The temperature was about the same as in Exmouth 34*C but the humidity was 52%. So the walk with my luggage to the YHA, which was only 15 mins, got me arriving bading in swet.
Luckily it took me only a day to adapt.
My plan was to find a new van in Broome, but hat soon turned out to be not very likely. The wet season was around the corner and most backpackers travelling by campervan had gone or were staying.
While planning this trip I had noticed Apollocars offered relocations of their vans for $1 a day plus money for fuel. I checked their website and found they needed a relocation to Darwin the next week, terms were:
Pick up the 21st in Broome, get it to Darwin before the 24th at 14h30. Cost $1 a day + $10 linnen, $115 insurence ( RAC, tire, windshield). And I got $250 reimbursed for fuel upon arrival.
The Toyota 4wd pathfinder, my ride to Darwin. Great to drive, very uncomfortable to sleep "live" in and was so called good for 3 people (roof could we pushed up for a third bed). And a turbo diesel so 14lt/100 kms. Fore the 2000 kms I drove I used a total of $578 worth of diesel. And I did not speed, and only fueled up once at a $1,8/lt station. In hindsight Wanda breaking down and left behind at Exmouth might have saved me a lot of money on fuel. Let's say Wanda drank diesel the same way I drink beer...fast...
So having that sorted, I decided to make the most of my time in Broome. The first evening I was there it was "the staircase to the moon" night". Every month when there is a full moon you can go two 2 locations in Broome where you can see the moon rising out of the Ocean and leaving reflections in the ocean as were they steps on a staircase. On my walk back from one of the locations, a posh resort with a huge garden, terrace bar and live orchestra, I saw two Aboriginal women with what lookedlike blankets crossing the road to crawl in the bush to find a spot to sleep. Someone told me Broome is the kind of place were all sorts mix without any problems. And yes there are extremes. On one side of a street there is a queue to get into a raving nightclub with light beamers creating Batman logos in the sky, on the other side a group of drunk Aboriginals. You have the older tourists coming to for the history of Broome and the beautiful beach, the young ones to party, you have the people (Aboriginals and new Australians) working in what are mostly tourist depending businesses, and a lot of small groups of mostly arguing amongst eachother, drunk Aboriginals. But I have not seen one group insult or attack another. Broome has to me a hippy feeling.
Usually I am not the group kinda person, but I booked a turtle kajak, a half day Broome tour with a 1 hr camel sunset ride and a full day in the Kimberley with an experienced guide.
The turtle kajak was a 3 hr trip, and even if I only spotted one turtle under the surface of the water it was a great trip. I got teemed up with an older French gentleman named Jean Luc, he was on a visit to see his son and grandchildren. He loved touring around Australia every time he came to see them. I loved kayaking on the Ocean and the views were amazing, the water was 28 degrees Celsius and would according to our guide become 32 when summer. I must make kayaking a more frequent thing, even if it will sadly not be on the Indian Ocean. After the kayaking and a short swim I pointed out to the driver he was about to forget my kayaking partner! Jean Luc was still busy putting his socks back on.
Next was the full day trip to the Kimberley. On the program was the Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.
I got picked up by Jason our tour guide at 7h. The group I was with was a great mix of people, Aussies, Europeans, old and young.
On our way to Windjana Gorge, Jason our guide told us of what happened when the Europeans discovered Broome and the story of one of the indeginious people, Jandamarra.
You could tell Jason admired Jamdamarra, and so did I. A lot of Europeans discovered parts of AU and in doing so mistreated the indigenous people, the Aboriginals. They were used to betray their own, to dive for pearls, even pregnant women were not spared.
Jandamarra was a very talented young man, he knew the bush like the backside of his pocket (if he had had one), knew how to ride a horse like the best of them. So he worked together with the colonists, and his best friend at the time, Richardson. But when Richardson got ill and the kolonists were trying to ambush the Aboriginals, Jandamarra decided to fight for his people.
On or way to Windjana Creek we stopped at the Prisoner Boab Tree where the kidnappers known as Blackbirders who were settlers connected to the pearling industry, held the kidnapped Aboriginals while waiting for a ship to be ready.
The Prisoners Boab Tree.
When we got to Windjana Creek, Jason led us to a place where when it is not that hot the croc's lay on a spot of land next to a river. Because of the heat they had chosen the creek. The place is surronded with gorges and ancient hieroglyphs.
Freshwater crocs are mostly shy and non aggressive. There were a lot but they were in the water or on the edge of it and when I approached one it chose to turn it's back on me. I must admit they were not that big, about 1m so...
Back at the 4wd bus, Jason had whipped up a great lunch (pre prepared :) but yummy none the less).
After lunch it was time to head on to Tunnel Creek.
The mighty 4wd airco Kimberley Wild Tours bus!
On our way there we stopped at the ruins where Jandamarra killed ... When Jason started his job the local WA authorities had a placed a placard in honor of Richardson, they bolted it into a rock so it would not be removed. It took 2 years, but the Aboriginal locals succeeded in removing this blatant lack of respect for the real victims.
The room where Jandamarra killed Richardson.
On the right the stone where the placard in honor of Richardson once was bolted in.
Tunnel Creek is a creek that runs trough a cave. In that creek there are ...crocs... We all received a torch and Jason lead the way. He showed us the tracks of crocs in the sand surrounding the creek. By now I trusted my guide so I followed him trough the water withouth fear. The cave had spots that reminded me of a movie with Radha Mitchell, about a monster croc in a lake in AU...I will have to check but am almost sure the location was used for the movie.
There were also lots of bats which is normal for a cave.. but at certain spot Jason asked us to turn off our torches and explained theirs was a special species of bats right above us. They are called the Ghost bats and are very "shy". So on his mark we could light our torches and watch for a couple of secs tops. What we saw was awesome a whole bunch of silverlike bats.
After a while of walking trough water filled with little crocs and bats above us, we exited the cave and had a great swim in the river. Not everyone was as brave lol.
On our return to Broome we stopped at the roadhouse on the beginning of the Gibb river road, where a meal was awaiting us, I had the all you can eat BBQ!
It was an interesting, fun day. I met some great people and it sure left a taste for more!
My last trip was 1/2 a day Broome with a sunset camel ride on Cable Beach. We went to a pearl shop where we got told a out the history of the pearl divers in Broome. First the indigenous people were forced, then the Japanese were recruited because they were could at diving. Lots of divers died back then. And it also explaines the Japanese precence in Broome. We also got an explanation about the proces used to end up with a perfect pearl. I personally do not like pearls so I sort of drifted saw and thought of the horrors the divers went through.
Next was a short stop at the worlds first and biggest open air cinema. It still looks like it did when it was created, aside from the new screen and sound system..but the same deck hairs, wooden floor, an old fan on the ceiling... And again a short history lesson on how the seats were divided by race and standard. The aboriginals got the worst seats, then came the Japanese and the best were for the new Australians. Even the toilets were segregated.
Later that afternoon we visited a Japanese cemetery filled with mostly divers that didn't make it.
Motsato's brewery was next! A bit of a disapointment, we only got to taste 2 types of their beer. On with ginger and one with mango, the ginger one was UUUK, the mango one not that bad, light and refreshing.
After that we drove to see some dinosaur footprints yeah! Only they were replicates, the real ones were under water.
Then came what I reckoned was the main attraction, the camel ride.
The Red Camel tours is a family run business. Before the one hour trip you get offered the deal of a lifetime, a pic of you on a camel, a pic of your camel, some sunset pics of all the camels walking at sunset on Cable beach all on a usb stick for only $40 or $50 if you want the usb stick to look like a camel! I declined.
During the trip the two young boys who were working for them took your pic if you wanted to with your own camera:
Me on Mission.
The kid went around telling everyone the story of "their" camel. My camels name was Mission, named after the movie Mission impossible, because they got him when the movie came out and because he was captured in Perth at the age of 16, wich is an old age for a camel to be trained. Normally they start at the age of 10. The owners of the Red Camels bought him and hence called him Mission. He turned out to be one of the gentlest camels they own.
Call me dumb, but I never thought this camels were wild once and captured to be sold and trained for us, me to ride on them...
They get well taken care of and I can only hope the piercing behind their nose to get them lined up to the one in front does not hurt. But it still feels wrong to me.
