Headland – Broome

The Taste of Home

We left Dales Gorge with the taste of home on our tongues… Port Hedland our destination, to visit my cousin Harry and his fiancé Haylea, as well as their three beautiful kids, Lily, Alby, and Mally. They’ve lived in Hedland since 2020. I’ve never met Mally (18months), and if I’ve met Alby, I haven’t seen him since he was an infant! The drive presented us with an exceptionally wide load and a reminder to always have your CB on. But we arrived safely in Hedland and pulled up outside Harry and Haylea’s house after a quick trip to the service station, the supermarket and the bottle shop.

Harry walked out the front to open the gate and help us back the camper into the driveway.

• Teddy: Where are we?
• Me: Harry’s
• Teddy: Who’s Harry?
• Me: My cousin. Teddy, we talked about this.
• Teddy: I thought ‘Harry’s’ was the name of a camp ground! No one told me Harry was a man who has so many muscles!

The kids were quick to form very comfortable relationships with each other, and in no time (possibly less than a minute) frolicked in the pool and delved deep into the playing of the play station. Leon’s birthday was the 13, today was the 15 and Harry’s birthday. Naturally there were celebratory beers and a birthday bbq dinner. I didn’t expect any different, but was incredibly grateful for the ease of it all. The way the kids gelled seamlessly, the low key go-with-the-flow attitude of the Clark household which Harry and Haylea opened up to our family was just what we needed- inclusive of a long hot shower and a thorough hair wash.

Tuesday was a day spent making the most of access to a washing machine, resting, catching up with Harry and Haylea, and letting the kids play. In the afternoon we went for a bit of a drive so Harry could show us around. We got to see the port and had a bit of a play in one of the playgrounds that had recently been re-done. Lil was in our car for the drive and was a very informative tour guide, teaching us all about the salt mine and family day when Harry worked there. It was great. The kids would have played all afternoon. We saw a dolphin in the port, learnt about where the turtles lay their eggs, and investigated the fully automated public toilet Malachi is really enjoying that Mali/Mally are the oldest and the youngest of the Clark/Geissler clan.

We went home and had an elaborate platter for dinner with a side of some of the delicious fish from the charter. We had a cake for the birthdays and enjoyed a few generous servings of wine, beer, rum, gin… before almost welcoming Wednesday and taking ourselves to bed.

Wednesday evening was an interesting sleep where Leon and I got a taste of the Hedland late night/early morning disruptions that Harry and Haylea had educated us about. We were a little tired for a couple of reasons come Wednesday morning. We pushed through and managed a reasonably early departure headed for Broome.
It was so good to take it easy for a couple of nights, and to spend some quality time with people we love who we haven’t been able to hang out with for years.

Half Way

17th May – Today is the half way mark of our trip. I’m not sure how I feel about being aware of that. I continue to be overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity and the privilege, for my family and that my love for them seems to have grown rather than my tolerance being decimated, for Mother Nature being the most remarkable artist, and so much more. I am beginning to have some interesting feelings about going home. While there are people and things that I miss, and I’d absolutely love to wrap my arms around Jackson and give him a hug that lasts too long, I am no where near ready to be winding this trip down. I’ve not had enough of a break from my reality yet.

We made it to Sandfire Roadhouse for fuel – both diesel and food. This place is full of character with great customer service, very reasonable pricing, and great homemade sausage rolls. There were even some resident peacocks and chickens wandering around. With full bellies and fuel tanks, we pushed on to Broome.

Broome

As you turn westward from the Great Northern Hwy onto Broome Hwy and peel your eyes from above the horizon down to the land you stand on, the colour palette morphs from the baby blue of the sky, to the green and gold foliage of the native bush land, to the sunburnt country that’s become so familiar in WA. Dramatic contrast may just be what makes WA distinct.

We stayed at the Discovery Park which had pretty shocking reviews, mainly around security. We have learnt to take such reviews with a grain of salt. In order to decide how much weight to place on wiki camps reviews or opinions shared from fellow travellers on the road, you really need to consider the character of the person sharing. This park had great showers and toilets, it had washing machines, a pool, and was on the water.

We didn’t have any issues with security during our stay. I generally find if you’re sensible, you’re fine. There were police patrols of the campground, and it’s hard to say whether they have a positive or negative impact on my perceived safety. My main concern was an extremely interesting man who was camped between us and the water. He made me feel so incredibly uncomfortable. He was set up for a long term stay. He had two tents. But all of his stuff was strewn around the lawn of his site. There were random pots and pans, bowls and utensils. Buckets and other containers. A small stool and a small electric fan plugged straight into the power supply. None of this was organised, just laying about in the grass. If I didn’t get the opportunity to watch this man operate in his space, I would have thought it was a site abandoned weeks ago. It was simply yuck. On so many levels. Including this man’s behaviour. I wont describe it here, but I felt so uncomfortable that I would sit between the camper and the road, not in our site, not in the outdoor living space of the camper, to do anything I was doing alone.., Brush my teeth, drink my morning coffee, put my hair up… To avoid being watched. I worked hard to not be bothered, but I did not want to be here.

The water is interesting. When we arrived the water was almost identical to the sky in colour. So much so that the boats out on the water appeared to be floating. This was so interesting, but it wasn’t the magical Broome sunset you hear so much about. But it also wasn’t Cable Beach.

We had a slow morning and enjoyed marvelling at the significant change in the tides. Leon went to buy a new tyre to replace the badly worn tyre from Margaret River. We were not prepared to do the Gibb with only one spare. Not to mention one that’s not in great condition!

When Leon returned I jumped in the car and headed to St Mary’s College to meet with the Principal there, Coby. We chatted and I asked question after question as we toured the very busy school she leads. Trauma informed practice, learning about it, and bringing this knowledge back to my professional life, is a big part of my Kimberley journey.

Anyone working with those who’ve experienced trauma (regardless of culture, age, type of trauma, or in what capacity you’re working with them) must understand the impact of the trauma, more so than the event/s that caused it.

The goal is to help those who have been subjected to trauma to understand the impact it’s had on them. This allows them to draw strength and hope, and ultimately heal. Hopefully, interrupting the trauma being passed on through generations. We must understand the damage caused, what has inflicted the damage, and what perpetuates the trauma. It is paramount that the perspective of those who have experienced the trauma is sought. Involve these people. Even better, have them lead the system design process. Establish a genuinely supportive, inspiring and rewarding community. Not just an environment that is labeled as such. But a community, where it’s felt and lived. This community and student agency, is what it seems Coby fully grasps.

I enjoyed my time with Coby very much. She is a wealth of wisdom, she welcomed me with open arms with next to no notice, and while I’m sure she’s exceptionally busy, never made me feel like a burden. Coby has a refreshing personality, and a familiar philosophy of life. I left Coby and St Mary’s feeling inspired, full of hope, and reassured.

When I returned to camp, Leon was sitting with Joey who had just kicked his toe and busted half his nail off, which I’m told Joey handled exceptionally well. By the time I got home he was ready for some first aid. With toe sufficiently bandaged, Leon and Joey went for a fish down at the jetty. They caught an octopus! I wasn’t there to see it, so no details unfortunately. Teddy and I went for a walk along the beach to inspect the shells… we were lucky enough to catch an hermit crab switch from one shell to another, which I’ve never seen before. But there are tiny hermit crabs all over the beach so the odds were good. Afterwards, we all went for a dip in the pool. Malachi stayed tucked in the camper: he’s enjoying a self-prescribed rest day of alone time.

After the swim we jumped in the car and headed to Cable Beach to have some diner and drinks and catch the sunset. The boys were upset they didn’t get to experience the Broome skatepark because it looked pretty epic as we drove by. We arrived at Zander’s and asked for a table, which they arranged while we stood atop the hill and watch the sun descend and paint the sky. We watched those on camel rides stroll past the stairway along the water designed by the sun. We watched people play embracing the carefree holiday feel of the place, and as such the lure of cocktails at Zander’s was strong. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with a few drinks, and continued to enjoy the sunset that just kept on giving.

Once back at camp we again streamed the broncos match. I can’t remember who we played, but it must have been a good match as the comment of the day was from Teddy, ‘Dad, sometimes when you watch the football I feel like you might like the football more than you like me.’

Headed for the Gibb

We deliberated about whether to stay another night and explore Broome or whether to get on the move again and hit the Gibb. Along with Karijini, the The Gibb River Road is a bucket list item for me. It’s also about slowing the pace a little and chasing waterfalls, particularly Mitchell Falls. We can travel 600km in a day on sealed road without too much trouble. Our drive from our Exmouth camp to Karijini was over 750. The Gibb River Road is 660km+ from Derby to Kununurra. About 500 of these kilometres are unsealed and it’s reputation is one of Australia’s most iconic roads that provides a unique 4WD adventure that can quickly turn from dream to nightmare if you’re not well prepared. Road conditions are ever changing and therefore unpredictable, which presents unique challenges. This 660km+ stretch of road is also home to some of the most spectacular gorges and waterfalls, as well as a huge variety of plants and animals (birds, snakes and lizards, marsupials). I wanted to take it slow, enjoy every moment, and keep the drives short.

In addition to this there was the man at the caravan park who was making me feel increasingly uncomfortable. I was happy to get out of there as soon as possible. So Friday brought a slow pack up, an epic grocery shop and the expected palaver of trying to fit all of the food in the various cupboards. Another attempt to buy alcoholic beverages and forgetting about the restrictions and needing to do a quick dash back to the car for my licence (This is me. Every. Single. Time). We then visited the Broome visitors centre. It’s advised to visit the Derby Visitors Centre before embarking on the Gibb; however, given our slow pack up and the knowledge that the centre closes at 2pm, we won’t make it in time. Therefore we thought we’d stop in and ask any relevant questions at the Broome Visitors Centre. I’m glad we went but it was more reassuring than informative. We are clearly well equiped with knowledge as well as stuff. It was good though to learn exactly which parks/gorges etc are closed.
We waved goodbye to Broome and headed for Derby and our Gibb River Road adventure.