Sunday, August 22, 2004
The colours of Broome
This is the thing that most strikes me whenever I visit Australia's north-west coast. The colours are almost indescribable in their vibrance and clarity. If I say the sea is a clear, bright greenish/bluish/aqua (I'm tempted to say azure but not sure what azure really is!), the sand is pure white, the earth vibrant orange/red and the sky the clearest cerulean blue - will it accurately give you the picture? I want to write a song called the colours of Broome. You have to see them for yourself and if you have, they will lift your heart to sing and stay in your memory for ever. So for me, the colours simultaneously stimulate me and bring me a kind of peace.
The Town Beach Cafe is a must for breakfast, whether you can fit in the biggest plate of 'the works' - sausage, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, field mushrooms and hash-browns - my 6ft something, well-muscled, male companion was stopped by its generosity- or fresh avocado and grilled tomatoes on rye toast (me), it's a great treat at the end of a short walk along the beach and even more enjoyable for its outdoor location overlooking the sensational Roebuck Bay.
After collecting our two Broome colleagues and packing the twin cab ute we set off for the 2.5 hour trip to Derby. Quite a small town, Derby remains the country centre for much of the remote west Kimberley. Staying at the Boab Inn is quite a lot less than 5 star, with its creaky air-conditioners and 50s single beds, but it's clean and has a decent restaurant, which, though lacking in atmosphere, makes up for it in the quality and variety of food on offer. The peaceful, air-conditioned bar is a welcome end to a long day in the open with the Croc Festival kids - several thousand of them- bussed into town for three days of fun, learning and performing. You can check out the Croc Festivals by selecting the link from my previous post.
Local artist and high school art teacher Mark Norval designed a canvas mural project for us based on native animals, plants and people and hundreds of kids from 5 to 17 contributed their brush work to end up with a sensational 6m x 4m backdrop that hung on the stage for the final nights' performances.
After a weekend back in Broome my colleague Mac took me on the road to visit communities on the Dampier Peninsula. We visited Beagle Bay, Lombadina and One Arm Point communities and numerous family outstations in between. These old mission communities are proud, clean and beautiful. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine just moving in and hiding out for ever. The scenery is stunning, wild and pretty much unspoiled as the many tourists to the area tend to drive straight past to the resort at Cape Leveque at the extreme end of the Peninsula. Feral donkeys and cattle however are more numerous than kangaroos along the roadside.
I'm going to post a couple of photos because I feel my powers of description failing me.
Back to the real world now.
The Town Beach Cafe is a must for breakfast, whether you can fit in the biggest plate of 'the works' - sausage, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, field mushrooms and hash-browns - my 6ft something, well-muscled, male companion was stopped by its generosity- or fresh avocado and grilled tomatoes on rye toast (me), it's a great treat at the end of a short walk along the beach and even more enjoyable for its outdoor location overlooking the sensational Roebuck Bay.
After collecting our two Broome colleagues and packing the twin cab ute we set off for the 2.5 hour trip to Derby. Quite a small town, Derby remains the country centre for much of the remote west Kimberley. Staying at the Boab Inn is quite a lot less than 5 star, with its creaky air-conditioners and 50s single beds, but it's clean and has a decent restaurant, which, though lacking in atmosphere, makes up for it in the quality and variety of food on offer. The peaceful, air-conditioned bar is a welcome end to a long day in the open with the Croc Festival kids - several thousand of them- bussed into town for three days of fun, learning and performing. You can check out the Croc Festivals by selecting the link from my previous post.
Local artist and high school art teacher Mark Norval designed a canvas mural project for us based on native animals, plants and people and hundreds of kids from 5 to 17 contributed their brush work to end up with a sensational 6m x 4m backdrop that hung on the stage for the final nights' performances.
After a weekend back in Broome my colleague Mac took me on the road to visit communities on the Dampier Peninsula. We visited Beagle Bay, Lombadina and One Arm Point communities and numerous family outstations in between. These old mission communities are proud, clean and beautiful. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine just moving in and hiding out for ever. The scenery is stunning, wild and pretty much unspoiled as the many tourists to the area tend to drive straight past to the resort at Cape Leveque at the extreme end of the Peninsula. Feral donkeys and cattle however are more numerous than kangaroos along the roadside.
I'm going to post a couple of photos because I feel my powers of description failing me.
Back to the real world now.
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