Beaches and camel bumps in Broome

After a long drive it was nice to pull into the caravan park, find our shady spot and head for the pool. After 6 months of travel around Australia we have a few ideas of what to look for when finding a suitable park . One is proximity to tourist attractions, two is cost and three is recommendations from other travellers.

We had a few days together before Josh was to leave us again for a week. We spent a day at Cable Beach surfing and riding the waves which was great. The airport is right in the centre of town so wherever you are, there is always a plane flying above you and the beach is no exception.

We had heard from a friend that the astronomy tours were also very good so we went one evening for a couple of hours. It was run by quite an eccentric man who was self- taught after many years as a Jackaroo gazing at the stars from his swag. The tour began quite late so we were unsure of how Jem and Ruby would be go throughout the night but we were keen to do it nonetheless. There were many telescopes set up, large and small to look through but none as exciting as the one which you could view the rings of Saturn with. We had such a clear view of the rings you could almost touch them. Slowly but surely they started dropping like flies and Jem and Rubes were asleep. It was a great evening and Oscar particularly enjoyed being able to view the planets, tell where the Southern Cross is and learning about the Milky Way.  

A meal at Matso, the famous Broome Brewery was just what Oscar ordered. The beers were nice but like everything else in Western Australia, quite expensive for what you get. Broome is also known for having the oldest picture gardens in the world, the Sun Cinema. We saw Despicable Me 2 which was great and together with the Qantas planes flying very low above us throughout the movie, lying back in a deckchair was a very relaxing way to watch a movie. 

Broome also lays claim to the largest crystal Buddha in the Southern Hemisphere. We all needed a bit of serenity by the time we got there so it was a welcome relief. Jem took the opportunity to meditate once again.

The kids had also been nagging me to do the touristy camel ride on Cable Beach which of course we did. It was, as expected pretty touristy along with 100 other people on camels from different companies we rode up and down the beach.

 

Cable Beach certainly makes up for the lack of beauty in the town of Broome, with its beautiful white sand, crystal clear water and soft rolling waves. Oscar was keen to hire a paddle board with Josh and ride the waves, whilst the other two were happy to hang ten with their boogie board.  The kids, Josh included, entered a sand castle competition with the theme of marine environments. The simple idea of an octopus became a complex masterpiece that if you know anything about Josh was absolutely exact in its appearance and won them a runner up voucher for a meal at a local restaurant. OJ was of course stoked with that prize! A great day spent together before Josh left us for a week.

 

Luckily we made friends with a lovely family from Mona Vale who had been living in Perth for the last 18 months. They had 3 young girls and Rubes and Oscar quickly befriended them and were off playing for the rest of our time together. In fact, little did we know that we would be together for the next 5 weeks.

 

Trace and Rubes had been eagerly awaiting the Saturday markets so were happy when they finally came around. There was a great vibe happening with Asian food, crafts and music. After a few purchases it was time to head back for a swim and some masterchef sushi cooking.

The rest of our time in Broome was spent at the Caravan park pool, finishing school work, at the movies and playing with their new friends. We were as usual happy to have daddy home and moving onto our next destination, Derby.