D & J in OZ: August 2013

Our camp at the Roebuck Plains Roadhouse out of Broome. Camps in Broome really expensive.

We had to stay 3 days in Broome while we had our 2nd broken windscreen fitted. Thank goodness for windscreen insurance. The Roadhouse was a great place to watch the AB's beat OZ in the 1st Test and they had a swimming pool.

Plenty of these corellas here to wake us up.

Some interesting shops and statues in Broome celebrating Broome's history in pearling and remembering the Japanese bombing in 1942.

The Broome wharf with a ship of live cattle about to leave.

Entrance to Roebuck Bay

The cattle ship on its way.

From this point we could see whales surfacing out to sea.

Cable Bay where some folk were swimming. Still croc. country around here.

A day trip north from Broome on what Australia calls a metal road.

Not much metal, plenty of dust, and millions of corrugations!

A pretty hot and rocky coast when we got there!

We could not work out if this was an instruction or a name.

On the road heading for Port Hedland

A boring flat road with not much to see.

A night spent at Pardoo Roadhouse. They had a great swimming pool!

The road to Port Hedland.

Sometimes a long stop between drinks!

Flat again!

But some rivers now had water.

Into Port Hedland. This town was a hive of activity. A total mining town based round the numerous iron mines in the District. Iron ore shipped out of the busy wharf to mainly China. A small wharf area but 8 - 9 huge ships loading at a time with 15 - 20 waiting out at sea. Industry on a massive, massive scale.

A night with some friends and we learnt all the facts about mining and the giant company BHP.

Really really interesting.

Salt also produced and shipped out from here.

The trains bringing some of the iron ore to the town were 3 - 4 kms long with 6 locos!!!

Ore also delivered by, probably 100's, of 4 trailer road trains.

A loader crane at the wharf

Ships galore.

This ship has 10 mtrs to fill to the black plimsoll line.

6 tugs per ship.

(Click on photos and they enlarge)

From Wyndham we headed further west to the Bungle Bungles (Purnululu) NP

The entrance to the NP and our campsite is 1 km down the road.

The 53 kms of road to the NP is through the private lease land of the Mable Station.

We did the 4x4 bus tour into the Bungle Bungles which was just as well. The road had huge corrigations most of the way and I am sure reduces even the best 4 wheel drive vehicles to tears.

There were helicopter flights from the camp. Not in our budget unfortunately.

Another great sunset in OZ

Part of the road in.

Magic honey comb formations everywhere.

That is a 2 mtr termite mound on the face of the rock away from the floods of the wet seasons, with covered paths down to the valley floor to their food!!

The cathederal gorge was magic but very hard to get a good full photo. Nobody sang for us Dee!

Lunch provided in the shade

A drive to the other end of the Park.

This was the Echidna Chasm. A walk up the water course and into the gut. Very tight towards the end and you would not want to be there in rain or an earthquake. Very spectacular.

A view over the valley with the hills in the distance over 500 million years old.

Back to our camp and then to a great stew tea as part of the tour.

Unfortunately the camp had run out of water so a top & tail shower.

The lease of the land prohibits the owner establishing his caravan park with permanent structures.

Hence the camp is made with containers and tents. This may change soon.

Travelling further west the next day we had a night stop at Fitzroy Crossing.

More burning on the way and a detour to a loo over the river.

The country around here flat with long (20 - 30 km) straight roads.

The next day headed to Derby and the travel was the same - flat, hot and pretty boring.

We have to wait 6 days to get the Pajero windscreen replaced (2nd time!) in Broome so decided to rest a few days in Derby as much cheaper than in Broome. Camp here AU$35 and in Broome up to AU$52!

Tide in

Tide out

A good sunset from the wharf.

Not much going for Derby except it has the largest tides in OZ. On a good day the tides can go up and down 11 mtrs. While we were there they were 9 mtr tides. They used to use the wharf to load live cattle, and more recently zinc and lead ore, but now not even for those. There may be some plans for coal exports.

Very hot with the temp around 33 - 35C.

A day drive out to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek well worth the 380 kms round trip much on dirt and dusty roads.

A Yellow Tree snake on the path. Our 1st snake we could photo close up!

About no. 6 we have seen in the wild.

Very apt track markers

The Gorge is renowned for its population of freshwater crocodiles. We counted 120 in a large water hole that is the only water in the Gorge now. Crocs not as big as the Salties, and very placid. They still have many and sharp teeth.