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Published: June 27th 2011
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On Monday 20th we went to the shopping centre just a few kilometers away where there was a Woollies and about a dozen other shops and I did a big shop to last us most of the week. While we were out we drove to the port area where there is a long jetty which, presumably because it is a work area, was gated and entry was strictly monitored. We strolled a short way along it, watched a heron catching some of the thousands of tiny fish that were swimming around oblivious to the danger they were in and then made our way back towards the town. We stopped at the Chinese and Japanese cemeteries and walked around them wishing we could understand the inscriptions. The Japanese one was particularly well presented and they both feature highly because most of the occupants were pearl divers. In the early days many divers drowned or suffered paralysis and hundreds died in the cyclones of 1887, 1908 and 1935.
Later on in the afternoon we went back to Cable Beach, which was very handy to the caravan, for our first swim. It was great although we were surprised to find that the sea
had a little chill to it. But once in it was delightful and, although it was busy, the beach is so long that it was easy to find your own space. Afterwards, to help with the drying off process, we strolled to the part of the beach where camel rides are the popular thing to do. There are three teams each with a maximum of 16 camels. We found out the cost and came away with a couple of leaflets to study.
On Tuesday morning we decided to explore the town which, in truth, is a bit disjointed. There are two main shopping centres which are several kilometres apart. The bigger one is some way away from the main tourist area, Chinatown, which itself is some way from Cable Beach so walking or cycling to some places is unrealistic. But Chinatown is a fascinating area and well worth exploring. We investigated the open air cinema with a view to going later in the week and found the row of shops relating to the pearl industry – truly big business in Broome. It’s fair to say that Broome only exists today because of the pearls that were found in the
sea off the coast. We wandered round the boardwalk alongside a display of two original Pearl Luggers, the name given to the pearling boats. We could have done a tour round the boats but to be honest we could see all we wanted to from the boardwalk. The information boards gave us some insight into the hard lives of the early pearlers who were mainly Aboriginal men and women who were often forced into diving for shell completely unprotected. From the late 1870’s diving apparatus was introduced and Japanese divers took over and dominated the industry for the next 100 years. The diving apparatus was incredibly cumbersome – the helmet and boot caps were made of copper, the suit thick rubber and air was pumped in via a thick walled latex pipe.
Over the road we found a delightful café in Shady Lane to have some lunch and then drove on to Gantheaume Point and investigated the rocks adjacent to the lighthouse. There we found some replicas of dinosaur footprints, the originals of which can be seen just off the coast but only at a very low tide which we’re not going to encounter on this trip. Incredibly they
are over 120 million years old. Anastasia’s Pool is another attraction although, sadly, time and erosion have not done it any favours. It was a pool developed by one of the early lighthouse keepers for his wife to bathe in, in an attempt to soothe her severe arthritis. He crafted it from a natural indentation in the rocks and it was regularly “cleaned” by the incoming tide. The rocks are a wonderful mix of colours and with the turquoise sea beyond it was a delightful place to sit for a while. A family of Ospreys have built a nest on a platform high up on the lighthouse structure and there were a couple of youngsters hanging around with Mum or Dad. We’ve seen more Ospreys in the past few months than we ever have before but it’s always a pleasure to watch them.
Later in the afternoon we went back to Cable Beach for our daily swim and to book up for a camel ride. We were still a bit undecided which team to choose. We actually went for the cheapest one for no other reason than they were the original company to start camel rides here in Broome
(and co-incidentally, Sarah and Darryl rode on these as well). So we committed ourselves to an early morning ride for the following morning – 8:45 start – which would last for 40 minutes (or so we thought!!).
We watched today’s “sunset camel rides” depart. All three teams (reds, blues and ours – black and gold) seemed to be fully subscribed, most with two people on board but some with just one passenger. We went back along the beach to watch the sunset from the main elevated, grassed area along with many other tourists. Needless to say it was beautiful although, ironically, without any hint of cloud the sunsets are short and sweet with no ‘afterglow’ which can make them very special. An evening meal was followed by a fairly early night in preparation for our camel riding adventure in the morning.
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