Camels at sunset

Australia is home to the largest population of wild camels in the world. Who knew?
One of the coolest things to do in Broome is take a camel ride on the beach at sunset. Rhonda, Lolita, and I did just that. Here are a few photos:

For your enjoyment, here's a funny photo. I wanted a pic with my camel, Horris, but got a bit too close. In my panic I accidentally pressed the shutter.

 Here's what the pic was supposed to look like! :-)

Broome time

Broome, Western Australia: my current home.
This is a small, relaxed, beach town, where the phrases, "no worries, mate," and "it's all good" are freqently spoken by both friendly locals and visitors alike. Being on "Broome time" means taking it slow, no hassles, and no pressure. Lots of people come here to visit, and end up getting sucked into the "Broome time" vaccuum, staying for weeks or months at a time.

A few quick facts about my new town:

• It's home to less than 12,000 permanent residents. In the dry season, however, the population swells to about 50,000!
• Broome has a tropical climate, which means that there are only two seasons: a wet and a dry. We're in the dry season now, and I haven't seen rain (and rarely, clouds) since I arrived almost one month ago. Average high temperature here during the day is about 30 degrees celcius (86 F). Perfect!
• The main beach here is Cable Beach, a five minute walk from where I currently live. See the pics below. Over 22 k long, with white sand, clear water, and beautiful rocks, I have to say I am spoiled to be able to visit almost every day! This white girl even has a tan! :-)
• Main activities here: 
• Swim/sun at the beach.
• Sunset at the beach (around 5:30 every night)
• Night beach parties (sensing a theme here?)
• Hang out at Divers, the local pub
• Go to the outdoor cinema in town, one of the oldest functioning cinemas in the world
• Tourist stuff: ride the camels, visit the pearl farms, visit the wilderness/crocodile park
• The town is the only place I've ever been where one can walk to the airport from the town. The airport is literally right in town. 

A few pics from Broome: 

Our first night in Broome, at Oasis (one of the clubs)

Sunset over the rocks

Yes, there will be LOTS of beach sunset photos!

Relaxing on the cliffs out at Gantheaume Point

Goofing off with Rhonda and Izzy

The beautiful cliffs at Gantheaume Point, home to 120 million year old dinosaur footprints!

Our French friends Lily, Tom, and Lolita made us crepes one evening. Yum!!

A couple days at the beach, we were warned about the stingers. (Don't worry, Mom!)

My new (temporary) home, at Cable Beach Backpackers:

Hopefully these pics will give you a little insight into "Broome time"! :-)
More Broome adventures to come!

Road trippin'

During a discussion with two of the girls I met in Perth, Rhonda (Canadian) and Izzy (Welsh), we had the brilliant idea of taking a road trip from Perth up the west coast to Broome, a distance of 2,360 kilometers (1,463 miles). It's amazing, the zany ideas born out of seemingly innocent conversation! We had the idea on Monday, and by Wednesday morning, we were off in our rental car driving north into the wild west.

In general, WA (Western Australia) is an incredibly remote area, and we were leaving the largest city in the state (Perth). After a few kilometers, we had all lost cell phone reception, and we often drove an hour or two before passing another car.  Yes, the dirt was really actually red, and yes, there were kangaroos (and emus, and sheep, and goats, and cows) freely roaming along the roadside. It is advised not to drive after dusk here in WA because drivers can't see the animals wandering out in front of them on the highway. We had a close call with two emus at sunset one night, but luckily no damage was done! :-)

Here's a quick summary of the eight days.

Day 1: Perth to Geraldton

We started the day by picking up Rob from his hostel, and we were off, driving north up the highway.

Road trip buddies: Rhonda (Quebec), Rob (England), Izzy (Wales)

We had a quick stop off at The Pinnacles desert, cool limestone pillars situated at Nambung National Park near the highway.

The Pinnacles

Day 2: Geraldton to Monkey Mia

After saying goodbye to Rob, who stayed in Geraldton to work, we headed out to continue our way north.
We stopped for a little off-roading at Kalbarri National Park. Though we barely had time to scratch the surface of this magnificent place, we enjoyed some lovely views at "Nature's Window."

Nature's Window (through the rock)

Arriving at Monkey Mia at sunset

Day 3: Monkey Mia to Coral Bay

Monkey Mia, a tiny town (not even big enough to be called a town, really), is famous for the families of dolphins that live in surrounding waters. Every morning, the staff at the Monkey Mia Resort feed the dolphins, who usually come around the same time to collect their small fish and show off for the visitors.

The tourists lining up to see the dolphins being fed

From Monkey Mia, we continue north up the coast, stopping off at Shell Beach near Shark Bay, a beach comprised not of sand, but of seashells.

This is what we walked on instead of sand.

Further up the highway, we stopped off at Hamlin Pool to see an example of stramatolites, supposedly earth's earliest known life form. They look like rocks.

Day 4: Coral Bay to Exmouth

We had only one morning in Coral Bay, but we made full use of our time with a few hours of snorkeling. The Ningaloo Reef off the coast of upper western Australia is a world heritage listed site and considered by many to be even better than its east coast counterpart, the Great Barrier Reef. At over 260 k in length, the reef is home to over 500 species of tropical fish and 220 species of coral. We swam with the fish, the sea turtles, and even saw a reef shark right up close to the shore.

Day 5: Exmouth
We spent two nights in Exmouth, enjoying the small vacation town (population less than 2000) and its convenient access to the Ningaloo Reef. Lots of snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing here! Pictures forthcoming, but most of them are on Rhonda's camera!



Day 6: Exmouth to Onslow

Izzy & Rhonda

Haha! Random bush on the side of the road that has become a collection of undies!  We didn't have any to spare....

This roadside toilet was luxurious compared to the norm.

Day 7: Onslow to Port Hedland

This is the gist of Onslow

The termite mounds that dotted the landscape from Exmouth to Port Hedland

We stopped off at Miaree Pool, a fresh water pond. The water was a bit chilly for a swim.

Day 8: Port Hedland to Broome
This was a really long and boring drive.

Aside from a quick pit stop at a camp site/ roadside rest area (above), our only respite was a nice stop for lunch along Eighty Mile Beach. Yes, literally 80 miles of beach. Quite lovely.

Picnic on the beach

One of the only kiteboarders I've seen in WA

 We made it to Broome!  A nice brunch for our first morning in a new town.If we look tired, it's because we are.... 8 days on the road in the middle of nowhere. :-)

More to come soon....