Broome and Cape Leveque

BROOME 22ND – 29^TH MAY

Broome has had many ups and downs like most remote towns in Australia. It was once a booming pearling town back in the 1880’s due to the discovery of the largest pearl shell in the world called “Pinctada maxima”, it was found in the waters of Roebuck Bay. After this find Broome then produced 80% of the worlds Mother of Pearl Shell, that’s a lot of buttons! There were 403 pearl luggers (boats) registered by 1913. Pearl diving was not an easy job though with the men, mostly Chinese, wearing those old heavy diving suits with the glass bubble on their heads, allot of men died being subjected to the “bends”, drowning, shark attack or cyclones. The development of the plastic button in the 1950’s sealed the fate of the Mother of Pearl shell industry. Broome bounced back though with a “cultured” pearl and now produces 60% - 70% of the world’s large cultured pearls. Then the 1980’s came and along with that came tourism and grey nomads from the baby boomers era!!!

Broome is now geared at Tourism and more for those with money to burn, single or old! You can stay in exclusive large resorts near Cable Beach or large C.P. We were just before peak rates and payed $50 a night for 4 it was going up to $50 a night for couples in July! We stayed in a C.P just 5 km out of town called The Broome C.P it was a nice park but lacked a camp kitchen  but it did have a lovely pool, shady sites and quiet tenants. Lou and Michael we did go and walk through cable beach C.P to see how it had changed and if you remember when we stayed there it was treeless and bare out back, not anymore, very shady but still all on gravel!



These handle bars are meant to be black. Just showing you what
happens to things when you travel on red dirt roads!
This was the day we pulled into Broome, it took us over an hour just
to get the camper up because we cleaned  as we went!




The pool we had to enjoy, it was extremely cold  and the kids couldn't stand up
in it, they went swimming with their flippers and masks!



There are now two shopping areas in Broome. Chinatown was the old Broome  and it still has a nice feeling to it with its Asian influenced architecture, alleys and pearl shops but one thing Pete picked up on was the large amount of Aborigines hanging about, they weren’t there 12 years ago. We did ask about that and yes they have increased in numbers. Apparently it was allot worse 2 years ago and the council has done some work to clean things up.

The Shell Shop is definitely worth a look into, a great display of all the different shells found in the area.

Then there is a new shopping plaza out near the International Airport which is clean and well equipped with the popular type of shops and a Woolworth's.

We went out to Gantheaume Point where you can see dinosaur footprints left in the sandstone at low tide. The tide wasn’t very low for us so we only got to see a few but there are more prints further out and at times you can see a plane wreck which I think is left from the war.

A dinosaur footprint!



The cliffs at Gantheaume Point.



Gantheaume Point is also home to the old light house and light house keeper’s cottage. In the sandstone rock ledge the former light house keeper built a pool for his wife Anastasia who had arthritis. It would fill at high tide and give her plenty of time to rest in it before the next tide was due in.

 The pool is called Anastasia’s Pool after her.  Yes the picture is blurry Tom had trouble keeping the camera still.   

Anastasia's pool, it is hard to see but we are up on a cliff, about
a meter behind us there is a drop to the next level of rocks then the ocean.

When in Broome you have to do the right thing and go and watch the sunset on Cable Beach. Yes it is a nice beach but we think we have seen better! One of the most popular things to do up here is to go for a camel ride along the beach at sunset! Sorry, can’t tell you if it is worth it, haven’t done it! We prefer to sit and enjoy it with a drink in hand!!!   We caught up with Mike and Trish this night to watch the sunset.



Cable beach, another sunset!!




By our second day in Broome we had started the job search and had applied for a few jobs on line and spoken to a contact in Derby (thanks Martin). By the following Tuesday Pete had a job in Derby with a cabinet maker for three weeks and we had our finger in the pie for a cattle station in the Kimberly’s, we were just waiting to hear back from the manager. So we packed up from Broome and did a quick trip up to Cape Leveque before going to Derby.

Thanks Fiona for suggesting to Pete that I should get a pearl for my 40th, unfortunatley our money doesn't stretch that far!!!

CAPE LEVEQUE 30^TH – 31^ST MAY

We had heard different reports about the road condition up to Cape Leveque for the first half of it which is sandy and corrugated but it wasn’t too bad.



The road to Cape Leveque



 Once you get to the Beagle Bay turn off it is all bitumen now anyway. Beagle Bay was high on my list because we missed it last time due to Thack’s car having electrical problems...mmm remember that... the old Toyota had to tow the new Toyota, Ha. They were good times!!!

Anyway, Beagle Bay is an Aboriginal Community and what I wanted to see was the Sacred Heart Church. My mum and dad has a photo of my sister Julie and I standing beside the most amazing shell altar when we were about 2 and 4 years old. I doubt it has changed except for the fact that there is a rope and sign preventing you from standing right next to it now!



Sacred Heart Church with the bell tower in the front.




The beautiful shell altar.




Now I have a photo similar to you mum and dad!



These are the windows they are all
framed with the mother of pearl shells.





From the back of the church looking up to the altar.



The church was built in 1915 – 1917 and it is nearly all still original. The bell tower collapsed in 2001 and a new one built in 2002 just like it.

 It was built by German Priests and Brothers and local people during World War 1 as a statement of faith and unity. The locals didn’t want the mission to close but with the war the German priests and brothers were under threat of arrest and internment  so they were placed under “house arrest” at Beagle Bay and a police guard was posted at the mission where they built the church. The design itself came from a photograph of a country parish in Germany that one of the German brothers had with him. Together they carted carts of clay, sand, wood and shell to form bricks then fire them in local kilns; 60,000 bricks to make the base, another 30,000 were made for the 12 meter bell tower. I would have loved to have seen the original ceiling which was built out of bush timber and plastered with lime then inlayed with mother of pearl shells to replicate the stars, but white ants soon made short work of that so a metal roof was made from flattened kerosene tins . The building was completed in 1917 then Fr.Droste worked with a team of local women to make the shell decorations in the church. Mother of Pearl, cowries, volutes and olive shells all collected locally make up the mix.

Hard to believe but they didn’t make you pay to go in!!! They only ask you leave a small donation if you wish to take a brochure, which we did. I am so glad we have been to see this beautiful piece of art work, well worth it. The other thing that totally surprised us was how clean the community was, no rubbish scattered around and the small school was buzzing with kids.

From here we made our way back out to the main road and headed on up to One Arm Point, another Aboriginal Community at the very top of Cape Leveque. We wanted to do a tour of the hatchery so we asked around what time and how much and decided to come back in the morning because you cannot camp in communities. We were told of a camp called Gambana which is owned and run by an Aboriginal, he just wasn’t there but we found a lady who told us it was fine to camp there so we went in and set up in a lovely spot overlooking the water.Later that afternoon the owner’s son came by and collected $15 per adult per night. We had heard it was a cheaper option than the main C.P. at Kooljaman but still $30 a night was a bit steep for no power, a flushing toilet and cold shower, but it was a nice quiet spot and we were able to have a fire which was lovely.




Our camp spot at Gambana.




The boys are proud because they collected the fire wood and
started the fire, good job.





The tides here are around 10 meters and to see the difference in the water is amazing.



Pete standing down near the waters edge at low tide this  gives you an indication of
how low it is. When we came down to see the level of the water we got a huge surprise
to see the large sand bar in the water as well. Now check out the photo below taken form the same spot
but at high tide check the depth against the tree on the right! 




High tide and the water has risen about 10 meters. That is a huge volume of water!







Proof of Pete's catch.



While Pete was fishing at low tide (yes he did catch a fish) I went exploring on the rocks which were covered in small oyster shells, no thanks. You do not want to slip on these because you would be cut to shreds on them. I found a trochus shell, which we have started to clean out and will keep if we can get the smell out of it. Trochus shells are very popular up here, apart from the Aborigines eating the muscle out of them they can be polished back to have the look of pearl. The last time we were here we couldn’t buy any so mum and dad got some for us when they stopped by a few years later. They sell for about $50 a shell or they make jewellery out of them. Pete is going to have a go at polishing this one up.

This is the Trochus shell I found, thought I better take a photo of it so people know what I am talking about. If you can see on the photo on the right at the centre of the shell a shiny bit like pearl, this is what the rest of the shell will come up like when you polish it.

So the next day we headed back to One Arm Point, paid our $10 per Adult which is a fee the Aborigines charge just for you to come to their community and it also gave us entry to the hatchery. We do not recall the hatchery being here 12 years ago but the one factory which was here then was a big trochus cleaning area and that is no longer in use. The hatchery was built as an aquaculture centre where they are meant to breed fish, trochus and other marine life but the Aborigines were meant to run it or at least help. As with most things left up to the “locals” they never work out. An older man runs it and now it is just a tourist attraction to see and feed some barramundi, turtles and buy trochus shells if he has any. We still had a great time and the boys got to feed the HUGE barramundi which scared the life out of them!



Inside the hatchery, these little pools hold the fish, turtles and
shells, not all are in use.




Explains the Trochus shells




Explains the Barramundi, the most popular fish here.




The Green Turtles ( that is what they are called), the boys really enjoyed these guys.




This is a Barramundi Cod Fish, Tom fed this guy.



These are Barramundi fish and even though they do not look
it they are huge, about a meter long and would weigh around 40kg.
One is 8 years old and has spent most of those 8 years in this pool!
The boys fed these guys and you do not want to have a heart condition to do so!



This was all I could get from Charlie feeding them. You can make out the mouth of the barra sticking out of the water and now I will explain why Charlie's hand is high in the air.
You are given a strip of fish about 15cm long, you place it so about 1cm is in the water and a foot away from the side of the tank and you do not move. The fish comes up slowly, smells it then as quick as anything you here a snap and see a splash and it is gone, it scares the life out of you, even though you know it is coming, he didn't warn us the first time and I was so surprised Tom didn't  cry, instead he laughed and said"cool!' I would have sworn!!!




 We went for a drive to look at Kooljaman Resort and see how much it has grown and changed and yes it has done all that. We had heard that if you go into the office when you get there they would charge you a fee just to go in and have a look, so we parked out front and walked in! There is now a new office come large café/ dining area at the front. There was three types of accommodation; huts, set up large touring tent groups and camping spots. They were scattered all over the place, in and amongst the hills. It wasn’t that busy yet but I am sure in July they are over flowing. At the very beginning of the Cape Leveque Road there is a sign that you must pre-book a sight at this camp ground before coming.  

 The back beach (east beach) looked lovely still, very inviting to have a swim, wish we had have bought the bathers!



Looks inviting doesn't it!





We went down to the west side where the amazing red cliffs are still looking stunning in the sun.



The lovely red cliffs on the west beach.




Looking down the beach, love the colours of the red cliffs, sand and water and
lets not forget the blue sky.




The colours of the rocks look great.



    

Back to our quiet camp spot to watch another amazing sunset, have a fire and go to bed early.

Thanks to the great mobile service we had spoken to a friend, Gary, the night before and he suggested we take the alternative 4WD road off Cape Leveque for it will be quicker and less corrugated so we did. Once we found it due to our map having it in the wrong place we travelled down it. Thank you Gary it was a great track, we saw no other vehicles and the track was better. Here are some pictures of what it was like....



The track, it was a bit overgrown in places
but in very good condition.





Signs along the way.











This was a beautiful spot with the green grass through the trees.
There was still a bit of water in the low lying area.



You use what ever you have for signs out here! yes it is a toilet
cistern.



The wash out! Charlie's head is the height of the road.





Nice and tight for the trailer.

This track comes out at the highway and right beside a house called Kimberly Coloured Sandstone. We were stopped having lunch when a man approached us. He just wanted to let us know there was a large wash out up the track but we told him we had just come down it so all was ok. He lived in the house part time when he wasn't at his  home on the station and he invited us in to have a look at it. It was built by an old "wog" about 30 years ago and he sourced the stone from a hill near by.He cut and shaped every stone himself, he had even done the floor, it looked fabulous, unfortunatly I didn't get a photo of it. This stone is very rare and nearly all of it gone, he told us it was used in the building of Federation Square in Melbourne, so there you go.