Cape Leveque

It was an early departure from Broome heading to Cape Leveque. The landscape along the way was scrub with a few small trees. This area is like the Northern Territory in that there are few really large trees as the termites tend to get to them.

Speaking of termites the termite mounds are different to the ones in the NT, these are flatter and wider than the cathedral or fan type.

First stop was the town of Beagle Bay, named of course after the ship Charles Darwin was on when he sailed through this area. Beagle Bay is a small aboriginal settlement that was originally settled by a group of German missionaries around 100 years ago. They built the stunning white church that is famous for being decorated with mother of pearl shells. The church is obviously a key part of the community and is very well looked after.

Next we were on to Cape Leveque. This is the northern most point of the Dampier Peninsula and is a popular camping destination. The area is in a lot of West Australian tourist photos as it has very red rocks and white sands, see the photos below.

After lunch we went to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm to learn about how they cultivate and harvest pearls. This area of WA is home to the World’s largest pearl producing oyster 'Pinctada Maxima' and Cygnet Bay Pearls harvest wild oysters as well as breed their own.

Cygnet Bay produce both cultured and natural pearls with the largest they have found being 22.4mm big and worth about $2 million. The company has been run by the same family for a number of years and has a large operation in King Sound.

After the pearl farm tour it was back to the Kooljaman Centre at Cape Leveque to take some sunset photos and dinner. Our accommodation was in a tent with an ensuite - the tent was set up on a covered platform with a balcony at one end and a small kitchen and bathroom at the other. Very comfortable!Read more