Broome - Time to Leave.

Sunset at the Mangrove Resort Hotel.

Long days at the beach.

Sadly, our time in Broome has come to an end. We leave reluctantly, as Broome has been, and always will be, one of our most favourite destinations, in all of Australia. We are certain to return again and again. Our last two weeks have flown by, as we have just immersed ourselves in the things we love about Broome. Long morning walks along Cable Beach, a lingering coffee at one of our favourite spots, a romantic dinner under the stars, and those wonderful sunset drinks, whether it be on Cable Beach watching the camels drift by, or at one of the lovely resorts. And all that amazing winter sunshine. This is the Broome we have come to love. The place is us to a tee!!! To those people we have met along the way, who have been anti Broome, we can only say, that romance has left your life or never found you!! 

Sea snake and crab.

The Pearl Lugger Tour.

On our long morning walks along Cable Beach, you would be amazed at what we see. Out on the water, the pearlers can be seen in search of the oysters they use to culture the pearls. Small boats ferry the sea's treasures to a mother ship, and from there it is on to the pearl farm. Sadly it is no longer a Pearl Lugger, just a big "tinnie". From the sands, Carolyn has collected a beautiful array of shells of all shapes and sizes, which now stand in a decorative jar on the kitchen beach, a permanent reminder of our visit. There are sea birds by the hundreds, and small crabs everywhere. We even came across a sea snake, thankfully dead, and an array of jelly fish, marooned by the falling tide. The sea snake reminds us of the tour guide who told us "if it swims in the sea and can kill you, we've got it around here!"

Gateway to Kerrie Stokes  heaven.

No house calls at this vet!

From the beach, we have wondered about the two private homes, which are, and apparently always will be, the only two homes with frontage to Cable Beach. From the street behind the beach, the properties are hidden behind beautifully manicured lawns and gardens, and high security fences with big gates. We found out, that one of the homes is the holiday home of media tycoon Kerrie Stokes, whilst the other is owned by the local vet! I guess that tells us that you don't want your dog to get sick in Broome!!! At the other end of the scale, take a moment to think about

Long walks along Cable Beach.

Our neighbours swag.

this lifestyle. On our last couple of days at Tarangau Caravan Park, we got a new neighbour. He was a real life cowboy, who drove a beat up old ute. From the back of the ute came a fold out camp stretcher. Then came a canvas swag all neatly rolled, which he unrolled to reveal a sheet, a blanket and a pillow. There was no tent or tarpaulin, just sleeping under the stars!! When I asked him what he did in the rain, he just said he pulled over the canvas cover and slept with his cowboy hat on!! His life was just travelling around, doing odd jobs on properties. He just loves the bush, and a stay at a caravan park is his idea of city living! All his worldly possessions in his ute. He did have the latest model I Phone and a PC though! When he needed to charge them he just left them on the bench in the men"s amenities block! Talk about trusting!

Golf at Broome GC.

Bougainvillea grows well in Broome.

The caravan park we are in now, has its temporary sites mixed in among the permanents and privately owned holiday sites. We are right in the middle of such, and it is a real concrete jungle. We are the "outsiders", and tolerated rather than embraced, so we spend most of our time away. Being close to the Golf Club, we have taken the opportunity to have a couple of games. It is a surprisingly good course, and last week hosted the Broome Open. We kept our eyes peeled but no sign of Adam Scott or Rory McIlroy. Tiger would have just blended in with the locals, but I didn't see his name on the leader board either. It is actually quite a scream playing at Broome. There is a huge sign at the first tee proclaiming "Enclosed Footwear, No Singlets, No Sandals, Each Player must have set of Clubs". Everyone wears sandals, and most couples share a set of clubs, and it seems that most just play the holes they like, as during a round you can easily have 6 or 7 different groups in front of you at some stage!! We felt over dressed and over clubbed!!

The Mango Place at 12 Mile.

More Bougainvillea.

We took another drive out to 12 Mile, this time to visit the Mango Place, which is quite lovely, with its open air cafe and store nestled under the huge mango trees. Whilst mango isn't in season, they produce a good array of jams, relishes and sauces, plus some girly things like hand creams and lotions. It is just a lovey cool place to laze away some time. They do wood fired pizza on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and stay open into the evening. But before I rushed

Shopping Broome style.

The Sun Picture Theatre.

out there, I'd phone and check. These places have a habit of closing "unexpectedly".
Another great treat in Broome, is a night at the movies. The Sun Picture Theatre is right in the middle of town, and is the oldest, and longest continually running, outdoor theatre in the world! You sit in the old canvas sling back seats, which are bloody uncomfortable, watching the  planes take off and land from the nearby airport, as well the occasional bird or bat that flies by! We went to see The Jersey Boys. Talk about a movie aimed at the right audience! With all the baby boomers, and older, in town in their caravans, the place was packed. They were still streaming in after the movie started! The choc tops were flying out of the freezer! It was a great movie and a great night.  

Lounging with a cocktail.

My girl needs a little resort time!

We have spent hours and hours down on Cable Beach. It is totally uncluttered now that school is back! Though another disturbing activity has arrived. The nudists have come out in force! Sadly, they are not the 25 year old bronzed, curvaceous type, but the saggy, wrinkled 60 and 70 year old type. What on earth possesses these people to spread eagle themselves on sun lounges, and expose all that flesh to the elements. Then they go for walks. So many moving

Sunset drinks.

Camels, camels, camels.

parts!! What would their children and grandchildren think!!! The whale watching season has commenced, but I am seriously wondering whether the tours ever leave the beach! Still, we have not let them disturb our peace and quiet. We sit under our awning reading our books, averting our eyes from some horrid sights, when required. Thankfully, as the evening approaches and the air cools, the clothes go back on. I wouldn't want those poor camels exposed to such sights. It could cause a stampede! In regard to the real whale watching, there are a couple of tours, but we have simply been entertained sitting in our chairs on Cable Beach. We had one terrific day, where the whales were just a few hundred metres off the beach, breaching and frolicking and having a great time. It was quite a sight.

Camels in duplicate!

Sailing into the sunset.

On our final weekend, we have been to the markets for a last chance to stock up on some fresh fruit and veggies for the journey south, as well as allow Carolyn some last minute shopping. We had one last breakfast at Kool Spot, our absolute favourite cafe in Broome. Vinka was there to greet us as usual. We had another delicious breakfast and then had a big hug and farewell, promising to be back soon. If you are ever in Broome, you should go to Kool Spot. The food is

One last sunset drinks.

One last brekkie with Vinka
at Kool Spot.

fresh and fantastic, the coffee is great, and the friendly atmosphere will make you feel right at home. Vinka has been great to us, recommending dinner spots, and even a hairdresser for Carolyn. She has been our go to girl, and never let us down. We headed back to the caravan park to do the bulk of our packing up, before one last visit to Cable Beach for a swim, a relax, and one last round of sunset drinks. As usual the sunset was beautiful. We headed into town for dinner at a little Thai Restaurant called Som Thai. We sat outside in the warm evening air and had one of the best Thai meals

Farewell to Broome.

we've ever eaten. The Pad Thai was amazing, and a dish called Prawns Tornado was the most unbelievable combination of flavours. Next morning we were hooked up

One more last sunset!

early, and off to the caravan cleaners. We had seen a brochure advertising a good deal to wash the entire caravan, as well as clean the upholstery, so decided to take up the offer. In areas where water is a scarce commodity, it is so hard to get the caravan cleaned, especially the roof, and we have never done the upholstery. We had a couple of hours to fill, so what else do you do, but head down to Kool Spot for coffee and cake! Vinka cracked up when she saw us walk in. "Bloody hell, can't we get rid of you lot!!!" We had another round of hugs and were soon back to pick up the caravan.  Wasn't long, and we were on the road, heading out of town. Farewell to Broome, until next time.