Stairway to the Cheeseburger

Let’s start today at 6.19pm and the rise of the full moon. We have made our way to Roebook Bay in Broome and along with hundreds of other observers eagerly awaiting the spectacle of a full moonrise, we find a spot and bed in. The sun behind us sets and we watch the darkening horizon in front of us for a hint of moonshine.

“The Stairway to the Moon” is a natural phenomenon which occurs when there’s a full moon rising over Roebook Bay reflecting diffused orange light over the low tide mud flats. This creates an illusion of a staircase leading up to the moon.

As the moon finally peeps up over the horizon, myself and Andrew jump the barrier like everyone else to sit on some rocks for a better vantage point for a photo.

I zoom in and take my first shot focussing in on the rising moon. Awesome, I get “Stairway to the Cheeseburger” as my photo of the rising moon behind a thin band of cloud creates my own optical illusion... and no points for guessing which store the burger comes from. If only I would have captured the french fries as well.

The orange moon rises higher in the sky and the stairway to the moon appears across the mud flats. It’s difficult to get a good photo but the spectacle is awesome. I focus in again on the moon as it’s rare to see such a full, orange moon in the sky.

After moonrise, we join the masses in the night markets to get something to eat from the food stalls. It’s so busy that we are all feeling sensory overload as we have been used to being isolated and remote so we don’t hang around for long.

So let’s end today at the beginning. We drive back early from Cape Leveque and finally reach Broome after 4 weeks of travelling through the Kimberley.

DRIVE: Cape Leveque to Darwin (202km).

It’s an exciting day because The Lloydes, Andrew and Anne are back in town so we’re getting the band back together...

Broome is the main tourist coastal town in the Kimberley region, famous for its pearling industry. Broome itself is very spread out with the airport runway running through the middle and the town centre a good distance from Cable Beach, the famous sunset beach. The climate here is an average 30 degrees in winter so many a sun seeker travel up and literally migrate this way to enjoy the warmer weather and dry season.

CAMP: Cable Beach Caravan Park, Broome / 1 Night

We finally make it to Cable Beach Caravan Park, check in and ask for a non-powered site near the Lloydes who have already made a home on their small corner block in the caravan park. Real estate is a premium up here.

Cable Beach Caravan Park is massive with all different kinds of camping and caravan set ups. It’s like the camping and caravan show. This time of the year, the park would be one of the busiest in Australia and there’s a steady stream of caravans coming in but seemingly no vacant land left. The population of Broome has gone from 15,000 to 45,000 in June with many of the Grey Nomads migrating up to spend the winter season in the sun. It’s about 30 degrees each day in winter and the evenings are pleasant so the climate is perfect for sun seekers.

We have been allocated a similar size corner block to that of the Lloydes and squeeze our 4WD on and unload. Andrew and Anne are around the corner so as we approach their site, we shout out “copy that” to grab their attention. It’s great to see them again.

Now today is our final day with the 4WD and roof top tent as we need to hand it back 9.00am tomorrow morning. It needs a full clean and fingers crossed, we hope it doesn’t fall apart after we have washed all the mud, dirt and dust away.

Broome car wash to the rescue and we spend a couple of hours with the high pressure jet wash and vacuum cleaner to make the now sparkling white car clean again. As good as new.

We catch up with Andrew and Anne and walk the short distance to Cable Beach for a swim. The tide is out but it’s nice to enjoy a long stretch of beach again and creamy white sand. The sea is a milky azure blue and it’s silky smooth.

After a relaxing afternoon, we all pile into our 4WD for the drive to Roebuck Bay and the stairway to the moon.Read more