BROOME - WHALE SONG CAFE & CAMPGROUND - GYNLMARUNG RETREAT - CAPE LEVEQUE - ONE ARM POINT - CYGNET BAY
Once again we left the van safely housed in Broome whilst we head up the coast to camp out for a week.
The 'road' was hard going, lots of concentrating for driver Kezzy, as it was wide, but mostly corrugations and furrows of sand. It was a long 175km in to Whale Song, our first stop over, but WELL worth the effort.

Phone reception is surprisingly good and Internet is fast and the remaining road between here and One Arm Point is sealed (that of course wouldn't have anything to do with the bribery of the community up here by the WA government in lieu for permission to destroy the coast line and drill for Gas off shore).
This beautiful, unspoilt cove near Middle Lagoon is spectacular. The bay is a resting place and nursery for Humpback whales along their migratory path. We love the way this family have respected the land and nestled themselves in so quietly and skillfully, that at a glance you would hardly know they are here.
Completely powered by solar, they run on 80 panels and a massive battery bank, rarely needing to use a generator during the "winter season" for maybe 2 hrs. They have bore water that is of excellent drinking quality, which also services the cafe at their house, bush shower and the organic veggie garden.
The campground is purposefully small, only six sites that are literally along the cliff edge over looking the coast line of Pender Bay.
As I type this whilst sitting by the fire, all I can hear are the waves crashing rhythmically against the shore, the fire crackling, sending the occasional ember off into the night. As I look out to the shadowy horizon and up at the star filled night sky, the half moon creates a silhouette of the gently swaying trees hugging the embankment beside us. Give me this over the idiot box any day!
We spent the day wandering the beach, fossicking for the most unusual shells we've seen to date, reading, chatting and generally soaking up the atmosphere.
Well, that was yesterday. Today was a whole different scenario! I must have been up to no good in my sleep state last night cos hoolidooli! I woke early in anticipation of watching the sunrise over the water. Literally jumped out of bed at 5.45 (which is VERY unlike me as I prefer to slowly ease myself, physically and mentally, into the potential of the day) got my chair, camera and purched on the cliff edge...observing the colours change as the sun was preparing to greet us. I love that first glimpse when that tiny spec of sun glows bright as it peaks over the horizon. "It's coming! It's coming! Where's Kezzy? She'll miss the best part!" I think I would be quite devastated if the sun decided not to get up one day. It's kinda one of those things you take for granted, or perhaps I should say trust. We always have air to fill our lungs, and even though somedays you don't see it for the clouds in between, the sun always shines down upon us. Sounds like someone else I'm trying to get to know; always there without question, like sunshine. If only my grey clouds would release their rain and stop blocking the Sun!
Which leads me to the events of my resistance, or as some may like to phrase "my inflexibility and need to CONTROL".
After sunrise, it was time to pack up camp and move 20km round the coast to Gynlmarung Retreat, an Aboriginal Community run campground. Well, I'm still not certain what the emotion was (is), but the thought of having to pack the car again which has to be done a specific way so it all fits (aka MY way) didn't excite me. Since Kerry's Tetris skills aren't quite as honed as mine, that means I have to pack, again! And there we have it folks, the unfelt emotion rares it's ugly head. The insatiable need to have it done "properly", "efficiently", "care-fully", "specifically" which can only be MY way means that Paige is a control freak. Is paranoid about 'doing it wrong', and then because is so inflexible to allow anyone else to try it another way, gets pissed off because Paige then has to do everything, all the time! "Why can't other people see my way works, and do it that way!! Aghhhhhh!"

Now, I realise its pretty freakn obvious what the emotion is that's going on here but no, would I admit it, and FEEL IT. Nup! (cos its a huge one that has governed my whole life, so lets avoid it a bit longer). So what happens, bending over the brekky fire...FARK!!!!! I can't move! My right lower back has seized and I'm 'walking' around bent over like a half open pocket knife and creaked to one side!!! Now, I'm really pissed off. Cursing myself for being so stubborn, mind you, continuing to try and pack up MY way (Oi Oi Oi), and feeling totally useless and stupid that a chiropractor is dragging herself around, and can't do anything about it (other than feel the emotion that created it in the first place but clearly THAT'S not about to happen!). But wait there's more! Rather than stopping, feeling and having a good howl - I continue to resist, and persist. So my back gets worse and worse, to the point where I can barely stand. We get in the car and traverse down the corrugated road (ouch ouch ouch) and ALL STOP! "what was that noise??" "Agh, CRAP! The protection plate under the front end of the car has been ripped to bits and is half dragging on the ground! Not good!!
So we crawled our way to the campsite (much like my current style of walking). The guy at the campground said he'd bring over some wire and patch it up, but knowing 'aboriginal time' could be next week, we chocked up on a couple of logs for the fire, raided the wire from the netted food cover and attempted to tie up as best we could the torn plastic guard. (Plastic! Why plastic Subaru???!!!) And, yes, I stubbornly crawled under the car to assess the damage. Well what were the options? If the car rolled on Kerry, she'd be stuffed cos I couldn't do anything with a dodgey back! Better that it squish me! (worst case scenario that is!) By the way, we'd still be waiting on that wire delivery.
I recalled later the events of the day. "See Kerry, I knew it wasn't good to wake up to quickly!! Look what happens when you race in to the day!

Strangely enough, as I'm writing this, the pain is easing. Can't say I've fully connected with the emotion yet, but sharing/ admitting my flaws must be in some way changing my awareness of what this is really all about. I recently realized that I am addicted to people "liking me" and "loving me". Which means everything I ever do is tainted with having this NEED met. I must be at least part way there to challenging this...otherwise, why would I publicly share my misgivings and faults. I could have kept that part of me hidden away, and tell you all only the good stuff that we experience. But that's not being real ...is it. And I'm reminded, these are P&Ks Traveling Truth Tales, after all.

We decided to take a day trip up to One Arm Point, Cape Leveque and Cygnet Bay to see what the rave was all about. Since you needed to book a month in advance for sites at the resort near the Cape, a drive was our best option. As it turned out we were pleased we camped back at Middle Lagoon region, as the 'packed in like sardines' scenario wasn't really our preference. A $10 entry fee per vehicle gave you access to the pretty red cliffs and the beach, but it was not flash for swimming. The western beach was beautiful, however the current very strong and not patrolled. The eastern beach had many submerged rocks that were hard to see in the surf. Also, if you happened to get bowled over, the landing wasn't overly soft! But it was a nice place to make some vitamin D and play in the rock pools.

Cygnet Bay was basically completely pearl farming with no access for the public to the beach. The lookout over the mangroves and bay was okay, but unless your into the slaughtering of millions of oysters in order to then hang a $9,000 plus string of pearls around your neck for show, I'd give Cygnet Bay a miss. You may feel my description of the Pearl Farming industry is a little crass but lets not beat around the bush, or avoid the cold hard truth of the matter - it is what it is, and we all have a choice.

Since Camping out in the Kimberley, we've pretty much given up on the concept of being clean, clothes or ourselves, well actually pretty much anything! It's hard to decipher now whether we have a really great tan and lots of Vitamin D or that the red dust is now engrained in our skin, like that body bronze powder supermodels use! I am still unable to walk back from the shower without collecting red sand and bull dust on my freshly scrubbed toes! Most frustrating, what's worse than crumbs in your bed?? SAND!!!! Red sand! But it's all part of a memorable outback experience.