Frangipanis, Camels, and Sunsets

Australia just gets better and better...

Let me take you on a special trip. 

Across thousands and thousands of miles of dry and barren land all the way to the very northwest corner of Australia. The loved Kimberley region is one of nine regions that make up the vast state of Western Australia.  The Kimberley Region is a 163,000 mile expanse of land that is known for its beautiful colors during sunrise and sunset that fill the sky and amaze even the locals who get to enjoy it everyday.  The region is three times the size of England and was named after the Kimberley diamond fields in South Africa due to the similar landscape and the similar discovery of diamond fields.

We flew four hours west of Melbourne to Perth, WA.  From there we hopped on a small Qantas jet that took us two hours north to our weekend getaway. Broome is a sparkling seaside town full of natural beauty that you can only find in the Kimberley Region of the outback. It is a tiny little dot in the southwest corner of the region with a a population of 15,000.  Broome used to be known for its pearling and mining industry and has since become a popular holiday destination due to its colors, climate, and the famous Cable Beach. With the tropical climate comes a wet season, which is very wet and a dry season, which is quite dry and hot during winter. We visited Broome in the middle of March, which turned out to be the most perfect time. The wet season was on its way out and we had been told it had ended a little early, so we had no rain, and since dry season, which was peak tourist season, had not officially started, the town was quiet. No rain, no tourists and just a long empty beautiful beach for us to enjoy.

We arrived at the tiny Broome airport just prior to sunset and on our way to our hotel, in a minute the darkening blue sky burst into the most beautiful colors that inspired Jaime and I to both say “Wow!” at the exact same time. 

We settled into the Bali Hai, an Indonesian-inspired hotel lined with Frangipani trees, that upgraded us to our own little villa with the traditional open-aired outdoor 'Mandi' shower. Which Jaime enjoyed several times each day and night as it was really hot in Broome. 

Entrance to our villa

Artsy frangipanis!

As a small tourist town, there are only a few restaurants. We went to the one local restaurant/pub the night we arrived but after that we mainly ate the Old Zoo Cafe, which was delightful for every meal. It's crazy, but each time we were excited to go back to see what they were serving! 

We drove a few kilometers down the main highway to check out the red sandstone cliffs at Gantheaume Point. Broome, like the rest of the region and most of WA, appears red and dry. However the contrast of the red earth with the blue sky and the stunning red rocks with the sparkling blue sea is magnificent. (The colors don't show up as well when uploaded to the blog).  This is the southernmost point of Cable Beach, where you can walk aboriginal heritage trails, see 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints at low-tide, and visit Anastasia's pool, a rock pool carved out of the stone by the lighthouse keeper for his arthritic wife. This pool fills up during high-tide and allowed her to bathe in the clear waters of the Indian Ocean at low-tide to ease her ailments. 

Red Earth

Anastasia's Pool

We spent the rest of the day enjoying Cable Beach. 14 miles of soft white sand and we were practically the only ones there! The water was invitingly warm and just cool enough to refresh you from the 10 minutes you could bear to sit in the hot outback sun. Low-tide during the day allowed for much exploring of marine life around the rocks. And the day was ours. 

View of Cable Beach just past the rocks

Towards dusk we hurried back to our hotel to change and for Jaime to take another outdoor shower, grabbed dinner at the Old Zoo, and headed for our highlight of the weekend. Broome, known for its beautiful sunsets, is also really well-known for the viewing of its sunsets on an hour long camel ride along Cable Beach. It was awesome! Our camel was named Ghan, after the Great Southern Rail that travels across the heart of Australia. Ghan was a sturdy and sure-footed gentle giant who has been walking up and down Cable Beach for 15 years. It was a wonderful experience all around, from the people, to the camels, to the beautiful scenery, it couldn't have been better.  

Ghan and I getting acquainted

Our waiting caravan

Huge feet!

As the sun began to set the sand and sea sparkled bright. 

As it got lower and darker, the sun became the only shimmering light and commanded full attention.

The sun disappeared from the horizon and all of a sudden the sky literally burst into fiery colors...

First fiery orange and yellow...

That began to fade into a soft purple/pink...

That mixed together into perfect layers of colors that magically illuminated the entire sky before dramatically fading into the night.  

Jaime and our boy with an exquisite grand finale!

The next day we had plenty of time for more outdoor showers, breakfast at the Old Zoo and a 20 minute drive down a dry, red road to a little town called 12 mile that housed a tiny establishment called The Mango Place. This little hut sat amongst the shade of tons of mango trees. After the mangoes are picked they are put in a machine that peels and removes the pit so all you are left with is the pulp. They then take the pulp and put it in the blender to make the most delicious mango smoothie, perfect for a hot day! And it didn't stop there, mango everything was carefully crafted, Mango jam, chilli, chutney, vinegar, dressing, tea, ice cream, fudge, candy, and wine. It was a mango-lovers dream. 

Red creek running along the Broome Highway

The Mango Place

Wallabies among the mango plantations

We then took our time and reluctantly headed to the little Broome airport for our flight back to Perth. Broome was one of our most favorite spots and there were still things we hadn't seen. Three nights each month, from March to October, when conditions are just right the full moon rises over exposed mud flats at extremely low-tide creating the optical illusion of a staircase to the moon. 

The sun began to set as we boarded the plane. We were sad to leave such a special, peaceful and wonderful remote place but as we flew southward, level with the horizon, the sky burst into colors for a special send-off. I gazed out my window until the very last spec of color faded and then a brilliant star-studded sky, bright as ever, took over the night. 

We love Broome!