Half-lap Day 67: Broome

We had a restless night and I ended up having a bit of a sleep-in, til after 7. The girls got up first and got their own breakfast. LiAM slept until after 8. I did some work on the computer but was having trouble with my keyboard so gave up after a while. Tony and the girls went for a swim. The kids did more painting, they’ve been decorating their skin in dot patterns and they look fantastic, and playing with bamboo skewers – painting them and arranging them in patterns – LiAM even made a table out of them which he can sit his plate on when he’s eating. Caitlin spent a bit of time talking to her friend from yesterday, who is staying right near us.

I did a bit of washing then we got ready to go to the beach. High tide today was at 12.14, and we got there about half an hour before that. Cable Beach was a completely different place – there was a strip of sand about 10m wide, covered in umbrellas and towels, and the waves were rolling in, still fairly gentle but not flat like yesterday. LiAM and Millie weren’t sure if they wanted to go in the water, but once we got to the beach they got into their swimmers straight away. Tony went straight into the surf for a quick swim then came out and got Millie and carried her into the water. Caitlin and LiAM and I followed. LiAM was still a bit apprehensive and stayed close to me, but soon got more comfortable. We jumped over waves and through them, did spins and handstands, flew off the back of breaking waves and tried some body surfing – the waves were large enough to boogie board on, and we had some fun attempting to body surf. The water was still cloudy with sand but with the swell it didn’t seem as murky or spooky. I held Millie for a while and she was happy going through the waves if I held her, then she went back to Tony and went a little deeper, then decided to get out. She played on the sand and Tony played with her for a bit then came back in to jump waves with us. He still had his sunglasses on and they got knocked off his head at one point and they disappeared.

Once Tony had had enough of the surf and sun he went into town to go to the Telstra Shop – we needed to update our details to make the changes we want to make to our home phone (we’re going to be home again before we get it sorted!). We played on the sand with Millie, making a sandcastle, digging in the wet sand, making balls with oobleck like sand and seeing who could make the firmest ball. We also watched little crabs running around on the sand and went up to the rock pools to see some more. We all went back into the surf and Millie was happy to walk in as long as she was holding my hand. She did well, the first time she’s swum in real surf without being held. She got a bit scared as the waves got bigger and I held her for a while more, then she wanted to get out. She wandered along the shore and looked at the rock pools, Caitlin and LiAM played with a girl they met in the surf, then I had one last quick swim with them and we got out. The tide by this stage had gone out about 30m, there was a large stretch of flat, firm, wet sand, and the 4WDs were starting to head on to the beach to our north. As we left we saw some of the camels walking down to the beach for the pre-sunset camel rides.

The kids had enjoyed their time at the beach so much that they asked if we could stay another day in Broome. LiAM in particular really loved the ocean and had a surprisingly wonderful afternoon (Caitlin had a great time too but already knew she loved the ocean)

Tony met us at the car (he’d just got back from town) and we went back to the caravan park. I went to see if we could stay for another night but they said it was unlikely, all sites were booked, so I was put on a waiting list in case anything came up. I took the girls for a swim in the pool, figuring if we were leaving in the morning then we should make maximum use of this fantastic pool. Afterwards we all had showers – the sand in the sea is full of tiny little pieces of shells and they get stuck in our swimmers and hurt more than usual beach sand.

Tony cooked chops and pasta for dinner – fantastic to have a proper meal of red meat, and it was delicious. I had been having trouble with keys sticking on my computer keyboard so spent a good part of the evening trying to fix that, with limited success. I had a great phone call with another friend who is travelling – we left home at the same time and were trying to figure out where we could meet up (we are travelling in opposite directions). We decided that the best option was for us to wait in Broome until they get here on Sunday – so everyone is very excited about being able to have more time in Broome, and about seeing our friends in just a few days. By the time I finished chatting, Millie was asleep. LiAM and Caitlin played spotlight for a while, then headed off to bed themselves.