To Broome, Staircase to the Moon

Thursday 22^nd May 2008

We tried for an early start today but Holly had chosen this morning for a sleep-in and if she’s tired enough to sleep longer it’s in everyone’s best interests to leave her! The ceilings of the beds had serious condensation and the towels and washing were still pretty damp but we had to pack it all up. I removed all bedding from the beds and miraculously was able to close the camper up on my own with no effort whatsoever! Paul was very impressed but also had a touch of the ‘I told you so’ about him as we hitched up once more – no tape on the back of the camper this time because apart from the 10kms out from the beach it was all going to be bitumen.

The only moment of any interest on the drive was passing through a small bushfire beside the road where flames were still licking the undergrowth. We phoned the local police who said to ring 000. They put us onto the fire department who just took the info and said they’d pass it on to the appropriate people. They probably already knew all about it and weren’t worried but our thought was that maybe everyone else was thinking that way and it was better to overload them with calls than for it to be ignored.

Coming into Broome we couldn’t find anything else that we were all happy to listen to on the Ipod so we put on the radio and found Radio Goolarri which provided a welcome change even if it does only play really old stuff!

Once we were safely ensconced in a caravan park not far from Cable Beach Holly cooled off in the pool while I put on the first of several loads of washing.

We found the local shopping centre and re-stocked our cupboards (and Paul got today’s newspaper which made him happy) before heading into town for an early dinner. We chose Matso’s which is a boutique brewery with some interesting beers. I tried a ginger beer which is a bit weird – like a fizzy wine with a ginger taste – and Paul had a ?..? Bishop which was actually quite nice. The girls were a bit wired so our stress levels were slightly raised but we made it through without mishap.

We then headed down to Town Beach to watch the phenomenon of the Staircase to the Moon which only happens a couple of nights a month and only in 10 months of the year. It occurs when the moon rises over a very low tide so that its light reflects off the water over the mud flats. There were a lot of people down there with the added attraction of a market to feed and entertain the visitors. The moon wasn’t quite full but it was a stunning orange colour and created a fantastic spectacle for 10 minutes before it rose too high to have a decent reflection. Paul spoke to a guy who’s been in Broome for a year working at the markets and he reckoned it was the best one he’s seen yet. Coulda bin a loada wotsit to keep us tourists happy but we were convinced we’d been very lucky and were suitably appreciative. We also enjoyed the hot doughnuts that we bought from a stall that seemed to be the busiest there!