Finishing Up In Broome

Yesterday (Thursday) was another cruisie sort of a day.  Restocked the pantry, found some very nice souvenirs, fueled up The Turtle and then decided to relax on the beach (again).  Our friends, Dave and Trish, from Darwin were still in town so they also came down for a couple of drinks with us.  A very pleasant afternoon on the beach whilst we watched the camel trains do their thing and then the influx of people who were coming down to watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean.  It turned out to be an ordinary sunset as their were no clouds to capture the sun's rays.

The Turtle watching the Sunset

Enjoying Life with Good Company!!

Today (Friday) we did our trip up to Cape Leveque - about 250 klms north of Broome on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula.  We had heard that not only was it was a beautiful part of the world but that most of the road was unsealed and very rough!  There were also tales from fellow travellers over the weeks about their misfortunes on this particular road.  So we went on a four wheel drive tour to Cape Leveque so that The Captain could have a rest, The Deckie would not stress and The Turtle was not bashed and battered around.

It was a small group of twelve people and we all had a great time even though it was a long day.

We were picked up from our caravan park at 0645 hours and then collected the other passengers before heading out of town and turning north.  Our first stop was at Beagle Bay where we had morning tea and viewed a beautiful little Church that was built between 1915 and 1918.  What is remarkable about this Church is that the Altar, the windows and even the floor has been inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl shells.  Even more remarkable was that it didn't fall down with shock when The Deckie walked inside of it!

Beagle Bay Church

The Altar

After Beagle Bay, our next stop was One Arm Point (right up the top of the Dampier Peninsula) where the local community is running an Aquaculture Hatchery.  This Hatchery was started up some years ago to grow Trochus Shells (a marine snail used for making pearl buttons) which had been decimated by the then farming practices and poaching.  They have diversified into other aquatic life as well as tourism.  The 'touch pool' was interesting and we were able to play with some of the occupants.

The Deckie with a Star Fish

The Captain with a Sea Urchin

There were some lovely bracelets made from Trochus shells for sale as well as some other really nice stuff but the silly buggers didn't have EFTPOS.  Oh well, saved my money for another time!

Back onto the bus and we headed into Cygnet Bay (just up the road from One Arm Point) to do a tour of the pearl farm.  A very yummy lunch was provided and then onto the tour.  Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm is the oldest pearl farm in Australia and is still being run by descendents of the original owner.  The Farm has only recently opened its doors to the general public as well as having a very nice retail outlet in Broome.

After the general tour, we also spent some time doing some "pearl appreciation" - a very nice experience, particularly when The Deckie was allowed to try on a strand of pearls.  And they were a bargain - in the retail shop in town they would have set me back around $100,000 but at the Farm they were only $53,000.  Yes, they did have EFTPOS there but............

The Deckie's Pearls!!

Back onto the bus and we headed for the beach at Cape Leveque itself where we actually spent some quiet time - some went for a swim but we decided to look for shells and have a glass of wine.  A much better option than getting wet as it was also starting to cool down a bit.

After our little reprieve, it was back onto the bus and over to the western beach for a late afternoon tea and to watch the sunset.  The cliffs on that part of the Cape were just brilliant in the setting sun and were a stark contrast to the very white sand on the beach and the beautiful blue ocean waters.

Cape Leveque looking north

Enjoying the Sunset

Lighting up the Sky

Back onto the bus and we were out of there to arrive back in Broome and dropped off at the door at 2100hrs (9pm).  It was a fabulous day and the general consensus was that it was made better by not having to drive!!

The sunset at Cape Leveque was special for us as it will be the last time we will see the sun setting over the Indian Ocean for a quite some time. Tomorrow (Saturday), Team Turtle will be heading 'back east' but definitely taking our time.  There are still many things to see between here and Kununurra that we didn't see on the way over.

It may be a few days before I do some more blogging as there may not be any coverage but, rest assured, I will update you as soon as possible.  After all, there are many kilometres to cover and adventures to have!!