Ever since we set off from Noosa over 6 months ago, the one place we have both been dying to check out is the tiny Western Australian town of Broome. Somehow it’s felt like the culmination of our voyage – the fabled gold at the end of the rainbow – and this week we finally got there!
And boy was it worth the 14 weeks of waiting!
We absolutely loved Broome and ended up spending 10 days in around this spot. But honestly, we could have spent a whole lot more and something tells me … we’ll be back!
Distance Travelled:
487km
Spot of the Week:
Cable Beach, Broome, WA
Free Camp of the Week:
Quondong Point, WA
I don’t really know what to say about this place, so I’ll just let the photo do the talking!
Tip of the Week:
Check your roof rack regularly!
Thankfully, the boy is fairly organised when it comes to the maintenance and repairs on our car, but even this one slipped him by.
He regularly checks the nuts on the roof rack legs are secure. However, what none of us have noticed, is that the roof rack has slowly been wiggling its way to the back of the car! Wiggling a whole 2 inches to the back of the car in fact!
With the extremely bumpy roads we’ve been enduring, it’s no wonder something hasn’t fallen of the car, but the roof rack was the last think we expected!
After our discovery, the next few hours were spent loosening all the roof rack legs and then slowly edging them forward inch by inch by tapping them with a mallet – slow going, but still a lot quicker than having to take everything off the roof roof including our tent, jerry cans and spare tyres!
And so our tip this week is to make sure you put a mark on your car where a few of your roof rack legs sit, so you can monitor any movement. We have now done this and are checking it religiously!
Don’t get caught out with this one, we were lucky we noticed just in time to solve the issue. Had we not, it would have been a complete disaster, possibly ending with the roof itself being torn off poor Landy!
Disaster of the Week:
Aside from the roof rack – the worst thing this week yielded up was a thong blow-out! Honestly, that’s how good the week was!
Now, just to clarify, we are referring to a thong of the flip-flop variety here. Luckily Coles (the supermarket) had some lovely bright pink ones, which were on special for a fiver – result!
The Budget ($ AUD):
Fuel – $139.96
Groceries – $265.77
Camping Fees – $152.00
Coffee -$49.00 (ouch, large towns and cities are deadly for our caffeine addiction!)
Entertainment – $59.00 (a treat out to Broome’s craft brewery – Matso’s)
Laundry – $6.00
Total – $671.73
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Day 1 – Broome, WA
Leaving the free camp outside of Derby, we finally made it to the fabled land of Broome and the coast of Western Australia.
First thing we did was drive to Town Beach to enjoy breakfast and a swim. After that, we checked out Broome’s Chinatown a little, did some sightseeing and then headed to Cable Beach to find a caravan park.
Most of the afternoon was then spent staring in awe at the beautiful views of Cable Beach and enjoying the fantastic sunset here!
Day 2 – Broome
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we are serious coffee lovers! Even on the road, we have a few every day made in a wonderful stovetop espresso maker.
However it is nice to find a great café occasionally, especially when you’ve been travelling in remote territory for a while! Rather ideally therefore, right between Cable Beach and our caravan park was an awesome little joint called The Zookeepers Store.
Getting its interesting name from the old Broome Zoo, which used to sit on the same site, this place has some great stories from the Zoo and Broome’s history plastered on the walls and …. the coffee is FANTASTIC!
Not fantastic for the budget though, as this became an every day stopover on the way to beach for our morning swim! Sometimes you just have to enjoy things when you can.
Day 3 – Broome
Today was our exploration day of Broome, so we packed up the car and headed off for a good look around.
We love a good market and our first stop was off course Broome Markets. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit of a non-event, but not to worry we had plenty more to see and do.
We headed into town to read about some of the historical monuments and buildings, including the Japanese cemetery, before heading out to Matso’s to treat ourselves.
As you know, we very rarely splash out on indulgences, however the lure of this boutique brewery was too much to resist!
G was dead keen to try the ginger beer he had heard about and soon a few drinks turned into lunch as well! The chilli-ginger beer was the real winner of the afternoon and my chickpea curry was yummo!
It’s no wonder that Matso’s is a favourite watering hole round here – with delightful food, boutique beers made on the premises, a laid back vibe and killer views, it was hard to beat.
We finished the day off with a dinosaur hunt, yep that’s right!
Apparently out on Gantheaume Point at low tide you can see large dino footprints fossilized in the sand. Seems even the dinosaurs knew how to pick a winning spot when they saw one!
Sadly, we were a bit late for the low tide, so missed out this time, but we did get to enjoy the incredible colours of the landscape around here and snap some super pics as well.
Day 4 – Broome
With epic sunsets on the menu every day here in Broome, we couldn’t resist the temptation to pack up a picnic dinner and head for the best sunset viewing spot – on Cable beach … once again.
A late afternoon swim, dinner and watching one of the best sunsets we’ve seen on our trip, was a brilliant way to end the day and our time in Broome.
Day 5 – Quondong Point Free Camp
This place was pure magic!
About 50km north of Broome, it quickly became our fav free camp of the trip.
We were lucky enough to find a nice big flat campsite amongst the red dunes when we got here. It also happened to have pristine views overlooking the white sand beach and turquoise water.
We couldn’t possibly imagine that there would be places that looked like this where you could camp for free, but we were delighted to find it!
Day 6 – Quondong Point Free Camp, WA
Another day in paradise!
There is nothing like an early morning dip in the ocean and with crystal clear waters and a white sandy ocean floor, it is a serious bonus!
At 39 degrees however, you can’t stay long in the water, no matter how enticing it is – those rays will get you in no time!
Day 7 – Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, WA
Western Australia just keeps getting better and better and the Dampier Peninsular was no exception.
Wow, this place was stunning! Even the drive up there through the red sand dunes was exquisite.
We made a quick detour on the way to Cygnet Bay to visit the Church at Beagle Bay. The church is a striking building from the outside, but inside, the walls, covered with mosaics of pearl shells, are truly spectacular. Putting into perspective exactly how remote this place is, we learnt that every brick in that church was hand-moulded and fired – now that is commitment!
Moving on another 200km north and we finally made it to Cygnet Bay.
We didn’t really know what to expect from a pearl farm, but we were delighted when we arrived at a beautiful, family working property with a few touches of modern luxury.
The drive into this farm is like a living history in itself, with old cattle loading yards and old boats guiding the way from the road to the epic coastline, where all the action takes place.
The allure, history and uniqueness of this place is never ending. I could spend ages explaining the founding of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and then I could describe, for even longer, how the pearls are cultured, harvested and classified here. This spot is just full of fascinating stories and you can read more in our full review of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm here.
On top of all that, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm also boasts some wonderfully unique accommodation options, a licensed restaurant with magnificent views of the turquoise bay and a beautiful infinity pool nestled in the natural rock face.
Add to this the variety of tours on offer, as well as the passionate and professional team that deliver them, and Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm is certainly a top spot in this part of the world.
Stay tuned for our review of Week 16 to hear all about the amazing Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm Tour and the incredible Waterfall Reef Sea Safari trip we got to enjoy here.
Wow, just can’t stop looking at those pictures again. And again. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Anuj, pretty spectacular hey! We’re seriously can’t believe WA doesn’t get more press!