Solway Park

The Mangrove Resort proved to be so tempting and comfortable that we could easily have stayed there and done nothing. It would however have done Broome a great injustice as there is quite a bit there to see and do. We were collected at 0830 for a 2.5 hour orientation tour which we had booked the previous day to explore Broome and immediate surroundings .
Our starting point was the famous Cable Beach and the statue of Lord McAlpine, a true supporter of WA and the creator of Cable Beach out of nothingness. He is very much a local hero. Next stop was Gantheaume (pronounced ‘Gantam’) Point with its interesting rock formations and from where one can get spectacular views over the bay. Many dinosaur footprints have been discovered in the area. We then travelled to Roebuck Bay and from there to the impressive Japanese cemetery, With 900 headstones it is the biggest in Australia. Many of those buried there died very young from the effects of free-diving for pearls. Next stop was Town Beach and the World War II commemorative artwork. We finished at Chinatown (previously known as Japtown until WWII) , where we were dropped off. This is the town centre. After a light lunch we endured the heat for a ten minute walk in the blazing sun back to our resort and a very pleasant afternoon relaxing by the pool.
Our sightseeing wasn’t over, and in the late afternoon we caught the local bus to Cable Beach, intending to see the famous camels. We were there strictly as spectators, neither of us having the slightest desire to ride one of these creatures. Crowds of people were heading down to the beach while there was also a massive procession of 4WDs heading there as well. In the end there must have been at least a couple of hundred vehicles lined up along the water’s edge. However there no more camels to be seen than there are on Waikanae or Surfers Paradise beach. After quizzing a couple of the locals we established that everyone was there to see the sunset. Mindil Beach all over again. It seems that people can’t get enough of sunsets, though admittedly, they are spectacular in that part of the world. On further enquiry we were told that the camels had left already and were heading northwards along the beach. They were well and truly out of sight, though a local told us that they would return eventually.
The sun sank below the horizon on schedule (it usually does), and delivered us a beautiful sunset. At that stage most of the locals, both on foot snd in endless lines of 4WDs started to head off. It was at that time, just on dusk, when the long-awaited camels, two groups each of 14 animals, finally appeared. And what was the crowd’s level of excitement? Zero. A seagull landing on the sand would have received as much attention. We were among the very few people who bothered to take any notice. It seems mighty strange that a sunset, which happens in some form or other every single day and can be seen from many vantage points in Australia, can get people more excited than can the unusual spectacle of 28 camels walking in single file along a beach.
All round it was an exciting and interesting day, and our last full day before we head back to reality.Read more