Broome

Friday 23^rd May 2008

We didn’t have to be up and out until 11am so, of course, we didn’t achieve anything this morning other than another load of washing.

We went to see the guys at BAMA (Broome Aboriginal Media Association) who are the people who do the local radio and tv and create content that is going all over the country. They have just had two segments selected to be shown during coverage of the Olympics (not sure when or why) which is quite an achievement. Our family trust has donated money towards a program to provide computer training for anyone who is interested but targeted particularly towards at-risk young people. The training starts off general but if they are interested enough they can progress towards media with jobs being available for those who want to go there. It is a fantastic project and they are at the stage of constructing the training rooms – within an existing cyclone-proof shed. The original plan was to use demountables constructed down in Perth and trucked up here but they found another way. The beauty of even this is that a local builder has taken on young, fully trained local lads (I think all aboriginal) and these guys have realised their own potential and decided to form their own company. Kevin (the guy in charge at BAMA) had managed to gather his whole board to greet us, despite me only contacting him last night so that he couldn’t do anything fancy! Paul and I were once more impressed by their level of commitment and the achievements they continue to bring in.

Katie was fascinated by Bamba’s false leg and barely managed to keep her voice to a whisper as she pointed it out to me. The girls lost interest fairly early on but perked up again when they got to watch some adverts that had been made to encourage people to do more exercise. They were corny but fun. There was also a Doberman wandering around and they were very taken by his friend the little terrier – I can see they are missing Charlie. Luckily Duncan has been sending regular photos of him in cute poses. We just need some photos of their friends every now and then and we’d be ok.

Our next mission was to find a bookshop and, as luck would have it, we encountered a secondhand bookshop that was well-stocked with up-to-date books – I guess all the tourists come through with their new releases bought specially for their holiday. We all found a couple of things to keep us going and through my good management (for once!) we actually had all the books we’d finished with lurking in the car so were able to trade them in. And best of all, Holly’s desire for crime/detective books was solved with some books that didn’t excessive passion or blood and guts, can’t think why I didn’t come up with them before because I read loads of them myself as a kid – Agatha Christie. We bought two – Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile with a view to buying more when we return from Cape Leveque if she likes them.

Next stop – food. Actually we had to go via a couple of pearl shops, but then we are in Broome. We had a look at the menu at Cheffy’s (next to the Roebourne Hotel) and decided it would do – the deciding factor for the girls was the mist machines which created a cool, damp atmosphere.

Some fairly average meals later and we were at Target Country looking for bathers and actually found some for Holly to replace the baggy and stretched bikini that she has been insisting on wearing even tho’ it covers almost nothing anymore!

I booked in for a session to fix up the state of my legs (missing you, Tasha!) while Paul and the girls went to see the new Indiana Jones movie which had all the usual thrills and spills. The girls came out full of adrenalin saying how fantastic it had been but apparently there was a fair amount of hiding behind Paul that went on!

The timing was just right to hit Cable Beach for sunset. We started off on the hill but the tide was so far out we couldn’t resist the chance to walk on the lovely soft sand and check out the rocks. There was a wedding going on and there were hundreds of 4WDs filling the stretch north of the beach entrance but south of that was relatively people free (except for the couple right down by the water, who appeared in almost every photo I took!) with excellent reflections off the wet sand. We watched the sun set with the standard couple of pearl luggers making for even better photos and the girls pottered around making pools and castles in the sand. (What are we going to do when we have to move away from beaches again?).

Back at the caravan park we had just exited the Landcruiser when the Stanley family came over (Hannah’s family) which made Katie very happy since she’d been lamenting the fact that she was going to have to wait another day before seeing them. They had a few tales of woe to relate. As you may remember (if you were paying attention) when we left them they’d just had a blown tyre and a dodgy alternator and were going into Tom Price for a mine tour. While in Tom Price their alternator died altogether and there isn’t anywhere there that does secondhand ones for Pajeros. So they had to order one up from Perth which meant waiting two days. All their stuff was at Karijini in their camper trailer, but they couldn’t get to it... Their insurance did cover emergency accommodation but the only place that had any room was a very expensive hotel and they couldn’t stay there two nights because it was so expensive and the insurance didn’t cover it all so they then moved into some backpacker accommodation at the caravan park – two sets of bunk beds – and had to borrow cooking and eating utensils. Meanwhile, the other friends we’d made out at Karijini were worried at their non-reappearance and had reported to the rangers that they were missing.

So now, of course, they are waiting for the third thing to go wrong and, lucky them, they didn’t have to wait long – somewhere between Karijini and 80-Mile Beach an eagle flew into their windscreen filling it with a big circle of cracks and guess what... the people in Broome don’t have one and have to send down to Perth for it!

Anyway, Katie was delighted to have her friends back, even Holly gave Gemma a big hug and Paul and Richard had a good chat about the football they are going to watch tomorrow. Lynsey and I discussed laundry and the other exciting things that are filling our days!