Port of Broome

Today we had lunch at the Wharf Restaurant at the Port of Broome. This restaurant has at least 4 star ratings on TripAdvisor but there are some negatives. Our food was ok but not brilliant. We shared barramundi wings which are the fins deep fried with a tempura style batter. These were not bad as they were served with a salsa dressing. I had the slipper lobsters which are more like Moreton Bay bugs and Anita had garlic prawns, both served with decent chips.

Our table was in the shade of a tree overlooking Roebuck Bay, but the restaurant is literally at the beginning of the wharf is used to export live cattle. Several loaded cattle trucks passed very close to other diners. When we walked around after lunch we had to dodge cattle dung that had been squirted from the trucks only a metre or so from some of the tables! There were two ships at the end of the wharf - the live export carrier and a cruise ship - I doubt that combination of ships could be found anywhere else in the world.

The road along the wharf is fenced but there is a pedestrian crossing which is accessible when no traffic is on the roadway. On the other side there is a hidden beach at the bottom of a dozen steps. It is surrounded by red sandstone cliffs and at high tide it was lovely. There were a couple of fishers and I noted dogs are permitted on leads so we may return when we have suitable transport.

Cable Beach

We loaded the dogs into their cage in the hire 4WD and covered it so they could not be seen. As we were driving out of the caravan park to go to the kennels we spoke with some of the volunteers who run the park and they were very sceptical about the quality of the Broome Pet Motel. They said it would be fine to leave the dogs here while we went on outings so we turned around and two very happy dogs resumed lounging around the van.

There was a market in town so we wandered around then headed to Chinatown for coffee. The dogs had not caused any problems so we went out again later to Cable Beach. We saw the camel train heading towards the beach for the late afternoon ride. They travel down the track used by 4WD vehicles that drive along the beach at low tide. There were so many vehicles the camels had to wait their turn and this provided a good photo opportunity.

Tomorrow there is a marathon run along the hard sand of Cable Beach with Steve Moneghetti participating. Could be the next challenge for those of you out there that want to use up heartbeats on such activities!

Broome 2

A loss of internet connection caused half the last blog entry to drop off.

The rest of the saga centred around the hire car provided by Jeep. The original car allocated was a 2WD that is not allowed onto dirt roads. More phone calls and eventually I was provided with a 4WD vehicle that is allowed on designated dirt roads. I had repeatedly explained to the people in the Jeep call centre the logistics of travelling from Port Smith to Broome, but it appears not to have registered.

After I left Broome headed back to Port Smith there were several more phone calls because the RACQ had not sent the written authorisation for the tow truck to pick up the caravan. When I eventually returned to Port Smith Anita had packed up most of the van and we waited for the tow truck. The driver very skillfully backed the van around the park in the narrow spaces. There are short posts marking the boundaries of van sites and we had seen 3 people hit these posts in the 3 days we were there.

The hire car company prohibits animals in vehicles but we had no choice so covered the back with tarpaulins and put the large dog cage inside so both dogs were contained. The cats had to stay loose but soon realised they were better off in the back rather than having to suffer icy cold air conditioning in the front. The tow truck driver was relieved to learn he was not transporting 2 dogs and 2 cats!

It was weird to follow our own caravan when we are used to having it behind us. We arrived at the PCYC but there was no powered site available so we had to prop for one night on a non powered site. The helpful volunteers here moved us to a nice shady site this morning. We set up the van with all shade walls and table and chairs. The dogs like to sleep under the van while the cats love the warm caravan. 

The latest on the Jeep is the battery has to be replaced even though we had fitted a new battery in March before we left on our trip. A new battery has to come from Perth but a new alternator has to come from eastern states via Perth. Consequently the predicted one week to have the Jeep fixed is looking optimistic.

The dogs are going to spend the weekend in the Broome Pet Motel because we don't want to be seen taking them on trips around town in the hire 4WD, and we can't just leave them here by themselves all day. Anita is not authorised to drive the hire 4WD so that is another limitation, but we may be able to fix that with a visit to Thrifty tomorrow. In the meantime we at least have access to phones, internet, supermarkets etc not available at Port Smith.

Broome!

While I was in Broome early Thursday morning I contacted the RACQ to see if our ultimate care package would cover towing our van from Port Smith to Broome and it does so that was a worthwhile investment. The RACQ towing contractor turns out to be the same business that is fixing our Jeep. I had to communicate with Jeep and the RACQ over the vehicle, accommodation, hire car and timings, and everything had a hiccup. Jeep had to deal with their insurer Alliance so it was essential to have phone and internet to be able to sort things out.

Firstly the accommodation organised by Jeep turned out to be a twin room at the YHA backpacker hostel, which would have been fine if I was 20 years old! The tow truck driver that I travelled with contacted his wife who used to work at the visitor centre and she located a room at the McAlpine Hotel for $294. The insurance company has a limit of $150 per night but I was happy to pay the difference for a decent room.

Fortunately the boutique hotel is only a 5 minute walk from the PCYC overflow caravan park where guests must have a cat or dog to be able to stay here.

Low Tide

When the tide is out at Port Smith Lagoon some 4WD vehicle owners drive to the water to fish instead of walking, but we always left the Jeep on dry land as we don't want salt water damage.

When walking across the mudflat there is a lot to see such as the patterns on the sand made by critters in these shells which are about 1cm long.

Port Smith Lagoon

Our first stop after leaving Port Hedland was a free 24 hour roadside parking area. These are established and maintained by the Department of Main Roads and provide basic toilets and a dump site, but generally with no water. About 20 groups stayed that night and it felt safe. There was a young Japanese man who had ridden his bicycle from Brisbane via Katherine - he was very skinny! I asked him if he needed drinking water and topped up his bottles. Other travellers offered him food and water, all concerned about his welfare.

We booked into the Port Smith Lagoon Caravan Park for 3 nights. This park is 140kms south of Broome along the North Coast Highway, and 23kms along a dirt road. The sandy road was reasonable and the park is friendly. There are some limitations because of the remote location - power is rationed limiting the number of appliances that can be used at one time; water is precious so the laundry closes by 5pm to allow for showers; and most significantly there are very limited telephone and internet connections. Instead emus this park has kangaroos wandering through, particularly late afternoons. One cat got a big surprise when this kangaroo hopped nearby, but I suspect the kangaroo also had never seen a cat before.

About 700m further down the dirt road is the lagoon - well there is water in the lagoon at high tide! It is a lovely swimming location for people and the dogs. It seems those fishing from boats have more success than land lubber fishers. At low tide it can be a half kilometre walk across the sandy mudflat to the water's edge as the tides here are extreme. One Toyota owner parked his rig below the high water mark, where it may have been quite safe the day before. Apparently the owner's boat was stranded on the receding tide!

We packed up this morning and were driving out the park entrance when the Jeep electrical system had a complete meltdown. Fortunately we stopped under some shade while one of the caravan park workers (Rob) tried to get us going again. The Jeep started with a jump start but kept failing after only a couple of minutes. We are so glad this did not happen on the dirt road or the highway! Rob towed our van back to our recently vacated site while we organised with Jeep for a tow into Broome under the terms of our extended warranty which provides cover Australia wide. The RACQ has limits on its roadside assistance and we would not have been covered at this location.

We were warned it may take up to a week to have the Jeep repaired if parts have to be sent from Perth. I came up with the tow truck to pick up a hire car, because we need supplies to last that long at Port Smith, and because we will need transport to get back to Broome when the Jeep is fixed. I am staying one night in Broome because it is too dangerous to drive after dark with the risk of cattle and kangaroos on the road. I also would not fancy being on the road at night if the hire car were to break down!

There is not much to do at Port Smith so we will be reading a lot and improving our Scrabble techniques. Depending how long we are there we may have to work on our fishing skills!

Port Hedland

Iron ore mined from surrounding areas is taken by train to Port Hedland and loaded onto bulk carriers to be taken overseas. The whole town has a rusty red tinge reflecting the ore dust blown around by the winds. The port is famous for having the highest tonnage rate in Australia.

As none of the caravan parks take dogs we are staying at the race course for $10. There is no power, no lighting, no water and no toilet other than 300m down the dusty track. All caravans are supposed to be self sufficient with their own shower and toilet, and have pets, to be able to stay here, but it seems several people are just taking advantage of the cheap overnight stay. It is pure red dust with star prickles that stick in paws and shoes. We will end up with two red dogs after our stay here. This will be a one night stop because of the poor facilities.