Kununurra to Broome

Saturday 1st August - Tuesday 4th

These past few days have been travelling days and time spent at Derby. Our first stop was an overnight stay at a well known free camp spot called Mary Pool. We were told about it by campers at Kununurra as the drive to Fitzroy Crossing is too far in one day. We have also been told that we will find very good free camp spots all down the west coast as the WA government has set up spots with toilet facilities and a lot of them have a dump spot(very important info). So we arrived at Mary Pool just in time as the place soon filled up, there would have been approx 60- 70 vans etc - very safe.

     Up VERY early with the nature disco and were first out of the camp by 6.20. Need to come home for a sleep in!!!!!!! Road back across the dry river to main road, no getting to this spot in the wet season.

     Mary Pool very dry as are almost every river we cross up here.

      This is the Great Northern Highway, aka the Savanna Way. Not the best of roads at times.

     You also will come across heaps of these - one lane bridges.

Arrived at Fitzroy Crossing early caught up with the washing etc. Very little to do at FC. Small IGA and not much else, very very hot. Went for a bike ride of course at the hottest part of the day and ended up down a very rough dirt road, not the most pleasant of rides. FC is definitely only a stopover point.

Arrived in Derby, staying at the Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park for 3 nights. Good shady site, close to town and a short bike ride out to the wharf. Derby is a good stepping off point to sightsee the Horizontal Falls and other parts of the Kimberley, however, you have to book early. We booked from Kununurra and couldn't get in so we are doing a full day at the falls from Broome. Now that we are here there is not a lot to do, so we are trying to relax - bit hard when you have been on the go for six weeks. 

Derby has Australia's highest tidal range and the second highest in the Southern Hemisphere. And the high tide today was at 4.30pm just an hour before sunset at a height of 9.8m, so the bikes were ridden out to see it.

    Of course the famous sunset pic - probably going to be many more of these as we are heading to the west coast. This is from the wharf at the end of town. It is a large old style wharf that used to be working but not any more. The town is pushing for it to reopen as people are starting to sell up as there is little work in the area.

   We took ourselves bike riding each day. This one across the tidal mud flats. No that is not water in the distance it's a mirage, we kept riding and it kept getting further and further away.

.

   Yes we are looking glamorous in our bike attire standing inside this boab tree near town. These trees are unique in that as they grow they hollow themselves out. Their wood does not burn as well so in a bush fire they are still left standing.

      Standing inside the boab tree looking up, right through to the branches is all hollow.

 Amazes me how it is still standing.

Heading to Broome tomorrow and the west coast and the BEACH.