Derby, Napier Ranges, and Broome#1

Posted by efloow on September 1, 2015 in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

From Mornington we legged it to Derby (30 August – 1 September). We had run out of everything and needed supplies and a good hardware store to fix or replace the various bits and pieces that succumbed to the abuse of 4 weeks of driving on dirt.

It was a pretty basic place to spend 3 nights, but it seemed like heaven! A real supermarket with lots of everything and a hardware store owner that is significantly richer at our expense.

The repair list include camper door repairs, waste pipe reattachment, bike repairs, installing an inverter, a general de-dusting of all and sundry, and an attempt at sealing the places that dust was coming in. I also made the discovery that the electric connections to the trailer brakes had vibrated themselves into multiple little pieces that took a while to repair. I wonder how long we have been driving without trailer brakes? The car and the trailer were even treated to new tires.

It was a little weird being back in the real world. We stayed in the only campsite that would have us… the only other was adults only?! It was very big brother like… everyone seemed to be watching and the staff at the desk seemed to know everything we had been up to… creepy!

From Derby, we day tripped to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We also flew to the Horizontal Falls and spent a night there (I'll blog this elsewhere) before heading to Broome.

Windjana Gorge is an ancient coral reef that has been displaced upwards as the very dramatic and distinctive looking Napier Ranges. They are apparently full of fossils of early sea life but we only managed to find one fossil and that was because it was clearly signposted! The gorge also contains a huge number of fresh water crocodiles… not a good one to swim in!

Tunnel creek was fun – wadding through a river generated tunnel in the sandstone, full of bats. Alex even spotted a freshie hidden in the shadows.

In Broome (3-6 September) we did more of the same… shop, shop, shop. We needed stuff for the beach leg of trip… boogie boards, snorkels, fishing gear, and new less trashed clothes! They even had a Bunnings with a real sausage sizzle… heaven! We bought out all the kids books that we could find as well as booking the car in for a few cosmetic repairs – reattaching the mud guards and wheel flaring that had succumbed to the bumps.

We also happened to be in town when the tide was low enough to see the dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point. Even the big kid in me was excited to see 120 million year old sauropod and stegosaurus footprints… amazing!

 

Despite all the shopping we again caught up with the Goldrick's and all the kids (and adults), had a great time on Cable Beach. After all the dust, it was nice to see the sea and sand again and I managed to get my first surf of the trip. As a special treat we arranged reciprocal babysitting, and each set of parents had a night out without the kids…. very nice, but a little weird having spent every hour of the last 70 days with them!

From Broome we go on to Cape Leveque. It is here that we say goodbye to the Goldrick's. They are on a tighter schedule than us and will travel down the coast faster than we need to. It has been sad to say goodbye. The kids have all bonded really strongly and all played together so well. Holly will miss her girlfriend and Alex his fellow soldiers. As for us, we will miss the friendship and companionship of Paul and Emma. It has been a real treat to be able to share the riches of the top end with them. Bon voyage.