Broome isn't known for broomes....

KRISTY and I drove into Broome with our tongues hanging out like dogs after a days muster and Applejacks rear was heating up.  I have no idea on the exact temperature but we had to stop and we had to stop quick!  You will never guess where Apple led us to first.  The pub.  A pub which had sprinklers hanging off the beams overhead.  Yes it was that hot they had to wet us while we drank.
We couldn't sit there all day as we had to get supplies before finding our Caravan Park but our strength was weak and our sanity was decreasing.  We found ourselves laughing over nothing.  We were verging on delusional so we weaved in and out of air conditioned shops until we found a camping store.  We gathered our goods and our sanity and found the beachfront Park.  Perfect!
We were told to lock Applejack and keep all belongings out of sight.  Lock up?  What is that?  I hadn't completely locked or hid belongings throughout my trip.  (Actually I lie.  That night in Darwin was our first lock down) 
At last our feet were in the sand and our arms reached for the water.  The feeling was delicious.

 





















Three indigenous kids made us laugh for a long time at Roebuck Bay.  They weren't shy as Kristy learnt quickly after they tackled her into the water.  I was lying on the beach thinking "does Kristy know these kids?"  It was hilarious.  They spoke quick and I had trouble understanding them but I was keen to make conversation as they were funny characters.  I asked the little girl if she lived in Broome?
"Nah I live ......"
"You live where?"
She repeated herself atleast five times and I asked atleast five times before Kristy clicked on and shouted the answer to me.  She was trying to tell me her street name and pointing in the direction.  They were very cute and very cheeky.  Kristy had a beer in her hand and they asked what it was.  She said softdrink as I think she felt bad for drinking but the boy said "nah girl you're drunk".  By this stage we were in tears laughing.  They were giving her so much cheek. 

We were loving Broome and meeting great people.  The couple camped next to us had been there for a couple of months and although they had to leave in a few days they sounded like they wanted to stay forever.  We asked them to the pub for tea but they wanted a quiet night.  When Kristy woke up the next morning I am sure she had wished she had stayed at the Park aswell.  Stay tuned to read how Kristy ended up on crutches.......

Derby And The Boab

Derby was a unexpected treat.  The drive into town was gorgeous because of the sunset and intriguing as many caravans were driving out and we were the only van driving in.  We had no idea what it was like but we found a nice open park and was given a site next to some lovely travellers. 
When we found where we wanted to stay the night we'd usually park, go for a walk, set up and think about dinner.  Being hot we were never overly hungry but more interested in having a cold XXXX Summer and maybe biscuits and dip.  We laid on our backs staring up at the stars listening to music for the night and checked out the town the next day before continuing to Broome.  We learnt that Derby actually has the longest tides in Australia.  I think?  Kristy will have to help me out here as she was the one that read it somewhere.  Then we went to the old Boab Tree Jail.  It was sad to think about what had happened there but really interesting.  We then visited the old Prison in town which was also sickening to read about due to the way the Aboriginals were treated by the Europeans when they came to Australia.  

The Boab Prison Tree



The first time I had been pulled over by police on the trip and since I owned him.  We panicked when we saw him coming in the opposite direction as we didn't have our seat belts on.  It was rare to see another vehicle on these roads so we could see him coming int he distance and had just enough time to slip them on sneaky!  He was a lovely guy but when we said we came from Derby he asked to breath test us...we have a feeling he thought we had to be on the juice to stay there the night.  He left us this memorabilia.





Dancing Ahead Of The Storms

LOOKING back through my "Travellers Bible" I am surprised we drove from Kununurra to Derby in one day but when I look at the notes on the bottom of the page written by my travelling friends Marg and Brian I remember again why it is that I chose to drive through.
Halls Creek - Fenced
Fitzroy Crossing - Police Patrol Caravan Park
They had told me a lot about these places before I left and although they warned me it was a bit rough they also said they were safe, but the wet season was catching up to us and I didn't want to stay in a fenced park so I was happy to drive until Derby.  I don't remember this day too clearly compared to others but I do know it was a cold day for Applejack to soldier on without his knickers getting hot and Kristy and I were feeling energetic.  Every other day on the trip I had to be mindful of the heat and how it would effect Applejacks engine as he is air-cooled.  That's what his little yellow ears on his back are for...to keep him cool so if I pushed him too hard I ran the risk of burning him out and I sure as hell didn't want to do that.  On a hot day I would stop regularly and feel his engine and if it was too hot to keep my hand on I'd park under a shady tree and just chill out for a bit.

I was also driving in the opposite direction to the majority of travellers in Australia.  The end of the year in Northern Australia is hot and humid and the summer storms can be big so most southerners are now driving home.  I couldn't go south first otherwise I would have been stuck in floods for sure.  As it worked out I believe I chose the best direction and I only had to cross one flowing creek from Kununurra to Derby.  I got out and started to walk across the creek to check its depth but I admit I was a wee worried a crocodile might start snappin at my ankles out there.  It was bizarre that not long after a bus came from the other side and the driver got out and did the same thing but actually made it the whole way across without dancing around like a fairy waiting to get bitten.  It was safe to drive across so we soldiered on. 

This man in the car was not at all helpful...he wouldn't go in the water...

Wolf Creek.  One of scariest movies I have seen recently and if I got a dollar every time someone referred to it when I told them I was going on this trip I could have had free fuel from Queensland to NT.  It was luckily years since I had seen it and I didn't really remember too much except that they never found the killer but it didn't stop me from sleeping with the doors open.  I was actually excited to see this sign but when I asked Kristy if she wanted to take the turn off into Wolf Creek I got a very quick and loud "NO" from the passenger seat.  Clearly Kristy could remember the movie.

The sun was setting and we had come to an intersection.  We could continue 179km to Broome or turn left and go 41km into Derby which we knew nothing about.  We chose Derby.  The drive was AMAZING!  They have funky trees called the "boab" which are a Kimberly Icon, are also a picture in my mind I will never forget sitting in front of the WA sunset.  I believe you have never experienced the most beautiful sunset of your life until you go to the Northern Territory or the top half of Western Australia.  They certainly make you feel alive.



My windscreen was so clean!  ha



This is definately my favourite tree of the trip...

I Hope This Rum Makes It Home To Dad...

DOING this round Australia trip in such a short amount of time was hard in the way that I couldn't just say "oh yeah lets do that we have plenty of time".  Instead I could only just skim the surface of everywhere and instead say "well I'll definitely have to do this next time"!
Not far outside of Kununurra is Lake Argyle.   You should have seen Kristy and I trying to decide if we should drive the extra 60km to the Lake or go on to the township of Kununurra for the night, or if we should stay one night at each?  I had been told it was gorgeous at Lake Argyle so we were in a pickle.  What to do, what to do!  We sat in Applejack at the turn-off with our fingers on the map.  I kept asking Kristy what she thought and she kept saying "I don't mind".  ha ha So we took the turn to the lake but I kept looking at the dark clouds overhead and just decided to turn around and go into town for the night as the rain may have made it a wet experience anyway.
This could have all happened for a reason so I haven't kicked myself over it even though I missed out on the beauty of the lake because as you will find out when you read on...our trip could have been completely different if I didn't turn around.

The family from Charters Towers had recommended a Caravan Park that their friends managed so we introduced ourselves, checked in and got a map of the area as we had the afternoon to relax.  I must say I really liked Kununurra.  I think there was only one place on my trip that I didn't really like but even this place that you will hear about further into my blog holds a very fond place in my heart.  Australia is amazing!!!!!
Anyway so we jumped in Apple and went for a spin, had lunch on hole one of the golf course, drooled over rivers that we were too scared to jump in because of crocs so went to plan B of a cold alcoholic beverage at the Hoochery Distillery.  Yes we are very smart gals. 
It seemed that every crop imaginable is grown in Kununurra and being the farm girl I am decided to pretend I was a tour guide for Kristy.  Kristy has the footage from this part of our trip and if I can get my hands on it, I think you too should go on the tour.
Grasshoppers also grow thick in this part of the country as Applejack's stomach found out.  I thought his insides were falling out on the road to the Hoochery with all the banging going on but we finally figured out the road ahead was full of grasshoppers and they were really batting themselves underneath.

We were the only tourists at the Hoochery but it definitely wasn't because the place was a dive.  Infact it was great and I was in such a good mood that I lashed out and bought dad a bottle of rum liqueur.  I was given the option to have it sent from the Distillery to my folks farm but I said 'nah I can get this back to Queensland without drinking it and I would love to deliver it personally.  Did it last the trip?  You will just have to keep reading to find out.



Some of the "Australia" movie was made at Kununurra, including the lovely Ivanhoe Crossing..above and below