Not up quite so early today. I think we managed a sleep-in until about 7am.
An early morning float in the river before breakfast and a bit of a sun soak saw us getting ready to start the days activities about 10am.
Archive for category Big Lap 2011
Day 50 – El Questro (Day 3)
Aug 27
Day 49 – El Questro (Day 2)
Aug 26
Up early this morning to go to Zebedee Springs. These are only open to the riff raff (general public = us) from 7am until 12pm. After that they are reserved for tours and homestead guests.
The springs themselves are fed from an underground source and are at about 25-32 degrees all year round. They were fairly busy but we had no trouble finding a spare spot to lie in and soak up the natural spa.
Day 48 – El Questro (Day 1)
Aug 25
With nothing to hang around for at the roadhouse, we got going pretty quickly this morning. Too quickly as it turned out. We left behind the doormat. Amazingly this is the first time we’ve left anything behind. Kids might be next…
We’d only been on the road for about an hour when we got to the infamous Gibb River Road. The Tanami was supposed to be the road that shook up the suspension. Gibb River was supposed to be the tyre shredder.
Day 47 – Doon Doon Roadhouse
Aug 24
Slightly surprised to have survived the night … up before the sun was I, trying to catch the sunrise. It was freezing cold here this morning … maybe 20 degrees or so. Cold enough to contemplate a windcheater to go with the shorts anyway.
Climbing the crater wall in twilight was pretty cool … and just in time to catch the sunrise. There’s a lot of smoke in the area due to a few bushfires and that made for an exceptionally red, hazy sunrise.
Day 46 – Wolfe Creek Crater
Aug 23
We didn’t have too far to go today, but the headwind and slight incline made the fuel economy shocking. By the time we reached the Tanami track turnoff we’d used 60L of diesel in a touch under 300km. Not good. We decided to continue in to Halls Creek to refuel before tackling the track. It was 18km each way, out of our way, but cheap peace of mind.
Back to the track and I let down the tyre pressures and removed the weight distribution system for the van. Plugged as many holes as we could, jammed as many rattly things into places as tightly as we could .. and hoped for the best.
With a heavy heart, we left Broome. It”s a tough place to say goodbye to for lots of reasons. That we start heading back East from here is but one… Not long after you leave Broome, the Kimberley begins to show herself. Boab trees start to become a common sight along the road as does stray stock. More than a few Brahma cattle crossing the roads or feeding on the grass beside it.
We were supposed to get to Fitzroy Crossing today, but once we actually got there we decided to keep going a bit further. There wasn’t much there to warrant an overnight stay.
We filled up with fuel, checked out the visitor centre, wandered out to Geikie Gorge and had lunch … and well, that was it. Geikie Gorge was going to be a bit of a ripoff for the cruise, so we gave that a miss. There is also a 5km round trip walk that covers the same route … but the flies made that an unpleasant prospect. We braved enough of it to get a few photos, but hastily retreated to the car soon enough.
Fitzroy Crossing Lodge looked very nice, but we weren’t going to use any of the facilities and it was still early in the day. I think I may have converted Kel to a free camping devotee.
Day 44 – Broome
Aug 21
Today was our last day in Broome, and we spent it relaxerizing … this is a holiday after all.
We spent the morning down at Cable Beach while the tide was low. The kids spent a bit of time playing soccer. Hannah drew some huge characterizations of each of us … including Poppie. We all had a bit of a swim and a bit of a sunbake. It’s a bit hard to relax though with the kids running around while there’s cars driving up and down the beach. Not all of them are looking out for a couple of kids…
Day 43 – Broome
Aug 20
Today started after an ample sleep in until 7:30. Not bad for us gypsy folk.
We didn’t have much planned, but needed to get some washing and shopping done .. or else we’d starve and be naked. The washing was easy enough, but the shopping required a detour to the court house market.
Day 42 – Broome
Aug 19
After an unusual sleep in, the kids reluctantly got stuck into some schoolwork this morning. They may have even learnt something.
We’d planned on a morning shop and then an afternoon at the beach, but the tides ruled otherwise. So we went to the beach in the morning when the sand was at its widest. The water is pretty salty up here and this was setting off the kids eczema a little bit. Not enough to stop them body surfing and jumping the waves for a couple of hours.
Day 41 – Broome
Aug 18
Today was an interesting day. First day that I haven’t taken a photo on the trip!
You guys will just have to make do with the 1000 words instead.
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