We have to shop in Broome before we set out on the next leg of our trip. Broome is like Blackpool with sunshine and therefore avoidable! So we camp at a caravan park 30ks out of town and drive in as necessary. This time, as well as shopping we’re having to try and get our fridge / freezer in the car fixed.

Broome is in fact a beautiful geographical location with fantastic weather, which explains why it is so popular (and expensive!).

It is very busy in Broome and getting anything done is difficult, we went to one place which had a sign saying “don’t bother to come in before August 24th”! In spite of that we did manage to get someone to look at the fridge / freezer but it is still not working properly. As you can imagine this gives Pat quite a headache trying to juggle food around between the car fridge / freezer and the one in the caravan!

However, we ended up having to stay here for five nights before leaving on Saturday morning, which was not a hardship and it was nice to stay put for a reasonable amount of time. The beautification schemes which were so restricting on the last trip here have certainly made an impact on the town’s landscape but the cafe on Town Beach is still closed due to the restrictions now required by the Council.

Saturday 5th August

This morning we’re heading off on the Great Northern Hwy for about 350ks before turning off on a dirt road called the Boreline Rd which will take us to through one of the ranges at Shay Gap and then on to ‘guess where?’ yes, the De Grey river, probably our most favourite spot in WA.

We decide to stop at a camp spot called simply, Pull-off near rocks, which we find around 1600 which leaves time for a cup of tea before it gets dark and the temperature drops.

Sunday 6th August

We’re in no hurry this morning, it is only 30ks to the de Grey but the run down is quite scenic through the range.

Then its not long before we arrive at the De Grey………..there is water still over the causeway which means there is still flowing water in the river. We turn off the road at the top of the slope before the causeway. We will cross it when we leave.

It is now Tuesday and still on our own!

Wednesday 9th August

Today we have some neighbours albeit not too close! We know the parents of one of the wives, both she and her parents have Bushtrackers.

We still haven’t made up our minds when we will leave and here are a few more photos that explain our reluctance!! Plus the weather is beautiful, no cold nights here.

A Yellow Tinged Honeyeater, just down for a drink.

……..and a pair of Black Kites

A week has now gone by and we feel that were really ought to be leaving and heading south, albeit reluctantly.

So we will leave tomorrow (Monday) and head for Nullagine for some water and washing machines. This is the view from the doorstep, the evening before we leave and before we lit the fire. (Spotted 9/10 satellites last night.

Monday 14th August

It is dirt with its red dust all the way to Nullagine and then onto Newman from here and the road can sometimes be a bit rough.

The first thing we spot is smoke on the horizon in our direction of travel. As you will have seen bush fires have the potential to be dangerous and disruptive and so we are watching the situation as we journey towards it.

Ultimately, there appear to be several fires but when we pass them, some 90 ks further south they are not a threat although we can see that they have been across the road at some stage.

We get some relief from the dirt in the vicinity of Marble Bar but soon we’re back on the dirt, which at this point is not as bad as we expected.

Then, about 30 ks into the Nullagine track we see a sign that we love to see “Grader on the Road”. This means that at least some of this stretch should be good.

The graders operate out here in relative isolation, this section is roughly 100ks north to south, it’s not everyone’s idea of employment. These the machines have air conditioning and the blade height is computer controlled but there is still a lot of control by the driver.