Thomas Family Road Trip: Cape Leveque (30/5/12

On Wednesday morning we left the van at Broome and headed north to Cape Leveque. Cape Leveque is 214 kilometres north of Broome on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula, 90 kilometres of which is unsealed. A fair bit of red dust, sand and a fair few corrugations!

Just south of Cape Leveque is Lombadina, an aboriginal community. We had heard of the yummy bread they sell and stopped in to buy some. Unfortunately we got there an hour too late (lunch time) and they had shut up shop for the day. It was a nice looking place and the locals encouraged us to come back on our way back.

We arrived at Cape Leveque around lunchtime and checked into our accommodation - a log cabin with beds, a fridge, mosquito nets, BBQ, wooden shutters that could be opened for a view or closed if prefered, a deck, shared bathroom and the most amazing view over the swimming beach. The beach was just beautiful - pure white sand and the water was warm despite it being a tad windy.

The afternoon was spent exploring the beach - for Simon and the kids this meant a couple of swims, walking and rock climbing. For Donna it meant reading a magazine looking at the view, a run along the beach toward One Arm Point (into the wind!) and a well deserved swim at the end. Then of course we watched the beautiful sunset. Awesome!

The first night we discovered that there was a family of frogs who liked hanging out in our toilet at night time. Disgusting! Needless to say Donna would not use the toilet at night and instead drove to the restaurant to use their toilets.

The kids loved sleeping in their beds with the mozzie nets over them - a whole new experience! Simon and Donna enjoyed sitting on the deck at night looking at the stars and view and listening to the ocean, whilst reminiscing about what an amazing 8 months we have had...and how we are dreading getting back to reality!

Our first morning in Cape Leveque began early as the sun began rising over the ocean. We had our shutters opened so this is what we saw when we opened our eyes. Stunning!

The rest of the morning was spent at One Arm Point, an aboriginal community about 20 kilometres north east of Cape Leveque. First stop, Trochus Hatchery, a working aquaculture centre where fish, trochus and other marine life are bred and released back into nature. Chloe was first to feed the barramundi, unaware of how quick these fish were, coming out of the water and snatching the fish. We all got quite a fright! Simon bravely had a go next, but Ben and Donna declined the offer! There were also two turtles who were happy to pop their heads up and say hello.

Next stop, Round Rock Lookout, where we got a great view of the islands and the amazing rushing tides across the channel. You wouldn't want to fall in there.

Further around the bay was Middle Beach, the first place of settlement in the area. Here there are a number of family huts that are owned by locals. The locals use these to meet and relax with family and friends. A bit further around was Jologo Beach, the main swimming beach. It looked lovely, however we didn't stop for a swim as it was a bit too windy.

This community was very neat and well cared for. The locals were all friendly and helpful and the supermarket was very impressive. They sold everything from a tube of toothpaste to fruit and vegies to washing machines!

On our way back to Cape Leveque we stopped at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, a working pearl farm. From the lookout we got a great view of the beautiful coastline - wow! We had a look through the gallery and jewellery shop, but for some reason Simon wasn't too keen to buy his wife any pearls. Maybe it was the $25,000 price tag!

Our second afternoon was spent at the beach - a swim and then a great walk around the point, over heaps of rocks until we made it to Western Beach. Another beautiful beach and the most amazing red rocks. It was here we watched the sunset with a few drinks and nibbles. Plus Simon snapped away on his camera. Life doesn't get too much better!

Another relaxing night and another beautiful sunrise on Friday morning. A lazy couple of hours making the most of the view and a play at the beach for the kids, before we farewelled Cape Leveque.

We had planned to stop at Middle Lagoon for a swim on the way back, but missed the turnoff! We didn't realize this until we reached Beagle Bay and to be honest we couldn't be bothered backtracking. We visited Beagle Bay's Sacred Heart Church, a gorgeous white church with an altar and other internal features made of mother of pearl. Very beautiful. We bought morning tea from the Beagle Bay Store and headed on our way back toward Broome.

What an amazing few days - a definite highlight. So beautiful and tranquil. We LOVED it!