Broome

During the night we had a little battle with a big cockroach (6cm!!)...it had surprised Christine when she wanted to take something from the table... :) The next day we left for Broome.

After a short 350km drive (yes, that's short for us now :)) we arrived on the coast. That was a relief, after emerging from the desert into this sort of oasis, without having broken down with the car, hit a kangaroo or dying of dehydration :)

Broome is a typical tropical outback town. It's a gateway to Bali and it has a busy deep sea port. After a day on the road in the heat, we decided to head to the city's famous Cable Beach (this is the beach where the first telegraph cable was led from Java, hence the name) for a refreshing swim. We were warned that there might be stinger jelly fish, but since everyone else on the beach was in the water, we decided to do so too...when in Rome, do as the Romans do...It felt like a warm bath. The water was at least 30 degrees warm. But let's not complain :) It felt really good.

The following morning we were picked up to go kayaking in the Port of Broome. The couple that acted as the guides were absolutely amazing. :) As we paddled away near the pier, looking out for sea turtles, Christine suddenly shouted out and pointed to the right of our kayak. She thought it was a sea turtle coming up to see us...but noooooo...it was a yellow venomous sea snake, stiking its head out and hissing at us...needless to say that we were a bit freaked out. But it was a WOW-moment. We went on to have some refreshments on a nearby beach and picked up one hermit crab per couple in order to race them against each other. We came in 2nd place :) On our way back we saw stingrays gliding like giant shadows in the water under our kayaks. It was another great experience to come close with all this unique marine wildlife.

In the evening we went to an open-air cinema to watch an aboriginal film called Samson and Delilah...the first time we were at a cinema where large bats would come fly over your heads and about 5 geckos would crawl up and down the screen over the actors faces :).

Since apparently 80% of the world's saltwater pearls come from Broome, we couldn't leave without a trip to Willie Creek Pearl Farm. We were shown how an oyster works, how it is "inseminated" with a little pearl to make a bigger pearl, etc etc. Also, the main farm lies 20 miles out at sea and backpackers from all over the world come and spend 6 months working on them. They work for 2 weeks on the little boats and then they get 1 week off on land...what a job...finally, we finished our visit trying free pearmeat...yummy!

For the last evening we indulged in a 1-hour sunset camel ride on the beach. It was quite an experience, being sung from one side to the other one these huge desert ships. And of course, the sunset views were stunning.

Well done, Broome...you left a very good impression and lots of memories.

Kununurra and Hugh Jackman...

We arrived in Kunururra after passing yet another border check where we were not allowed to bring in any fruits or agricultural products...Passing via Lake Argyle, we checked into the Kimberley Croc YHA. Have to say it was one of the best YHAs we stayed in. The rooms were clean and light, the whole thing felt like a resort and the managment and staff were extremely friendly.

We went to a mango farm in order to look at the stone art the owner does. Even though they were apparently closed for the day, the guy opened up and we had a look around...after that we jumped into the pool...nice cool down.

On the wednesday, Christine got her early birthday present from Pat: a scenic and guided flight over the landscapes and filming locations form the movie 'Australia'. She was over joyed at the stories the pilot and 4DW driver on the ground at Home Valley Station told her about Hugh Jackman. He was very donw to earth, stayed at the camp with all the other minor actors, went to the local gym, talked to locals, and came back on holiday to the area with his family after the film was finished. We flew in the actual plan that took him to some of the filming locations...imagine how excited Christine was :)) It was a very bumpy flight due to the heat and the resulting thermics. But it was worth it. The landscapes were breath taking. Truly a day to remember a lifetime.

The next day we left for our long drive to Fitzroy Crossing. We encountered only 1 town, Halls Creek on our 650km journey. It really gave us an impression on how vast and empty the outback is in these regions...and that it would not be our choice for a retirment residence :)

Katherine, its Gorge and Timber Creek

After a short drive of about 250km south on the Stuart Highway we arrived in Katherine. This outback town is the last larger community south of Darwin before Alice Springs...which is just the small distance of 1500km away :)

We took a cruise on the Katherine River Gorge. We passed through impressive cliffs, past crocodile nesting beaches and saw lots of birds. Gliding over the peaceful waters of the river, it was hard to imagine that in 1998 during the wet season, the waters rose over 20 meters and Katherine was flooded. Seeing the picture of that catastrophe, we were left pretty impressed by the mights of nature...and we realised how lucky we are in Luxembourg...no cyclones, no real big floods, no bush fires, no tornadoes, no earthquakes, no draughts...so we shouldn't complain. This feeling was underlined by the fact that we went to see "2012" at the cinema. A good film for entertainment...that's about it :)

In Katherine we could also observe the misery a large number of aboriginal people endure in such outback towns. They wander around aimlessly, drunk, sitting under trees...it was really sad seeing this...

We left Katherine after 3 nights and west on the Victoria Highway towards Timber Creek. Lots of sand, bushes, dead Kangaroos, and road trains. When we arrived in Timber Creek, we decided to stay only for on night...because there is nothing there :) And all the National Parks have closed for the wet season. Nevertheless, our accommodation was nice and spacious.

The next day we left Northern Territory for Kununurra in Western Australia...