We arrived in Broome after a fairly uneventful drive along the stretch of highway between there and Derby. Driving into Roebuck Bay Caravan Park, we could not believe the view we had just a stone's throw from our van. We were set up only one row back from the beautiful blue green waters of the Indian Ocean. Roebuck Bay Park offers nice big sites and very well maintained facilities and direct access to the beach as well as a short walk to the cafe and kids playground and water park located on the beach right next door.

The beach, water park and playground were a real hit with the kids, especially since we were still in the company of Col and Liz and their kids Ellie and Dane. They were getting on really well and it was good to see them all having fun together. Ellie and Dane are really well behaved and polite kids so were keen for a bit of that to rub off on our two in the days they spent together.

There is so much to do in Broome that working out a plan of what we were going to see and do gave us nothing but a headache and the need for a drink! We had passed one of Malcolm Douglas wildlife parks as we entered Broome, and as it was definitely on the list to do since the start of our trip it was there we kicked off our tour. Now yes we have flogged the old croc shows and sightseeing a fair bit already, but hey, it's Malcolm bloody Douglas! We got inside the place and had a short self-guided tour around the croc pens before we got on the Dingo tour. Now the girls are super keen on animals and they don't take much dragging around places like this. The dingo in Australia definitely has had a fairly chequered history even more so in recent times, but we can tell you he never had a more staunch friend then Malcolm! They have only a handful of dingos there, all DNA tested pure, that are not for breeding, though Malcolm had found some pure animals on a remote island that they are planning to breed from soon.

Once back inside the displays we went into the blacked out Bilby enclosures and watched the big screen playing all Malcolm old movies over and over. He definitely was a unique character and the lady told us it left a pretty big hole in the place. When she told me that his old dog still p**** up her ears and looks at the TV when she hears his voice on it, I damn near had a tear in my eye! The old dog also follows around the new manager (who is the spitting image of a younger Malcolm, or the guy from John Butler Trio!?) each day before going back to Malcolm's wife at night.

What would a trip to Broome be without finding out a bit about the town's number one industry, (apart from natural gas and mining!) the pearl! We drove ourselves out to Willie Creek Pearl Farm and joined on with a tour of the farm and info session on pearl farming and production as well as a look through their jewellery showroom. It is a very interesting industry and creates a lot of wealth for the region. The mix of old and new technology is quite interesting and also the fact it still seems a very labour intensive process to grow a pearl from scratch was the most fascinating part of the day. The girls enjoyed the boat ride on the creek to one of their oyster strings, but struggled to concentrate for the boring bits. Charli livened things up a bit when she managed to drop a $7,000 pearl, after the lady handed it to her!! It was a bit much for little kids to take in, but they also thought smoko and the sandpit were alright. Finally being shown strings of pearls and such things worth more than most of us make in a couple of years we were in no doubt how they afford to pay the wages bill! Lot of money for something you can dissolve to nothing in a cup of vinegar!?

While in Broome we also celebrated Charli's 4th birthday with a cake and nibbles and beer on the beachfront with our travelling friends. The pictures say it all; there are definitely worse places to have a birthday bash. With a few pressies and phone calls and messages from family and friends she had a pretty good day. The performance and ability of the Weber Baby Q was once again tested as Kylz and I decided to cook Charli's cake in it. Nothing but net! It has yet to let us down and we are yet to find anything you can't cook in it. Following on from the cake we also managed a flawless three ingredient damper, the recipe for which we gathered from our trip to the pearl farm.

A night out in Broome with Col and Liz also provided us with a few laughs. After a trip to one of the local taverns for a meal, followed by a bit of confusion with the menu and tables the end result was a few beers and a yarn for us adults, then a trip to the Golden Arches for dinner followed by a walk home past the Irish pub! All in all not a bad night out, even if it did not quite go to plan!? After that slightly unsuccessful assault on town Col and I decided to give it another shot and took a trip to Broome's own boutique brewery, Matso's. The beer and service was very good and getting there in time for happy hour is always a good way to start the session. Trying most of the 7 or so beers on the menu, and a few more than once, ensured we were pretty chirpy once we managed the stumble back home, a bit later that night!

Taking a drive in Broome we were on our way to see the famous Cable Beach and took a small detour to visit the lighthouse and rock pools on Gantheaume point. We almost missed the lighthouse as it is merely a stainless steel tower, although pretty big, with a computer controlled light atop its mast. Not a real lighthouse the girls reckoned. Scrambling over craggy red rocks and around skinny paths, the girls had us both cringing and holding our breath a few times as we made our way down to Anastasia's pool below the lighthouse. They are both growing up fast though as all kids do and you have to let them go a bit if they are ever going to learn, I suppose?

The tide was well and truly out as we drove down onto Cable Beach, named for the underwater telegraph cable that was dragged ashore onto this beach in 1889 and used to link Australia to Java and the rest of the world. We were not alone as there were plenty of vehicles on the beach and being very easy access plenty of hire cars as well. We drove around to the Broome Surf Club and headed out to the beach only to be informed the beach was closed due to shark sightings!? Roebuck bay where we were staying seems to play a bit of second fiddle to Cable beach, which was named in the top five beaches of the world, (we don't think it would make the top ten that we have seen this year!) and it may not be quite as flash an area but in my opinion it was very comfortable and a little bit less hectic. Closer to the shops and with the same beautiful water (just watch the crocs near the mangroves!?) we would love to stay there again someday.

A trip to the Horizontal Waterfalls and a tour of Cape Leveque were two things among others that we had considered doing while in the area. The Horizontal waterfalls is something that is high on every travellers list and while it would have been nice it would have been a stretch with the girls as it is a big day with a flight up and back as well as boat rides all day, not to mention the price tag! One thing that the girls really enjoyed while in Broome though was our night at the open air cinema watching the new Australian movie Red Dog. It's open air alright! Being at the end of the airport runway we had a couple of planes seem to fly right out of the screen and over our heads! Now that's taking 3D to the max! The popcorn probably helped, but the movie had them hooked! The fact that both were in tears and Charli was inconsolable gives you a bit of an idea how the movie ends. Well worth seeing if you haven't already, the girls are still talking about it and a trip to the Red Dog monument in Dampier is now a definite must do as it was the only thing that settled Charli back down.

Touring around Broome we found ourselves really getting a positive feel for the place. Easy going people, good service and plenty of things to see and do all made for a very enjoyable time. Once again saying goodbye to Col, Liz and Dane and Ellie we headed out of Broome straight into a 50km/h headwind! How far is it to Barnhill Station?