Aaron & Lib's Australian Adventure: July 2016

Courthouse Markets, Broome

19/07/16 Day 53 (Tu). So we are still in Broome. We had planned to leave yesterday but we are waiting for a new fuel pump for Bess which will hopefully be here tomorrow. On Saturday we had a lovely day. In the morning we cycled up to the Courthouse Markets which surround the old courthouse and are shaded by plenty of palm and boab trees. It was really nice wandering around for a couple of hours. Lib found herself a new hat and a new wind chime. In the afternoon we cycled down to the port but unfortunately the pedestrian bridge was closed due to maintenance on the bridge. We climbed down the rocks to the beach and spent some time looking for shells. They were loading a ship for live cattle export so it was a bit smelly with the cattle trucks coming and going.

Courthouse Markets, Broome

On Sunday we drove out to the pet supplier to get a new bed for Asha. On the way out the engine started to die and after pulling over to the verge we found that the pin that the actuator moves on in the fuel pump had slid out of position. After many tries to find the right angle in the engine bay we were able to knock it back in and continue to the pet supplier. On the way back it happened again and so as a temporary fix we have wedged a stick between the pin housing and the bolt holding the fuel pump to the block. This has happened before but not for a long time. As we still have a fair way to go we decided to order a new one and have to wait for it to arrive. Luckily it’s an easy job and I can replace it myself. Also the only fuel station in town that has LPG has a broken pump so we are leaving Bess at the PCYC and cycling to where we want to go. It has been fine so far as we are doing in the mornings and afternoons and resting through the middle of the day.

Asha's new do!

Courthouse Markets, Broome

Yesterday we cycled into town to the laundromat because the PCYC has no washing machine. After lunch we took the dogs for a run at a nearby beach. The tide was out and it was hard going in places as silt had mixed with the sand and it was ever so boggy. The dogs were a mess by the time we returned and Lib had to give them a bath. I managed to give myself a 2 cm gash to the instep of my left foot as I trod on a shell, unseen under the boggy silt/sand. Lib’s back has been out the last couple of days too so cycling seems to be aggravating it but at the moment it’s our only source of commuting. I suppose we could keep driving Bess and hope our stick remains in place but I’d rather not.

Live Cattle Export Ship, Broome Port

An upside to still being here though is that today is supposed to be low a low enough tide to see the Dinosaur footprints and tomorrow night is supposed to be good for taking photos of the Stairway to the Moon. We’ll wait and see.

Cattle Truck, Broome Port

20/07/2016 Day 54 (We). Lib’s back was giving her plenty of curry yesterday so we booked her in to see the Chiro. Unfortunately it was at the same time as low tide so we missed out on the dinosaur footprints but that just gives us another reason to return. After her appointment we went and watched the “World Famous Cable Beach Sunset” (as it states in the guide book). It was really special and it was amazing to see so many people gathered to watch. There was easily 200 or more onlookers.

Cable Beach, Broome

This morning the new fuel pump arrived and so with Lib’s help I was able to install it and Bess is up and running again. This afternoon we went and stocked up on supplies as we are leaving Broome tomorrow. It’s going to be bittersweet because on one hand we are moving forward to spend time with my Mum in NT which we are really looking forward to but at the same time we have really enjoyed our time here and really love the vibe of this place. It would be so easy to just kick back and relax for another week. We both agree that Broome is a great town and could easily see ourselves back here one day.

Sunset @ Cable Beach, Broome

This evening we went down to the Town Beach to get some great shots of the Stairway to the Moon. We arrived down there early to get a good vantage point and while we waited we enjoyed a couple of brewskies on the sand.

Sunset @ Cable Beach, Broome

23/07/16 Day 57 (Sa). Tonight we are camped in the CP at Halls Creek. We left Broome on Thursday and after driving 140 km’s we pulled up at road works and Bess stalled. We couldn’t get her going again and one of the works crew had to help me push Bess off the side of the road whilst Lib steered. I tried for over an hour to get her going but to no avail. Eventually I had to give up and ring for a tow. I had no service but the lollypop guy had one bar so using his phone I called the RAC. They had to confirm my details with the NRMA. During this process the phone dropped out 3 times and each time I had to start all over again. In the end I handed his phone back and grabbed mine which was then showing one bar.

Sunset @ Cable Beach, Broome

I managed to organise a tow to Derby which was only 80 km’s away. Whilst I was doing this another of the road crew named Ralphy, who was the grader driver, was talking to Lib and looking at Bess. He had a little more knowledge than me being into racing cars and he found the fault which was a dirty terminal on the fuel switch. After a few jiggles of the wiring she fired up and we were on our way again. Ralphy is a dead set legend! I then rang back the RAC to cancel the tow truck and I also sent the NRMA a text after they’d sent me one to let me know of the arrival time of the tow.

Sunset @ Cable Beach, Broome

As we’d wasted so much time on the side of the road and with the day heating up we made an executive decision to stop for the night at the next roadhouse 40 km’s up the highway. They had a pool which we were much appreciative of as the day climbed to 35C. Not long after we arrived we received a call from the tow company trying to find us as their driver couldn’t locate us on the highway. The RAC had neglected to let them know and had wasted 3 hrs of the drivers time which the lady on the phone had no hesitation in telling me that the NRMA would certainly still be billed for the job. Oops.

Sunset @ Cable Beach, Broome

One thing we are finding out here is that you definitely need to plan your resupplies. We paid $30 for a six pack at one roadhouse (Pardoo) and the fuel at this one was $1.89/L for diesel and petrol. We refuelled prior to leaving Broome ($1.36) and then refuelled again at Fitzroy Crossing ($1.49) and now at Halls Creek ($1.49). The roadhouse price for petrol starts at about $1.60/L.

Sunset @ Cable Beach, Broome

Last night we stayed at Ngumpan Cliffs Lookout which is a 24 hr free camp just off the highway. It was very hot yesterday with the temp gauge inside the van reaching 36C. We saw out the heat of the day and were rewarded with an amazing sunset. We are seeing heaps of termite mounds all through this part of WA. They started around Minilya and have continued throughout with their colours and shapes being many and varied. Also prolific throughout are the birds of prey and the Boab trees. We have seen hundreds of hawks and eagles especially the Wedge Tail.

Town Beach, Stairway to the Moon, Broome

After reaching town today and checking into the CP we took the puppies for a walk through town. They must have a high crime rate here as all the businesses have either heavy gauge roller shutters or 8 Ft. high fences with barbed or razor wire. Also of interest is the fact that from the bottle shops in town you can only purchase light beer under 2.7 %. You can drink anything you want at the Kimberley Hotel or have drinks with dinner at the Best Western Restaurant but takeaway is strictly Light Beer ONLY!

We did detour via the Hotel for a refreshment on our way back to the CP for lunch and an afternoon dip in the pool. The publican was a nice fellow who didn’t mind a chat. Tomorrow we head for Kununurra.

Town Beach, Stairway to the Moon, Broome

Willare Bridge Roadhouse

Sunset @ Ngumpan Cliffs Freecamp

Russian Jack, Halls Creek

Halls Creek

Broome, probably the furthest we could be from home.

12/07/16 Day 46 (Tu). We spent a couple more days relaxing at DeGreys and then ran into a slight hiccup. Our camp spot was a little shady and the solar was having some problems keeping up with charging the batteries so yesterday morning we made the decision to move on and find a CP. As it was a very windy day we only travelled about 100 km’s up the road to Pardoo Roadhouse. It’s a great little CP. Kev (the impromptu caretaker) was very helpful and kept checking in to make sure we had everything we needed. All the sites were grassy and we even took a dip in their nice clean pool in the afternoon.

Bull Shark @ DeGreys.

With our batteries recharged to capacity and our water tanks refilled he headed off this morning. The wind hasn’t stopped blowing from yesterday and was gusting upwards of 60km/h if you can believe the weatherman. I certainly did as we were driving because it took all my concentration just to keep Bess on the road. We drove about 140 km to the Sandfire Roadhouse where we are spending the night. Boy, was I glad to get off the road. In wind like this Bess is like driving a big sail. It’s good when it’s a tail wind, but not so when it’s head on or a cross wind. Today it was both and after driving for an hour and a half I felt like I’d spent all day wrestling a bull.
The Sandfire Roadhouse CP is just a big dust bowl but it’s cheap at $30 a night for a powered site. We did try for an unpowered site but the wind is that fierce that it kept blowing out the pilot light on the fridge. It’s shady and the amenities are clean so it’s all good. Plus there are some interesting locals here including a camel, a white peacock, wallabies, ducks, geese and chooks.
Kev did tell us that this wind will keep blowing through til the end of August and the forecast is for more of the same so we will just keep on jumping in small bounds til we reach Broome.
We spent most of the afternoon enjoying a couple of quiet drinks and playing cards. It was fun and very relaxing.

Sandfire Roadhouse

14/07/16 Day 48 (Th). After refuelling ($1.45/L LPG) we departed the Sandfire Roadhouse and made our way to Barnhill Station where we are camped for two nights. Bess was handling the heat well on the highway but once we turned off onto the sandy, corrugated road into Barnhill we were reduced to a crawl and things started to get a bit hot under the bonnet. As I look back on the drive in it would have seemed comical to onlookers but at the time it was anything but. As the temp gauge started to rise above normal, Lib was jumping out and using her water bottle, spraying the front of the radiator to get some evaporative cooling going on. It worked although she had to jump out three times in 10 km’s. She was running backwards while I kept Bess slowly on the move. The road temp was easily over 35C and putting along at 10-20km/hr was too hot for Bess to handle.
But we made it and didn’t cook the engine. As we get further north it will be something we need to address. But for now we will try traveling earlier in the day so we are off the road by the time it really starts to heat up.

Sandfire Roadhouse

After setting up camp we took the dogs for a walk down on the beach and really saw for the first time the red dust melding with the white sand. It was really something. Also of note were the interesting rock formations. The colours were many and varied. Charlie had heaps of fun tearing up the many pieces of sea sponge he found. There were plenty of people on the beach either swimming, walking, exploring, fishing and one lady was even doing yoga.
There are so many people camped here. Services are limited with the powered sites only operating at 6amps. The toilet blocks have no roof. Most sites have direct access to water. It does seem though that most of the people here return every year for their holidays and some for the entire “season”. Some have even gone so far as to plant vege gardens on their site because they spend so long here (3-4mths).

Sandfire Roadhouse

16/07/16 Day 50 (Sa). Yesterday we got up bright and early and we were on the road before the day started to heat up. Bess handled really well but after we pulled into our camp for the evening we found we had leaked a shed load of oil. After a bit of a look we found the fuel pump and the oil filter had rattled loose so we tightened them up and refilled the oil.

Sandfire Roadhouse

We are now in Broome and probably the furthest we could be from home in NSW. Once we arrived in Broome we found a groomer for Asha. The poor thing has been suffering a bit in the heat with her coat and it has really been collecting heaps of burrs, much to her discomfort and Lib’s frustration. She is shorn so short she is barely recognisable. While that was happening Lib and I went to stock up on supplies and after collecting Asha we then headed to our camp for the next few days at the PCYC oval. At this time of year none of the caravan parks here accept dogs and so there are three makeshift overflow parks which are dog friendly. There is the PCYC, the Pistol Club and one church in town has a nice big oval too.
Once set up, I unhooked the bikes and while Lib was chilling, Charlie and I went for a bit of an explore around town. It is certainly a beautiful town with plenty of palm trees, frangipani’s, and heaps of other tropical trees and plants.
Today we are looking forward to seeing the Courthouse Markets and exploring Cable Beach.