September 2024

Good morning Pretty Pool!  Beautiful orange sunrises most days, as long as you're up early enough to see them - that's getting earlier and earlier as summer beckons.  Blink and you'll miss the moment.  Peter's been back home for a few weeks now, and the prospect of another stinking hot and humid summer here on my own isn't too appealing.  A call from an old colleague about a new Wairau job provided the impetus to plot my return.  Decreasing numbers of midwives at Wairau Maternity has led to a re-think of the service provision model.  A Community Midwife role is one of the solutions, and for me, that was my midwifery dream in the UK many moons ago.  The position will include continuity of care with no shifts or on call, all very attractive.  I'll be sad to say goodbye to my lovely colleagues and boss Katrina here, and will miss the fabulous Indian Ocean views, and easy beach access and walks.  But home is home, and that's definitely where my heart is.  I'll head back to NZ at the end of October and start work mid-November.  Just in the nick of time to plant a vege crop too! 

   

 

Staircase to the Moon is back again for the season.  Though we've gone to viewing platforms to witness this before, it turns out that we get a pretty good view from our balcony.  It's tricky to get a decent pic because of limited light, and a little breeze can stuff up the focus with a lengthy shutter time.  Clouds can totally or partially obscure the whole moon disc too.  In any case, it's an impressive spectacle.  There should be one more staircase before I leave the Pilbara, so here's hoping I can get a better shot.   

 

The last full moon was a super moon, and that brought with it very high and low tides.  The photos were taken at a high 7m tide, showing the view out to the Indian Ocean from the viewing platform just outside our apartment and along Crocodile Alley looking both ways.  The 'lake' at the far left of the first pic is a car park, and Crocodile Alley is usually a track not a creek.  It was amazing to watch the tide coming in at speed, easy to see how stranding can happen in an instant.  The lowest tide was just 9cms and revealed those stunning corals at Cemetery Beach.

I'm trying to capture what makes my heart sing here, and each beach walk provides plenty of opportunities to be awed by coastal nature.  I love the pock-holed light brown rocks and darker oyster clad rocks that line the reef in some places, and the soul-nourishing curvy ridges of sand that are left by the tide.  Watching ever-changing little rivulets of sea water returning to the ocean is always a very soothing timewaster.  

                                

Today has been very windy and rainy - both quite a pleasant change from the relentless burning sun and blue sky.  The weather has dropped the predicted temperature too, currently 'feeling like' about 23 degrees according to the Bureau of Meteorology.  The sand didn't blister my feet during this morning's walk, and I'm almost cracking the woolly socks out!  The flies came out in force to enjoy the damper air too.  Luckily these are just the annoying variety, and not the bitey ones.  The rain lasted about an hour, and another hour later there was no sign that it had fallen.  I can count the number of times it's rained here in the last year on one hand.  Meanwhile, Marlborough has had a very wet winter that is spilling over into spring.  Better brace myself I guess; it won't be long before I'm complaining about the cold and wet. 

Work took me to Karratha for a couple of weeks, and a lovely opportunity to witness some of the wildflower displays en route, particularly around Whim's Creek.  The bright red Sturt Desert Peas were especially spectacular, and the feathery pink Mulla Mulla were abundant.  I stayed in a Pelago apartment, and this one had a sea view.  A day trip to Point Samson was very lovely too.

The Karratha trip also took me to Onslow - a town with a WACHS hospital that I'd tried to visit twice before but was thwarted by bush fires and a cyclone.  This time the plan all fell into place, and my lovely pal Sonja (Regional Nurse Educator) and I travelled together from Karratha.  Just spitting distance (400kms) from Exmouth, it's a beautifully located little mining town with a well-equipped hospital.  We stayed in the Onslow Beach Resort and ate at the Beadon Bay Hotel.  Great for me that work provides the opportunity to enjoy these classic out-of-the-way places.     

I'm keeping everything crossed that I'll get the chance to swim in the fantastic Gratwick Aquatic Centre in Port Hedland before I leave.  It closes over winter and was supposed to re-open yesterday for the summer season but failed to reach water quality requirements.  My togs are packed, and I'm good-to-go as soon as this is sorted.  I'll be heading Inland in a couple of weeks, so sincerely hoping it'll open before I leave.  There's a great pool in Newman that I'll get to, but no pool has ever out-ranked Gratwick for me.  

                                                       

We decided to get each other an Ancestry.com analysis for our birthdays this year.  For some reason, mine came back weeks earlier than Peter's.  Turns out I'm very much Northern European as you'd predict.  My British roots are part Somerset/Devon and part Cornwall.  We'd recently learned from Auntie Sally that my grandma's roots were Cornish, and her family were Cornish Tin Miners who moved to South Wales when the tin industry collapsed.   So, the testing seems accurate as far as we know.  Peter didn't have any exotic origins either.  Unlikely any southern hemisphere rogue sailors in our gene mix, but interesting anyway. 

These aerial view drone photographs show the reef at Cemetery Beach, the salt works nearby and the port - the largest bulk port in the world.  Not my pics, but a good memory of the raw beauty of the Pilbara's natural environment and its ancient indigenous culture alongside the large-scale industry that currently forms the fabric of Hedland.  This is probably the last WA blog 😔.  I'll be taking fond memories back with me from a place that's been well out of my comfort zone on many levels.  It has undeniably been the adventure I was looking for and I'm deeply grateful that this life opportunity presented itself.  

I'm slowly getting on with packing up our Pilbara life and am adjusting to being on my own.  It's a bit unsettling to be in a country far away from any of my loved ones, but it's not all bad.  Solitude makes for an easy life - just me to please.  And there are so few daily living tasks that I don't have to be hard on myself for not getting on with them.  I'll enjoy this little relaxing life chapter as much as I can, whilst looking forward to the heavenly day that I return to my tribe and my place.  

August 2024

Another month, another holiday!  This time beyond Pilbara - in the Kimberley.  Broome is a quick 6-hour drive from Hedland along one of WA's easy-drive roads and is another gem of a destination.  A perfect place for a relaxing beach holiday with a few quirky points of interest and more than enough outstanding natural beauty and wildlife.  The only big fly in the ointment for us was the absence of Clare and Roy who had to stay behind in NZ as Roy was very unwell. 

 

We camped in the rooftop tent for the first couple of nights, which was comfortable and cool enough, but also very attractive to bitey insects of the kind that bite without you feeling it.  Only the next day do you realise what a banquet you've provided.  We took a bumpy drive down the dirt road to the Broome Bird Observatory in Roebuck Bay, an exquisite site with an abundance of habitats - mudflats, ocean, mangroves, floodplains, saltmarsh, savanna, desert scrub and pindan woodlands that host the 336 recorded bird species (a third of Australia's total).  It's one of the world's most important sites for migratory shorebirds.  One of the highlights was watching a male Bowerbird doing his wooing dance performance for a female.  The nest he'd created was decorated characteristically with colourful pebbles and sea glass.

When Broome's Sun Pictures opened in 1916, silent movies were accompanied by a live pianist.  Previously the building had been an Asian Emporium and Japanese Playhouse.  It's an iconic building that has survived to become the world's oldest operating Picture Gardens and remains a central place for entertainment to this day.  Seating is a mix of cane and deckchairs, and cushions and blankets are provided for your comfort.    

We took a few walks in the serene Minyirr Park behind Cable Beach, a place of great cultural significance to Yawaru people.  There was some much-appreciated tree shelter in places, and several information boards about the vegetation - many plants here are food sources.  The main trail runs through pockets of monsoonal vine thickets along the pindan (red soil) country and sand dunes.  There are several intersecting paths that reach the sea.  Red sands, white sandy beaches with a backdrop of turquoise crystal waters.  Not too shabby at all!

We'd been really looking forward to seeing the Horizontal Falls in the Buccaneer Archipelago and it certainly didn't disappoint.  Described by Attenborough as 'one of the greatest natural wonders of the world', the fast-moving tidal current squeezes through two narrow gorges, pushing the water into rapid-like formations which rush through the twin gaps, producing waterfalls turned on their side.  Spring tides in the Kimberley can reach more than 10 metres, and the direction of the flow reverses depending on the tide.  It's not accessible by vehicle so our only option was to take a tour - flying out and over the falls in a seaplane and then a speed boat ride around and through the widest of those twin falls.  The seaplane ride was amazing - so smooth and with incredible views.  We disembarked onto a pontoon to be fed and wait for the best tidal time to head out on the boat.  Swimming was not advised because of sharks and crocs, but instead I got into a shark cage to get up close and personal with 'friendly' Tawny Nurse Sharks.  These carpet sharks were gentle and entertaining, and I had to stop myself from reaching in to give them a pat.  Who's next for a shark cage experience?

The speed boat ride was exhilarating, and the pilot talked about the many interesting cultural and geological features.  The Dambimangari Traditional Owners know the falls as 'Garaanngaddim'.  They represent one aspect of the manifest power of their sea country - the Wunggurr creator snake - of great cultural significance for them.  What a privilege for us to witness the colourful and fascinating rock formations and ocean currents.  Mesmerising views of the power of nature at every turn.

The flight to the falls was mostly overland, but the return flight went right over the archipelago and down the coast.  Just wow.  Alas no aerial views of crocodiles or whales on our watch but can't argue with the wall-to-wall jaw-dropping unspoilt scenery.  A real once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Cable Beach is famous around the world for its iconic camel rides and for the beauty of its 22kms of sparkly white sand (3rd best in the world according to TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards in 2023).  The tide goes out for miles so there's plenty of sandy space for everyone to enjoy, and of course the weather is nearly always good, give or take the odd cyclone / extreme weather event.  Though we were there in mid-winter, the thermometer didn't drop below 30 degrees in the day.  Coastguards monitor a section of the beach for crocs and sharks, so it's relatively safe to swim.  Real picture-postcard stuff except for under the water - hardly any sea creatures to see when snorkelling, which was only an issue because I'd been totally spoilt in Exmouth.  Peter enjoyed many bird-watching opportunities.  New to his list were Great Cormorants, Brolgas (cranes), White-bellied Sea Eagles and more Western Bowerbirds.  He also spotted Pelicans, Pacific Reef Herons, Brahminy Kites, Brown Goshawks and Australasian Darters and Pied Cormorants.  

Boab trees are everywhere in Broome and around the Kimberley.  I first fell in love with Baobab trees in the Gambia when I was there on placement as a student nurse more than 30 years ago.  Until recently, there used to be a belief that Australian Boab trees are a Gondwanan remnant, hanging in here since the breakup of the supercontinent into Africa, Madagascar and Australia some 120 million years ago.  Other theories include ocean drift of seedpods and transfer by human migration, but essentially their presence remains an enigma.  Aboriginal people believe that the boab has always been in Australia and that its migration direction was to, not from, Africa.  Whatever its origin, it was very much like meeting dear old friends again.

Hanging around Broome was relaxing, plenty to see and do or just chill.  There are several notable memorials to Broome events, including the ANZAC commemorative artwork of people looking out to sea.  In 1942, several boats bobbing in the waters of Roebuck Bay waiting to be re-fuelled and mostly carrying Dutch civilian refugees, were bombed.  The resulting carnage was one of the costliest air attacks over northern Australia during WW2.  The rich pearling history is remembered too, including this memorial to the indigenous female pearl divers who often dived throughout their pregnancies.

Reddell Beach, all rugged and raw, was another idyllic location.  Just down the coast from Gantheaume Point, red rock carved surface-of-the-moon-like by the sea and framed by the blue sea backdrop.  And it was nearly deserted when we were there -  a happy bonus.  

A really cool way to see the Broome coast is by Air Boat.  Similar to a hovercraft, it whizzes over very shallow and rocky beaches with ease.   The pilot was happy to demonstrate his donut skills and it was great to see the land and seascapes from this viewpoint.  We also went up Dampier Creek - prime crocodile territory apparently, but no one at home at the time.  There's no other way of getting there as the mud is so sticky and deep.  At high tide, the creek connects to Streeter's Jetty in Chinatown via a channel cut through the mangroves.  The jetty was originally built for pearl dealers and merchants in 1897 and has been recently restored.   

Dinosaur footprints around Broome are recognised as the most significant in the world, with trackways extending 80kms from the south of Broome along the Dampier coast.  They have long been known to the First Nations people of the Dampier Peninsula and are integral to a 'song cycle' tracing the journey of a Dreamtime creator being known as Marala or Emu Man.  The prints from at least 20 different kinds of dinosaurs were created around 120 million years ago in the early cretaceous period.  Many are only visible at the lowest of tides, which only happen sporadically through the year.  We splashed out on a cocktail and tapas dinosaur footprint boat tour that took us to some footprints that are higher so more accessible.  Peter is standing in one of several brachiosaur prints.  Some of these animals would have been around 35m in total length.  And yes, he's probably heard all the dinosaur jokes thank you.  The whole tour was interesting, respectful, fun and very well catered.  

 

Back to home and work now, and still walking locally most days.  Peter has an octopus tentacle around his finger in the photo - we were having another high-scoring game of Octopus Soccer and he was determined to prove his sighting that I was too far away to see.  The octopus grabbed him and wouldn't let go, and eventually shed its tentacle rather than let go.  The birds are Rainbow Bee-Eaters that we often see on our beach walks.  The famous WA wildflower display doesn't really hit Hedland, but there are a few flowers popping up and a bit of brighter colour in the plant life generally.  One day I'd love to see the flower carpets that look so glorious in the south and inland WA.  

We're getting our heads around Peter's imminent return to NZ.  We did have another few days of slightly winter, i.e. temperatures in the late 20s, but we're already not far off mid-30s again with some humidity.  Peter will have to seriously rug up when he gets home.  He's been busy packing and cleaning the apartment before he leaves.  Billy and Karyn have job lists for him when he returns, so he'll be back to the grindstone (cue violins).  I'll continue alone with my own work grindstone for now and brace myself for the heat ahead.