gemfyre | Road Trip Day 14 - Broome to Port Smith

16/3/2011

After a night spent trying all kinds of potions (and one antihistamine pill) to try and stop my damn mozzie bites from itching, I finally slept for a while. I think it was 7:30/8am by the time I finally arose and it was raining – just a drizzle. After packing some of my stuff in the donga I went over to the shadehouse for breakfast and to get organised there. I was really hoping the rain would let up so I could pack without everything getting wet. Not long after it did subside. I checked the road conditions on the Obs computer, found that the way out was fine and started to pack. I got delayed telling John and his wife all the good places to go if he was to do the W.A. Coast down to Perth. His plan was to go back to Fitzroy Crossing and take the Tanami Track through Alice Springs and back to... Sydney or Melbourne – can't remember where they were from. That has been thwarted by heavy flooding in the northern Kimberley and also in Alice. I left an hour behind schedule at almost 11am. Stopped in at Campsite to let everyone in Perth know I was heading off and to take one last look at the bay (for now anyway). The puddles on the BBO road were large and unnervingly deep in places, but I made it through without a hitch.

I'm sure my car was silver
After a few days of driving through the puddles on the way to the BBO it took on a gold colouring.

I stopped in at Kanagae Estate – The Mango Place at 12 Mile to check out their wares and was disappointed. I'm not sure if they do tastings, the woman at the counter didn't seem interested in offering any. I didn't need to spend more money anyway. Seeing as it was about midday by this time I ordered a beef and mango wine pie and a mango smoothie for lunch. Pie was $8, smoothie $5. The smoothie was nice, but kinda small. The pie, much to my dismay, had been heated in the microwave and thus was soggy and overcooked at the edges. Didn't taste anything special either. Terrible.

Then I really had to get a wriggle on. The water on the plains had actually receded from the time I arrived. I only had to drive through 2 shallow sections and managed to avoid the rest by driving on the wrong side of the road – I was unable to do this on the way up – my side of the road was the least wet, and I drove through a lot of water. Pity – I was hoping to give my car a bit of a wash. I don't think the rain that fell while I was driving helped much. And wow, I have never seen a drabber, featureless sky in my life, it was just all matte gray, you couldn't see any cloud edges, just an endless drabness. Luckily the sky got a little more interesting further south, because I was getting drowsy.

The road into Port Smith was a lark. Towards the beginning there are many large puddles – not very deep though. Most of the track was sandy and I was being pulled around a lot, at one section I must have being going a smidge too fast and lost concentration for a second, because before I knew it I had lost control and ended up sideways and stalled. Luckily it wasn't a hassle to start the engine again and move off in the right direction, with low gear engaged. It felt a lot better driving after I did that, like I was controlling the car instead of the sand I was driving on. At one point I saw something on the road ahead and thought to myself, “Ugh, dead cow.” and made my way to the other side of the road to avoid it. Once I got closer the “dead” cow, and a nearby friend got to their feet and ran off the road.

I am now at Port Smith caravan park. Because there is hardly anybody here this time of year the guy at reception put me in a double room but only charged me for a single. I have loads of room, a table, a fridge, air-con and a choice of beds. The showers here look pretty darn nice too. I've put a load of washing on (I have a feeling I will be drying it in the donga though, the sky still looks a threat) and just had a late second lunch. Now I think I'll go down to the famous lagoon here and have a poke about. But not before applying LOTS of repellent!


Frilly Strike a pose. I love how they often have pastel pink under the chin.

My washing is now drying out in the donga (probably couldn't have managed that in a single room), safe from any potential rain. They should be dry by morning and it will be nice to have clean clothes again.

I went down to the lagoon. I can see why this place would be so popular in the dry. Long, warm (but not hot or humid), clear days fishing, boating or just swimming in the lagoon and exploring. It felt a bit eerie with a gray sky overhead and no-one else about. I walked down to the water – getting great looks at a pair of arguing White-breasted Whistlers on the way and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a brief dip. The guy in the office said there were no stingers here, but I really didn't want to be the first to encounter one when there was no-one else around, so I didn't stay in the water long. A few waders were kicking about on the far sandbars. I would have taken a wander into the mangroves, but oysters are growing all over their bases and it's all quite sharp in there and I was barefoot. Seeing as it was getting late anyway I made my way back to the caravan park and read for a while in air-conditioned comfort, but the bird calls outside motivated me to get up again and take a sunset wander around the park. I haven't been too badly eaten by mozzies yet, but I'm about to go cook dinner, that should be a challenge. *arms self with repellent*

Port Smith Lagoon
The lagoon was about half full on this tide. Sometimes you can walk right out to that far island, and sometimes where I'm standing is underwater.

I've got plenty of veggies to cook up and some fish. I've managed to construct a steamer from tinfoil to steam my corn and brocollini. That and grilled fish, should be a nice meal, great thing is – if the mozzies are too bad outside I can eat inside at the table.

The plan is to be up earlish tomorrow – 6/6:30, so I can wander around here a bit more, ensure the washing is dry and pack and get out ASAP, checkout is 10, but I really want to be on the road before then. I think I will go all the way to Port Hedland tomorrow, but I'll see how I feel.

16/3/2011 (Broome Bird Observatory, 12 Mile, Roebuck Roadhouse, Port Smith)
Australian Pipit
Bar-shouldered Dove
Black Kite
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Black-faced Woodswallow
Black-winged Stilt
Blue-winged Kookaburra
Brahminy Kite
Brown Falcon
Brown Honeyeater
Brown Songlark
Brush Cuckoo (H)
Common Greenshank
Common Sandpiper
Crested Pigeon
Dollarbird
Double-barred Finch
Eastern Curlew
Glossy Ibis
Great Bowerbird
Great Cormorant
Great Knot
Greater Sand Plover
Grey Shrike-thrush (H)
Grey-crowned Babbler
Little Friarbird
Long-tailed Finch
Magpie Lark
Masked Lapwing
Mistletoebird (H)
Pacific Black Duck
Paperbark Flycatcher
Peaceful Dove
Pheasant Coucal (H)
Pied Butcherbird
Pied Oystercatcher
Plumed Whistling Duck
Rainbow Bee-eater
Red-winged Parrot
Royal Spoonbill
Rufous Whistler (H)
Sacred Kingfisher
Silver Gull
Singing Honeyeater
Torresian Crow
Whimbrel
Whiskered Tern
Whistling Kite
White-breasted Whistler
White-throated Gerygone (H)
Willie Wagtail
Yellow White-eye (H)

See all of the Port Smith photos here.