Broome Bird Observatory and Broome

 21- 28 September 2022

We left Cable Beach after a week and made a quick stop in town to pick up a couple of things we needed, and to have a coffee, then drove the short distance to the BBO further around Roebuck Bay. We had stayed there in 1991 and a return visit was essential. Mick had phoned to check that we could get onto our site early and we were set up before lunch. There is a great visitor centre, a well-equipped “shade house” with kitchen facilities, showers and toilets, rubbish, compost and recycling bins, but no powered sites. We hoped we could sustain our power supply for the six nights we had booked.

Our site had good afternoon shade and it looked like we would be able to get the solar panels into a good enough position for much of the day. A birding friend arrived not long after us, so Mick swapped notes with her before we went for a walk onto the beach. The tide was quite low so Mick walked out past the mangroves while I sat in the shade. The temperature was about 38°, and the forecast was for 41° later in the week, but there would be no swimming here.

Mick had booked to go on the "Lakes Tour" on Thursday morning so he had an early start to depart at 7:00am. The tour would last all day and would hopefully result in at least one new bird. With the expected extreme temperatures he was sure there would be heat haze playing havoc with his photos. Mick returned home hot and tired but very keen to have a look at his photos – he had managed to get a couple of “lifers” that took his tally to 600. Despite the conditions he also had a few good shots of other birds on what turned out to be a very productive and enjoyable tour.

Mick had booked to go on the “Yellow Chat Twitch” tour on Saturday but swapped to the “Shorebirds” tour on Friday morning as he came back from the Lakes tour with some great shots of the yellow chat. This one was only a couple of hours long and departed at 7:30am so no need to get up too early. He came back from this tour with some more good shots and spent some time in the shadehouse escaping the heat and looking at the latest photos. The following morning we both drove down to one of the shorebird viewing places as Mick wanted to show me the amazing sight of up to one hundred thousand  migratory birds all sitting in one spot.

There are a number of parking bays along the road to the BBO, and we only had to go a short way to find the best one to access the beach. A short walk along the track and we could see a mass of grey on the edge of the water. While we were there a tour boat cruised past and many of the birds took flight making for some potentially great photos.

Mick spent time most mornings and afternoons on the beach looking for particular birds and he had some success thanks to one of his birding friends. She spotted the one he was after and alerted him to its whereabouts. They went searching together for another bird one morning in the mangroves at Crab Creek and became quite lost and covered in mud before eventually finding the right spot – just as the very high tide was rushing in. To add insult to injury, Mick didn’t manage to get a shot of the bird even though he had employed the “hit and hope” technique in the rush to get some photos before the tide cut them off.

After some discussion we agreed to stay an extra night so that Mick could go on the Mangrove Tour on Wednesday morning. We would then leave straight after to go to Eighty Mile Beach for at least one night, maybe two. Because we had an extra day we set off early on Tuesday morning to go back into Broome to check out some birding spots and also to do some grocery shopping. Our first stop was the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre (BRAC) ovals which unfortunately had dogs off-lead running everywhere when we arrived. Patience did pay off and once the dogs were gone Mick did get some nice shots.

From there we went down to the Broome South Wastewater Treatment Facility (or poo ponds as they are colloquially known). A road runs around the fenced perimeter so it’s not great for photography, but there is a good viewing platform from which Mick was able to identify a couple of good birds.

After the “poo ponds” we went into the town centre to Streeter’s Jetty where Mick had been told he could find Red-Headed honeyeaters. They were exactly in the spot described by one of the BBO wardens and he spent a good while down in the mangroves getting some great photos, while I window shopped in the numerous pearl emporia.

After morning tea we drove out to the port and Entrance Point where the views are fantastic and where some of the migratory shorebirds have a rest when they first arrive. The high tide meant there weren’t any on the beach – which was covered completely with water – but there were some on the nearby rocks. Some were close enough to identify but not photograph. We had a little respite from the heat while we shopped before returning to our home at the BBO. 

After a great week at this fabulous place, it was time to set off and head south. We had booked a site in Millstream - Chichester National Park and now had four days to fill in before then. Our next stop would be Eighty Mile Beach.

Broome

28 – 29 September 2022

After a very productive week (from a bird photography perspective) we set off to go to Eighty Mile Beach. Travelling along the unsealed Crab Creek Road from the Bird Observatory, I checked the tyre pressure monitor and noticed that one of the tyres had gone down considerably and was sitting on 22psi – not good. We continued to watch it and it looked like a slow leak so we decided to drive back to Broome when we reached the bitumen, and have it fixed before continuing. Unfortuately the tyre businesses in Broome were all flat out but we could have it fixed at 3:30pm that afternoon. This would mean we wouldn’t be able to get to Eighty Mile Beach so we booked into another caravan park at Cable Beach and moved our Eighty Mile Beach booking.

We made good use of the extra night on a powered site after a week without power and charged up all the devices and batteries, as well as doing a load of washing. Once the tyre was repaired we returned to the oval and water treatment works in search of some more bird photos. We also went down to the oval before we left town in the morning.

Broome

 14 – 21 September 2022

The caravan park we had chosen in Broome is located at Cable Beach and allows check-in to sites from 11:30am so we arrived just after that and were set up in time for lunch. We had requested a shady site not far from the amenities and were very pleased with our location. It turned out to have shade for most of the day which was very much needed with temperatures still well into in the 30s.

We wandered over to Divers’ Tavern, just across the road, for dinner and were surprised at how busy it was for a Wednesday night at the end of the tourist season. We enjoyed a nice meal but didn’t enjoy the crowds.

On our first full day we drove around town picking up things that we needed and included a visit to a computer repair business to have Mick’s laptop looked at. We also went into town for a look around and noticed that much of the old part was quite familiar even though our last visit was 31 years ago. Although there has been a lot of development there are still many buildings, especially around Chinatown, that retain their heritage appearance.

On Friday night we did what everyone else does in Broome and drove down onto Cable Beach for an early dinner at sunset. Fortunately for us the low tide coincided with the sunset. There is a short ramp to get onto the beach and then you can drive for a long way to get to a nice spot. There were so many people down there we had to go a fair way to find the perfect place. We took chairs, table and a cooler bag with drinks and the makings for a lovely cheese platter. We watched the famous camel tours go past as the sun went down over the ocean.

It was nice to be set up in one place for a week and we spent our time exploring the area including a couple of visits to the mangroves at Streeter’s Jetty. We remembered the jetty from our last visit but it has been reconstructed several times since then. It once extended out through the mangroves and was used for loading and unloading pearl shell and other goods but now is just a short tourist walk. We also went to the Thursday Night Markets at Town Beach and wandered out on another reconstructed jetty, and the Courthouse Markets on Saturday morning. All around Broome there are interpretative displays describing much of the history of the town. Much of the information is presented as recollections of residents, excerpts from diaries of early settlers and stories of indigenous occupation going back many thousands of years, all of which gives a really good insight into the lives of those who have called Broome home.

We don’t go on many tours but we made an exception for the Broom Dinosaur Adventure Tour as it seemed to have something to offer both of us – a visit to dinosaur trackways, a trip up the creek, food and drink, and a bus pick up and drop off service. The departure is tide dependent and our pick-up was scheduled for 1:45pm, with the tour starting at 2:45pm. We were taken to the departure point on Simpson’s Bay where we took in the fabulous views while receiving a safety briefing and changing into our “reef shoes”. This tour involved wading through water so footwear is compulsory – you can bring your own, as we did, hire them or purchase them onsite.

Once settled on board Brahminy Kite we were on our way, and were stunned to see a Brahminy kite flying overhead! We stopped near the town jetty to hear about the bombing of Broome in March 1942, which resulted in the destruction of 15 flying boats in the bay, and 6 aircraft at the airfield. It is believed around 100 people died in the attack. At certain tides, the wrecks can be seen and visited on a tour or by walking out to them.

We continued on to the site of the dinosaur footprints, on Yawaru land, across the bay. We waded to shore and followed our guide a short way along the beach. Without this expert knowledge you would easily walk past this link with the giant sauropods who roamed the area. The trackways extend for about 80 kilometres from Broome along the Dampier Peninsula and were laid down 120 million years ago during the early cretaceous period. At least 22 different types of dinosaur have been identified from their prints, with potentially more yet to be discovered. Despite the number of tracks to be found there have been no fossilised bones discovered in and around Broome.

Returning to the boat we continued to journey across Roebuck Bay and up into Dampier Creek where Mick was keen to photograph some of the birds, while enjoying a glass of bubbly and some nibbles. As the sun started to set we returned to the starting point where we enjoyed cocktails, a tapas style meal and more bubbly as we chatted to other travellers, before hopping on the bus to go home.

When we returned to the caravan park we realised we could hear the music from the Stompem Ground Festival in the park a couple of kilometres away. We can now say we have listened to the Pigrim Brothers and Midnight Oil play live in Broome! What a way to end the day.

On Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a swim at Cable Beach so we checked for when the tide would be high and drove down after lunch. When we arrived we noticed that there weren’t many cars in the carpark which we thought was unusual for a weekend, and the beach was deserted. When we reached the top of the beach access stairs there was a sign indicating the beach was closed due to a recent confirmed crocodile sighting. Then we saw the red flag instead of the usual red and yellow. Red and yellow are used to indicate the safest swimming area, and red means no swimming. Checking online later we found out that a crocodile had been seen swimming towards Cable Beach from Gantheaume Point the previous day. Bad timing on our part!

The days were very hot and, even though we had a nice shady site, we took advantage of the good facilities at the Broome Library. They are well set up to cater to visitors with a heap of work-stations with power available. They also have a book swap and toilet facilities.

After a few hours at the library we visited another spot further along Cable Beach and again drove down on the beach. The sand is so hard packed that you don’t need to air down your tyres, and it is even possible to drive along in a 2WD. Mick was hoping that there would be some birds on the beach or rocks, but no luck that time. We returned for another try in the morning with a bit more success.  We both thought that this part of the beach, near the racecourse, was the place where we had come in 1991 with some locals who Mick had been working with. That time we had a few drinks and a camp oven cook-up and stayed until after dark. We left the others there and found out the next morning that they had mistimed their departure and had been inundated by the incoming tide.

We spent an enjoyable week in Broome at Cable Beach, before setting off for the short drive to Broome Bird Observatory. The BBO advise that visitors not follow GPS or Google Maps directions but we set the GPS just to see what would happen. We did know the way as we had seen the sign as we came in to town, and as expected, the GPS tried to take us down a road that didn’t exist! So much for modern technology.

Barn Hill Station

9 – 14 September 2022

After lunch at Roebuck Roadhouse, at the Broome junction, we continued south on the Great Northern Highway until we reached the turn off to Barn Hill Station. The road into the station is red sand and was heavily corrugated, but it is only about 9 kilometres to the campground/caravan park. We had booked a powered site and were very impressed with the amount of shade around the powered section of the campground. This is another very popular spot and we could easily see why. A short walk along the beach once we had set up revealed a stunning coastline on a beach where swimming and fishing are popular activities.

We spent 5 nights at Barn Hill Station and were so glad we had decided to go there. Many people initially book in for a couple of days, and then extend once they see how beautiful it is. We spent our time walking endlessly on the beach and discovering new sights each time, swimming and taking advantage of the onsite café. Each walk on the beach was different and each time we marvelled at the amazing colours and the life in the intertidal zone. Like most of the north-west coast, Barn Hill Station experiences massive tidal variation and the beach was different each time we walked along it. The reflection of the red sandhills and cliffs on the watery sand, the “lost city”, the gutters and runnels as the tide ebbed and flowed all made for a fabulous experience.

We joined our neighbour – a solo traveller – for drinks on our last evening and enjoyed sharing stories with her. We took our time packing up in the morning as the drive back into Broome would only take about 1 ½ hours. We timed our departure so that we would arrive before lunch.

Willare Bridge Roadhouse

8 – 9 September 2022

We left Derby with one night to fill in before we were booked in to Barn Hill Station. We left the campground at Birdwood Downs quite late, and headed back to the Great Northern Highway. We stopped at Willare Bridge Roadhouse, about 50 km from Derby and considered our options. We decided to check whether we could get into Barn Hill early but because we couldn’t, we opted to stay the night at Willare.

We checked in at the roadhouse and were set up in time for lunch. The green grass in the middle of the campground was a sight to behold! We spent much of the afternoon in the camp kitchen, until the shade reached our camp. It was a perfectly adequate campground for an overnighter.

We were in no hurry to leave in the morning so took out time to finish the digital tasks we had started and packed up in a very leisurely fashion. Once we were packed up, we had a very nice morning tea at the roadhouse café. It was a lovely surprise and Mick commented that it was probably the best roadhouse coffee he had ever had.

From Willare we continued south and made our next stop at Roebuck Roadhouse at the turn-off to Broome. We don’t usually eat at roadhouses but we decided to this time as the timing was right and there were no more rest areas between here and our destination. We enjoyed nice burgers in air conditioned comfort before continuing south the Barn Hill Station.

Derby

6 – 8 September 2022

We turned off the Great Northern Highway onto the Derby Highway and stopped to have lunch at a picnic area near the “Long Trough”. Myall’s Bore feeds the 120 metre cattle trough via a windmill and is a good spot for birds – just not in the middle of the day. Nearby is another prison tree – a giant boab with a hollow that was used as a “lock-up” to hold aboriginal prisoners being walked to Derby. It is now considered a sensitive site and there is lots of interpretative information about its history and significance to the local aboriginal population. It is another stark reminder of the harsh treatment of our First Nations people.

From there we drive back down the Gibb River Road – about 15 kilometres on bitumen - to Birdwood Downs Station. We have come to appreciate the many station stays available in remote areas and this one is quite well set up. On arrival we noticed a brochure about a bird hut near the water treatment ponds. Great news – long trough and poo ponds!

Because sunrise is around 5:45 am in this part if the country we found it easy to be up and on the road before 7:00 am. Our first stop was the long trough and surrounding boggy ground where there wasn’t much of interest. From there we made our way to the water treatment ponds and found the bird hut. From there we drove on down a dirt track to another body of water where there were heaps of birds. Mick spent a good bit of time there before we headed in to town.

Derby is another town with a bad reputation, but which we found to be much nicer than last time we visited. We drove down to the circular jetty and went for a short walk. In 1991 we were able to walk all the way around, but not this time. The circular shape allows cattle trucks to be driven on and off easily. We went and had a look at some sculptures on the mud flats and then found the local library where we did some computer work while enjoying the air conditioning. Derby has a very good bakery so we stopped there and at the supermarket too, before heading back to camp.

We had wanted to spend three days at Birdwood Downs but there are no powered sites and our lovely shady trees prevented us from getting the solar power we needed. With temperatures still reaching the mid – high thirties the fridge/freezer was drawing heaps of power. We had to leave after two nights, including one chatting to fellow travellers in the communal area.

We decided we could fit in another early morning session at the wetland created by the treated wastewater so made an early start. Mick was very happy with the number and variety of birds around and happily lay on the ground for nearly 2 hours. Eventually we had to leave and fuelled up then called into the bakery and supermarket before heading back to camp to pack up and set off again.

We had a night to fill in before we were due at Barn Hill Station so were not sure where we would stay the night as we headed south on the highway.

Fitzroy Crossing

 2 – 6 September 2022

After a nice lunch in the shade by a creek we set off again and made our final water crossing for this part of the journey. We continued along the unsealed road before turning on to the Great Northern Highway and heading north towards Fitzroy Crossing. Last time we stayed there, in 1991, we camped at the Crossing Inn and Mick picked up enough work to keep us there for almost a week. We spent some time each afternoon at the bar, chatting to locals and negotiating work. We had been told about Geikie Gorge but just didn’t have time to visit so we decided that we would return one day.

This time we set up camp at the Lodge and enjoyed the wide open spaces, and lack of crowds. Fitzroy Crossing has a bad reputation for crime and violence but we found it to be a nice place to stay. It is the same as many remote communities where lack of opportunity and intergenerational poverty create a range of social challenges.

We booked to go on the Danggu Geikie Gorge Boat Tour at 8:00am on Saturday morning so set of early – which was just as well as the GPS tried to take us on a very unusual route that included some bush tracks. We ignored her once we realised what she was up to, and headed back towards town and onto the right road.

The one hour boat tour was fantastic! Geikie Gorge is part of the same Devonian reef system from which Windjana Gorge is formed but it is completely different. The massive cliffs clearly show the extent of successive wet season floodings. Our guide explained that the Fitzroy River is actually the second largest river in the world, by volume. The river is home to many species of fish, including a rare freshwater shark, and the usual freshwater crocodiles. Fossilised remains of the ancient Gogo fish have also been found there.

Mick and I were both astounded by the beauty of the place – the formations are sculptural and magnificent to see. We are so glad we made this detour to visit. We’ve seen a number of fabulous gorges on this trip and each is unique but this would have to be one of the most stunning.

The rest of our time in Fitzroy was spent on housekeeping tasks and photo editing, but we did think a visit to the old Crossing Inn was in order. The inn is the oldest licenced venue in the Kimberley and we have very fond memories of the time we spent there. We drove down but were bitterly disappointed to find that pub was closed at the time. All the advertising we had seen promised a warm welcome and a pub that “has retained its charm and character from days gone by”. We will never know why it was closed at 5:00pm on a Monday evening, but there was certainly nothing charming about the sight that greeted us.

We left Fitzroy Crossing after an initial 2 nights that we extended to 4 and made our way towards Derby. Along the way we stopped for a coffee at another of Western Australia’s well set up rest areas that allow 24 hour camping. Toilets, dump point, sheltered picnic tables and level ground – and this one also had a great view.

Bandilngan Windjana Gorge National Park

 31 August – 2 September 2022

We left the Gibb River Road at the Fairfield – Leopold Downs Road and travelled on yet another unsealed road. Although Windjana Gorge is not actually on the Gibb River Road, most people include it as part of the adventure. We arrived just on lunch time and found a shady tree to have a quick bite to eat before choosing a lovely site nestled under some trees. The view from the campground was stunning and we were looking forward to walking in the gorge itself.

In the afternoon the ranger came around to check bookings and she stopped to have a chat and to provide some information about Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We decided to leave the exploring until the morning, but Mick did go out looking for birds.

We set off on the gorge walk early in the morning to beat the heat, hoping that there would be some shade. The walk is about 7 kilometres return and was much easier than any we had done recently. Most of it was along a well-defined dirt track that followed the creek line. To say Windjana Gorge is spectacular is perhaps an understatement. It was formed by the Lennard River flowing through a Devonian reef and the sculptural effect is undeniably beautiful. It is so completely different to the other gorges we have visited. Unfortunately the large freshwater crocodile population means that swimming is not possible. We saw plenty in the water and some on the bank along the walk.

Top of the list of ranger suggestions was sunset drinks on the sandbank so we felt we should do that. We took a couple of drinks in a small cooler bag and headed down at about 4:30pm. We sat and took in the surroundings as the sun started to set, and watched the colours of the cliff face change. It was a magical way to end the day.

The following morning we set off fairly early so we could stop at Dimalurru Tunnel Creek, about 36 kilometres down the road. Mick was unsure about walking through the “tunnel” as he suffers rather badly from claustrophobia but he agreed to come with me to the start. We changed into our reef shoes as we knew that walking through water was part of the experience. The start of the walk involves a scramble through and over rocks to the creek. Mick came that far and decided he could go a bit further through the tunnel in the dark with only a headlamp to light the way. After wading through water and walking along the sand in the dark we emerged into daylight – created by a significant rock fall. Mick decided that was enough for him and he found a spot to sit while I continued on.

Heading into the dark in Tunnel Creek is a bit scary on your own so I attached myself to a couple who were happy to be my chaperones for the walk. Just after the wet season there are sections where you have to swim but at this time of the year the deepest part was only about thigh deep. At the end of the tunnel, which is about 1 kilometre long, you emerge out the other end to a lovely shady spot. There is some art work at the end of the tunnel, and also at the beginning, but no interpretive information.

For the return walk, I once again attached myself to a friendly couple and made my way back to where Mick was waiting patiently. We walked the rest of the way out together. I had taken a few photos so Mick could see what he had missed.

After leaving Tunnel Creek we continued on and found a lovely shady spot by a creek for an early lunch, before driving on to the Great Northern Highway, and then to Fitzroy Crossing.