Dampier to Broome

Well we have now arrived in Broome.  Not a hell of allot to report on our ride to here.  Very long, very hot, flood plains with scrub, flood plains with some bigger scrub, flood plains with burnt scrub, flood plains with just grass.  It was 34 degrees in this area today and its not cooler as you ride along.  We had head winds and cross winds and when the road trains passed by you had to brace yourself for the turbulent wall of air they created.  Scott reckon he dropped off 10km an hour as they passed.


Some of the stations actually have huge paddocks of grass instead of scrub, and lots and  lots of Brahman cattle, there are termite mounds by the thousands and as you get closer to Broome they change in colour from deep red/brown to almost white.


Today instead of dead kangaroos along the side of the road it is dead beef cattle.  Most of the stations in these parts are unfenced so consequently they graze the edges of the roads.


I had a little encounter with a bird when it committed suicide on  my helmet, then later on a hawke like bird flew across in front of Scott and then it decided to come back and Scott hit it, next thing Scott was weaving down the side of the road for about 100 metres, all under control of course before he stopped.  Was all good except for the poor bird.


Dampier and Port Hedland are huge with  mining, long trains, roads trains with four trailers (over 50metres in length)  now instead of three as further down the line, machinery, people, cars, road works a real busy place.


Dampier is one of the largest tonnage shipping ports  and North West Gas Shelf Project.in Australia and houses the massive export facilities of Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt,

Mining in Dampier

Port in Dampier

View of pool and sea from our hotel in Broome

Broome is apparently known as the 'pearl of the North' as it began its life as a pearling port in the late 1880's.  Luring people from far and wide, with the promise of great fortune, a melting pot of koepanger (Timorese), Malay, Chinese, Japanese, European and Aboriginal cultures has given the town a friendly and flamboyant character.