Broome and beyond.

We set up camp in Broome for a few days to fill up the pantry and just veg out.  It is a great spot to watch time slip away.  The kids have been asking for a ride on a camel since they spotted them at Alice Springs, only to be told to hold out until they get to Broome.   The wait nearly killed them.

Seth and Bron were the first to saddle up.

And they're off and racing.

The kids loved the pace of things while on the back of a camel.

I asked about driving on Cable beach to watch the sunset at the information centre and was disappointed to hear it is no longer an option.  Later that day we were wandering around the town and stumbled upon the access to the beach at Gantheaume Point.  

This must be the place to be at sunset judging by the dozens of cars parked to watch the sun go down.

Not a bad view to go with the drinks and nibbles.

Another awesome sunset over the point.

I had to have a crack at the Broome sunset pic.

After Broome we made our way East towards Derby where we pulled in to have a look at the Boab Prison tree.

From here we swung onto the start of the Gibb River Road.  I have been keen to drive this bit of dirt for  a long time, but after hearing a few horror stories about the condition of the road this late in the season we decided to cheat a little.  We decided to skip the middle section of the Gibb and do it the next time we're up this way and take our time.

The new plan was to head to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek for a look before jumping back on the bitumen.  The gorge is beautiful if not very croccy.  We couldn't get over how many freshies were here.

Cool rock formations.

A great spot for a walk.

Smile.

The next day we headed a little further down the track to Tunnel Creek.  The kids were a little apprehensive about walking in a creek that goes through a hill in the dark after seeing so many crocs the day before.  I'm happy to report we only spotted one croc in the dark that kept his distance.

One the way into the darkness.

There are some nice cave formations along the way.

This cave had bats just like every other one.

About halfway the light gets in where the roof had collapsed.

After wandering around in the dark for an hour or so we jumped back in the Prado and made our way to Purnululu National park.

                                      

I love the light out here at twilight.

Some of the domes in Purnululu NP (formally known as the Bungle Bungles.)

Things are starting to warm up out here.

Cathedral Gorge.

The walk into Echidna Chasm.

I wasn't expecting much after seeing Standley Chasm in the West Macs, but this one is huge.  It seems to go on forever and is eerily dark in the middle of the day.

More to come.....

Karijini NP

Karijini National Park is another spot we can now tick off our ever growing list of places to visit.  We have been like salmon swimming against the tide on the trip so far, but going in a clockwise direction has been paying off.  We have always managed to get into the spots we want when we want.  

Our Campsite

Another magic day to go for a walk.

The first walk saw us heading down to Circular Pool in Dales Gorge.  The kids enjoyed the ladder.

Another beautiful reward at the end of the track.  The weather has warmed up substantially in the last few weeks and the cool pool looked inviting, but when we had a better look it was full of leaches.

Graffiti!  It amazes me the distances some people will travel to see these natural wonders, only to decide to leave their mark.  

Fortescue falls was the next spot we visited.  I would love to see it just after the wet.

The kids didn't need to much convincing to kick off their boots and wash the dust off.

Having a dip.

Later that afternoon we went out to Hancock Gorge.  I wanted to go and have a look after seeing some great photos of this area.  We were all excited to do this walk which was rated as class 5 - Class 4 was the best we had done so far.

 The walk in involved wading and climbing to get to the good bits. 

The afternoon light was kind to me, giving the water a nice golden glow.

 The girls were interested to see what was further down the gorge so they tried the "spider walk".  This meant we had to straddle the water in the pic above and shuffle along to the other end.

Another team photo. 

This is as far as you can go in Hancock Gorge - unless you have a guide with climbing gear to help you get back out.

Proof that the kids are doing their school work.  

More to come.....

The Coral Coast

The Ningaloo Marine Park starts to the North of Point Quobba where we pulled up for lunch.  The show the waves put on was spectacular.

Can you see the bloke just to the right of the wave??

Western Australia's Coral Coast is an amazing part of the world.  I've been keen to check out this part of the country for some time, this is where Ningaloo Reef meets the coast.  We spent a few days around Coral Bay where we all had a go at snorkelling.  It is surreal stepping from the beach to the reef.  Every afternoon around 3.30pm there is fish feeding.  

The kids loved having the Spangled Emperor's swimming between their legs while I stood there with my mouth watering.

The water was a little too cold for some.

Caitlin and I spent hours paddling around checking out the reef.

After a few days in Coral Bay we headed a bit further up the track to Cape Range National Park.  I have read about the need to line up at the park's entrance to secure a spot.  We pulled up at the caravan park just outside the NP the afternoon before.  Jen drew the short straw and headed down to cue up at 5am, while I got the troops moving/fed/packed.  

Lucky for us no-one else was mad enough to get down there quite so early.  That said she was only alone for about 15 minutes. 

It's not hard to figure out why this place is so popular.

One of the neighbours in our camp area was a Henna artist and offered to decorate the girls.

Something they've been keen on for a while.

It's a good thing that we don't have an itinerary.  When someone offers to take you fishing the day you're supposed to leave, plans change very quickly.  

Thanks to Bob I had a great day.  It's not often you can go fishing out the back of the reef in a 4 metre tinny. We got a few fish but the icing on the cake was getting to watch Humpback Whales breaching late in the afternoon.

After the fish were filleted everyone in the campsite comes together for sunset drinks and a yarn.

Not a bad way to see out a day.

More to come.....