Lawn Hill to Broome   

"The joy is in the travelling and not in the arriving"

Melbourne to Lawn Hill National Park

Day Twenty One 25th July 1994 - Lawn Hill National Park - Barkly Homestead:

We were up early for the trek out on the rough and tumble track. Dad drove to the Mount Isa turnoff and I took over from there. It was an unsealed road all the way to Camooweal but it wasn't too bad so the speed could be picked up. We stopped at Camooweal to post some letters, fill up on fuel, buy something for lunch and dinner. The butcher was closed for lunch so we had to buy some frozen snags from the roadhouse - a bit sus, but they tasted ok. 

We stopped at the Queensland/Northern Territory border for lunch and with no trees in sight it was hot and dusty, and the wind was blowing fairly strongly. We almost lost our lunch to a willy willy too. It was a sealed road all the way to Barkly and we passed many dead kangaroos and cows by the side of the road. There were a few wedge tailed eagles picking at the carcasses and we also spotted a large black feral cat at Avon Downs. In fact it looked more like a black puma than a cat, it was huge. Barkly Homestead was cheap for accommodation, but expensive for everything else....$22.20 for a six pack of Strongbow stubbies and $6 for a packet of cigarettes. We were camped next to a young English couple, Kevin and Tracy, who were travelling en route to Darwin and Kakadu. We chatted around the campfire with them, and also an elderly couple from Southport on the Queensland south coast. I eventually hit the swag as I was tired from the drive, and also a little bit drunk from the cold beverages that were available.

Day Twenty Two 26th July 1994 - Barkly Homestead - Dunmarra:

We were up at 6.30am (actually 7.00am but the clocks were turned back half an hour at the border) and packed up all our gear. Inside the truck looks like a brothel again, we can't seem to keep any order for more than a couple of days. It was quite chilly this morning, with no clouds to keep the warm air in. Dad drove to Three Ways where the Barkly Highway meets with the Stuart Highway. Turn left and you are heading to Alice Springs, turn right and you are heading to Darwin. We saw a dingo running along the side of the road, but it didn't seem to worry about us speeding along next to it.

We filled up the fuel tank at Three Ways, and I took over the driving. The long straight road took us the 300 kms to Dunmarra with a quick stop at Elliot to post some mail. Elliot is full of aboriginals who seem to enjoy tearing to pieces the houses that have been built for them, we didn't stop here long. Dunmarra is a roadhouse with campsites and a couple of motel rooms. We have one of the rooms that has an ensuite, and I was thankful for a beautiful long, hot shower at last. Kevin and Tracy are also camping here, so we sat and played cards until dinner. Dinner was in the roadhouse diner, and I devoured green vegies, mashed potato, corn and a big T-Bone steak. Played Canasta after dinner and I was in bed asleep by 9.30pm.

Day Twenty Three 27th July 1994 - Dunmarra - Daly Waters Pub - Dunmarra:

So much for a sleep in, I was up at 8.00am. I showered and then sat down for 2 hours to get the diary, fuel and budget up to date. We headed to the Daly Waters Pub for a look around. The Daly Waters Pub was the first hotel in the Northern Territory. It was filled with foreign currency, jocks, bras, crotch less knickers, sew on badges, stubby holders, name cards, number plates, bottles, photos and other paraphernalia. There was even a traffic light out the front. Met an interesting bloke who was walking from Alice Springs to Katherine, then west to the coast, south to Perth, east to Adelaide then north back to Alice Springs. He is raising money for the Red Cross and expects to be home in Alice by Christmas 1995. He has walked over 40000 kms since first starting raising money for various causes in 1989. 

We went to have a look at Stuarts Tree, expecting a glorious gum, providing an abundance of shade. It was a stump in the middle of a dusty paddock that offered no shade. It presumably had the initials JMS engraved into the trunk, but there was no sign of it. Daly Waters airfield was a bomber base during World War Two and was used by both Australians and Americans. It was in the process of being restored by the National Trust. Daly Waters was an outstation during the 1800's for drovers on their way from Queensland to The Western Australia coast. Stuart reached Daly Waters in the late 1800's when trying to explore from Adelaide to Darwin. All that is left is the pub, doing a roaring trade, and a few shacks occupied by who knows. We stopped off at the Hi Way Inn for a truckies burger before heading back to Dunmarra. I bought a couple of novels and started reading until dinner. Roast pork was the special, so we all had that and I finished off with a couple of Turkish Delights. I read again until an early bed. We have a long drive tomorrow to Halls Creek in Western Australia...close to 800kms.

Day Twenty Four 28th July 1994 - Dunmarra - Halls Creek:

Early up, early start for a long drive today. The track, known as the Buchanan Highway, started off fairly rough. Stopped at Top Springs for some fuel and bread before the luxury of bitumen to Kalkarindji. Formerly known as Wave Hill, the aboriginals have regained the area. The road was back to dirt and dust and we had to eat on the road as the land is owned by the aboriginals and stopping is neither allowed nor wise. The scenery changed from arid to green and fruitful, to hilly and winding, to sparse and flat. Cattle increased in number after Inverway and we had to slow down as they all seemed to want to cross the road as we approached. They were big and ugly Brahmans, so they had right of way.

Forty kilometres out of Halls Creek we hit the hills. It was a shocking road, winding, sharp curves and corrugations - very slow travelling conditions. We passed Old Halls Creek, we will visit here tomorrow, and finally reached Halls Creek nine hours after leaving Dunmarra. The sight that first hit us was disgraceful - Drunk aboriginals in hordes roaming the streets, dirty and grotty kids and dogs running everywhere. We found the caravan park, and our cabin is spacious. I actually have a little room to myself. The caravan park is nice and clean with a beautiful pool area with chairs, tables and a bbq beside it. We ventured down the street to buy some supplies and the police were starting to clear the streets of the aboriginals, not that they took much notice. Dinner was a bbq before settling down to read and listen to the aboriginals fighting outside my window.

Day Twenty Five 29th July 1994 - Halls Creek:

I had a bit of a sleep in and we completed some clothes washing before heading off. We drove out to Old Halls Creek, Caroline's Pool and the China Wall. It was extremely hot by 9.00am and we had to travel down the very bumpy, winding road to get to these sites. We didn't spend long at each spot as it was too hot. I spent the afternoon by the pool and had another bbq for dinner. It was an early night.

Day Twenty Six 30th July 1994 - Halls Creek - Wolfe Creek Crater - Halls Creek:

We had an early start in an attempt to beat the heat. The road out to Wolfe Creek Crater was via the Tanami Track and was quite shocking, with few signs to direct us. The track was continually bumpy and the type of base often changed from bull dust to stones to both, it took us 2 hours to reach the crater. Wolfe Creek Crater is huge! It was formed by a meteorite that crashed landed two million years ago. The crater was once 200 metres deep, but now it is only 20 metres deeper than the land outside. Erosion and sand has slowly filled up the crater, creating an abundance of flora on the crater floor. Wolfe Creek Crater is the second biggest recognised meteorite crater in the world. After climbing up to the lip and almost being swept away by the wind, Dad and I picked our way down a steep and rocky path and walked through the scrub and grass to the centre of the crater. Mum looked like a dot where she was standing on the lip of the crater. After a tough ascent and a sit on a rock to catch my breath, we ate lunch before the bumpy ride back to camp. I bought another book to read and sat by the pool for an hour or so before heading back to the cabin. I fell asleep whilst reading and woke up in time for dinner.

Day Twenty Seven 31st July 1994 - Halls Creek - Lake Argyle:

We took our time getting to Turkey Creek in time for our helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungles. At 11.15am we took off, with Mum and Dad in the rear seats next a gentleman on his own, and me in the front seat. What an experience! The sights were magnificent and the thrill of flying through gorges and chasms with the walls a couple of metres from the rotor blades. The Bungle Bungles were over a much larger area than I thought and the beehives were impressive. The flight was for 45 minutes and I was snap happy with the camera, hopefully they will work out alright. It is a bizarre feeling when you can see the ground below your feet as the front of the chopper was like a bubble. I felt that if I pressed down too hard with my feet that I would fall through. I came out of it feeling exhilarated with a buzzing head from the headphones and rotor noise.

We decided not to go and camp at the Bungle Bungles as we had seen it all from the air and the camp sites were a long way from the rocks. Also the road was reputed to be very bad, even for a 4wd. We drove on and decided to stop at Lake Argyle for two nights camping by the lake. We bought some supplies in Kununurra  and headed the 70 kms east out to the Lake. Just after the turnoff we got our second puncture for the trip. You have never seen a tyre changed manually so quickly. The flies were horrendous, hundreds of them swarmed all over us as soon as we set foot out of the truck. The sun was beginning to drop from the sky and it was only 4.30pm. Five kilometres away it was 6.00pm in the Northern Territory. The campsite wasn't actually on the lake, in fact you couldn't even see it from the site. We set up camp, showered and ate before heading to the bar for a quick cider, well earned I must say. I read a bit before bed then settled down for a long and fitful sleep.

Day Twenty Eight 1st August 1994 - Lake Argyle:

I was woken at 6.30am by the neighbours shifting out. They had a VW van that made a hell of a noise starting up, stalling, restarting then finally driving off. At 7.00am the caravan next to us decided it was their turn to make a racket as they departed. By 7.30am I'd had enough and decided to rise. The sun already had a bit of bite. I decided to check out where the fishing spots were, and spotted the largest freshwater crocodile I had seen - 14½ feet long - it was huge! I couldn't get a photo of it as it was too far away for my camera. I headed back to camp and Mum was ready so we stopped at a few lookouts before stopping at the bbq/picnic site at the dam outlet for lunch. Dad sketched, whilst I fished. In 3 hours, all I did was get sun burnt. I didn't get one bite. I decided I'd had enough and packed it in feeling sore and sorry. Back to camp and out of the sun, I had a few ciders in the bar and watched a video on the building of the Ord Dam - a huge task, completed on time. Lake Argyle holds nine times the amount of water than in Sydney Harbour. It is huge, and also beautiful - deep blues and greens of the water contrasting with the orange and reds of the rocky ranges holding in the water.

I went down to the boat ramp for another go at the fish, and got heaps of nibbles but no takers. The fish were jumping out of the water all around me, but none on the end of my line. I headed back to camp at 6.00pm for dinner and a quick bourbon and cola to quell the burning of my skin. I settled down and had a chat with our neighbours, farmers from Queensland escaping the drought - another contact, another place to visit and stay one day. I went to bed to read as I was sick of the mozzies. The wind picked up a lot and was buffeting my swag a bit. Hopefully I will still be here tomorrow.

Day Twenty Nine 2nd August 1994 - Lake Argyle - Kununurra:

It was a leisurely drive to Kununurra. We stopped at the Durack Homestead Museum. The Durack's set up a massive station in the 1880's in the Kimberley region, opening it up for pastoralists. The original station is now under water in the lake but the original homestead had been demolished brick by brick and rebuilt above Lake Argyle. A Bower bird had built a nest in the garden, but this one like white and green instead of the traditional blue. We had a look at the spill way and stopped at the place where I had paddled 20 years ago.

The trip back to Kununurra was uneventful, but finding where we'd booked in to stay wasn't. Firstly we went to Kona Lakeside Caravan Park to be told we hadn't booked in - they don't take advanced bookings. We drove back into town and went to the Town Caravan Park to find we were not booked in there either. They graciously rang Kona Lakeside Caravan Park for us to be told we were booked in there. We drove back to Kona to be told again we weren't booked in. Then the idiot of a manager suddenly remembered that yes we were booked in and proceeded to apologise for the oversight and misinterpretation. His wife stepped in to take over the arrangements before her husband made an even bigger arse of himself. There is only a double in the van so I have to sleep on the floor again, I don't mind though as I am not being charged. After unpacking, we went back into town to do some errands and get some lunch. I tried to fish again after lunch at Lake Kununurra but again I had no luck. We stopped in town again on the way back to the caravan park to buy a few books to read. After dinner I had a shower and then settled down to catch up on the diary and book keeping.

Day Thirty 3rd August 1994 - Kununurra:

It was a lazy morning, with Mum going to the hairdresser whilst Dad and I completed some shopping, posted some letters and picked up the repaired tyre. After lunch we drove out to the Melon Farm and Kununurra Dairy. It was cheap fruit at the Melon Farm, and we watched the cows being milked at the dairy. We had another puncture on the way out to these spots on the bitumen again! We have to stick to stones and sand I feel. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the caravan park.

Day Thirty One 4th August 1994 - Kununurra:

It was a slow morning before disaster struck. We couldn't start the truck as we were ready to leave for Keep National Park across the border in the Northern Territory. After many attempts our neighbour strolled over and said :after being a mechanic for 62 years, I bet it is the glow plug." We weren't sure exactly what we were going to do when another neighbour turned up with some "easy start". One spray and the truck started. We were very thankful to both our neighbours and headed straight for the diesel specialist who discovered that the resistor for the glow plug had suffered a melt down. We were told to bring it back at 3.00pm, and that it would be safe to go to Keep National Park.

It was extremely hot at Keep National Park and the flies were horrendous. The Gorge Walk was very long, and as it was so hot, we didn't get very far before returning to the truck. We drove up to the camp sites and then walked up one of the tracks to take some photos. Then it was time to return to Kununurra, and we had to pass through the quarantine station where they were checking for fruit and vegetables. We explained that we didn't have any, so they didn't do a search. We dropped Mum back at the caravan park before taking the truck in to be fixed. Dad and I killed time by walking around Kununurra again. $78 later, the truck was fixed, no problem. Back to the caravan park and I wrote some letters at last.

Day Thirty Two 5th August 1994 - Kununurra:

It was another slow, relaxing day today. I read this morning and finished book number six. Dad and I cleaned and re-arranged the truck before going into town to shop and stock up on supplies, as the Gibb River Road trek begins tomorrow. It was another stinking hot day, and the sweat was pouring from the brow. Dad and I drove down to the diversion dam on Lake Kununurra for a fish, but again I had no luck. With it being such a strong current with lots of snags, I lost two sets of hook, line, sinker and bait. Soon it was time to head back for dinner and a slow night.

Day Thirty Three 6th August 1994 - Kununurra - El Questro:

We were out early and on the road. We purchased some last minute supplies from Kununurra before heading towards the Gibb River Road. It was only a short drive on the bitumen before we hit the Gibb River Road. It was very rough and stony, I hope it is not like this all the way. We stopped to look at Emma Gorge but, as usual, you had to pay to have a look so we continued on to El Questro. It was dusty and dirty and the camp sites were on the Pentecost River. It was actually more like a small creek. I tried a spot of fishing but the fish weren't biting as the water is too cold for them, so I was told. I just believe that I've got no idea on how to do it.

We had a bbq dinner at the shop, for $15 per person. It consisted of a bit of tough meat, bony barramundi, homemade snags and salads. It wasn't worth $15 but at least there was no cooking for Dad or I and no washing up for Mum. We met a couple from Germany touring from Perth to Darwin. The girlfriend couldn't speak English, but they were good to talk to. A bloke gave a demonstration on his whip cracking abilities and also told us all a couple of yarns - typical campfire stuff. We also chatted to a bloke travelling around Australia in a 1978 Toyota Corona, and with some of the roads he has been on, you wouldn't give him a chance of survival, but he keeps going along slowly. It ended up being a late night and when I hit the swag, I slept like a log.

Day Thirty Four 7th August 1994 - El Questro:

This morning we hired a small boat to have a look at Chamberlain Gorge - $80 for 3½ hours. It took me a while to get used to the steering as the electric engine was so powerful - 0.28 horse power. We floated up and half way back very quickly, missing most things but enjoying the views and tranquility. We were mindful to keep our hands out of the water, as salt water crocodiles frequent this part of the Pentecost River. We met up with another boat heading back upstream with a guide. We'd missed the aboriginal paintings, so Buddy said to tag along and he would show them to us. The paintings were very interesting, authentic at least. Buddy Tyson was an interesting bloke himself. He is a 62 year old aboriginal with heaps of stories to tell. He invited us back to the store for a couple of beers that turned into a dozen. I missed lunch and was very late for dinner - I was starving. Buddy has certainly had a wonderful life droving and entertaining people around a campfire. He has also been in a couple of films (Silver Brumby) and has three coming up to be made. I eventually got to bed and slept very soundly.

Day Thirty Five 8th August 1994 - El Questro - Jack's Waterhole:

We were up early and visited Zebidee Springs on the El Questro property. The springs are thermal and a great temperature, but too hot for me, even at 9.00am. Another hot day is on the way. The temperatures have been in the low 30's with humidity in the high 80's, that has been exhausting and sweaty! The Gibb River Road was again very rocky and bumpy. The corrugations are a nightmare and we were stuck in second gear and 10kph. The crossing of the Pentecost River was dry and rocky. One side is salt water and tidal, the other freshwater. Salt water crocodiles are abundant, but we didn't see any. I took over driving and by the time we had reached Jack's Waterhole my fingers, hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and head were aching from the corrugations in the road. Jack's Waterhole is on the Durack River. I saw a lot of big fish, but I had lost my bait so they enjoyed nibbling at the bread I donated to their stomachs. It was a nice quiet spot, with few other campers and the scenery was nice with a lot of birdlife. It also has shower and flushing toilet facilities.

The fun started when the sun dropped from the sky. I was trying to catch a fish using a lure until I severely tangled the line up. Dad was trying to fix our gas light that had become blocked by all the bull dust that creeps into everything. Unfortunately, reassembly left a leak and lighting proved dangerous so we gave up. Mum was fighting a personal war with all of the bugs. Big and small, they seemed to be attracted to Mum, fresh from a shower. All night they attacked her, with sprays and candles a useless defence. After Dad and I had gone to bed, Mum retreated to the truck, only to be attacked when she made a rush from the tent. After the bugs came the birds. Swooping, calling, bombing, dropping all over the tent and poor lonely me in the swag. Not a very good night for sleep even though I had the most comfortable lie on the whole of the trip so far. This is certainly a place I will remember.

Post script: Mum's legs were forever scared by the bites from the insects, she never forgot Jack's Waterhole either.

Day Thirty Six 9th August 1994 - Jack's Waterhole - Manning Gorge:

Up and off early to beat the heat. I enjoyed a cool, refreshing shower before we left. No sooner had we left the campsite when we came across this Japanese cyclist on a pushbike loaded to the hilt, struggling up the Gibb River Road, a true madman. It was only 7.30am, but it was starting to get very hot already. The road was still bad until we reached the Kulumburu turn off. It started to improve corrugations wise, but the bull dust patches were worse. The colours of the dust though are bizarre, purples, pinks, reds, orange, grey, yellow - quite beautiful. We reached Mt Barnett Station by lunch time and enjoyed a cool drink before heading the 7 km into Manning Gorge campsite. The campsite had bbq's, fireplaces, pit toilets and a waterhole. It was nice and quiet when we set up camp. It was very hot so we decided not to walk all the way, 2½ kms one way, to the falls that were currently dry. Dad and I did some rock hopping half way along the top of the gorge for some beautiful scenery and photos. Mum tried as hard as she could and made it a fair way along the top to at least see the views. We all returned to the waterhole and enjoyed a swim in the beautifully cold water. After the swim I drove back to Mt Barnett Roadhouse to buy some more soft drinks as it was still thirsty weather. By the time I had returned, some idiot running a private tour had set up camp on our front doorstep so that we couldn't use our fireplace without smoking the people out. We had a quiet dinner and again our attempts to fix the gas light failed. I tried to get to bed early, but the group close by were up talking and laughing until 11.00pm.

Day Thirty Seven 10th August 1994 - Manning Gorge - Windjana Gorge:

Up and on the road, we were the third group out actually. We stopped for some fuel at Mt Barnett, $1.02 per litre, the most expensive fuel so far. We stopped at Galvin's Gorge that had a small water fall and a big boab tree at the top. Next gorge was Adcock Gorge. We firstly took the wrong walking track and were halted in our tracks by a very big snake. We made a very fast retreat. On the right track there were a few pools of water and rock hopping before a large deep pool and tiny water fall at the gorge. It was an aboriginal sacred site. Mum had a spill and fell into the water. She hurt her hand and thumb, hit her head and got wet. We struggled back to the truck for a change of clothes and a patch up. 

On the road again, and we decided not to stop at Bell's Gorge, but did at Leonard Gorge. Unfortunately I had run out of films, and of course it was a beautiful gorge. A lookout was on the top of a deep, thin gorge with a bit of water. In the wet it obviously runs strongly with heaps of water as the marks and caverns gouged in the face of the rocks showed. Onto Windjana Gorge where we set up camp. I tried to buy film from a few people but I didn't have any luck. After setting up camp we drove onto Tunnel Creek. Tunnel Creek has gouged its way under the mountain range and is a 3.4 km return walk from one side to the other. It is dark and lark, with nooks and crannies, stalactites and pools of water. A torch is required and we had to cross through two pools of water that are cold, and can be deep if you try and cross at one point. The crown jewels didn't like the chill of the water. The water level was up to waist on Dad and I, but almost shoulder level on Mum. I am very annoyed at not having a camera. 

We returned to Windjana in time for sunset and a quick look at the gorge. Windjana Gorge is an old reef millions of years old and very high. The was some water in the gorge with a sandy river bank. I saw a couple of freshwater crocodiles, but they were only 1½ to 2 metres in length. Dad had a closer encounter with one as he lay on the sand to take a photo of the gorge. Luckily the crocodile ignored Dad, and he didn't realise it was there. When asked by the enthralled tourists if he got a good close up of the crocodile, he replied, "what crocodile". We had a nice campfire dinner and chatted to our neighbours from Brisbane. They're off to Geike Gorge and Broome tomorrow, our destination is Derby.

Day Thirty Eight 11th August 1994 - Windjana Gorge - Derby:

I had a bit of a sleep in until 8.00am. We visited Lillimilura Station before heading for Derby. Lillimilura Station was built in 1884 as a homestead and became a police post in 1893. A Black tracker named Pigeon shot and killed Constable Richardson after they stopped here with eight arrested aboriginals from Pigeon's tribe. Pigeon had been arrested years before for stealing sheep and so had been sentenced to work for the police as a tracker. Pigeon became a good marksman and tracker, the best in the Kimberley. He was transferred to Windjana as it was a trouble spot for natives and settlers. Pigeon murdered the Constable and later ambushed and shot two white settlers and an aboriginal in Windjana Gorge. It was the first attack of its kind, aboriginals with guns. This attack was on November 10, 1894. For the next couple of years Pigeon and his group created havoc against the settlers but the police couldn't catch him as he had hideouts in Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. Finally, on April 1, 1897 he was shot and killed at Tunnel Creek by police.

We finally reached bitumen 70 kms out of Derby and so had a relaxing drive in. We settled into the caravan park before heading to the jetty to watch the tide change. Derby has the highest tide change in the Southern Hemisphere, and second highest in the world. Eleven metres is the highest tide and 0.4 metres the lowest. It is amazing to see the current and its strength as the tide goes out. I threw a line in, but had no luck. We ate at the restaurant on the wharf for dinner. It was $25 for the fisherman's basket that was made up of barramundi, crumbed prawns, tiger prawns, scallops, mud crab, muscles, oysters, salad and chips. It was absolutely beautiful and filling. We arrived back at the caravan late and I read another book before falling asleep.

Day Thirty Nine 12th August 1994 - Derby:

We did some shopping this morning and dropped the gas light into Mitre 10 to be repaired. Hopefully it will work for us. We went down to the jetty again to see the low tide. Very little water to be seen as far as the eye can see. Two sloops were lying on their sides waiting for the water to return to straighten them up. There is no way you could sleep in them with the tide movement three or four times a day. I returned to the jetty at 3.00pm for a spot of fishing. The crabs loved my bait and I almost hooked one as big as I have ever seen. It's claws were as big as my hand....if only. The West Coast Eagles are playing North Melbourne in Perth tonight, and being in Western Australia, everyone with televisions in their vans were Eagles supporters, loud Eagles supporters! It was a pity North Melbourne's revival didn't start earlier as they may have won. The caravan park quieted down after the game and so I was able to go to sleep.

Day Forty 13th August 1994 - Derby:

The temperature is expected to be 33° today, 17° in Perth and 14° in Melbourne...what a difference. Collingwood defeated Melbourne by 28 points, that means Melbourne is now out of the eight, not that I care too much being 7500kms away. We followed the Pigeon Heritage Trail today. We couldn't find the Old Derby Gaol, but we did locate the Old Cemetery that contained the grave of Constable Richardson. I returned to the wharf at 3.00pm to fish. I had lots of nips but only hooked one, a barramundi about 50 or 60 pounds, but the bugger launched out of the water and snapped my line. I tried and tried again to hook him, but I had no luck. It was a beautiful sunset again, with colours of red, pink and mauve - glorious. I returned to the caravan park for dinner and relaxation.

Day Forty One 14th August 1994 - Derby - Broome:

At 8.00am I finally awoke after a crappy night of sleep. I tossed and turned all night. We left Derby Caravan Park at 9.15am and stopped at the Prison Boab Tree and Myalls Bore, the longest cattle water trough in the Southern Hemisphere. In 1975, my brother, sister and I had a bath in the trough, but I am a bit big for that now. The trip to Broome was a nice drive as it was bitumen all the way. We crossed a very dry and near empty Fitzroy River that when full is obviously huge. Levy banks extend for kilometres beside the road to prevent the road from being closed due to flooding. It was another extremely hot day, 32° is the expected temperature, but it is hotter than that. We settle in a had lunch at the Broome Caravan Park, three kilometres from town. Broome is spread out and has improved since the last time I was here, 19 years ago. Cable Beach, where Brett and I were almost taken by a shark all those years ago, is now populated like St. Kilda Beach in summer, but the women here are much better.

We stopped in at Malcolm Douglas' Crocodile Farm on the way back to the caravan park. There are 1500 saltwater crocodiles, freshwater crocodiles, South American crocodiles and American alligators. We took a guided tour and feeding. It was interesting to watch the the saltwater crocodiles being fed whole chickens, fresh meat and chicken heads. A couple of the crocodiles are 5 metres long and weigh over 700 kilograms. They are massive creatures with great sight, smell, hearing and intelligence. The handlers themselves are very wary when entering the pens. I met Malcolm Douglas briefly, but he was entertaining guests and I was out of film again so I couldn't get a photo with him. It was all very interesting stuff that I enjoyed immensely. I wouldn't want to get snatched by even a 1½ metre crocodile as they are so fast and strong.

I tried to locate a bank that accepts cashcard, but I had no success. I am very annoyed as I have no cash again. The temperature has cooled down nicely now but I can't relax as the Speedway is next door and a few cars are getting in some practice and so they are making a lot of noise. I caught up on my journal and read before the noise stopped and I was able to get to sleep.

Day Forty Two to Forty Five 15th to 18th August 1994 - Broome:

Over the next few days we did a lot of sightseeing. The tide was too high to see the dinosaur foot prints, we walked around Chinatown and viewed all of the pearl shops, visited the Port and jetty, the Durack Gallery and the Library. The supplies were stocked up and I bought 6 more books to read. The weather was generally hot and windy and the famed sunset at Cable Beach wasn't as spectacular as at Derby, but there were no clouds in the sky either. We developed $180 worth of photos, posted some mail and caught up on the clothes washing. Dad and I finally had our haircut too. I had a fish at the pier and caught 6 small fish that were thrown back, before hooking a coral cod that weighed 8 or 9 pounds - it was magnificent eating too. Mum and Dad visited the galleries and checked out the estates at Cable Beach. The next destination is Port Hedland.

Broome to Perth