A word about public libraries

It was down in Margaret River that I was looking for a place to sit quietly to do some work on an article I was in the process of writing. Armed with my laptop and backpack I drove trough town to find a quiet looking coffee place, but I couldn’t find one. The sign pointing the right direction to the library caught my eye. What a great place. Apart from all the books you’d expect in a library, this one also had some large tables along one wall with power points to plug in. The amount of work I did in only two little hours was amazing. I decided to repeat this in Broome –some sweaty smelling back packers spoiling the experience somewhat- and no power sockets, but that didn’t bother me.

Then up near Darwin, I went to the Palmerston Library, another bull’s eye. Lot of space to sit and work with power plugs hidden in the ground underneath little latches. The only thing there was a mother&toddler group singing Wiggles Classics. I am not sure which was worse, the fact that nobody was singing in key, or the fact that I recognised the songs to be Wiggles’ work.

The last library I have been to so far was the one in Tully –Queensland. Not only did I go there one afternoon to catch up on my work, but also did they organise an activity during school holidays: fun with beads. While Jolmer was working we went all in, i.e. I took all of my five children to have fun with beads, which we had.

Before Australia my last experience with libraries was back in my student days. I cleaned the library, which in the Netherlands is always a decent size. I thought the toilets were disgusting to clean, but I needed the money. As a medical student I used the hospitals medical Library to study, and I must have spend my fair share of time there. Further into my past going back to my primary and secondary school years I did grow up with regular visits and we would take out books, music and CD’s, prepare of school work, look things up. Mind you this is even before the time we had the world wide web.

This experience has rekindled my love for public libraries. I think they should be well used, frequently visited and cherished. Wherever we will end up at the very end of our travels, I will make sure to pass this on to my children and take out as many books as they can carry in their life time –also try to return them on time!

Darwing (June 2015)

To find a place to stay in Darwin turns out to be tricky. There are many many back packers and cheap hostels, but no appealing caravan parks. We end up at a fishing club –members only- near Palmerston. No power, for self contained motorhomes only, but with water for the motorhome and a pond/small little lake which you can fish for Barra if you like, after all you are now a member. 

There are also a couple of peacocks strutting around sparking in Flicky her urge to herd poultry, like she did on our property with our fugitive chickens. 

There is also an other boy here with a little boat. Jaap and Peter have the best time exploring the little lake. They get wet often. Jaap writes in his journal: How to make a sinking raft: stick bamboo sticks together, try it on the water and watch it sink. We also get heaps of schoolwork done.

It is warm in Darwin, and we have no power to run the air conditioner. What better way to cool down than looking for another splash zone/water park. We find a terrific water slide park in Palmerston that provides hours of cooling down fun.

I take a flight to Lismore to teach EMST while Jolmer catches up with Pauline and Frank Dick, as well as Jan and Norman Thomas from Barham.  Frank and Pauline are camped next to us at the fishing club and attempts are made to catch yabbies’ and fish. All in vain.

They go to a crocodile river cruise and the famous Sunset (Mindle) Markets. Jolmer will have to write more about that. Jolmer “We meet at the markets and after some exotic food tasting settle in to watch a fire eaters show. It is great to see some one perform so many tricks with flames. As the sun has well and truly gone down it makes the effect of the flames extra spectacular and all the kids watch in awe. This ofcourse sparks a new desire in all of them to become a street artist. We will watch this space…..”

On my return we pack up and head south again to visit the Mataranka Hotsprings, but not before Jolmer and Frank take to the water for a spot of Barra fishing. After a long and beautiful day on the water the results are somewhat disappointing with only one Barra caught. Non-the less they had a great time.

Termite country (June 2015)

Onwards we travel to Katherine, we don’t have much business here, and find a place to stay for a couple of nights at Pussy Cat Flats race course, an interesting place with its own Huge termite mountains. This turns out to be an excellent spot to get some more school work done.

Kununurra (June 2015)

In Kununurra we stop for a few days. Christel has to do some work  on her article and I take the crew fishing in the Kununurra dam. A large water hole that is part of the Ord River Scheme. Our target is catfish and we manage to hook a nice meal.

From Kununurra we take a day trip into Emma Gorge. We are by no means experienced hikers but we don’t let that stop us. The walk up the gorge to get to the pool at the top takes about an hour and a half, and involves a fair bit of climbing and stepping onto slippery rocks. It is a rewarding hike, the pool at the top of Emma Gorge is stunningly beautiful, and the water is immensely fresh.

We enjoy swimming under the dripping water from the waterfalls.

Also we packed a lunch and Jolmer has brought Coconutties so we linger at the rock pool for hours. When it is time to head back we feel fed, rested and refreshed. We should bring more water should we hike like that again. We also feel thirsty. It seems we have caught a glimpse of what the top of WA has to offer, and we are planning to come back for more.

The pizza-place in Kununurra fails to impress us.

Spring Creek (June 2015)

One of the spots we camp on our way to Darwin is called Spring Creek, just a rest area along the highway, but as the name suggests, with a little creek. 

We enjoy the little water stream, campfires, bush oven cooking, bread and dampers from the fire.  Laura and Jolmer transform an empty oil drum into a stove for the Cast Iron Pot and that makes cooking and boiling water a breeze. 

A lot of campers use this rest area as a base to explore the Bungle Bungles for a day. We feel silly because we are certainly close and keen to go, but we do not have a four-wheel drive, so we shall keep a rain check. In fact this whole corner is a bit pointless to travel without one. Best to return one day with full off road equipment and make a proper circle including the famous Gibb River Road. So no need to stick around too long, we keep going towards Kununurra. It is a pretty landscape to travel through. New vistas around every bend, beautiful rock formations with intense blue skies as the perfect background. I will never get used to how blue the sky can be Down Under.

Derby and Fitzroy Crossing (June 2015)

Finally we make our way to Derby to watch the sunset from the jetty and stay on a gravel pit along the road.

 Next day we continue the route through Fitzroy Crossing. Geikie Gorge is fascinating. We book a cruise and have some time to spare. The guide tells us how to fish the Geikie River in traditional ways: catch a little frog, put the frog onto a line and see if a big fish is hungry for frog. I am watching this process with mild repulsion. The poor little frog not only has a line tied around his hind leg, but also tries to swim with a fishhook on its back. It looks like a desperate little froglet, mind you, I don’t even like or care for frogs, but somehow I can imagine the discomfort. Also I picture a large fishing swooping by and gobbling up the little frog. Anyway, nothing happens, because the cruise is about to start and there are no bites. The frogs are released with only slightly swollen legs, the line must have been a bit tight, but otherwise they –the froglings- live long and happily ever after.

We enjoy the stunning scenery of the Geikie Gorge. Beautiful time of day around 4pm.

Last days in Broom (June 2015)

After we say goodbye to Pieter and Els, Broome has one more treat in store for us. The Staircase to the Moon. In certain months, once a month a full moon rises over a very low tide and creates reflections over the mudflats resembling a staircase…to the moon.

There is a staircase to the moon market and the atmosphere is great. It’s exciting to watch the moon rise out of the water and climb up into the sky. Even though we know it’s quite pointless to try and catch this on film, we both try with our iPhones and my camera to make a stunning photo but, as expected, not very successfully. We go two nights in a row.

 Also we try the local pool for some swimming lessons, the water is absolutely delightfully warm. No wonder with such a tropical climate.