12 Sept 2011 Here we are still at the Broome PCYC waiting waiting for our new bus wheels and tyres from Perth.........





See his blue tongue?




The lovely two legged Tilly

Virginia - love ya gal

PCYC Broome - Zoe & Charlie adventuring in DB's
boots !

Aah that's better, onya DB xxx




Oops poor Charlie got the wrong end of the hose !


























10 Sept 2011 Jen & Alex's wedding at Zanders at Cable Beach....... beautiful.





Charlie & Tilda at Bme PCYC
Zoe & Tilda outside Bme School
August 2011 Broome - some more farewell drinks .....

Cable Beach - Scotty, Kelli, Andrew. Mitchell & William








Ash & Joy
Elbie & Ken

The Piggy Bros - great mate !



29 July 2011, Desleigh and Alan came to Broome to visit us :)    Yahoo !   They arrived at our place with their u-beaut off rode camper and parked it in the front yard.   It is really really great to see them both.    We went hump-back whale watching with Sentosa Charters (but didn't see a real lot ), and poor DB and Tilda had to stay behind, but Tilda thought she could come too because we got into the Sealegs and Tilda thought she was back at the farm at work, so she swam out to get in, but the skipper didn't seem to understand that she is a Number One Deckhand !    Silly man.    Then we went pearl shopping - ooompha that was fun, and of course we checked out the 22.25 mm World's Largest perfect pearl at the Cygnet Bay town shop, we also took them out to Gantheume Point, and all in all, it was the best time with them and I am so grateful they made it all the way over to see us, thanks heaps you two :)   xxxx




Desleigh & Alan at Cape Leveque


The World's largest most perfect pearl, 22.25 mm
at the Cygnet Bay Pearl town shop ... amazing.








29 July 2011  - still in Broome,  trying to pack up the bus and taking some local pics, these (below) are the beautiful Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Diocese of Broome church, it's just behind us in the next block and since the doors are always open it is very nice to go in and just sit with Tilda during our morning walks.





22 July 2011,   Some of the footpath signs at Broome Primary School in Weld Street, one block behind us.



19 July 2011 exit Cygnet Bay via the Gas Hub protesters at the Price's Point turnoff.




18 July 2011, oops, a few more last photos of our Cygnet Bay life, looking back, it was a life changing place for me to live, thank you all, thank you David........  xxx


















18th July 2011 we left Cygnet Bay for the last time,  very sad, but a few farewell events had to be had..........and Sara gave me a great birthday present, toe socks, so hard to find, actually, I searched all over Australia on our quick round trip earlier this year and I couldn't find, so as thongs, thongs, or gumboots are the standard dress for Cygnet Bay, on a cold tropical night at 15 degrees then toe socks are the only solution !    What a great birthday present, thank you Sara & James & kids...........And check out our loungeroom, the company gave me a computer with internet and Teresa helped set it up so I am connected to the main office and to the Gallery for me doing some research, bookings, and develop some marketing for the Escapade, it's also the store room for the clean Escapade linen which I was daily as well, so I do marketing and washing from home in the mornings, then start work around lunchtime going to the boat and prepping for our guests for their Sunset Cruise and bbq on board......then somehow we eat and knock off about 8:30 pm...........and DB works in the workshop all morning then onto Escapade all afternoon and night, then we get up and start again.........it's really full on and really interesting meeting our guests (including Andrew O'Keefe and family), rather tiring and absolutely awesome to sail around every day on the King Sound in perfect conditions, we are soooo lucky, woohoo, it doesn't get much better than this, and, our lovely flatmate Robby loves Tilda (who is DB's number one deckie) and is so good to live with.......and next some pics of a day in the life of our pearl farming engineer/skipper/tour guide/chef, job for DB,  and marketing/tourguiding/pearl sales/deckie/laundry leading-hand job for margo!


27th May 2011, and of course whilst in Broome, what does one do?    Spend time with Justine, Laney, Charlie and Zoe, and drink champagne on Cable Beach...........Then we hit the pindan heading back to the farm and came across old mate, Cheeky Big Black Bull hiding in the grasses roadside......


                                  



26th May 2011, We made a quick trip in the company car to town with a stop off at the exquisite Beagle Bay Church, with all of it's local mother of pearl shell inlaid alters, it was built by the French Palatine monks using hand made bricks who established an Aboriginal mission near Beagle Bay, north of Broome, in 1890. Day visitors are welcome but permission is required to enter the lands around Beagle Bay.The Dampier Peninsula is home to the people of the Jawi, Bardi, Nyulnyul, Jabirrjabirr, Nimanburru and Ngumbarl language groups.
25th May 2011, Anna hijacked one of Roger Chomley's tourism troop carriers and a sober driver and took all of her Tourism crew to dinner at the new Cape Leveque alfresco restaurant, she brought her own  Moët & Chandon  to share with us and we had a great meal and a fab night, thanks heaps Anna xxxxx

Cape Leveque alfresco restaurant
Cape Leveque lighthouse
Cape Leveque pindan cliffs
25 May Anna took us all to dinner
at Cape Leveque


22 May 2011, mission accomplished, yay, we delivered the Escapade from Exmouth to Cygnet Bay with no hiccups, it was a fantastically beautiful voyage, it was also a very difficult voyage with exactness required with navigation and timing due to the 10mt tides, DB did it perfectly and when we entered Escape Passage, instead of being spat through a tiny and shallow entry like a champagne cork popping, we rode in on top of the tide with perfection.    Well done DB, and thank you, you are the best, and I had the time of my life.........xxx



22 May 2011, 5:15pm anchor down at Front Beach, Cygnet Bay, wow, yay.......

Ahhh, home, the float lines, yay......

end of Jolligo Beach

ooh getting closer ......

22 May 2011 Shenton Bluff
What a gal !

Janet



22 May 2011 on Escapade

Cape Leveque lighthouse and the spectacular pindan cliffs.



DB collected Tilda & Janet for our next
leg to CBay, yay !


21st May  2011, Gantheume Pt , 9pm






21st May anchor down, Gantheume Pt Happy Birthday to me !
Gantheume Pt Lighthouse & house.

21st May 2011 Happy birthday to me, sailing, woohoo, and all the Pearl Gallery crew phoned and sang to me !  Thanx guys, love you all ...........   xxxxxx



20th May 
Such perfection of colours



19th May - busy busy....



18th May - 2:00pm,   .mmm BIG ship 
18th May sunrise again, glorious!
18th May still in the Dampier
Archipelago 2:30 am.
18th May 2011 somewhere in the
Indian Ocean 5:30 am.








17th May, great sunset.



17th May 2011
The boss !




17 May 2011.


Ahh perfection !


Yum tuna for dinner    :)
Island Gas Plant and ocean Gas Well
Gas Well off the Pilbara 
18th May 2011 perfect .... and still cleaning
and stowing below decks.


18th May our first sunrise, lovely..........

25 nautical miles north of Exmouth

Ahh, bliss, our first sunset.....











17th May 2011 - so after racing around Australia at break-neck speed (?) we flew DB to Exmouth to skipper "SV Escapade" to Broome and then to Cygnet Bay.........a week later, after waiting for the weather, some of the free-loader crew couldn't wait and abandoned ship....... yay, that made room for Margo !    So I locked Tilda in goal with Janet beautifully offering to let Tilly out of the Boarding Kennel when she could for a run on the beach, oh, what a lovely gesture Janet, thank you.........Apparently BEFORE my arrival, David warned the existing crew best to clean up as his wife was on the way and would not be happy with the state of the boat interior.........WELL, he was right, it was awful, and such a shame to see her in such a mess............ so I told them we would NOT be leaving until some cleaning and stowing had been done, and their work would have to survive us at sea in a cyclone.......well, I was not popular, but 2 of them hopped in and got on with it, that was good, the other 2 blokes, well......least said ........, so it was strict instructions, some bullying on my behalf and we were finally shipshape, (they did snicker at me saying "is this pillow cyclone safe?" but on 17th May when we hit the open seas, the worm turned !   hmpf ........)
My hero 17 May and we're off !



DB and his mighty crew !

17 May, yay, here we go !




15th May 2011 Deckie Margo reporting to
skipper DB for delivery job..... yeehah !
Exmouth's Kallis Fishing Fleet

THE one and only shopping mall at Exmouth ?!?














Yacht Club arty farty sculptures ?



Exmouth Yacht Club
.
Welcome to Exmouth sign 

..









Exmouth from the air.


The Sydney Harbour Bridge at Exmouth ?

Exmouth Marina














mmm, no we're not staying here ...

Exmouth Transmission Station




Yay DB found me........


The Harold E Holt Naval Base at Exmouth




My 36km minibus trip from Learmonth
Airport to Exmouth to find DB ?









7th May 2011 and we have lapped Australia yeehah - sort of, almost, nearly, anyway, it was David, Poodle, Landcruiser and a tent and me, the  un-bushy 5 star traveller, and we did it and every, I mean every kilometre was FANTASTIC....... I am so lucky, thank you David    xxxxx  and here is our Broome family, Justine, Laney, Zoe and Charlie, love you guys xxxx

Zoe and Charlie.

The lovely neighbours (Charlie's asleep)


And it's great to see our Broome family.
mmm, our rundown old house hasn't improved

7th May 2011, home sweet home, 24 Hamersley St Broome.
Ahh there's our street & Broome goal, it's
good to be home........
7th May 2011, mmm, let's see home
straight ahead or work turn right ?
Roebuck Plains Loo house
Roebuck Plains Roadhouse
Roebuck Plains Roadhouse






yep, there is that road again
Aaah green grass, niiiiice ...
Yay it's Suzie and Pav, gr8 to c them.
Yay hopefully Susie will be here ?
 
The local footy team on a pit (?) stop heading East


Fitzroy Crossing - and they have a
nice new caged up IGA



7th May 2011 A Mother's Day market  at Fitzroy
Crossing by the locals - with good lavender soap. 


mmm, bit tricky to get a drink in this town, but, it has
 improved IMMENSELY  since we were last here.......
good stuff .

Oops sorry fellas

I love this great big country of ours 








Brumbies...... And this is Australia ........This would be a cool pic in our house.....
Typical Halls Creek Country

Halls Crk - our room








Ahhh don't you love a good boab tree !

The mighty Victoria River

Victoria River Roadhouse - "Under New Management Wife" 
What the ????


Unbelievable, it's Pete from C Bay out  here in the middle of nowhere !


6th May on the way to Victoria River its such a
huge country...



6th May 2011
We left Springvale Homestead at Katherine making fast tracks to Cyggy Bay.........

Old graveyards at Springvale 

The Low Level River at Springvale exit

And so we leave Springvale - boo hoo  ....

And then it's all smooth again
Can you come home with me please Joey


Gorgeous

Sweeeeet !

Kiss ????

Wild friendly wallabies



Wallaby watching

Yuk, gross, cane toads in the NT

Wild muscovy ducks

5th May 2011 - we are really flogging the poor old Landcruiser now to get back to Cygnet Bay in a hurry to get to Exmouth and bring the "Escapade" from Exmouth to Cyggy Bay........


Katherine
5th May 2011 great sky



:
Katherine again ........mmm shame, wish we could go !





Love this place, feeding all the critters is really wonderful!



A big thank you to this resident here at Springvale Homestead who told me to feed the ducks!




Daly Waters bar - what a beauty mate !


mmm is that a bend in the road ahead - nah ...



Utter madness 














The wonderful patient poodle xxxxx







Really really cool to be inside a School of the Air outback classroom at home !


Local Artwork at Three Ways




Great mural at 3 Ways 5th May 2011

Sick of that sun :(

Great Bar 









mmm   nuts !

An honest to goodness hare !






A real dingo




Patient poodle
Love the Buffaroo !


Woo hoo a "Four-by" .... huge...
Ahh what a great Landcruiser 


Quamby pub - it's a doozy !









Croydon's store  
















































30 Apr 2011 Port Douglas to Mareeba - and as soon as we settled into Linnea's who should find us first but Al Crees, and it was lovely to see him....... Then we had a day with Jo & Chris wandering around Port and down to the Marina with a quick stop at St Mary's by the Sea for Margo to ring our bell we donated to the church in 1992, then quick hello's to: Jo, Shoo, Ellie and Charlie, Ken &  his new Russian bride Zara who played piano for us beautifully, then the lovely Margaret at her home on the hill, Cathie, Graham, Adam, Eleanor &  missy Jones at the Calypso shop, Denise & Pete and Mrs Paris at the Post Office. And then it's Friday, so off to the Central Hotel we go ho ho, we won a raffle prize - a trip to the Daintree, ran into Doug Ryan, and watched the Royal Wedding on the big screen with Jo & Linnea, what a fab night. But now alas we have to move on, back to WA oh and what a terribubble thing to do, it was so fine to see our friends, we did miss some however, but we'll make sure we see those we missed next time.... Ah there is no place like home !













22 Apr 2011 Sarina to Port Douglas - yay home sweet home ! We left John & Roni's driving north again, stopping at the Bowen "Big Mango" for our usual cuppa, marvelling at the beauty of our Great Dividing Range and the lush green of sugar cane, pineapples and other crops growing - it's good to be back in our backyard where the sun rises over the sea and sets over the mountains, giving one a correctness of directions! We by-passed "The Dustbowl" Townsville and then through Cardwell again and seeing the differences since Cyclone Yasi ripped through the town. Now we see a very heart warming sign at the Seaview Cafe "OPEN WE SURVIVE CAT 5" yay for the folk of Cardwell, very very sad though, some people could just not stay so on one hand there are people fighting on and others who just left their battered homes and moved away. But, to see the green shoots sprouting from the trees and "The Big Crab" sign still standing - a bit crooked but standing - was enough to crack a big smile on our faces! Oh, and, the banana trees were growing again so that was grand too! Straight to Mort & Linnea's place at Mowbray where we'll stay for a bit....yeehah ! Oooh and happy Easter too !


















 19th Apr 2011: Leaving Kinka Beach (good name huh!) we headed north again in the good old Landcruiser and Tilda tucked in the back with all our stuff.........we stopped at Marlborough to look for "The Marlboro Man" but found the only thing there, a great little roadside fuel stop with food and coffee and birds - nice - I like it here ! Then onward and northward, past every type of road sign imaginable, its a fairly long stretch of nothing and I applaud the DMR for putting the signs up and then past the good old Alligator General Store - glad to see it hasn't been knocked down, and finally  to David's brother & sister-in-law's house - woohoo ! Great to see them all..............and check out the owl on their neighbour's fence.  And here's a bird's eye view of The Port of Hay Point and the coal boats waiting to load/unload.....and it's a good thing we weren't in the bus trying to get up the 20% gradient to the Hay Point lookout !










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18th Apr 2011: We left Caloundra again and headed north, past a strange white concrete whale with it's mouth open, past the Ettamogah Pub again, through the city of bulls - Rockhampton, a pie stop at Childers where the dog fighting statue is outside the Federal pub, next, DB took me to Emu Park and the beautiful Singing Ship - the commemmoration to Captain Cook's discovery in May 1770 of Emu Park and then to town for dinner and sleep at Kinka Beach Studio Units, where poodles are fine and all was good ! Bit of a wet day, but that's ok too ....















17th Apr 2011: We left Caloundra and headed up the hill to see Lou & Jamie & Isla at Kenilworth, it was really really fab to see them, but way too short......onwards & southwards, we stopped at Montville for me to buy my georgeous beautifully soft Alpaca scarf, the shop was shut, but I told the lovely lady next door that we drove from Broome and woohoo the shop opened! Thank goodness for that !
13 Apr 2011: Driving, yeehah: We left Caloundra and headed south , past the Big Avocado, over very very skinny bridges, stopping at Woodburn for coffee, over "Opening Bridges" , below a digger working on a very steep hill, past the Big Prawn, through Ballina, through the Blackall Ranges, through Coffs Harbour and the Big Banana, no stopping, no Dad :( David let me drive through Coffs (I think so that I wouldn't think about Dad), and under koala bridges that have been built over the free ways,













7th Apr 2011: Up to the Esplanade with Mum to have lunch with David's cousin Dawn and David from Ipswich...........dinner at Mum's with Sue & Troy..........check out the lovely photo of DB as a little'un - he is second from the left with his brothers and sister....nice........over to Sue & Troy's for a drink or two, we also caught up with Old Mate Pete, Sue's live-in stable hand, and her horses and cat and dog.


6th Apr 2011 - Pilliga to Moree to Boggabilla to Goondawindi to Sunshine Coast: We had a cuppa with Gundsynd The Grey statue, passed wheat storage, passed a double rainbow, passed the Wobbly Boot Hotel, stopped at a ginourmous cactii, and then through Toowoomba to Mums and over to Buddy & Liz's place for a little accordian playing and a cuppa!








































5th April 2011: Through Coonabarabran to Pillaga in the Shire of Warumbungle in a very spectacular valley surrounded by shapely mountains, a lot different to where we have come from ! Great to see mountain ranges ! Through to Pilliga Pottery and the most charming Bed & Breakfast all hand built by a German family who make pottery..... and this whole house is ours for the night, with our hexagon bedroom looking through stained glass windows to the stars at the very top! And of course I had to have a piece of pottery :) And they had cute goats and invited us to join them for a roo bbq tomorrow night for one of the son's birthday, but we could only stay one night, so we had dinner in their home grown produce restaurant, and wandered around their gardens - check out the pottery tree, and what about the staff quarters - the white buildings at bottom centre.































5th April 2011 : Nevertire - they have a cafe and a train.










5th Apr 2011: Ooh we found this lost lamb in the middle of nowhere just standing there all by itself.......DB didnt think it would fit in the Landcruiser, sometimes I just don't understand him ! 


























5th April 2011: Cobar - a sleepy little outback town that used to be productive and busy, but slowly slowly is winding down. The folks there were very nice.




4th April 2011: Broken Hill, totally different to Mt Isa and rather nice looking ! And their lovely Riddiford Arboretum, where Tilda let loose and could run at last ! And the Old Man Saltbush plant, and of course, DB then had to cook me dinner using the saltbush - and it was gooood ! And then there is the big lump of silver Broken Hill has - it weighs 42kg, but it is not the biggest, the biggest had to be broken up to mine it out..... and don't forget the hand crafted silver tree - very lovely........and then a huge trek to the Living Desert to find me a Sturt Desert Pea in the wild - so following the man through a locked gate to the secret location - voila - found it ! And then we crossed the good old Darling River, and she looked very well too - nice to see.......

























































3rd April 2011 - near Peterborough: One Whoppa of a Big Pink Truck, and then some gold detecting, and then wild emu, and the underwear trees, to Port Augusta, past spectacular mountain ranges, watching wild emu, through the rolling hills of Horricks Pass and the monument, stopping at a giant red gum - 10.89 mt across, wowa, and of course, the desert sunsets!

 




























2nd Apr 2011: Through Penang - a blink - and then through the Fruit Fly Quarantine.........through Ceduna, through Poochera, a quick stop at the pink galah at the "Half way Across Australia" servo ............to North Stirling (just outside Port Augusta) van park for the night.....
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1st April 2011: Crossing the Nullarbor and the Treeless Plain, The 90 Mile Straight - Australia's Longest Straight Road, - and look who we found, it's Agnesia (or Aggy as we called her) a lovely Wwoofer girl from Cygnet Bay, who would have thought ???? And we passed through yet another Time Zone - The Central Western time zone, different to WA & SA - very confusing love! We stopped at the Par 4 golf links tee at Caiguna and the gnome garden on the 90 Mile Straight, we drove across the landing strip on the highway for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, we blinked at Cocklebiddy and Madura, got breathalized on the Nullarbor - hmpf ...... met the "Big Whale" at Eucla, passsed road signs that had kangaroo, emu and camel saying "Beware Unfenced Road 150 km", and then another sign showing "Camels Wombats & Kangaroos Next 88km" we checked out the Teddy Bear Tree, and then, those awesome cliffs - oh what a sight, magnificent, it would be so easy to just stop and watch the colours of day and night change that spectacular line of cliffs - awesome !


















 


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1st April 2011 yay..... The Nullarbor !











7th May 2011 Kimberley Accommodation
at Halls Creek -  niiiice !
7th May 2011 - We think this was
an advert for the Colourstone
House turn-off - the back sneaky
road to Cygnet Bay - through croc
infested swamp land!
31 March 2011: Crossing The Nullarbor: The Pink Lake to Norseman to Caiguna where the gnome garden grows, the Nullarbor Par 4 Golf Tee is, where we saw a lone bicyclist battling a headwind, where the Royal Flying Doctor Service has an official Emergency Landing strip on the Ayre Highway, where the animals crossing sign is the Kangaroo, the Emu and the Camel, and, where the 90 Mile Straight begins!















































30 March 2011: Albany WA - the main street, a boat in a park, the wind farm, and the spectacular beaches they use in photographs advertising Qld - oops !














30 March 2011 Kendenyup: We had a night at Alan's farm meeting up with his daughter Rachel and then met his dorpers, chooks, ducks and the one very special guinea fowl whose feathers will make a fabulous fascinator for the Melbourne Cup when we get there:


















29 March 2011 Perth to Kendenup: Andy & Robbo the Alpacas.