And That's How I Got To Broome

11/12/10

That final sleep ended up being a pretty long one! Apparently people were pouring water on me to wake me in the morning, though that seemingly failed. I finally woke when the four corners of my swag started rising and I was carried into the breakfast area. Everyone was almost packed up and ready to leave as I powered down a bowl of cereal. Still highly inebriated, it was time for the hugs and kisses of goodbyes. It really is a shame to be separating this group, but that’s the way things go isn’t it? Fortunately the remainder of our group would be merging with another so we could ride in an air-conditioned bus to Pardoo Station. With this substitution to soften the blow, I exchanged phone numbers with Peter (we have already all swapped Facebook details and plan to form a new group to keep in touch on there) and should be meeting up again in Melbourne and Sydney for some cricket and, of course, drinks. Others will also be in those areas at overlapping times, so it does look good for meeting back up at some stages.

With nothing to do other than sleep off the rotten hangover I was sporting, I had a brief chat with the new group to introduce myself, and then slept a large portion of the journey to the melancholic Port Headland. The day was to prove to be just a day of covering ground as we were still a considerable distance away from Broome.

12/12/10

It had by now become a normality to be awake by daybreak, and so I rose from my stupor at the scheduled 6am with relative ease. It’s unbelievably uncharacteristic for me to be punctual, but that seems to have clicked in finally for me. Well better late than never I guess, though that problem has riled several people in the past, and I wonder how short-term this new me actually is; my best guess says very short-term unfortunately. I blame a substantial need for caffeine before I can function at all.

Well, that was it. It was just an entire morning of driving more or less. We had to get a couple of hours done on the road before we had a breakfast stop on 80 Mile Beach, where there is an abundance of huge shells which people chose to collect. I personally left the environment well alone as I get the feeling they won’t survive in their full glorious form in my backpack, but others got some absolute gems; the sort you might find in shops! You could already feel the early morning heat kicking in, and it was obviously going to be an incredible hot day. Broome was touching 40°C heat earlier and the week, and I suspected there would be no let up from that. We arrived for a late lunch at about 2pm, but surprisingly it was cooler as a gentle shower had knocked out a decent portion of the humidity. It made lunch on Town Beach quite a lot more pleasant than what I would have expected. With a final loop around town to get some bearings, we did the final drop offs at the hostels. I chose to stay on Cable Beach and away from the city, so I can have the option of what to do with my days in Broome.

We had arranged to meet up at 8pm for a final meal together before everyone goes their separate ways, and a few last drinks and a good feed was a perfect way to end the trip. A few said their final goodbyes before retiring for the evening, whilst some others bought a few extra beers to take back to the hostel; this group, of course, included me. Myself, Johan, Tammy, and Mark (the second guide) drank until the small hours before sneaking into the neighbouring 4 star hotel to use their significantly better pool. A little jacuzzi and a splash about was sobering enough for me, and I called it an end to the day at 3:30am. I was surprised to have any energy left at all after the last ten days.

13/12/10

My time in Broome has been spent largely on relaxing and refreshing. There's a fair bit to do in this sleepy town, but for me, I think targetting a better season is key. Most things are closed and it is a bit of a ghost town at the moment. I guess the severe rain and gales see to that. I'll be back here one day though, mainly to traverse the Kimberley, but also to dive the world renowned Navy Pier. That will be another happy travel.

With a 20 hour flight(s) to face tomorrow, arguably being a record for a domestic schedulle, it is time for a good thorough sleep before I do it all again in Tasmania.

P.S. The cricket has been fab, and the Aussies are seriously bad losers! They have little to no intention of sharing score updates or any news. It makes me quite smug.