Finally it was time to head to Broome, the spot we’d been looking forward to for months. Also this was Adam’s birthday week!
We were actually lucky to even be going here as every caravan park in the area was booked out, and this was a couple of months ago when we were booking it. We managed to get 5 nights after they moved around a couple of spots just for us. Lucky!
Wednesday, Jul 19th – (day 104)
After a pleasant stay in Eighty Mile Beach, it was time to hit the road to another coastal town in Broome. The drive was just under 3 hours and we continued listening to Alexander X and some trading podcasts on our travels.
On the journey we had to stop for fuel at some dusty little roadhouse. Every man and his dog had stopped here so it was a good 30 minute wait, plus it cost $113 to put in 48 litres. What a rort!
We arrived in Broome around 1pm and for once we had a nice green spot surrounded with palm trees. It made a change for the red, dusty barren places we’ve been lately.
Well, it appeared nice, but we were stuck next to a couple of bogans who were chain smokers. They’d nearly gone through 3 cigarettes by the time it took us to setup our caravan and the wind made it waft straight into our faces.
Not to mention they were blasting loud music, and seemed to be constantly on phone conversations with hands free turned on. It was so bad that we went to the front desk to find out when they were checking out. The lady said they had checked in today, but were only here for two nights, so that was some positive news at least.
Rather than hang around, we explored the park a bit, then went for a drive to the shopping centre to get some food for tea. There was a shopping centre here which was basically the equivalent to Wendouree Village back home and a nice big Woolworths.
The rest of the night we chilled out back at the caravan like we usually do and continued watching The Bear.
Thursday, Jul 20th – (Day 105)
Happy birthday Adam! Today he was turning 39yo and a day of secret activities were planned.
First things first was a bit of breakfast and reading out in the sun by the caravan (and trying to avoid cigarette smoke from next door). Then it was off for the first activity.
It was a 70 minute massage at the shopping mall we were at yesterday, thanks to Linda’s mum! And it was absolutely awesome, just what was needed after a lot of long drives and sitting in one spot lately. After that Linnie bought a pack of Furry Friends, my favourite chocolates.
The next adventure was lunch at Matso’s Brewery. We got a burger, had some awesome beers and played some boardgames for the first time in ages. Linda even bought a new game to play, but unfortunately it was 3 players minimum. This one would have to wait!
We played Hive, Love Letter, Ecosystem and Battleships with Adam running out the winner 3-1 in a landslide.
Next we went to check out Cable Beach which is highly recommended. I can see why it’s recommended as it’s absolutely stunning. Beautiful bright aqua water, good waves, palm trees and amazing weather. We didn’t have our bathers, but I ended up just going in the water with my jocks.
We ended up staying at the beach for a few hours and on the way back got some ingredients from Coles to make pizza for tea. After tea, we headed to a night market around the corner which was surprisingly very good.
We also watched the last half hour of the Matilda’s World Cup opener against Ireland on our phone, which they won 1-0. Dunno if we’ll get into this World Cup, but it was good watching the opener anyway.
Then it was on to Sun Theaters to finish the day with a movie. This movie theatre was outside under the stars and is apparently the oldest outdoor theatre in the world. It was done up like a retro Hollywood theatre from the early 20th century and it was absolutely amazing.
The only movie they had on was the new Indiana Jones movie. I hadn’t really seen the others and this wasn’t my first choice, but it’s all they had on. Fortunately the movie was really good.
That was about it for the day. It was one of the better birthdays I’ve had and one I’ll remember. Linnie did a good job!
Friday, Jul 21st – (DAy 106)
It was going to be hard to top yesterday, so we ended up taking it easy today with a beach day planned back at Cable Beach.
We spent most of the morning relaxing around the caravan park and enjoying the amazing weather. Linda even got up nice and early for a 7:30am yoga session, which seemed to do more harm than good, leaving her with a sore back.
Also great news! The chain smoker idiots from next door left today and were replaced by a friendly family, so we were very happy.
After a bit of lunch we drove back to Cable Beach and spent the next few hours enjoying the sun and the amazing beach. Even Linda came in for a swim, so you know it’s a good beach when that happens!
When we got back home we got stuck into some online boardgames with Jamie and Rach and forgot we had nothing to eat for tea, so ended up just eating a loaf of fruitloaf that we bought on Wednesday which we’d forgot about. This has become our new favourite food lately.
After that we watched The Bear again and ended up having an earlier night than usual. Going to the beach is relaxing, but it also takes it out of you too.
Saturday, Jul 22nd – (Day 107)
Adam resumed his piano lessons this morning now that we actually have some decent internet again. It was a lesson on odd time signatures which was pretty challenging.
Then the rest of today was like a mirror of yesterday. We went to the beach again, but this time we stopped by the general store to pick up some lunch. A container of fruit and veg. Pricey, but damn nice.
At the beach we tried listening to some of the Carlton vs West Coast game but the reception made that nearly impossible. The Blues won easily with Curnow kicking 10 goals.
A shame, as it would have been good to listen to, but when you have a beach this good and limited amount of days, you need to take advantage.
After a few hours of swimming, sleeping and reading in the sun, we stopped via Woolworths to get some risotto for tea, then come back to the caravan like we normally do.
We had the footy going on the radio and did our own things for the rest of the evening, then finished the night watching The Bear again. We also had a win with some washing detergent. After losing a few this trip, we got a free fill up when someone left theirs behind.
Only one more day left in Broome, it’s going to be missed!
Sunday, July 23rd – (Day 108)
Last day in Broome! Given this would be the last beach we’d see for a while, and an awesome beach at that, our plan today was to do one last beach day whilst here.
We spent the morning at the park and cooked ourselves a picnic lunch, then set off for Cable Beach around 11am. Unfortunately it was super windy so we weren’t able to rent an umbrella this time.
The wind was blowing sand everywhere and the water was a bit colder and more choppy than previous days, so we had a quick swim and then headed off earlier than planned.
On the way back we made a few stops along the coast to check out the area. First stop was Gantheaume Point which is a big rock formation along the ocean.
It’s famous for having imprints of dinosaurs, but you need to be lucky with the tide being out. We missed out on seeing it unfortunately.
Next up we drove along a dirt track and come across a remote beach called Riddell Beach. Finally we stopped at Kabbarli Lookout right near the port.
Then it was back to the park where we did a long overdue load of laundry. We also went back to the mall for the last time to stock up on supplies for the next few days, then we spent the rest of the evening enjoying the weather at the park.
