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Published: June 23rd 2014
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Broome
Pictures of Broome main street
The founding fathers Leaving Eighty Mile Beach we head in the direction of Broome, we have been there before but we are hopeful of getting some warranty work completed there on the caravan by a mobile repairer. Broome is a town built on pearls and has a rich history involving the Japanese pearl divers.Today pearls are still cultured and farmed here with one of the pearl farms offering sightseeing tours.Having been here before we have no real inclination to undertake any of the tours,our first blog on our visit to Broome contains information on that visit.We check in to a caravan park close to the famous Cable beach with its miles of golden sand.Here we also meet up with two sets of friends we have seen on previous camps and catch up on each others stories.Although not wanting to explore Broome again we did venture out to the beach and town and enjoyed being back here for a short time.The caravan repairer arrived and was less than helpful,meaning we will need to complete our repairs in Darwin.Leaving our friends in Broome one set heading for Derby and a trip to see the Horizontal Waterfalls and the other remaining in Broome for a further week
Broome
A bronze statue in tribute to the early divers before heading off again.I am sure we will meet again.
We are now heading toward Darwin, our first stop Fitzroy crossing. We head toward Derby before turning off toward Fitzroy crossing with the scenery ever changing this part of our journey is delightful, the Boab trees are plentiful and towering escarpments remind us we are in Kimberly country. We are also privileged to see two wedge tailed eagles feeding on road kill and even managed to secure a photograph of them.Fitzroy crossing is famous for the Fitzroy river and the cruise down Geikie gorge. Again we have been here before and decide to stay for only one night,the camp site is also one we have stayed at before and we managed to get a drive through site meaning we did not have to uncouple the car and caravan ready for an early start the next day.
Our next major destination is Katherine but it is to far for one day so we decide to stop at a free camp half way.We missed the free camp we had intended to stay at and ended up staying at another free camp about an hour out of Kununurra.A large site with
toilets but no water, by night fall the site was nearly full with over two dozen vehicles,although close to the main road the noise was minimal.We make Katherine the next day and settle into a caravan park we had stayed at before and decide to stay for several nights.Katherine has a good selection of shops and we take the opportunity to restock.With it's many attractions Katherine and surrounds is a visitors haven attracting many visitors all year but mainly in the dry season.Our wedding anniversary is in the middle of our stay and we are hopeful of having dinner in the local bistro on the caravan park,no such luck it is closed on that day so we settle for oysters and prawns with salad at our caravan.We travel the next day to avoid travelling on my birthday so we head for Darwin and another caravan park we have stayed at previously.Arriving in Darwin we contact the warranty people and arrange to pick a washing machine and hopefully find a repairer to install it.We will use Darwin to catch up on personal issues such as new glasses,dental check up,pick up our forwarded mail and then hopefully have the new washing machine
installed .We fly to the UK on 25th June and need to ensure we have everything we need for the month we will be there.Also it's my birthday so a pleasant meal was had at the Irish Bar in the new precinct overlooking the wave pool and safe swimming enclosure in Darwin.
Over the first week end we venture out into Darwin to visit the annual Greek festival held in a large park alongside parliament house and overlooking the bay.This festival showcases all that is Greek from traditional dancing,young boys and girls wearing traditional costumes,live music and of course food.what a festival full, of exuberance and pride and so well attended.We also stumbled across a tribute to the Queens birthday and watched a 21 gun salute at the memorial gardens.
The caravan repairer Paul was great arriving on time and he fitted the new washing machine in no time, great guy.It looks like all our warranty problems are fixed.
Darwin is famous for a lot of things including the Mindil markets held every Thursday and Sunday evenings in the dry season.This market showcases all that is Darwin and it's many cultures and draws hundreds of people every
time it is on and provides an opportunity to sample all manner of food from all over the world but particularly Asia Yum.I had a selection of Indian food while Jackie settled for some Chinese food. We had the opportunity to hold a baby crocodile 1 year old from the local wildlife park, surprisingly soft skin.
Darwin has a long history dating back thousands of years when this land was solely occupied by the Aboriginal people and there are many remaining sites to visit and explore this part of Darwin's history. In recent years Darwin entered the history books by being the first city on mainland Australia to be bombed by the Japanese in WW11 in 1942 resulting in many civilian deaths and the destruction of the harbour. In the lead up to the bombing 10,000 allied troops were stationed in and around Darwin to protect the coastline from invasion.Driving along the Stuart highway there are many examples of the wartime airfields and runways with placards announcing their presence. The harbour now fully restored and functioning houses a terminal for cruise ships and the customs boats. Exports of LPG also leave this harbour bound for Asia.The wharf now caters
Broome
The old picture house for the many tourists and locals by having an array of cafes and food stalls as well as restaurants along its boardwalk.There are several reminders of the Japanese attack along this stretch of boardwalk as well as commemorative plaques to those who died. Within the city there are examples of other wartime activities and creations built during this period including underground tunnels to house oil storage tanks these were never used but now are a treasured reminder of those dark days and open to the public for a small fee.
In more recent years Darwin is remembered for Cyclone Tracy which hit Darwin on Christmas eve 1974 and devastated the city resulting in severe damage and loss of life, the city was evacuated for a time and had to be rebuilt.The history of this catastrophe is well portrayed in the museum including a walk through sound chamber reconstituting the terrible sounds of that night.Now rebuilt the city is a modern thriving cosmopolitan city offering the visitor many opportunities to explore and enjoy both it's history and many attractions
A day out to Litchfield national park requires a 250k round trip from Darwin and much can be seen in
a day,having been before we could choose what we wanted to revisit and so no stress to cram it all in one day.A better way to see this national park is to stay for several days in one of the many camping grounds and take time to explore the park..We visited several waterfalls and swimming holes and were surprised to see so many other people around so early in the season with many on coach tours stopping only for an hour or so at each destination.Some of the falls and walks were closed following the recent wet season but would open soon as the ground dried out.
Our time in Darwin is leisurely and we spend a good deal of time just chilling out,visiting Darwin to stroll around the many shops in search of gifts to take back to the UK for friends and relatives.We also meet up with fellow travelers we had met before and enjoy a couple of happy hours together.We had a special treat when they asked us over to their place for dinner, Salmon Cappacio followed by Mussels cooked Indonesian style, what a treat.With only two days to go before we fly out to the
UK we are busily packing,running down the fridge and freezer and preparing the caravan and car for storage.We say goodbye to our friends tomorrow as they continue their journey around Australia,I'm sure we will meet again some where along the track.
Uk here we come.
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Alan
non-member comment
Darwin
Hi Guys , great blog as always! Looking forward to seeing you guys again in 2 days! Let's hope the British sunshine holds on for you both! See you Thursday, have a great trip. Take care Jan & Al