Lake Argyle, Broome and Eighty Mile Beach
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
Pete Writes: Our first stop in Western Australia was Lake Argyle which is the largest manmade lake on the continent holding 15 times more water than Sydney harbor. So we took full advantage of its beauty and went on a sunset cruise which was very informative and as the sun set we were floating on noodles (a long foam tube) with drinks in hand and nibbles floating on a cool box lid, LUSH ?. The following morning we decided to get up at 4am to watch the sunrise over the lake, which was also very special. It was just a shame that there were about 100 mozzies up to watch it as well! The next couple of days consisted of Chloe and I driving 100km stints towards Broome, with the only highlights involving waving at passing traffic (about every 10mins). The roads are very long, straight and look virtually the same if it wasn’t for the rock formations you would not think that you were going anywhere!
Broome is one of the World’s leading pearl farm areas, which makes it a lively town with lots of things to do. We spent a whole day wandering around the shops and chilling out on cable beach although the humidity was really high due to a cyclone out to sea pulling all of the cold air from the coast. So it was more of a sweaty chill out! We then hit the road again with Eighty mile beach being our next destination. I’m not sure if it measures Eighty miles, but it is very very long. It has loads of shells washed in on the tide, and after a 10 minute discussion about not wanting to collect any shells as you never do anything with them, we ended up with a pocket full of shells. Will they make it home?
Chloe Writes: Lake Argyle was breath-taking and not a bad place to swim. We were assured that there are only fresh-water crocs inhabiting the waters which won’t kill you, unlike as their salt-water relatives. Not so re-assuring, but we have learnt that as long as there isn’t a big danger sign and a cordoned off area, then Aussie’s will just about swim anywhere. We fed some wallaby’s (this time not with food stolen from our shopping bag), and some Archer fish, who spit water up at their pray (flies etc. ) to knock them off balance, then jump up and attack in a massive feeding frenzy. Watching a perfect sunset from a noodle on the lake, with champers, cheese & biscuits was heaven.
In Broome we went to our first ever out-door cinema, still showing 2 films a day since post WW1. It was nice to be watching a movie under the stars sat on a deck-chair, and quite surreal when full sized passenger aircraft flew just meters it seemed from the screen, I think we were next to the airport. We did sit and wait for an event that happens only on a full moon called ‘stairway to the moon’, created from the light of the moon and the sand, but unfortunately it was too cloudy, never mind we’ll catch it next time ;). From eighty-mile beach (and having collected lots of shells that we will probably put back in the sea), we headed down to point Samson. After a meal of the much boasted ‘best fish and chips on the west coast’ (the fish was good but the chips were from frozen, not like we have in the UK), a snorkel and some dolphin watching in honeymoon cove the next morning, we were back on the road.
Page Gallery
Chloe in low gear
Fresh Water Croc
Floating on noodles at sunset
Lake Argyle Sunset, sun on water
Eighty mile beach
Chloe looking for shells
Pete in the Kettle
Port Headland has some of the longest cargo trains, this is only a third
Sunset on Cable beach
Pete Writes: Indonesia has been 3 weeks of Sun, sea, surf, snorkeling and chilling. We arrived in Jakarta straight into the thick of it and quickly came to the conclusion ...