Derby, WA.

 Our plans changed the morning we were packing up at Broome. We had planned to go to a free camp on the highway and just day trip to Derby, but Steve and Rhonda called from the Fitzroy River saying it was really good and worth visiting so we detoured to there for the night. It was such a pretty spot with a beautiful big boab tree at the back of our camp. The cows would wander through camp for a drink as well. Elsie got a bit close to one and it stomped at her, so she didn't make that mistake again.

It was nice to be out of the hustle and bustle of Broome and have some quiet time. There were lots of eagles and hawks flying around and we could see a few crocodiles out in the water too. There were a few blokes fishing in front of our camp and they caught 3 barramundi. Rhonda and the girls did some craft in the afternoon with Rhonda teaching the girls how to sew bottle cap coasters. The kids thought it was great fun and are now collecting bottle caps to keep practicing.

The road in was a bit rough and on the way out the next day we stopped to pump up our tyres and Saul noticed a nut missing off one of the bolts in the caravan suspension. Luckily the bolt was still there, so we called Steve to come and help jack the van up with his heavy lift jack, and then with some clever thinking and bush mechanics Saul and Steve managed to get it secured enough to get us to Derby within 30mins of the shops closing for the weekend. 

We managed to get a site at the Kimberley Entrance caravan park and base ourselves there for a few days while Saul fixed the van. We caught up with Harriet, Lauren and Steve here again and we met a nice family with 4 kids from the Sunshine Coast who were our new neighbours. The kids all loved playing together - they were riding bikes, reading books and making little book shops complete with open/closed sign and having some glow stick fun after dark.

We explored Derby and looked at the jetty with the large fast moving tides, the second hand book shelf with books floor to ceiling (we updated our book box which was well over due after reading the same 5 books for 3 months!), and we visited the Prison Tree which is a large Boab tree that is hundreds (possibly thousands) of years old.

We did a day trip to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek which is the on the western end of the Gibb River Road but it is completely sealed up to the turn off. The road out to the gorge however is not sealed and was very bumpy!! Windjana Gorge was formed 360 Million years ago and we found some fossils in the walls of the gorge. The gorge was stunning and we managed to walk most of the way along beside the creek looking for crocodiles. Thankfully they were the small freshwater crocs so we were safe to walk along the sandbar and look at them closely. We saw some small barramundi swimming in the water as well, and some pretty flowers. It's starting to get hot now and it was 34 degrees on the day we walked the gorge.

Thankfully our next stop after some more bumpy roads, was Tunnel Creek which was a beautiful creek to walk through in a dark cave. We cooled off very quickly. After climbing over some large rocks to find our way in, we came to a little open area of the tunnel where Bridie and Kylie played and splashed, while Saul, Zara and Elsie ventured further into the darkness of the tunnel. The kids had the pool noodles to swim through the deeper parts of the creek, because some parts were so deep they were even over Saul's head. We were not fully prepared though because we didn't realize it would be so dark, and did not bring a head torch, so had to swim with a mobile phone above our head in a plastic bag. Luckily no phones were dropped.

Once Saul and the kids returned, full of excitment and raving about crocodiles, Kylie ventured in on her own. The phone torch was not bright enough to see the crocodiles so Kylie knew they were there but could not see them. On the way back out, another person was coming in with a big torch and finally Kylie could see the croc - thankfully he was on the other side of the creek. At the end of the tunnel is a beautiful oasis with the creek and lots of trees and birds. It was like walking out to a different world.

Back at the caravan park, we stayed an extra day to reset and restock ready to do a few days free camping. Zara was excited to see the white peacocks and took some good photos and videos of them walking around the caravan park. We also visited the local butcher and treated ourselves to some garlic and herb prawns which Kylie turned into a stiry fry - definitely a nice chance from sausages and spaghetti bolognese. This caravan park was one of Kylie's favourite shower blocks so far - they were clean, spacious, with hot showers with good even pressure. There were ceiling fans and a radio constantly turned on. The radio stations in the Kimberley are great - huge variety with a mix of modern and old and country and rock and pop!! One night Kylie was brushing her teeth and Adam Brand came on the radio - It's the small things that bring us joy!! Haha