Beautiful Broom

In Broome when we heard the passing of Richard Carter. A very sad affair and assures us that our travels are well founded.
On the way to Broome we passed through Roebuck Plains with grass 1 1/2 foot high as far as you could see with mobs of cattle fattening up, an impressive sight.
Broome is very busy, but lucky Phil managed to find a spot in a caravan park for three nights. Cable Beach lived up to it's expectations plus we found the nudey section by mistake. (not a pretty sight).
Diane wore a $30,000 pearl necklace and held a $100,000 pearl in her hand during the Pearl Luggers tour, but we only parted with a fraction of that money for a nice pearl necklace.
We headed north to Cape Leveque for a different cultural experience in some dry aborigine communities. What a life they have! Beautiful warm spots, isolated, wild flowers, big tides, mangroves, big shells, fish and swimming. BUT crocs, mozzies and Midge's. Caught a queen fish and seen a big turtle at Hunters Creek (bogged again).

PortHedland

Work in Port Hedland didn't eventuate, not interested in short term but we stayed for a week anyway. Phil had a trip to the reef fishing , 50 kms out with Pat and his father and had great success bagging spankled and red emporer, cod and chinaman, 27 in total. Perfect weather warm and flat.
We checked out all the sights of P H, done the iron ore tour, salt piles and generally relaxed, getting the hang of this touring.
Caught up with Graham and Christine Lamprey staying in the same park and had a very noisey get together at Pat's for a fish feast.
Port Hedland is very expensive, housing rent up to $2500 a week plus paying around a million for a three bedroom home.
Moved onto a beauiful spot at 80 mile beach which is still recovering after last years cyclone.Great spot for shells and fishing. Fishermen lined up for kilometers after threadfin salmon and mulloway( around 10 kilograms). Now coming into beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
We are currantly at Barn Hill station camped on another beaut beach, swimming and fishing, hard to decide when to leave. Phil's even got a suntan happening. Sunday night we had a 3 course roast and entertaining aborigine family band, shared under the stars with 220 other campers.
Next stop Broome.

Karrajini

We left Exmouth on friday 2Nd and drove into Shothole canyon and Charles Knife gorge which were both excellent,then onto Nanutarra through flat dry country with termite mounds, for lunch. Some tourists in a helicopter also called in for lunch.(way to go) The trip to Paraburdoo got better as we went with spectacular ranges, ever changing as we drove. Paraburdoo is a typical mining town with cockatoos, brown from iron ore dust and and bore water.We had a great camp in a dry riverbed but had trucks and trains rumbling and dingoes howling all night.
We had to wait three hours in Tom Price for a fuel tanker before we could move on to Karrajini to camp in red dust. It appears Rio Tinto are shifting mountains to the coast by the train load.Every employee seems to have a company vehicle with a flashing light and a flag. Camp grounds were full due to school holidays. Karrajini gorges are a Pilbara icon , with breath taking lookouts, rock formations, waterfalls, swimming holes and backpackers.
We drove onto Millstream N/P via the mine permit road and passed 2 kilometer trains loaded with iron ore. We camped 2 nights at Millstream Homestead which is an oasis in the dry outback, with beautiful artesian fed lily ponds and swimming holes with river gums and paperbarks full of bird life. It would have been an interesting station in its heyday.
We headed back to the coast lucky to find a spot at the Dampier caravan park which overlooked the noisy ore loading facility which fills many waiting ships. More company vehicles servicing the wharfes for the gas plant, salt works and iron ore. Karratha is expanding nearly as quick as Perth (work everywhere).
Warming up nicely now but stiff breezes rarely abate. Both our shoulders are peeling due to sunburn at Exmouth. Onto Port Hedland via exclusive Point Samson where a nice sized queen fish escaped Phil's hook,(bugger!). Noodles for tea in another riverbed in the rain. Rain cleared and shared a late night campfire with Mike and Sandra from Perth with whom we had camped the last four nights (good fun).
We are now camped in a beautiful park in Port Hedland hoping for some work for a fortnight and maybe a fishing trip with Phil's old work mate Pat McCullough.

Ningaloo Reef.

Canarvan also a fishing port but more famous for it's fruit and vegetables. We done a banana plantation tour and found out how they irrigate from a dry river. (only sand) Apparently the water is still running on a clay bottom under the sand and moves towards the sea at a meter a month, all very interesting. Took the little train to the end of the mile jetty and had a windy walk back over the rickety planks. Met up with some earlier acquaintances at the very noisy sausage sizzle at the c/ park. We stocked up on fruit and vegies at the growers market and tried our first custard apple (beautiful) and continued onto beautiful Coral Bay.(crowded) Di had a swim and Phil worked on his suntan.

Onto Exmouth passed the RAAF base and Boeing and Naval Communication Centres. Camped near the Cape Range N/park to get a 6 am start to line up to get a camp site in the n/park. Very impressive area with warm turquoise water,Ningallo reef 300 m off the shore and Cape Range about a kilometer behind the beach. All green landscape after the rain and abundant quiet wildlife. We learnt to snorkel and enjoyed checking out the coral and colourful fish. Also done a glass bottom boat cruise.

Phil had great success fishing, with a spangled emperor, trevelly and a long tom, too easy. We had two horror nights in the roof top tent with wind gusts up to 70-80 kms an hour, no sleep so we booked a cabin for the next night.

Heading to Mount Tom Price tomorrow.