Australia June 2013 - Visiting Squid: Part 6

Sunday 23 June

Another relaxed, but early, start and we were off for another somewhat tedious drive in Squid's (little) 4x4 down to Broome. Suddenly the savannah-lined road was lined by low tin-roofed buildings, there were roundabouts and by-passes - all very 'civilised'!

After a short stop at Pete's apartment, a two-storey grey metal construction surrounded by a neat communal garden, we set off for Gantheaume Point. Why? So that Pete & his mate could fish for bait for an up-coming Billfish competition. Got that? Anyway, it was a fabulous spot with crumbling red sandstone rocks piled up above the beautiful blue water - great to fish from (I am told) and even better to scramble over.

Rocks at Gantheaume Point

By hook....

.....or by net
The sought after bait fish were mini silvery swordfish, and were being caught on the hook, and also (less successfully) by throw-net. Meanwhile I walked along the cliffs to the lighthouse and peered at the concrete casts of the dinosaur footprints - the originals can be found at low tide just off-shore.
After a decent silvery harvest we drove along to Cable Beach  - none of your wind shields, bathing towels and picnic baskets covering the beach (think Brighton), but just a wide sandy expansive car park! We parked at the water's edge, and swam - shallow, cool, but great!

We continued on a whistle-stop tourist tour of Broome - back to Pete's for a shower, off to Matso's Brewery for lunch (tried chilli beer - interesting!), then zoom to Broome Wildlife Sanctuary just in time to see the crocodiles being fed - impressive sudden speed and strength when they want to rise from their torpor. And of course we saw lots of wallabies, kangaroos, euros, dingoes, barking owls and a weird frog-like owl.

Cable Beach

Am I going to snap, or not?

'Staircase to the Supermoon'
Then zoom, zoom and back to the Mangrove Hotel in time to watch the rising of the 'supermoon' - appearing extra large as it was at the closest point to the earth in it's orbit. The wet creeks alongside the hotel also give reflections leading to the 'staircase to the moon' appearance. Apparently this phenomenon would be better tomorrow, but it was pretty good anyway, and there were plenty of cameras, phone and ipads lined up along the hotel railings.

After a few drinks a further quick dash took us to the supermarket to buy some pasta for dinner..........and then relax after all the rushing around.

   Monday June 24

The fridge being empty, the first call of the day was  at the Cable Beach cafe for breakfast, followed by a short walk along the beach. Offshore there were boobies diving for fish, and dolphins a' leaping. Onshore there were joggers.

We followed this by a touristy walk in town, visiting those places that residents, like Pete, had never bothered to visit: restored Pearl luggers, China Town with numerous panels detailing the history (I can't resist reading everything! Sorry guys), and the town museum (Sorry guys again, but the story of the sinking of flying boats in the harbour in WWII, the 'lost' diamonds after a DC3 crash, the video of telephone operators from the pre direct dialing era were all too fascinating to hurry!), ending up at the port for fish and chips. 

After this Squid and I made a quick exit and drove back to Derby so that squid could have a bit of a nap before starting of her night-shift. I did some food shopping, and then was picked up by Dags to go to the hash. I say picked up, but no vehicle involved as we walked from Squid's to Dags' house,  collected some beer, and then walked the 'one-stubby' distance to Trippy Taco's house for the start of the 'run'. As usual at the Derby hash there was prolonged pre-run chatting and drinking, then a run which included a hash halt at someone's for a ginger cocktail and a singing session on the lawn ('My Shed', 'Dingo' and 'Singing in the rain' with the sprinkler going), before walking back to Trippy's for food and down-downs (I got two). Dag's walked me back home, drinks (wine this time) in hand....Great evening!

Tuesday June 25 

A day of recuperation, washing and reading, mostly. Squid appeared after her night shift at 07.45 and went to bed almost immediately. After some trying-to-be-quiet tidying up and cleaning I phoned Dags, who had offered to draw me some' mud maps' of places where I could camp out not to far from Derby. I drove to his office on an industrial area on the edge of Derby and in-between calls he showed me two sites along the Fitzroy river (fishing spots obviously, what else would one do here?) that I could safely get to (probably) with the forecast rain.

Dags' Mud Map

 

 

Derby Marshes

Boabs on Derby marshes

Bee-eater
After a quiet lunch I headed out to re-visit the delights of Derby. I tried in vain to sketch a boab tree, and resorted to photographing as many as possible instead. I visited the grassy marshes on the north side of the town, then headed off to the boab-strewn marshes on the south of the town. This area, close to the bird sanctuary(/sewage works!), was alive with wildlife - lots of wallabies, kites, willie-wagtails, bee-eaters and sacred ibis for example.

I got back at 4pm, but no sign of Squid. She appeared an hour later, looked dazed. After baked potatoes, tuna and sweetcorn Squid went back to bed, to rise again after 8pm looking somewhat revived before heading off for another night-shift.

Wednesday June 26

I just made it up before Squid came in from her night-shift, and we briefly discussed my expedition for the next two days, which involved stealing her car. After that I had a blast at cleaning the patio and table and chairs of accumulated leaves as Squid had invited Dags and his wife for dinner on Sunday . I also tried to wash Pete's tarp, which had been thoroughly dusted with red sand during our GRR trip - but it didn't seem to look much better when I had finished. After packing the car I set off at about 11.30 for the first stop - the supermarket to buy ice and provisions for the next two days( then to the service station for fuel and check the tyres, then to the hardware store for camping gas, then to the re-cycling centre to dump boxes cleared from the kitchen...).

Wandjinas (from a card)
At last I left Derby, and headed for the Mowanjum Community Art Centre, where there were lots of striking, but spooky, pictures of Wandjinas (figures with eyes, nose, but no mouth) and less spooky Gyorn Gyorn (stick-like figures). Fascinating because of their spiritual significance, but not what I would want, or could afford, to put on my walls. I did buy some cards though! The history of the community was fascinating, but sad; an amalgam of three tribes, moved on by the government four times ending up near Derby and no longer on their ancestral land.
I headed back to the Great Northern Highway,  to the Willare Roadhouse (toilets and water), and on to the turn-off for the Langi Crossing - the old road to the former Fitzroy river crossing. This unsealed road was heavily rutted, with occasional pools and soft areas that were, however, easily avoided. Eventually, through an iron gate, I came to the river bank with a number of encampments: usually sizeable motor homes with various associated tarpaulins covering generators or firewood - all obviously here for long stays. I found a flat, semi-grassy spot under the trees and set up my little camp i.e one mossie-dome.

My afternoon walk was great for the wildlife: crocodiles (freshies), kites, pelicans, spoonbills, egrets, blue-winged kookaburras, and cows (wading across the river).

Fell asleep looking up at the stars......

Fitzroy River - the crossing point for cows

Former road causeway and bridge piles at Langi Crossing 

Thursday June 27

01.30, stars gone and rain started. As it wasn't much I decided to stay put, zip up Squid's swag properly, and put my book, clothes, glasses etc. into the swag to keep dry. The rain stopped, then started again heavily so after a half an hour of  avoiding the inevitable I got up, erected the tent and abandoned the mossie dome which was slowly filling with water.

By the time I got up the rain had stopped, to be replaced by a humid heat. After a breakfast I put the swag on the car roof to dry, emptied the mossie dome out, and set off for a walk along the river. This time there were even more birds, mostly small, quick and unidentifiable. Back at camp I packed up the now dry kit, had some pastrami and salad rolls for lunch, and set off to regain the main road, along the now considerably wetter track. I made it OK....

My camp, the morning after 
(note reflection of water in the mossie dome!).

Finches enjoying the new puddles
Heading back towards Willare I found easily the other turn-off that Dags had drawn on his mud map, and headed through the gate. That was the end of the term 'easily'. This was a different scale of track - less used for a start - which headed straight into muddy ruts. I engaged 4WD and slid on towards the camp area that Dags had described to me. The map clearly had a different scale at this point, for it was ages before I found anything recognisable, and then I hit a deep dry creek where I tested Squid's vehicle to the limit of slope, ruttiness and gradient. I was lost; no sign of the river, no sign of anyone else. The slight worry about remoteness, ability to turn round and renegotiate the creek began to nag my mind.....
I decided to retrace my route somewhat to a flat open area (with my return route firmly in sight) & park there, and explore further on foot. So GPS in hand, water, binoculars and camera at the ready I set off. I followed one set of vehicle tracks which, after 30 minutes ended in a clearing alongside a deep, sandy overflow channel containing still water - could this be Wilhelm's Pool mentioned on the map? But no river. I headed off following another track and bingo, I found the river! Following this along I eventually found two encampments, and as I walked back I saw two other vehicles drive into the area - but watching them carefully negotiate a deep and wet creek I was glad I had turned back.

Back at the car I erected the tent (in case), but slept in the mossie dome, praying that there would be no more rain, as that could make the drive out difficult/impossible!

Friday June 28

Fitzroy bridge at Willare, with road-train
It didn't rain!

I woke up too early, and listened to the radio - ABC news reported a family stranded by floodwater at Fitzroy crossing and having to be rescued by helicopter (glad that it stopped raining here!); also the government of Western Australia apologised for leaving out Aborigines from its recent analysis of 'languages and religious diversity in WA' - they've only lived here for a few thousand years..........

After packing up my kit, as it dried, I slithered my way OK back out to the highway. I stopped near the Willare bridge to have a look at the river there - no crocs in sight, but plenty of road trains rattling across the iron bridge.

At the Willare Road house I had a free coffee and then spent a long time trying to pick out a reasonably sized hunk of beef to bring back for Sunday dinner. Most hunks would have fed an army.
Back in Derby I managed to locate Squid by exchange of text messages, and met her for coffee next door to the hairdressers. Then while she had her hair done I went back to the house to clean the mud off the car. 

Later that day, after Squid had had another snooze, we set off for the POETS session at the hospital. It was quiet at first, then as the medical staff finished work it filled up. There was lots of discussion about tomorrow's 'big day' - Derby Races day - when the Boab Queen contestants (i.e. including Squid) were expected to turn up and give a speech. There was also a session of 'Chocolate Wheel' - no-one could explain why it was called that - numbers were sold at $2 a pop, the wheel was spun, and if your number came up you were a winner. I was a winner - and got a jar full of jelly beans (that Squid had donated), two cans of a suspicious cocktail, and four condoms!

After my excitement had died down we headed off for take-away fish and chips, and with Squid fading fast, got back home. Pete arrived later, having driven up after work from Broome, and heavy rain began to fall.

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