesting shapes in the hills
We decided to stop at a free camp just before Broome as it is 614kms to do it all in one go. The numb bum gets to you after a while. We pulled up at Goldwire Rest Area which is an approved 24hr stop. It is well off the road and has a drop toilet, rubbish bins and some barbecues and there are lots of areas that you can park.
We were the first ones to pull in so had our pick of all the spots. We decided on one that was a bit out of the way as we wanted to use the generator. Peter had a play with the satellite dish and I did some reading. It was very hot so it was great to have the generator and be able to use the air conditioner. It wasn't too long before other people started to arrive. We turned the generator off once it cooled down a bit. It was so nice to hear all the animals and birds and the stars were amazing as there were no lights to detract from their brilliance.
Goldwire Rest Area
All set up
Peter playing with the satellite dish
Tomorrow we are off to Broome.
cheers
Pete and Roz
Day 46 Karijini to Port Hedland - 14/4/11
Today we headed off to Port Hedland. The scenery as we left Karijini was magnificent. The Hamersley Range is amazing in the shapes and colours of the mountains.
Scenery as we left Karijini
Amazing rock structures
More amazing scenery
We stopped at Auski Roadhouse and put in enough diesel to get us to Port Hedland as it was $1.91 per litre. We travelled on the Great Northern Highway until we reached the North West Coastal Highway about 42 kms out of Port Hedland. We booked into the Cooke Point Holiday Park and before we went to our site we washed the caravan. It was a big job with both of us working on it but we eventually got most of the red dirt off the van. We then set up and realised how humid it was. Peter went and had a shower and was as wet from perspiration afterwards as he was wet from the water when we were washing the van. The temperature was 36 degrees with 87% humidity and was just awful. It was a pleasure to get in the air conditioned car to have a look around.
As you come into Port Hedland you pass a salt mine with all the condensing ponds as we have seen in many other places in WA. Port Hedland has a population of 15,000 and there was major expansion in 1965 with the development of the iron ore deposits. The population went from 1,200 and the port handled 100,000 tonnes of cargo that year. Some of the longest trains in the world are here carrying iron ore from Mount Whaleback at Newman on the BHP Billitons Iron Ore Railroad and are up to 682 carriages long. The area of Port aHedland is divided into three - Port Hedland where the port facilities are located, Wedgefield, an industrial area and South Hedland. South Hedland was developed 20kms south when the booming coastal town of Port Hedland ran out of suitable building land in the mid 1960's due to the large expanse of tidal flats surrounding the original town.
Port Hedland Salt Mine
The water tower at Port Hedland
There are some interesting metal animal statues in front of BHP Billiton and there are lovely parks and picnic areas along the beach.
BHP Billiton Gateway
One of the metal animals - a horse
A cow, there were also sheep, a pig and kelpies
A grocery shop and then back to the park for a swim to cool off.
We decided that it was just too hot here so decided to only stay one night.
cheers
Pete and Roz
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