Broome

The town of Broome is like a magnificent oasis. Nestled on the shores of the Indian Ocean it is a garden of beautiful flowers and palm trees galore. Our caravan park had a fabulous pool and the daytime temperatures were very warm, usually around 27 - 32 degrees Celsius most days. During the cyclone season they have enormous downpours of rain and the houses and cottages in this part of the country don't have any gutters on them. We saw some of the devastation created by these tropical storms when we were at 80 Mile Beach. Fortunately Broome has escaped mother natures wrath of late and is still in pretty good shape. Cable Beach is known for it's amazing sunsets and if you are lucky enough to be here during a full moon, you can witness the famous " Staircase to the Moon" event where the suns reflection on the receding tides creates an awe inspiring illusion. We missed out on this but, we may be able to see the same thing when we get to Darwin.
The pearling industry in Broome has been going on for hundreds of years and they produce some of the best
cultured pearls in the entire world. In the early days they employed hundreds of Japanese pearlers and aboriginals to work on the boats called "luggers" similar to the one in the photo. It was dangerous business and many died trying to retrieve the precious pearl shells from the bottom of the ocean. We took a day tour out to Willie Creek which is still a prosperous pearling operation in the area. The two pearls in the photo are worth around $10,000. The big one is worth about $7,000 and the smaller one around $3,000. They are valued on size, colour, shape, luster and weight. They go to a lot of trouble to make sure every pearl shell is growing in the best possible conditions and are cleaned and checked on a regular basis. The industry today has come a long way from it's dangerous and humble beginnings and the headstones in the local Japanese cemetery are a testament to this fragile but still prosperous business. Just to top off our adventure in Broome we went for a camel ride down Cable Beach. It was an amazing experience to sit atop one of these gorgeous, gentle animals.  If you ever get the opportunity, you should visit this beautiful town. We hate to leave here but must continue on our journey and will soon be into the much heralded Kimberly region. Will keep you posted on more exciting adventures... Bushy Bob & Mary-anne