Day 53 - Saturday 25 August - Shinju Matsuri begins

Day 53

Saturday

25 August

Started Book 10 The Girl in the Letter by Emily Gunnis

Broome 

Another weekend to enjoy in Broome. I started the day reading my book, before we got out of our warm bed. Today marked the start of the Shinju Matsuri Festival and we were keen to get amongst some of the action, starting with the Dragon Boat races happening in our backyard on Town Beach, but first we went to reception and booked in for a further 3 days. 

There were plenty of spectators lining the beach eagerly waiting for the races to begin. We joined the crowds, finding a few different vantage points, as we waited for the ok to be given. The wind was up and the water was quite choppy and it was obvious the ones in charge were concerned for the safety of those competing. 

In the end, we watched the first race between 3 teams; teachers from Roebuck PS, Broome SLSC and another group. It was all a bit farcical, with the teachers going belly up fast, followed shortly after by the other group. They were all plucked to safety by the rescue boats that were on hand. The SLSC group, faired only marginally better, but they too soon took on water and had to abandon ship. 

Having stood around for long enough, we walked on into town, stopping in at the Court Markets once again. There were a number of extra stalls for us to wander around and check out the wares. I picked up a boab charm for my Pandora bracelet and a carved pearl shell, as mementos of our trip. 

Once we had finished checking it all out and having a chat with Judy again, we walked through the town and back to the van. It was 1230 by the time we returned and was quite warm. I left Paul to watch a S of A episode, while I used the park’s wifi to upload more pics. It was slow and frustrating, so I returned and added a few more things using the mobile. 

At 3pm, we changed into our bathers and drove out to Cable Beach. The Views of Asia sculptures were on and I was keen to check out what was on show. We wandered along the grass area, checking out the various art pieces, some were really interesting, while others were questionable. 

After our walk, we crossed the road to Cable Beach Club Resort and walked through reception and out into the resort. The place is incredible and we were happy to wander through the grounds, following the paths through the rabbit warren of garden. Large stone sculptures lined various entrances, the place exuded money and class. I think it helped walking around with a Harrods Bag, no one questioned us. 

Many wallabies were happily grazing on the lawns, not fazed by me getting ever closer and taking photos. We continued to follow the winding paths and the directional signs, eventually finding the Ocean Pool and figured it was time for a swim. 

We walked in through the gate, picked up 2 towels, found a comfy lounge to dump our things and then walked into the pool. Now I felt like I was on holiday. We swam around, enjoying the cool down and secretly smiling at our sneaky act. No one was the wiser. 

We left the water and towelled off, sitting on the big round lounge. We got chatting with another Perth couple, but I was on edge with some of the questions, ensuring we didn’t drop ourselves in it. We didn’t and at 5pm, we made our excuses and left the pool. We walked out to the Sunset Bar, but with nowhere to sit, we decided to leave the resort and headed back to the beach. 

I stood by the fence, overlooking the beach and watched the sun begin its descent. The thick layer of smoke was enhancing the view once again. Paul rang Jo and Ballsy to catch up with home affairs. No real news. 

The sun and the moon were competing for the limelight tonight and I was loving the colours that were being painted across the sky. Once the sun had disappeared, we returned to the car and made our way back to the van, so we could have our dinner. 

I got busy with the day’s photos, while putting our omelette dinner together. After eating, I finished off all the computer things. Paul retired, watching TV and I followed when I was finally complete. 

Day 52 - Friday 24 August - There she blows!

Day 52

Friday

24 August

Finished book 9 The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell. I really enjoyed this novel about a woman locked away in a mental asylum for 60 years, because she didn’t conform to her parent’s ideals. I wonder how many shared the same fate? 

Broome 

The winds came gusting in through the night and had us gleefully exclaiming, “thank goodness we didn’t put the awning out.” We got up dressed and fed and then planned out our morning. We needed to do a shop for a few small bits, so we decided we would get our steps in early and head out to Woollies, a good couple of K’s from the park. 

We wound our way through the streets, passing the various homes, some in better condition than others. Some fenced, others not. Some with neat gardens, others not. We eventually popped out on the main road and the shop was within sight. 

We did a wander of the mall, seeing what was on offer, putting in scripts and then grabbing the groceries we required. With our bags, full and hefted on to shoulders, we made the return trek. Passing the high school, where the recess bell had gone and scruffy teens were milling about in the yard or kicking a ball. 

We returned through the suburbs, passing the auspicious home of Alistair McAlpine, the man credited with the Broome resurgence. Finally making it back to the park for just after 11am. We packed the shopping away, Paul went for a shower and I used the spare hour to use the free wifi, loading as much as I could.

I returned to the van with time to pack our bags, stuff chocolate in the gob and then make the return walk up the hill, to wait for the courtesy bus to take us to our sailing boat. We stood with two other tourers, before Hannah arrived and we were bundled into the rattling mini-van and ferried out to Gantheaume Point and deposited on the sand to await the sea-legs tender to whisk us out to the catamaran, Ballena. 

We joined the fellow passengers, about 30 altogether, shoved our thongs in a box and then found a spot to sit. We began to motor away from the shore, off on our 4 hours adventure in search of Humpback Whales. 

It wasn’t long before whales were spotted beyond the boat and the captain steered the boat in their direction. The first hour was spent in a whale nursery. The pairs we came across were Mum’s and calves and they were not keen to have us around, with the mum’s shepherding the youngster away from the boat. 

We then moved further out, about 7 nautical miles in search of males, who were more likely to be interactive. It was like the whale super highway, with plenty of them about. The engines were cut and we just bobbed around in the water. This allowed us to hear the whales reaching the surface and blowing. At one stage, we couldn’t help but see whales, they were everywhere you looked, some close by, some further away.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have any really checking us out, like we had in Hervey Bay. I think we were spoilt over there. I was just waiting for one spy hop near us or breach the water, but they weren’t that playful. We did get a couple of fin slaps and some tail action, but not much else. 

I was also looking for other sea-life, but there wasn’t much else visible. We did see a sea snake moving along the surface though. 

After chasing the males for a while, we were told we would be returning to the mooring, so we found a seat on the back of the boat, enjoying the sun on our skin and a sneaky drink. It was bliss and a lovely way to spend the afternoon. 

Once tied up to the buoy, we boarded the tender and returned to the beach and then were driven back to our caravan park, just in time to order a pizza from the J’s pizza truck. We took our stuff back to the van and unpacked before Paul returned to collect the pizza. We devoured the large supreme and then I went through the collection of photos from our day out. 

When I was done, I packed up the computer and jumped into bed, keen to finish my novel, before the day was out.