Around Broome

Our second day in Broome was spent at the van having a quiet time and hoping John’s vertigo and sore back would improve.  He was very unwell and we cancelled our plans for the day and postponed leaving as well. I did persuade John to have a swim in the pool in the afternoon. It was very hot (too hot to be inside the van) and we had sought shade all day.

 

The pool was close by and we walked there slowly. We were pleased at how nice it was, how pleasant the water was, and that there was only one other couple in the water – and they left shortly after we arrived. It was great to feel the cool water on our hot, sweaty bodies!  John usually avoids pools but he definitely benefited from our swim.

 

We enjoyed the pool at the caravan park

 

 

Thankfully he woke on day three with no vertigo.  What a relief! We took it easy in the morning though, just reading and pottering at the van. By midday John felt much better and suggested Matso’s for lunch. Matso’s is a local family run brewery that is quite an iconic venue in Broome. It makes craft beers and the most refreshing alcoholic mango and ginger beers. It was only about a five minute drive from the caravan park.

 

It was a good decision.  The brewery wasn’t too busy and there was parking.  We sat in the beer garden under the shade of the mango trees and enjoyed a cold drink and a shared Ploughman’s lunch. It was very nice.

 

Matso’s

 

<span;>John watched the football in the afternoon while I read, then we wandered over for another swim which was just as lovely as yesterday’s.

 

John was very tired so, after a simple dinner, we retired to bed early. We usually go to bed on dark and read for a while.  Tonight we had no choice. After a very hot day,  the heavens opened and lovely, cool rain came down. It was so nice lying in bed in the caravan watching the lightning through the windows and listening to the rumble of the thunder.

Broome

John had celebrated his 81st birthday at Wooramel on the first day of our trip. It was a lovely, relaxing day. A few messages from family managed to come through on his phone although he couldn’t reply. I mentioned to our neighbour, Tom, in the next caravan that it was John’s birthday and he told his friends so all day people were wishing him a Happy Birthday!

John has always suffered with a sore back but it became increasingly sore over the next few days. When he woke at Stanley Rest Area he also had very bad vertigo. It was fortuitous that our next stop was going to be in Broome. Friends have a block in a caravan park there and kindly told us we were welcome to park our van there. It would be a good place for John to take it easy and recover. So I drove the three hours or so towards Broome.

Broome Vacation Village Caravan Park is very nice and close to everything, particularly Broome Golf Club much to John’s delight. We parked the van and got settled in. Before dinner, we took a drive to the golf club for a drink. I hadn’t been before and was very impressed with the buildings and the stunning views.

The following morning, John felt slightly better so we went out exploring. We drove to Chinatown and mosied around the lovely shops with all their colourful goods. After coffee, I suggested to John that he have a Thai massage and made enquiries. He was feeling worse and struggling to walk. However, he refused. But he did book an 18 hole round of golf for the next day!

Before returning to the van, we went out to Cable Beach and walked up to the restaurant. It was lovely sitting on the verandah overlooking the beach. We had a very nice, simple lunch and a drink. We really felt like we were on holiday.

Unfortunately, John’s bad back and vertigo worsened. So much so that golf was cancelled.