Sunset at Cable Beach, Broome WA

It's difficult to choose the photos to show of the lovely sunsets at Broome.  If there is cloud, the sunset is more dramatic.  We went several times driving onto the beach and along the beach at Broome in WA.

Several times we went down to the beach Cable Beach to take sunset photos.

The photos are taken from the beginning of the sunset to the end looking at the Indian Ocean.

Travelling in Western Australia...

Western Australia is the bigggest State of Australia. It covers one side of this Land from top to bottom.

There are very few towns.

No such thing as 'Fresh Bread' up north.  It's frozen and mostly sold thawed.

Many places (Caravan Parks) there is little or NO TV.

Heaps of places there is no Telephone Service or Internet Services, even as you drive down the road. For km there is isolation.

Fuel is available at Roadhouses placed just in the correct position from the last one. There are no other houses or people other than those who work in them.  

Most people who work in these places (Roadhouses) are from another country. Germany, France, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, England, Asians and a few other countries.  There seems to be hardly any Australians. I believe that most of these people who are young are on working Visas and it's very isolated for them here in the State of Western Australia (WA)

We travel 500 km some days which takes up to 7 hours of driving, stopping for 5 minutes here and there to stretch our legs. We usually leave on such days at 5.30am so that we arrive just after lunch time at our new destination.

Whilst in a town we look around the sites, find out the history if possible, take photos and meet the local people.

One thing that Western Australia has this time of year is Wildflowers.  There are so many kinds it would take a mountain of years to document and photographic them.

Flower below is Sturt Desert Pea

Purple Mulla Mula

Perennial Statice

Not sure of the name of this white flower.

Dinosaur Footprints

Who would have even thought that one would fined Dinosaur Footprints in Broome!
The photo is a Cast of those footprints which one can see at a very low tide at Gantheaume Point.
Footprints are estimated to be 115 to 120 million years old.  They extend in patches for about 80km along the coast.

Camels of Broome

There is just something special at Cable Beach when the camels arrive to take people on a ride along the beach at sunset.  The ride goes for half an hour and more women seem to do it than men. 

Camels of course are not native to Australia but suited to out back Australia.

*The very first camel to ever set foot on the red Australian soil arrived in 1840 and came from the Canary Islands. (This was a somewhat unlucky camel, as it accidentally caused its owners death and was subsequently shot...) But this first camel was soon followed by others. 24 more camels arrived in Australia in 1860 to be part of the Bourke and Wills expedition. And in the next fifty years an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 camels made their way to Australia!

The camels came to Australia mostly from India and Palestine, and nearly all of them were dromedaries (the one humped variety Camelus dromedarius). Apparently there were only about 20 two humped camels (bactrian camels of the species Camelus bactrianus) imported during that time.
On top of that Australians also started breeding their own camels.

The first of several Australian camel studs was established in 1866 in South Australia, and the studs went on to operate for fifty more years. (Interestingly the working camels bred in Australia turned out to be of much higher quality than the imported camels...) It was the camels, and the camel drivers or cameleers, that opened up the Australian Outback.
The camel drivers came mostly from Afghanistan, but also from Pakistan and the Turkish Empire.
*Taken from Outback Travel Secrets..

Cable Beach, Broome

We arrived in Broome last Friday our 3rd visit.

Broome is on the Western Coast of Western Australia (WA). It's a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 2,240 in north of Perth.  The permanent population is estimated at 14,436, growing to over 45,000 per month during the tourist season which is Winter.

I took these sunset shots Thursday evening, tonight was a grand sunset much nicer that these.
Many people come to see the sunset at Broome. They bring their wine or beer, a chair to sit on and a few bring there cameras, but heaps bring their Tablets and use those for photos.  There are Camel rides to be had with 3 sets of Camels as in Companies. Many people drive onto the beach going up the nudist end and park to watch as we do. That's what you do in Broome in Winter when 30 degC or more.

Broome is an isolated place, there is no getting in the vehicle and driving to the next town. The next town is 600 km away down south.

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Boab Tree, WA

Boab trees grow in Northern Australia mainly in the Kimberley Region usually having a bottled shaped trunk.

Notes taken from Wikipedia.
Adansonia gregorri, commonly known as the boab, is a tree in the family Malvaceae.  As with other baobabs, it is easily recognised by the swollen base of it's trunk, which forms a massive caudes, giving the tree a bottle like appearance.  Endemic to Australia, boab occur in the Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA), and east into the Northern Territory (NT).  It is the only baobab to occur in Australia, the others being native to Madagascar (six species) and mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (two species). Boab ranges from 5 to 15 meters in height, usually between 9 and 12 meters, with a broad bottle shaped trunk.  It's trunk base may be extremely large, trunks with a diameter of over five metres have been recorded.  A. gregorii is deciduous, losing it's leaves during the dry winter period and producing new leaves and large white flowers between December and May.

The Boab Prison Tree, Derby WA, is a large hollow Adansonia gregorii (Boab) tree just shouth of Derby, WA.  It's reputed to have been used in the 1890's as a lockup for indigenous Australian prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing.  It is now a tourist attraction.

In fact, there is no evidence that the Derby Prison Tree was ever used for holding prisoners.

The photo was taken on the way to Broome,WA

Geikie Gorge, Fitzroy Crossing WA

Lovely picturesque Gorge. One can take a guided tour for a reasonable price. The tour takes 1 and 1/2 hours.

When the Fitzroy River is in full flood during the wet season (summer) it covers the whole national park. Those floods rise over 16 metres up the gorge walls and the continuous rise and fall of the water has left the bottom of the walls bleached white, an intriguing sight which makes Geikie Gorge very popular with photographers.

The rock is limestone.

Sandalwood in Kununurra

Kununurra in Western Australia (WA) has changed in what is grown in the soil.
Previous visits showed us heaps of Mango Trees, Sugar Cane, Melons and various other fruits that will grow in the Tropics.  This visit the Sugar Mill has been closed. No where near as many Mango Trees and Melons, in place of these there are many plantations of Sandalwood trees.

Below are questions and answers regarding those trees.

SANDALWOOD TREES:
Q. What is the difference between Indian and Australian Sandalwood?
A. Of the 15 different species of sandalwood that grow throughout the world, there are 2 main varieties that are traded internationally. These are santalum spicatum (Australian sandalwood) and santalum album (Indian sandalwood). Australian sandalwood currently supplies well over half of all sandalwood traded around the globe annually. Australian sandalwood has historically been used in the agabati and incense markets in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and most other Asian countries. It has been widely accepted in these areas for over 150 years. In recent years Australian sandalwood oil has been incorporated into many high end perfumes and other cosmetic products. Australian sandalwood does produce a lower oil content than Indian sandalwood although it consistently produces the oil forming heartwood from a very young age. Australian plantation sandalwood has been tried and tested in small plantations throughout WA for over 25 years by both private and Government organizations.

Q. Where else is Sandalwood being grown?
A. Western Australia currently has the largest sandalwood plantation resource in the world. Australian sandalwood is being grown in commercial plantations throughout the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, and Indian sandalwood in the tropical far north of WA mainly in the Kununurra region within the Ord River Irrigation Area. There are however some small plantations of Indian sandalwood being grown in India and the Pacific Islands.

Q. Why does Sandalwood need a host tree?
A. Sandalwood trees are root hemi-parasites and require host trees for healthy growth. The host trees provide extra water and nutrients to the sandalwood delivered by a unique root connection called haustoria. The two trees form a symbiotic relationship throughout the life of the sandalwood tree. The best host species are the nitrogen-fixing plants, especially the wattles (Acacias) which are also native to Western Australia.

Sandalwood growing along with the host trees. 

My purchase on our visit to the Sandalwood Shop in Kununurra.

Quarantine on the Border of NT and WA

At the border of Northern Territory (NT) and Western Australia (WA) there is the Quarantine Station. There is one lane of traffic going into two lanes. One lane for large vehicles, the other for smaller vehicles.  There are two Quarantine men, they search your vehicle, they search the Caravans.

Any vegetables and fruit are disposed of by the men in their bins.
There is a hefty fee if caught by not declaring....

Things not permitted into Western Australia (WA)
Honey and other hive products

Unmilled Rice

Raw nuts as in Walnuts

Seeds (edible - commercially packaged)

Animals (birds/fish/aquariums/wildlife): pets or other.

Animals (livestock, cattle, pigs, horses etc)

Bees & apiary equipment 

Containers (agricultural/horticultural; used, including sacks, bags, cartons)

Soil (including in plant pots)

Plant items such as Bulbs, 

Cut flowers & foliage

Garden/house/pot plants

Seeds

Stock feed (hay/fodder)

Timber (dressed/without bark)

Wood (firewood: dried & bark free)

Wood (ornamental: dried & bark-free)

There are exceptions of course - some items require a permit.

The above was taken from the booklet given to us at the border - bringing 'into' Western Australia (WA)
In the booklet it's stated what can be brought into each State and the Territories of Australia.

 

The Border taken through the windscreen

The Bottle Shop Visit!

Katherine Aboriginals, so many have a drinking problem here in the outback of Australia.
So when going to buy a bottle of wine or any kind of Alcoholic drink there are two Police at the bottle shops in opening hours.  My husband needed to make a purchase.  He was asked for his photo ID and where he was going to drink his purchase!  The bottle shop is not open all day.
I guess Katherine the town has a big problem.

We have heard that white people have sold liquor in the past to the Aboriginals in certain areas.

Photo taken through the glass window on my phone.

Up Close and Personal!

We are currently in Kununurra in Western Australia (W.A)

Animals are amazing especially this Emu.  He was such a sticky beak, he poked his nose in peoples caravan doors, came ever so close when I took his photo, he nearly pecked the lens.  I was watchful in case he decided to lash out with his feet, thank good that didn't happen.
He knew when to come around, evening meal time and breakfast.

We came across the rather tame Emu whist staying in a Caravan Park up the middle of Australia, the people that own the property share a large piece of land with those that travel.  There was no power but water, the park was full. The water was bore water.