Perth, Broome, Melbourne - January 1997

We'll I've finally gotten around to writing up the second part of our trip from Melbourne to Broome via Central Australia and Perth. The first part is already on the blog here. After spending new years in Perth with Sam's relatives we said good bye to Wendy and Barry and headed off for Broome. Leaving way before sun up we headed up the Great Northern Highway through Meekatharra, pushing on all day and into the night we eventually pulled to the side of the road for a sleep somewhere between Port Hedland and Broome, it had been a long day but tomorrow morning we would be in Broome.

The Palms were a little smaller at Cable Beach in those days.

Watching the sun set over the Indian ocean from Cable Beach.

Next morning we completed the last few hours into Broome, checking into our flash accommodation at The Cable Beach Club, although in those days I have a feeling it as called something else. This was our first visit to the tropical north in the wet season, and the humidity was an eye opener, it felt like you were in a hot bath. Within a few seconds of leaving the air conditioner we would be soaked with sweat, it didn't help that cyclone Rachel was brewing just off the coast. At the time I wondered how people cope, but I've come to relish the tropical heat, I think it gets down to not trying to fight it, just adapt.

Cable Beach.

Sunset camel train, Cable Beach, Broome.

A little bit of sun on Cable Beach, the large swell was cause by cyclone Rachel, just off shore.

We ended up spending about a week in Broome, we were trapped by cyclone Rachel flooding Great Northern Highway between Broome and Port Hedland. I figured it was much better waiting it out at Cable Beach rather than some mosquito infested creek on the side of the highway. Our time in Broome was spent swimming and relaxing, with the usual trips out to Gantheaume Point, China Town, Cable Beach, The Croc Farm, and even a very wet and slippery trip up to Coulomb Point on the day the cyclone was closest to Broome.

Malcolm Douglas's croc farm occupied some prime real estate at Cable Beach in those days.

Check out the sturdy? cyclone fence protecting me from the five metre saltie.

His just eaten a chook so I should be sweet.

Coulomb Point, very near where they wanted to build the LNG plant at James Price Point recently.

All good things have to come to an end eventually, so as the water levels receded over the highway we decided that we had better start heading for home, we had work to get back to, and the small matter of a 10,000 kilometres drive to get there. By the time we reached the section of highway that had been closed the water was only half way up the wheels, so there was no real problem there. Turning off the highway we headed towards Marble Bar on some back roads, all was going relatively good until we got to the crossing of the De Grey River, that's were our side trip came to a stop. We would have needed a boat to get across the river, the far side wasn't even visible from where we were. So back tracking we headed to the Hi Vis Mecca of Port Hedland for the night.

Trying to get through to Marble Bar.

Err, I think we'll need a boat, at The De Grey River crossing.

Next day we were keen to put as much distance between us and Port Hedland as possible, today's plan was to attempt to get to Millstream Chichester National Park. I wasn't overly confident that we would get through all the water but half the fun was trying. All was good as we trucked down the highway for a couple of hundred kilometres, things were still going pretty good as we turned off onto the Tom Price Road making it to the Python Pool for a cooling swim. The country around here looked stunning, the spinifex was green and contrasting with the rich red rock and soil as far as the eye could see. It felt like travelling through a scene in The Flinstones. There was mining around in those days but nothing like the scale of mining we have now, just as well we are all getting rich from the royalties from all these mines, oh hang on.....  Cough, where was I, ah that's right, trucking across The Pilbara. Next objective was the visitor centre at Millstream Homestead, we had a small problem in that the Fortescue River was between us and our objective. Arriving at the crossing we were once again faced with an inland sea across the road, this time however I could see a couple of dry patches poking out of the water so with nothing ventured nothing gained I ploughed in, things went great for about three seconds, when the back of the troopie started to float sideways I knew that I'd better pay attention. Keeping the boot into it, the troopie eventually scrambled up onto one of those dry patches I'd mentioned, quickly deciding that retreat was the order of the day we did an 18 point turn on our little patch of dry land and after locking both my diffs and my sphincter,  ploughed back through, I even managed to get a photo as the bow wave approached the windscreen, the good news was that I still could see out the top half of the windscreen so there was plenty of margin for error :) A full scale retreat was called and we headed to Karratha for the night.

Millstream Chichester National Park.

The Pilbara.

It was like driving through a scene from The Flinstones.

Trying to cross the flooded Fortescue River in the wet season.

Suitably refreshed the next day we headed of on our next adventure, this time to Cape Range National Park, we wanted to camp on the beach and do a bit of snorkelling in the Ningaloo Marine Park. We set ourselves up at the North Mandu campsite and spent an awesome day drift snorkelling off the beach, floating down the shallow gutter beside the reef with the back tipped reef sharks, life's good. That night we ate tea while the sun set over the Indian Ocean, behind us the Cape Range glowed a fiery red, we slept well that night with a million stars over our heads.

North Mandu.

From our camp at North Mandu in Cape Range national park looking out towards Ningaloo Reef.

One of our first water proof cameras.

Sunset at our camp.

The sun setting into the Indian Ocean.

Cape Range is in the back ground.

It was now time to hook in a bit and get back to Perth to pick up Sam's parents, so today was just one of those days on a road trip where you kick back, listen to a few CD's and watch the country unfold through the windscreen. After picking up Barry and Wendy we headed down to Margaret River to check out a couple of the caves that the region is famous for (as well as the wine and the beaches). From there we headed across to the Valley of the Giants tree top walk where a series of walkways let you walk through the canopy of giant tingle trees 40 metres above the ground. After that excitement we trucked over to Albany for the night.

Reflections at Lake Cave.

Lake Cave near Margaret River

On the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk.

Barry and Wendy on the tree top walk.

Next day, after checking out the sights at Torndirrup National Park  south of town, we headed off to Esperance. We were now heading onto the Nullarbor via the back door, initially we followed Fisheries Road out to Israelite Bay, the last 80 kilometres being slow low range sand driving. After deciding that it was too windy for a swim I pointed the troopie north heading for Balladonia. The first 40 kilometres until we reached Tower Peak was very hard going, the track was over grown and we basically had trees scraping both sides of the truck for the whole distance, reaching Balladonia Road near Tower Peak I jumped out expecting to see all the paint scraped off the sides of the troopie, I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find minimal damage to the duco. From Tower Peak we had 130 kilometres to go to meet the sealed Eyre Highway at Ballodonia, the road was not too bad, a combination of corrugations and limestone outcrops. In the dark now we finally started to head east towards home, initially almost directly due east along the longest straight stretch of road in Australia at 146.6 kilometres, we eventually called stumps at the Cocklebiddy Motel, spending the night in a small donga.

The Gap, south of Albany.

Torndirrup National Park.

Israelite Bay.

Unfortunately it was to windy for a swim today.

With half the continent still to cross it felt like the trip was almost over now, the next day we enjoyed the many lookouts over the Great Australian Bight, before spending the night at Ceduna. From there we pushed on to Melbourne, I'm assuming we stopped somewhere on the journey although I've done it many times straight through. We were now travelling through country that I was very familiar with so maybe that's why I can't remember ( or it could be that my brain is getting old and soft!).

Nullarbor National Park.

In SA just after crossing over from WA.

The Dirt.
The trip covered around 20,000 kilometres all up, the troopie chugged along without any drama. I've posted a couple of links to accommodation so I wont go over that again. Broome was, and still is one of my favourite places, however visiting in the tropical wet season can be a bit of a hard core adventure. The Pilbarra is an under rated gem, visit before Gina digs it all up and sells it to China. Not sure if the track up from Israelite Bay is still a viable option, it was very marginal when we went through. Finally, the Nullarbor road trip should be a rite of passage for any Australian, I never fail to enjoy it.

Who is that fool, oh hang on.....

The last look at the cliffs on the Great Australian Bight, for this adventure anyway.