BROOME

Ok I know it's only been a few days but I am so excited to share Broome with you I want you all to see this magnificent place. We left Turkey Creek very early and thought we would drive as long as we possibly can, so we drove for 8hrs and got to a great free campsite called Lakeside. We both looked at each other and said is this actually for free, it's on a cattle station by a lake it was so pretty, lots of birdlife and cows wandering around and my beautiful boab trees everywhere, so we stayed 2 nights while the kids did walkabout and discovered nature. And of course we caught up on some schoolwork. We had only 2 days worth of food left so we were all hanging out for the big shop in Broome - no more sausages please!

Ahh Broome, I really can't say enough about this place, and everyone who has been here know what I am talking about. Everyone said we'll never get in and we got 3 nights at the Cable Beach campsite yes a bit squishy but nice. We have fallen in love with the place so first things first food shopping high on the list! Then treated ourselves out to lunch at Zanders and after a few wines and beers over lunch we felt like locals!! And yes of course we did the camel ride on the beach. Kids loved it and what a bargain, only $40 for the whole family.

Phoebe and I rode on  NED KELLY after getting his name from his head stuck in the tin of food and the other 3 rode MISSION IMPOSSIBLE because he was impossible to train. NED featured in the film Australia so you could say we have met a movie star right on Cable Beach!!!! Lots of fun and yes I know what everyone is talking about now when people say watch out for the bushes. Let me explain - on Cable Beach there is fine white sand with amazing clear blue water then there are cliffs  with grass and rudey nudeys come out of the cliffs. Scarlett had the clasic comment of the day "Dad they are wearing naked today and they are having a naked day!!!" Funny what little ones say.What a great first day.

I needed some time away from the kids so Michael took the kids to Malcolm Douglas wildlife park, they had the best day it was like verbal diarrea as soon as I hit the car. They all got to hold a croc and see massive crocs feeding, barking owls, pure dingoes and much much more. Well I hit the shops. Broome is well known for it's pearls so there are 50 shops here just dedicated to pearls, not really a pearl girl but had a good break and spent lots of time in the bookstore stocking up on my aboriginal literature. The property here is pretty exy, but this is heaven over here. The sunset on Cable Beach is one that leaves the sea look like it is glowing!!

Even though the beach was a little crisp we all had a morning loving the sea and sun, feels like home. Off to Matso's Brewery for lunch and to try some local beer, you really have to do a stop here, even though I have to say Dad XXXX is better. The alcholic ginger beer is good but the fruity beers like mango beer is a bit sweet.

So we are off to Cape Leveque north of Broome. The area north of Broome is run by the aboriginal community so you have to book and they are not open on the weekends so it is a good thing to ring and book ahead. No caravans allowed up here so we are heading to Barn Hill Station south of Broome on the beach and keeping it there for 4 nights while we take the tent. They have an overflow thing here in Broome where you can camp because it is so busy here but they don't open for another week so we'll have to pay double camp fees. Oh well. Can't wait to get there and chill out and do some mudcrabbing and live with the locals!!!!

Now I need to to vent, sorry, but the grey nomads are really getting to us. They are so rude to the point of pushing into queues, they have pushed the kids out of the way on tours and we  are over it. Not saying that they are all like that we have met some lovely people in Broome but I think we are needing some away time!
So that is it from me hope you are all well and for those mums and kids getting ready for school holidays, have a good break.

TAM'S TIPS

Be sure to watch that in coming tide on Cable Beach it comes in so quick we did the crazy dive for our stuff and everything got saturated!

Click Click Click, we went to Gantheume Point to see the dinosaur prints and we forgot the camera! Not that we saw the prints but the most beautiful place , with red sanstone cliffs overlooking the aqua sea and the horses from the stables galloping along the beach, the eagles catching fish from the ocean and taking it to the lighthouse. There are meant to be dinosaur prints in the sandstone on low tide but worth the trip anyway, will need to capture the memory.

So until next time from the wild west!!!!!

GROUNDHOG DAY

Hi everyone, jump aboard the Wood Express as we sail through Lake Argyle, have a groundhog moment, surprise our Brissy family and friends, and fly over the Bungle Bungles!

I'm having a nice local WA red as I write this so strap yourself in it's going to be a long one.
I know it's been a while and what a few big weeks, I left you at Darwin and we were heading to WA. I have to say it is really exciting to think we are on the other side of the country, a state which I never thought I would reach. So we reach the border, and no mishaps with any flat tyres, yay! As soon as you hit WA it changes in landscape straight away as if they have drawn a line in the sand.

I have a fascination with these beautiful boab trees, they are everywhere, in all shapes and sizes and are thousands of years old. We were told if you take a seed home it might actually grow in our QLD climate, I'm going to give it a go, although rattling around in the caravan they might get a bit of a shock after a few months.

So I'm babbling, had a few free campsites on the way which they are plentiful here. When I talk Free I mean on the side of the road, after a long day driving pull up sites, which we find in the Camps 5 book. Lake Argyle was one of those places which caught our eye being a manmade lake, interesting!!! What a top place, it was found by the Durack family a cattle family from Qld, that went through drought and heard there was water, so after 18mths of droving and a lot less cattle than when they started, they arrived in WA. So after each generation they finally made Lake Argyle with the help of some investers and government, made one of the biggest manmade lakes in the world. We thought it was a must to go on the sunset tour, and we certainly weren't dissappointed, seeing lots of local bird life, rock wallabies and a croc or two. Lake Argyle is 900sq km's or to put into persective 19 Sydney harbours, it has an overflow each day of the amount of water Adelaide go through in a day. The campsite was amazing with the infinity pool overlooking the mountains and the lake we couldn't get enough of it. The days were a beautiful 28c and the kids painted aboriginal rock art onto the sanstone rocks there and painted boab seeds, that was our art lesson for the day, pretty cool huh!

Now I don't want to get all hippy on you but the kids are so happy and peaceful and have really become their own little people, it is lovely to be able to be part of this whole wonderful experience. Spencer is even writing stories and reading as many books as we are about our aboriginal culture. He has even started his own aboriginal art book, this, from a kid that hates drawing and writing!!!

So sadly leaving Lake Argyle we thought we would hit diamonds at Kunanurra, yes girls it was exciting! Unfortunatley you can't go through the Argyle mine, only on a very expensive private tour. This is the place of the pink diamond, they only get a half a glass of pink diamonds a year so they are extremely rare and very expensive, so my plans were dashed, at $100 000 a diamond, thought that was too many free campsites to make up. But my beautiful husband turned to me and said"Well it is our 10 year anniversary". I was in heaven
so I was very lucky and got an amazing anniversary present! No girls not a pink diamond, but the next best thing white diamonds!

I know you're all waiting for the groundhog moment, we get a call from the caravan people saying that the awning that was ripped is waiting for us at Darwin. Nooooooo! So back to Darwin to get the awning replaced and other repairs and I really didn't want to stay in hot hot Darwin. So the kids and I decided we would surprise my sister having twins and go back home to see the babies and catch up with everyone. And of course so the kids could get their Nana and Grandad fill! So congratulations Kerri and Craig on the arrival of Olivia and Ashley. The kids are so good with travelling now, they just take it in their stride, they are little troopers. A big sad good bye to everyone and in no time at all we are back trucking, back to WA.

So after a couple of big days on the road we arrive at our destination - El Questro! This wilderness park is in the fringes of the Kimberlys, so if the Pentacost Ranges wasn't enough you hit this amazing countryside. I know I keep saying it but each place just gets better and better. WA is spectacular and with the boab trees only in the northern part of WA it will be a real shame when we leave this magnificent area. The ranges here are so big every corner is like driving up to Ayres Rock they have that beautiful red colouring and with the blue sky in the background, you can't get enough. So we stayed 4 days an extra 2 than what our itinerary had planned, think we are getting into trouble, how does  next year sound on getting back. Just kidding! We were lucky enough to get one of the private campsites and at the same price $34/night we thought that was pretty good. We had our own waterfall and stream and some cattle saying hello and some wild brumbies passing through,  it was a nice back yard for a few days. With camp fires every night and the stars so bright we were really spoilt. There is plenty to do here, go 4 wheel driving, nature walks or hot spring swims or a gorge walk, what to pick. So we did a bit of everything, go the Branco track, Pigeon Hole track

and the incredible Emma Gorge which the kids walked about an hour to get to and was rewarded in the end by a beautiful waterfall and a very cold swimming hole. LOVE EL QUESTRO WE WILL MISS YOU.

There is the well known 4 wheel drive track to Broome, the scary, but challenging GIBB RIVER RD, everyone we had run into said you have to do it, well after a long corregated unsealed road to El Questro and the van taking a bumpy run we decided to get real and say no to THE GIBB. I know we are wimps but with low food supplies and no more time for repairs on the van we decided to take the easy boring way to Broome via the Bungle Bungles. Turkey Creek here we come, now this place is only designed for o/n stays, there is completely no reason to be here other than to fly over the Bungles. And at $200 a go, Michael and I thought it would be best if we went and not the kids, which was a good thing, I think the kids might have had an issue with a vomitting factor. AMAZING I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The Kimberlys just go on forever!!!

Michael and I are hanging out for sand between out toes,  I have to say I'm over the dirt and the flies. Not that the flies are really bad, I haven't pulled the head net out yet, but I need some beach action. Everyone is saying that Broome will be booked out, so we have a few spots to stop off  before then, maybe a crater to check out and another gorge and then I will be relaxing with a G & T  at the beach watching the sun go down. So I'm getting back to my wine and I will catch you next time on the Wood Express.

TAM'S TIPS

BE FLEXIBLE!!!!Scarlett has been really sick and had to go to the Darwin Hospital for a urinary tract infection which put us a bit behind. On the mend now.

BUDGET SMUDGET!!! Sometimes you have to just have those moments and go the extra expense and blow the weekly budget for an amazing experience.

TIME OUT!!! Living in such small quarters there are moments where you just have to disappear.

IT'S NORMAL! I think it's ok to have a melt down here and there it's only natural.  Has only happened a couple of times but it's ok.