Day 27 - Broome

Got a bit lucky for the blog today as it's probably the first real cruisey day we have had. I got up and tuned the telly in for I think the 3rd time of the trip to catch a bit of news and saw the Turkey bombings. So I turned it off again and went over to the cafe at reception to get a cappacino. Our plan was to head back out to the Gibb River road in the afternoon to do the Western side of the Kimberley's. Swags are packed in the ute and we decide to go into town to get some supplies and Caroline makes arrangements to get her Pearl set in a necklace. It was the one we cut open and harvested (then bought) at Cygnet Bay (I don't reckon that's how you spell but it's a step up from Signal Bay which is what I've been calling all week). Anyway it was up at Cape Le Vique.

Bill and I decided it was time for haircuts but all the barbers were booked out. We found a flash joint that really bunged on a show - offered us a drink and everything - all for a number 2 all over! And then we had to change seats for a hair wash even though we had bugger all hair left. It was pretty cool and the seat was one of those massage jobs. Very flash. I think I'll get one for the half star!

 

 

After that I dropped the troops off to Target while I went out to get our new awning. On the way I bumped into Blanch (Chris Blanchard) again who was also feeling a bit dusty from the cook up we had on Cable Beach last night. I followed him to Outback Spirit headquarters to give the ute a quick tub and tell him we are off and would be back on the weekend.

From there I pick up the troops, buy a hotdog and a squishy from a lady named Wendy. Not a bad hotdog at all -and she must be very proud of herself because her name was on everything.

We then load up the 5m awning onto the back of the ute. I really should have taken a photo of that but I was keen to get on with running the gauntlet back to camp. I shouldn't have worried though - I couldn't have looked any more out of place than this bloke who lost one thong -  (or found one!)

 

The day was getting past us so we decided to strike out for the Gibb in the morning. The kids go for a swim at the caravan park and we then bail into the ute and head back down to Cable Beach for a swim and a kick of the footy. From there we find a restaurant on the beach and head back to camp.

 

 

By far the best news of the day was received well after night while having a beer and picking at my guitar. The phone rings and our good mates Tim and Clare Robinson are now a Mum and Dad !- actually the other way around!! This makes our other good mates Greg and Trish a Pop and Nan! And Dave and Elise an uncle and Aunty ... And the list goes on !!

With that news I crack another beer and toast the Robinsons and then head to bed. Kimberley's in the morning.

Day 26 Kooljaman to Broome by Adelaide

This morning we woke up and I rolled up my swag. 

We went and played on the beach.

 

 

Then we saw an aboriginal man and he took us to heaps of beaches, and there was one that we weren't allowed in because there was a crocodile.

The aboriginal man (Brian Lee) taught us how to make a shell whistle, how to do spear fishing and snorkel diving. 

 

 

 

He talked for a long time.

We drove on the beach.

 

 

 

Then we stopped at a petrol station, then drove back to Broome.

We had a fire on Cable Beach and a sausage with Chelsea, Dirty (Dustin) and their Mum and Dad. (Chris and Annita)

 

We saw camamels on the beach.  

Goodnight🎂🕋😴👙❤️🌺🙈🐼🐯🌲🌴🐲🌵🎄

From Adelaide🕍🐴😀🐴😀🏊👛💍👛👝🌂💍🐼🐽🐧🐗🐛🐌🐫🕷🐌🐞🐞🙉

Day 25 Broome to Cape Leveque🐴 by Emily 🐎

This morning we got up and wrapped up our swags. Then we went to the shops and got some stuff.

Now we are in the car🚘.

We are driving on a dirt road and it looks like this

 

We saw a sign that was a donkey but it looked like a unicorn

 

We saw a school bus but it was a truck. It looked like this 

 

Then we went to a church at Beagle Bay. The alter was made of pearl shells. 

 

And then we went to the shops and bought some stuff.

Now we are in the car.

Now we are at Cygnet Bay pearl farm.

There was lots of pearls and we learnt where pearls came from.

We bought this one

 

We saw a boat come towards the sand and we saw it put down its wheels and drive onto the beach like an aeroplane. 

We had lunch and there was an infinity pool. 🏊

 

Then Bill and I went to get some sand.

Right now we are in the car and we are going to a fishing place.🏇 ( hatchery )

Right now we are in the fishing place.

At the fishing place there was some different kinds of fish.

This is what it looked like.

 And there was some of the fish on the movie Finding Dory.

This is what it looked like.

We got to touch them. When we tried to touch them they head butted us to protect their eneneme.

And there was some barramundis and Bill got to feed them.

When Bill was feeding the barramundis it jumped up at it opened up his mouth. It made a big noise and gave Bill a big fright. It was very funny. 

There were some Archer fish. They spit out water to knock their food into the water. 

Then we brought some shells.

Then Bill and Dad went to go for a fish.

We took a picture of it.

 Right now we are in the car again.

Now we have stopped at a place called Kooljaman.

And we took a picture of us.

This is what it looked like.

  Just then we went to the beach. 

We went back to the camp ground.

And we rolled our own swags out.

Now we are going to bed.

Good night 😴

By Emily.🐎

Day 24 Broome to Broome. By Bill

This morning we went for a walk down to the beach and it looked like this On the way back we saw some camels walking towards the beach. This is what they looked like. Now Mum has gone to get the washing. Just to let you know it's Adelaides birthday today so tonight we are going somewhere and watching finding Dori under the stars.

 We just went to the markets. At the markets there was a girl and she said don't touch the glass things. Then she said to another girl I hate it when parents don't look after there kids properly then Dad said they are my kids and if you are the expert I'll take some notes. 

We went on a jetty and we could see heeps of small orange crabs with one big claw. This is what it looked like.

 

Then we went to about four or five pearl shops and Adelaide spent $40 for 4 lucky dips, Emily brought two and Jess and Tilly brought one. At the last perl shop we got a post card and there was a big ship and it looked like this 

 

Dad had had enough pearls so he went to the pub and saw our friends there from Gerogery. After we went to the pub our friends came to our float and we had a talk. Whilst mum and the other girl ( Anita) were talking dad and the other man (Chris) were fixing the gear box in the ute and because the man was a machanic he fixed it. After they left we went to the movies but we didn't watch it outside because that was yesterday. This is us in the movies Now we are going to bed. Goodnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Day 23 The Bungle Bungles to Broome by Tilly

This morning we got up and had breakfast. Then Dad met a family who are on the road for 17 months. After they were finished talking we started driving.

We have been seeing a lot of Brahmans. At the moment Jess and Dad are playing wave cricket. Now we are listening to Fanny Lumsden.

Now we are pulling up at a petrol station. At the petrol station Dad fuelled up and we met a lady who liked the look of our float, so Dad gave her a card. I was going to swap seats with Jess, but it was too early.

Then we started driving again. We stopped at Fitzroy Crossing and got some petrol and we were going to stay there, but we didn't because it was too scary. There was some people who keep breaking in and ruining their stuff.

Now we are driving. We have stopped on the side of the road and got some lunch and water. We ate it in the car.

Just then we stopped at Willare Bridge and got some petrol. On the toilet entrance there was heaps of cow skulls.

 

 When we were paying for the petrol we saw two cows and Dad said they look like they are about to come charging for someone. Now we are driving to Broome.

We have got Siri to guide us to Broome. Siri has decided to guide us to a dirt road which we weren't happy about.

 We have made it to Broome. It took a lot of effort to get into our spot.

Just then we saw a police car drive in and stop outside the boom-gate. Then a policeman got out and took a man out of the back and followed him to his caravan. There was a policewoman in the car and she waved to me, so I waved back.

We just went to a pub to get tea, but it was full of people, so we got back in the car (which we think it is slowly breaking down) and drove to another place which we were going to get tea, but realised it was a bar. So we ended up going to a cafe for tea. We all had nuggets and chips.

Now we are back at the float, about to go to sleep.

Day 22 Bungle Bungles by Jess

Day 22!

This morning we woke up at the Bungle Bungles. Today we were going to do some of the walks near it. The caravan park is near the Bungle Bungles but we still have got an hour and a half drive to get there. On the way to the Bungle Bungles there was a rock that looked like an elephant.

 

We are finally there. They are orange and black and have stripes. Here is a picture of the Bungle Bungles.

 

The first walk was to cathedral gorge.  It was a sandy walk in and the water in the gorge was green. This is what it looked like...

 

 

                                 We have done one walk and so now we are going to do the second walk. It is really hot walking in the sun.

The second walk was called Echidna Chasm.

The second walk gets lit up by the sun but we were a little bit to late to see the whole thing to get lit up. Both of the walks were two kilometres each. Here is a photo of the second lookout type thing.

 

We are now on our way back to the caravan park. The road is horrible and is making me a bit carsick. We are now back at the horse float and Emily and Adelaide have gone to have a shower. Bill found some rocks that he wants to polish and sell. Dad doesn't reckon that they will make much money but Bill dosn't really care.

I just had a shower and it is nearly tea time. For tea we are having sausages. It is getting dark and there is a pretty red sunset. 

 

Tonight we are going to watch the movie The Wizard Of Oz. We are now going to bed. Goodnight.😊

Day 21. Lake Argyle to Mabel Downs. By Caroline.

We left Lake Argyle this morning and came into Kununurra have a look at some Argyle Diamonds. The lady in the shop gave each of the kids a " pink diamond " ( blue for Bill ) which they were pretty excited about. They showed Danny, who told the lady that they weren't quite as sparkly as he'd expected. She admitted then, that they were only plastic, and they generally don't just give away the pink diamonds!  

She was more than happy for us to try anything on, even though she knew that we probably weren't going to buy anything.  Prices on display ranged from $1500 to $375,000, so I came away empty handed. ( except for the 5 plastic diamonds) 

We then took off to the Great Northern Highway, and starting heading East.

Not much happened for the rest of the day.  We arrived at Mabel  Downs, where we are staying tonight, before we leave the float here and take the 4wd track into the bungle bungles tomorrow. 

The kids are showered ( some of them) the sun is setting and tea is on.  Emmy and Addy are pretty proud of themselves for showering by themselves.  Emmy decided that it was too hard to unknot her hair tie before she washed her hair, so she just washed around it.  You can imagine the birds nest that I had to deal with!!

 

Our camp site tonight is really just dirt and rocks, but the kids are happy.

 

The showers here are pretty cool. They are just a tin shed with no roof, so you literally shower under the stars, and the stars here are amazing.  The only downside is that you have to share the showers with the cane toads. 

El Questro has the same sort of set up, but these ones are much bigger and more remote, and there isn't a line up.

That's all for today.  Goodnight.

Day 20 - Lake Argyle by Danny

Oh man my turn again. Caroline promised me I'd only have to blog every 7th day but it seems to come around once a week (haha, another Dad joke - the kids love 'em!).

Righto day 20, the budget is blown and we are a week behind schedule and who cares, we are having the time of our life.

I woke up this morning with a cracking headache which seems to be not so much from the 6-8 beers I had last night (and the night before, and the night before ....) but from the lack of water I have been drinking - which seems ironic seeing as we have decided to stay another night at Lake Argyle which is a fresh water dam some 18 times the size of Sydney harbour (100 times at full capacity). Out of all the facts and figures we have been given, the best way to describe it is ....it's really big. Actually the girl at the reception desk reckoned really big but I reckon it's really really big, and I reckon all the details on all the brochures relating to size and volume should be changed to reflect that up to date interpretation.

The beers last night were consumed watching and laughing at Adelaide dancing to a live soloist. Often she had the 'dance floor' to herself and the crowd in stitches. At other time Tilly as looking after her, as she does often. Her big finale was a jump in the air landing in the splits position which brought the singer to a stop and the crowd to their feet. After stopping mid song he walked off stage and gave her a CD and then took off again from the point where he was up to. Very funny stuff. Fair dinkum that kid will go alright when she gets a bit of confidence!

Come to think of it I think I have had a few beers every afternoon since being on the road. I'm starting to look a cross between an Ethiopian taxi driver and ET. I'm going to give giving up the beers some serious thought soon. It's 6:30 am and Bill just ran in to say there is a lady running an exercise class down near the pool and he reckons I should go down there - I tell him I'm busy thinking about something.

Up and at 'em we have breakfast, I do a bit of leather work for new straps on Jess's swag, and we are booked in for a lunchtime cruise. We marshall at reception at 9:15 for the cruise. The cruise was absolutely stunning complete with a complimentary lunch of roast fish, all the trimmings and beers or wine.

It's not a good day to give up beer!

We are assured by the guides that there are only fresh water crocs in these waters and after I get a satisfactory answer to "have they EVER pulled a salty out of this lake?" We jump in for a swim. The water sits at a constant 26 degrees, or thereabouts, and it was awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are told that the sex of a freshwater croc is entirely dependant on temperature. Anything above or below 38 degrees will result in a girl and exactly 38 degrees will produce a male. So there you go fellas, take note of a species that have survived hundreds of millions of years, if you want to throw a boy you have to adjust the briefs to get the jewels hanging at exactly the right temperature.

It really is a great cruise and on the way back the tour guides announces that our children are the best behaved kids they have ever had on the boat. They go on to say usually when there are kids on the boat it is the tour guides who want to jump in the water. They radio ahead back to the caravan park to make sure management have a free ice cream each for each of them upon our return to the park. The other cruisers applaud the kids and it is a very proud mum and dad moment.

 

Back at the caravan park we bump into Fanny Lumsden and her partner Dan who have coincidentally pulled up beside us to camp the night. Fanny is an accomplished country singer and has come a long way from the young girl I remember strumming around a campfire in the upper Murray, and it was really great catching up with her and meeting Dan, a gentleman and yet another good bloke we have met on the road.

 

 

Not a good day to give up bear!

We are making a habit of meeting old friends on this trip that are flung far and wide - and meeting new ones.

We enjoy a couple of beers and then make our way to the infinity pool for a photo of the sunset back drop on the lake, and then down the short but steep hike to have another swim and a fish in the lake, hoping to better the one black brim we caught last night.

 

 

 

 

On dusk we all tidy up to head over to the beer garden for a meal and Fanny and Dan join the Phegan clan to watch the state of origin.

Not a gday to give a beer...

NSW struggles to get over the line in a thrilling game and in doing so fail seal what has nearly been the perfect day. A couple more beers with Dan and we retire to where we are camped for a few tunes and guitars are out.

It's really not a beer day to give up good (hiccup...)...

Pretty soon a park manager comes over to politely tell us it's 9pm and the kids are all in bed and we should wind down. Not our kids the grey nomads. We accept the umpires decision and hang the guitars up and settle into a night cap.

A great day and a great night, with the only sobering moment hearing my grate mate Colin Mitchell has been crook with his cancer battle. We have shared many adventures and there are many to come. Makes a bloke wonder why he doesn't pack up the missus and kids and work/travel full time.

 Not a good day to give up beer. Keep up the fight Wobbles.

Night.