Day 27 15/06/2013 Broome

Well, we realised this morning, as we enjoyed a bit of a sleep-in, ('till 6.45am!), that in just under 4 weeks of travelling, we have crossed the Continent of Australia from east to west. And what a trip it has been so far! We are having a truly amazing time. Cable Beach in Broome has the most brilliant white sand and beautiful turquoise blue water. It was given its name because of the undersea cable which ran from here to Indonesia. Broome is a multicultural town famous for its pearling industry. It has grown considerably in the past twenty years or so, and nowadays it is a magnet for tourists from other parts of Australia, and indeed all over the world, especially in the dry season, (May to October), when days are endlessly sunny, warm, (hot even), and nights are cool, but not cold. The population is around 16,000. In addition to the iconic Cable Beach, there is also 'Town Beach', which faces east and is a good location from which to view the 'Staircase to the Moon'. This phenomenon occurs when a very low tide coincides with a full moon on the rise, and the reflection on the mud flats looks like a series of steps rising towards the moon. Unfortunately we won't be here to experience it!

We had a leisurely start to our day; did some laundry; walked along the beach; had an iced coffee (a bit naughty!), and then drove into town. We had another walk and then enjoyed lunch at a great little cafe on the town beachfront. We continued our drive, past Roebuck Bay, to the Port of Broome, where there is deep water anchorage. There is a long jetty, favoured by fishermen. We took a walk along it......the fish weren't biting!

Back to our campsite for an hour or so and then down to Cable Beach with a bottle of wine and cheese and dip to watch yet another beautiful sunset....even better than last night! All in all it has been a great day.