Camping at Broome The last six weeks for the Lears in the Kimberley has been a real time of enrichment and growth.
Not long after the last time we added to this blog, the four of us packed our camping gear and embarked on a camping safari / road trip to Broome. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore more of the Kimberley and was, of course, full of adventure - both the delightful and the distressing kinds!
Before we left, however, Hudson broke out in a body-covering rash of hives which required some pretty potent medication to overcome. While we can’t be 100% sure, we’re pretty confident he’d had a reaction to the sap from the mango trees in our yard. Fortunately, since then we’ve been able to keep him away from the trees and haven’t had a recurrence.
Carrying Hudson’s medication with us, we headed off down the 260km Kalumburu Road towards the Gibb River Road which took us west (in it’s entirety, running from Kununurra to Derby, just north of Broome). Our first camping spot was Drysdale Cattle Station on the Kalumburu Road. After setting up our tent we headed to a nearby swimming hole known as Miner’s Pool for a quick dip. A stunning spot, we all got in our cozzies (or ‘bathers’ as we are supposed to call them whilst in W.A.) and got our toes wet before spotting a croc floating less than 10m away. Hudson wasn’t phased and wanted to stay in, but Isabel and Amy were appropriately freaked out so we made tracks pretty quickly.
Our second night camping was at a spot called Silent Grove near the beautiful Bell Gorge. Despite the heat and the affectionate march flies, our stay there was wonderful. We swam in Bell and Galvin’s Gorges, the latter being our favourite so far, met some friendly fellow tourists and really enjoyed the drive all the way to Derby, a town a couple of hours north of Broome.
Galvin's Gorge.
Bell Gorge (facing downstream).
Picnicing at Bell Gorge.
Derby was quiet; granted, we did arrive on a public holiday so there wasn’t much happening, but I don’t expect the word ‘vibrant’ would be found in the Derby section of the W.A. Lonely Planet. Nevertheless, Derby was a nice break from the wilderness of camping. The old gaol, 12 metre tides, Derby Wharf and the Prison Boab Tree were worth a look.
Our week in Broome was just what the doctor ordered. Mornings and evenings on the beach were our staple diet but we managed to squeeze in a few trips to the shopping centre, dinners out, an afternoon camel ride on Cable Beach and several swims in the pool where we were staying. Broome is divine. Some parts feel like the Whitsundays, some like Noosa, some like the desert and some, it has to be said, like the central coast of NSW. All that aside, Broome also has a uniqueness that can only be experienced by a visit, and it’s that element that obviously draws so many people to this remote part of Australia. We’re looking forward to a return visit, hopefully next year.
Camel riding on Cable Beach.
Hudson, Adam & Bel on Cable Beach.
Amy & Isabel on Cable Beach.
On our way back home we camped at Windjana Gorge and visited the nearby Tunnel Creek. Both spots are now famous not only for their spectacular natural features, but also because they were hideouts for a man known as ‘Pidgeon’ Jandamurra who was the centre of a dramatic piece of Kimberley history. Sometimes referred to as the aboriginal Ned Kelly, Jandamurra was viewed as a sheep stealer and murderer by the authorities of his day, but as a freedom fighter by his own people and, to this day, many who have come after him. His story’s worth a read if you’re interested in that kind of thing.
The towering cliffs of Windjana Gorge.
We drove on to Manning Gorge where we stopped for a swim before returning to Drysdale for our last night in a tent. And, before you all ask, yes we did make it back home with all four wheels still attached to the car! It turns out that the western half of the Gibb River Road isn’t quite as rough as the eastern one.
Our car after arriving back at Kalumburu.
A few days later, we were back in full swing at Kalumburu. With ‘the build up’ to the wet season beginning, we were trying to get our heads around just how hot and humid a Kimberley wet season would be. Fortunately however, while we were away the Dept of Housing and Works upgraded the air conditioning in all the teachers’ houses here, so we are now confident that we can stand tall in the face of the full force of nature’s tropical intensity (read, ‘escape to the artificially cooled paradise of our lounge room’). We have enjoyed a few downpours of rain over the last couple of weeks but we hear that this is nothing to what we can expect when the wet season really hits. Apparently the only adequate outdoor footwear is gumboots!
In week 2 of term, Adam returned to Fremantle for the second stage of his training as a numeracy specialist. It was another really helpful course and Adam once again enjoyed a couple of beers, a pizza and a live band on the side.
To add to his travels, Adam also returned to Broome for few days with the rest of the school staff for a District conference where we explored issues and strategies related to aboriginal education in the Kimberley. We also visited local schools to share ideas and resources; I was left wondering whether the school I visited in Broome is part of the same Department of Education that looks after ours - they look kinda different! Overall, I found it to be a productive trip, but the time spent together as a staff was the most valuable part. Getting to know others better over a few days away from the classroom was a real bonding experience.
Good news about Amy’s job….The government reinstated the funding for the Women’s Project until the middle of next year. This is such a relief for us as it means we know we can stay in Kalumburu next year. Leonie Cameron (the previous CEO) left the community a couple of weeks ago to begin a new position in Alice Springs. Her partner, Peter (the Operations Manager) will leave the community tomorrow. This places lots of pressure on our friend Tim, who has to try to fill these positions as well as his own. We hope and pray that these positions will be filled quickly by the right people.
Isabel is due to start Kindergarten next year. Jacob (her friend that she currently attends Kindy with) has only just turned 4 so he is not able to move up to the Pre Primary Class (the equivalent of NSW Kindergarten). We still don’t feel confident with Isabel attending the school by herself due to the sexual abuse that has occurred at the school in the past. So Isabel will continue to attend Kindy (which is more like Preschool) next year and we will also do Home Schooling to keep her up with the NSW Kindergarten level. Hudson can also attend Kindy next year. He is very excited about going to school with the big kids. Belinda (Jacob’s mum) and I will take turns going along to school with the kids.
One of the women in the community we have been getting to know is a Christian lady named Barbara. She has asked Belinda and Amy to start up a bible study for some of the women in the community. We are hoping to start this next Tuesday evening. Please pray that this will be a time where we can continue to build relationships and share Jesus’ love with the women in the group.
We are very much looking forward to coming to Sydney at Christmas time. We are enjoying our life here in Kalumburu but we do really miss family and friends. And yes it would be nice to go out to a restaurant for dinner too! We will be flying into Sydney on the 19th December and flying back to Kalumburu on Australia Day. We look forward to catching up with you then.
Sunset on Cable Beach.
Lots of love
Adam, Amy, Isabel & Hudson.
