Vacation Village is a large resort type park with busy roads either side, our site was small, gravel and sloping. So as a result we were glad that it was only for four nights, anyhow after we set up we had a quick look around Broome and replenished our supplies. After being in smaller towns its always a pleasure to get into a shopping centre with lots of choices. A brief look at Chinatown aroused our interest for an excursion there tomorrow.
Broome has a really interesting history based around the pearling industry, which has been through boom and bust times in the past, the industry appears to be struggling at the moment with the world economy affecting sales of pearls. Also there is a cheaper range of pearls called freshwater pearls which to my eye look as good as cultured pearls. For me a pearl valued at 10K looks very similar to one valued at $200. And so it was a trial on Friday in Chinatown when we went shopping for a pearl, Papasley Pearls has an outlet in Chinatown and are recognised as being good quality. I could find nothing in that shop under $1500 so we retreated to find something of better value. We eventually purchased a pearl drop at Catalina Jewels, which Judy liked, to my fellow travelers, do not forget birthdays!
There is an odd mixture of old and new, galvanised iron and art around Chinatown. The Garden Picture Theatre has been around a long time, and the original building is pretty much the same as it has always been. An open air theatre with great atmosphere, one can easily close your eyes and dream yourself back 70 years, that is until a jet screams past, as the theatre is in the flight path to the airport runway. That sure rocks you back to reality.
Everyone is friendly and helpful and all appear to be really enjoying their lifestyle. The wet season population of Broome is approx 15,000 growing to 50,000 in the dry season, so most of the people in Broome are holidaying/working and are pretty relaxed.
The majority of Buildings are of galvanised iron exteriors with no guttering because of the monsoon type rain during the wet. The inside decor of the shops is a complete contrast, glass, art works and curios decorate the walls, beautiful pearls and jewellery are on display. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I absolutely love Broome for its unique practicality and the way people have made it look beautiful. I should imagine that some people would see the gal iron and see a shanty town with no appeal...Philistines!
The old wharf is odd, because it only has water near it at high tide and is not where you would imagine it to be, disappointingly Broome has not made a feature of the old wharf. I think it could be an attraction of the future with a few bucks spent on it.
Saturday we were looking forward to our trip to the Horizontal Falls. The tour operators picked us up at 11:30 for our flight by seaplane to Talbot Bay. The route to Talbot Bay took us north over Cable Beach and up the Coast over Willie Creek Pearl Farm and nearbye Retention Center for Illegal Fishing Boats, onwards to Cape Leveque and over the "Buccaneer Archipelago" (a series of hundreds of islands, with exposed rock surfaces, very beautiful from the air). We flew over the falls which clearly showed the gorges joined by a narrow gap in the cliff face. This is where the huge tides fill these gorges and the passing in or out of the build up of water creates the horizontal falls.
The plane circled and then zoomed in for a landing on the water, the plane carried 14 people and was not a luxury plane as advertised, it was noisy and small, not much space for passengers to get comfortable. We were ushered onto a pontoon and then onto the "Barra Shack" a houseboat set up for visitors. A quick cuppa and then on to a specially built 500 HP Boat for a ride through the falls. This boat had serious grunt and even with 12 people aboard had heaps of power, to power through the 1 meter high falls. The water swirls into vortex's and tends to steer the boat where it wants to go, that's where the extra power is needed to power out of these rips. The Tour Operators have plenty of experience with the boat and falls. And even though I had some uneasy moments I felt completely safe. The ride was a thrilling experience and I think I will remember it for a long time.
We returned to the houseboat for lunch of BBQ'd fish and salad and while we waited we fed the resident "Lemon Sharks" who were looking for a handout, these sharks are pretty harmless but they still have teeth and need to be respected. Their skin is a bit like sand paper and they tend to suck to fish out of your hand. After lunch we went for a ride in the houseboat to adjacent bays where the advertised Pearl Farm used to operate, it is now home to the young tour operators who stay out at Talbot Bay. They have it set up with disco lights and sound system and old lounge chairs and even a small garden. They also have some pet fish called bat fish a large flounder style fish that came in to eat bread and Troy (one of the guides) picked him up out of the water and then released him. I reckon they (guides) would be the envy of many young people, living an idyllic lifestyle. The surrounding bays and inlets are really beautiful with the colour of the rocks and the azure water and of course the bird and fish life.
Returning to the pontoon, the plane landed bringing overnight guests from Derby, we then boarded for the return flight to Broome. This tour was quite an experience, however, I was extremely disappointed with the Tour operator who had several items in his advertising which were false and the guides seemed to have the attitude that the tour was all about their lifestyle and not about providing an unforgettable and value for money experience for the paying customers. I will never recommend this tour to my friends as at $695 each, it was simply not worth the money. And if you the Pilot and guides ever read this, take heed, we come, we pay, you continue to work, show some respect.
Next day we visited the Markets and enjoyed a walk around and breakfast. Then a drive on Cable Beach which was great, heaps of four wheel drives on the beach, finding their own spot to swim or sunbake. This beach goes for miles with white sand and terrific views over the Indian Ocean. Then a look around Roebuck Bay on the other side of Broome, this bay is also huge and is home to many waterbirds which we intend to visit before we leave.
Monday packed for the move to Tranangue Caravan Park for the rest of our stay.
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