I was loathe to get up in the morning;
wanting to enjoy another walk on the beach and a leisurely breakfast. But, the
army-like drill put paid to such idle ambitions. I was up at 5.30 am and got busy
with posting blog for an hour, by which time it had become nice and sunny. It
was just over 600 km to Broome. If the average speeds of the previous days were
to be considered the destination for the day was just seven hours away. After a
cup of coffee and washing the used plates and spoons I luxuriated in a shower
for nearly a quarter of an hour and felt absolutely fresh.
By 7 am I was out of the cabin after
loading all the luggage I had taken out last evening. The exit out of Port
Hedland to NR1 was done in about 15 minutes. On the way are massive salt pans
belonging to Rio Tinto with stackers and reclaimers doing their jobs in the
stock yard. On the way was a railway yard where three massive trains were in
readiness to leave. Australia is the pioneer in heavy haul trains that hauled
over 25,000 tonnes in one train. The trains seemed to be loaded with iron ore
and many Road Trains were seen plying ore, ostensibly to load the trains. I had
to stop at a railway crossing to let a freight train pass. It seemed to go on and on.
The railway crossings are, by themselves, a marvel when compared to what we
have in India. There are no road humps or speed restrictions. The warning to
the road user is 'prepare to stop when the red lights are flashing'. Even the
barrier is a half barrier that covers only one’s side of the road.
Sandfire, I noticed, was about 290 km
from Port Hedland, which would serve as the ideal point to break the journey
and tank up. About a half out of Port Hedland a pilot vehicle instructed me to
stay clear of the road on the left side to permit an oversized vehicle to pass.
While I got off the road and stopped, the car ahead of me was not clear off the
road. The vehicle carrying the oversized cargo was traveling at over 90 kph and
almost ripped the car off the road. Just in time the driver acted to take his
car off the road. It was a close shave. Once the clearance was given I got off
briskly and overtook the car in front of me. While I had set cruise control for
110 kph, the section speed, the guy behind me was trying all he could to
overtake me. His car just did not have the juice to take on the Outlander. And
he was being reckless, driving on the wrong side of the road too. He seemed to
trail me till we reached the Pardoo Roadhouse; it was a bit nervy as the roads
were deserted and there was hardly any traffic at all on the road.
At Sandfire, after fueling and taking
care of biological requirements, I set sights for Broome. I targeted to reach
the Kimberley Travelers’ Lodge (KTL) by 1.30 pm. However, just out of the fuel
station large sections of the road were covered in water and speed restrictions
were in force. I wondered if the road would be closed if it rained. A feature
of the drive from Perth had been the constant patrolling of roads by Rangers on
the lookout for flooding points and forest fires. The devastating effect of
forest fires, maybe recently, was there as evidence along the way. 
My eyes felt very heavy and I stopped
at one of the parking stations nearly 80 km short of Broome and took a power
nap. With that I reached the KTL by 2 pm. the very friendly staff at the
reception readily agreed to upgrade my booking to a private room with shared
facilities. They recommended a visit to the Cable Beach and the Gantheaume
Point. I skipped the Beach and made haste to the Gantheaume Point with the
intention of viewing the sunset from there. The beautiful red stone formations
in the backdrop of the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean was indeed a marvel
to behold. It is said that at low tide footprints of dinosaurs that roamed
these parts of the world 130 million years ago can be seen. Another interesting
sight is the ruins of Anastasia’s Pool that was ravaged in a recent cyclone.
The Pool was built by the lighthouse keeper for his wife who suffered from
arthritis! The Bingle Bingles rock formations are truly amazing. The interplay
of water at high velocity and the rocks is a marvel that only nature can
create.
After coming back I requested Mark,
the owner of the Lodge, to guide me on the route from Daly Waters to Cairns. He
asked me to get back in half hour so that he could get his Atlas out from the
cupboard. When I went back to him after a bath – it had been hot and sticky all
through the day – he was ready with the information. He asked me to take the
Three Ways to Camooweal road on the first day, as the Savannah Road was closed.
The second day, he said, could be either Camooweal to Normanton or Camooweal to
Mackay. I opted for the former as I would be coming down the Gold Coast en
route to Brisbane later, anyway. Mark only wanted me to ensure that there is enough
fuel at Cloncurry. With all that information I now have to only pray for good
weather till I get out of Northern Territory.
When Mark was pouring over the Atlas
another guest dropped by and asked where I am traveling to. To this Mark said,
“Ask where he is not going to”. That was indeed high praise from an adventure
tour operator. As discussions were winding up Mark asked if I had had dinner.
When I said that I would be making it shortly he invited me to share the food
he had made for some of his guests. He has a company that does adventure tours
between Broome and Perth. The number of guests who arrived on the tour this day
fell far short of expectations. There was leafy vegetables, salad, boiled
potatoes, chicken roast and bread. The food was, indeed, very nourishing. After
thanking Mark profusely for the unexpected bonanza I repaired to bed early with
the intention of an early start.
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