Cape Leveque

Since we were ‘stuck’ in Broome for a while without Bertha, we thought we might take advantage of the opportunity to head up to Cape Leveque. We had previously discounted it, as there was no way Bertha was getting up the 4WD-only track up there. Having spoken to others who had recently returned, we decided to base ourselves at Middle Lagoon, which was about halfway up, and see the rest of the cape on day trips. It took us just under 3 hours to drive from Broome to Middle Lagoon, and about the same amount of time to pack up the tent and re-construct it again at our destination! We had forgotten to pack the hammer so Dunc harnessed his inner caveman and made do with a rock until our neighbor took pity on us. All those times in the past, when we went camping and Dunc loved it all so very much seem to have been worn away with too many years of comfortable living, and we found it all rather dusty, windy and frustrating.

Middle Lagoon is simply gorgeous, but the three nights we were there were incredibly windy. Each night at about midnight the wind picked up and howled a gale until about 9am. It did not make for particularly restful nights! And Dunc doesn’t do well without his sleep…

We drove up to Ardyaloon, the Aboriginal Community at One Arm Point. They have a fish hatchery there, where they harvest trochus shells. We had the most wonderful time there! It was a fabulous example of a community which seemed to be working well. Everyone we saw was actively engaged in bettering the community - working in the store, or grading the roads or working at the hatchery. Through the tour and talking to the people we met, it was obvious that they truly revere their elders and ADORE children. My petty complaint is that, once again, the men always address everything to Angus, as girl-children don’t seem to count for much, but that’s the way of things here. They were generous enough to GIVE each of the children a trochus shell and then polish it up for them further. They were selling similar shells to the bus loads of tourists who come through for about $30 each, so we were very appreciative. After feeling so scared out in between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, it was very well-timed.

We stopped in to check out the church in Beagle Bay. Its beautifully inlaid with local shells and was constructed by German missionaries who were interred there during the war. 

We also took a day to chill out and hang around, heading to the ‘local’ Whalesong Café for lunch. It was 5km from us, but that was as the crow flies, and we had to drive out to the road, down the road, and into the next campground to get there. As we walked up from the carpark, Dunc and I were wondering just how they got their clientele in the middle of nowhere. Then we rounded the corner, into a thriving café that could have been in the middle of Fitzroy! (apart from the beach views…) It was PACKED and we had only 3 tables to choose from. Dunc and I burst out laughing and we were interested to see everyone who arrived after us had the exact same reaction. Yeah. They do pretty well for customers way out there!