We've just had a fantastic fortnight on the Gibb, including Mitchell Falls, and the Cub Supermatic Off Road handled it superbly. We thought Broome would be a place to great to chill out, and the last few days it's been just that way - literally. And wet too.
On Saturday we set off on a full day excursion, starting with the bus trip up the Dampier Peninsular to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. While there, the very heavens opened and we had to use the sealed strip back at Lombardia to fly out to Talbot Bay on the seaplane. After a great barra lunch on the Horizontal Waterfall company's houseboats, we had several runs through the horizontal waterfall. (It's amazing what they can do with a boat with 900 hp bolted on the back!) Back on the houseboat for afternoon tea, we were advised that CASA had banned further flights that day because of poor visibility in Derby and Broome, so we were given free overnight accommodation in the air conditioned cabins on the houseboats, another great barra meal for dinner, and some free drinks. The crew of young people working on the houseboat base were superb and did everything they could to make our unplanned and unexpected overnight stay a pleasure rather than an inconvenience. The weather had improved by Sunday morning allowing the seaplanes to take all guests back to their accommodation in either Broome or Derby (and clean clothes and tooth brushes.)
A recommendation - if you make it to Broome, spend a little extra and do one of the Horizontal Waterfalls trips. (There are several options.) It's a great adventure, and from our experience, all staff members - booking clerks, drivers, pilots, boat drivers, houseboat staff, have very positive 'can-do' attitudes and really know how to treat guests well.
It's still cold in Broome, a bit of a shock to all travellers except northern European backpackers.
There's further rain forecast for later this week, so we'll probably forget about our plan to head up to Middle Lagoon, wait for the next weather event to pass through, and head south down the road for an hour or two to Barn Hill Station for a few days.
Broome's a really nice place and we feel we've been pretty fortunate, not just to experience some unseasonal weather, but to have an extended horizontal waterfalls jaunt, and to see the local phenomenon known as Stairway to the Moon over the last two nights. (Check it on Google.)
But I think nearly everyone will be pleased when the permanent blue skies return.
Travelman
