*The map should show now the entire trip so far, but doesn't seem to save much location information as we thought while out of Telstra reception. As a result there are gaps missing from our route, but hopefully you'll get most of the key points.
Also, not many photos until I can get a better internet connection*
Last night there was some kind of party going on at the youth hostel, Kimberley Klub. There was pretty loud music, a lot of people, and someone telling them they had to be nearer to the bar and away from the rooms. That didn't last too long. Eventually though, the noise died down and people went to bed... "and then, the security guard who kicked them out for making noise, decided to come back and rearrange all the furniture!" was Frog's account of when someone came and stacked up the chairs at some ungodly hour.
When there was daylight in the sky we got up, had brekky, and got ready to make tracks.
Once we got started, it was drive, stop for a break and maybe a snack, then drive, stop for a break and snack, rinse and repeat.
Once we got out of Broome we headed back to Highway 1 to follow it east.
We stopped at Willare Bridge Roadhouse for a break and coffee, with the next stop already planned for the Derby Rd boab tree. This is somewhere that Tony and Frog stopped two years ago for a photo, so we made sure to stop there today for the same.
Before and after the roadhouse, there were a number of single lane bridges, where you just had to slow down and see if anyone was on the other side, and if you stopped to let them through, they usually had stopped to let you through as well.
Fitzroy Crossing was where we stopped to refuel and get lunch. I spent most of time watching the birds of prey that were hovering overhead, looking for an easy feed. At first I thought they were wedge-tailed eagles, their tails were certainly wedge-shaped, but I'm not sure they were big enough to be wedge-tailed eagles, maybe hawks or falcons of some sort...
I think that means that all the eagles I thought I saw yesterday were also not eagles. I'll try find out what they would have been when the trip is over... Kestrels? Do we have them in Australia?
While we were eating we chatted to someone who recommended camping at a place called Mary Pool, a bit under 200km down the road.
And that is exactly what we did. We saw the sign and took the dirt track to the campsite, expecting maybe a few caravans with some empty space... What we found was about 30-40 caravans, a handful of tents, and still plenty of space for us to set up. Clearly this is a much more popular spot than we thought it might be.
The campsite is right by a slow-flowing river with some even slower-flowing pools (no doubt where it gets its name) and plenty of native birds making a racket in the trees.
The knobby tyre that Frog had on the bike is about worn down, so he took it off, put a dual-purpose tyre on since we still have a few hundred kilometres of dirt left before the trip is done. He also took out the air cleaner and shook the dust out and oiled the chain.
It is now 6:30pm, zero daylight left (I would say it is pitch black, but the caravans are providing plenty of light around), we have eaten dinner (don't ask, it wasn't worth writing home about) and are all out of tasks to do to prepare for the night or tomorrow morning.
Someone's generator sounds like someone keeps jumping on a motorbike and revving it up, ready to do a lap around the camp grounds, until their mother comes out and tells them to behave.
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