Day 46 - Saturday 18 August - Broome Time

Day 46

Saturday

18 August

Roebuck Plains – Broome       

Paul was up and about early and as it turned out earlier than we thought, as I had set the microwave time a half hour early. I still had the ear plugs in, so blissfully ignored the world for a while, before pulling out the book to read. 

Feeling guilty, I did climb out of bed and started on the morning routine. Paul showered and I followed and when I returned the van was already out of its spot. I stored my things and then jumped in the car, following Paul into Broome and on to the Discovery Park down by Town Beach. 

At 9.15am, we pulled into the waiting bay, saw reception, but were told the other occupants hadn’t left, so we wandered the park instead, finding our patch now empty and returning to the office, to check in formally. We returned to the vehicles and drove on in. It was a little tight getting the van into place, despite the fact the bays were extra wide. There were too many overhanging trees and other vehicles, but Paul eventually got her round. 

We set up for our 10 day stint, nice knowing we have an extended amount of time to call this place home. After all the set up, we sat on our phones, busily catching up with the world online. By 10.30am, I was keen to go out for a walk and get amongst the beautiful day. 

We walked along the long stretch of grass that fronts Roebuck Bay and then down onto the sands. The tide was out a fair distance, exposing the orangey-gold hue of the sand. We continued around the front, passing through the carpark area, before checking out the small pioneer cemetery, reading up on some of those buried here. 

We completed the block and returned to the van. I sat looking out the window and enjoying the view, as I continued to load up photos. I then put our lunch together, which we ate, before dressing up, ready to head out to the Broome Turf Club for the Broome Cup. 

We opted to drive out, rather than get the local bus, which turned out to be a good option. We were able to find parking without too much hassle and then proceeded to the gate, paid the $20 entrance and made our way inside. The area for crowds isn’t large and most of it is for members only. We bought ourselves a drink and then stood by the fence to watch race 2. 

In the end, we put a bet on races 3, 4, 5 and 6, picking up a place and a win. We spent much of the afternoon just walking around in circles, as there was nowhere to sit and Paul’s back was playing up and he found it easier to keep on the move. 

We stayed for race 7, the cup, but as soon as it was over, we were heading for the car and making our way home, keen to have a rest. I sat outside just enjoying the view and the peace. I did eventually come in and start on dinner. Paul did a quick beer run, I checked out the sunset and then we ate. Is spent the rest of the evening going through the day’s photos, before finally crawling back into bed to read.