Kimberley and Top End-Broome

Last night we met the tour guides, Kim and Ben, and the passengers (21 all together) at dinner. The next morning we boarded the bus for the first of 14 days of adventure. The bus is a 4 wheel drive Mercedes truck with a cabin on the back. It was air conditioned and comfortable. The first day was a tour of Broome and surrounding areas.

Gantheaume Point's unusual lighthouse. There was a huge Osprey Eagle's nest on the top platform.

The contrast of the red, pindan earth and rocks with the pearlescent, aquamarine water was beautiful. Anastasia's pool is a hand dug pool made for an early lighthouse keeper's wife to ease her arthritis but it was empty as it needs a high tide to fill. There are also Dinosaur footprint fossils at the water's edge.

We had an informative visit to 'Pearl Luggers' a museum showing the history of the pearling industry.The industry started in 1880's after settlers failed as graziers due to drought. Some of them started collecting the huge pearl shells from the shore and selling them. The shells were sought after overseas for buttons and decoration. Soon all the shells were gone from the shore and aboriginals were made to dive for them. Soon they needed to go deeper for them and so deep sea divers were employed. The Japanese were the most successful divers.

They wore heavy suits with long woollen underwear and.....

.....with lead weights, very heavy boots and the mask connected with air tubes and a line for signals to the lugger. It took them hours to get dressed and they needed help.

It was an extremely dangerous job. An old pearling lugger being restored. The sought after shells used for buttons by Europeans and a modesty cover for Aboriginals. Occasionally a natural pearl was found inside the oyster. This one is worth over $100,000 Many hundreds of Japanese divers are buried here in the Japanese cemetery. At the end of the day we were taken to the beach to watch the famous Broome sunset. Our friend Joe is a character, who kept us entertained throughout the trip. Here he watches the sunset with a seaweed moustache. So ends the first day of our tour.