After a morning paddle from Middle Lagoon and failed attempt at catching more fish (see – it is a hoax), we took a back road to Beagle Bay. Yes, it was a short cut, but not one that John found himself. It’s a “locals only” road that the lady at Middle Lagoon said we could use. So it wasn’t an epic.
Beagle Bay started as a missionary settlement, and has been run by various religious orders since 1890, including caring for children of the Stolen Generation. The church was built during World War 1, and decorated with shell and cowries. It’s a work of art.

Most people will have seen this pic of the church somewhere. It’s pristine white – which is amazing, given how much red dirt there is round here.

They’ve even used a clam shell for the holy water!

It is still the parish church for the area, with mass said daily.
Once you’ve seen the church in Beagle Bay, you can pretty much leave. We tried to visit the store to get some bread during trading hours, but it was closed. You get that.
From Beagle Bay to the bitumen on the Great Northern Highway (about 120km), it’s really red, really straight and really WIDE. You could have a four lane dirt freeway there. Easy. There is a bend, maybe two. So you have to keep your eyes open.
We left the wide red dirt road for a narrow red dirt road out to Willie Creek. We had planned to camp there, but found it to be small and over grown, with hard core fishermen filling all the vacant space. Whilst there, we looked at the Willie Creek Pearl Farm. A top notch award winning showroom, café and all the extras – tours of the pearl farm and chopper flights over the area. Quirky, given it’s a stone’s throw from the dreadful camp sites.
So it was on to Broome – along a bit more of the wide dirt road.

This was confirmed by John, Fergus and Harry yesterday after many attempts and consistent failure. But they persist. Head against the wall stuff. It’s admirable really, never quitting. They even dragged a lure behind the kayak for 20km yesterday in the most fishable paradise there is. Nothing. Nada.
BUT – today everything changed.

Above is the catch from this afternoon’s dive – a Batfish and a striped Sea Perch. (Roy will correct me if I’m wrong there).
As I write, both these fish have sacrificed their life in our camp oven for our dinner. And they tasted great.

We’ve been camped on the west side of the Dampier Peninsula looking out to King Sound, but we’ve heard that Middle Lagoon on the west side is good, looking out to the Indian Ocean. So we packed up and moved down the road about 100km, and found ourselves at this place.

Do I have to tell you that it was 32 degrees? No wind. High tide. So nice.
This is a popular place, and much closer to Broome. The camping sites are nice, some better than others, and the camp ground police are relaxed. Here’s a few of the beach side sites:

I have this good feeling there might be NO MOSQUITOS. (I am currently covered in welts and lumps and swollen and not happy from the first afternoon up north)

Now I’ve had a fair bit to say about the Grey Nomads of the world. I really admire their spirit, and I’m impressed at some of the places they get to, often with the help of walking sticks. Anyway, we’ve seen some of the home comforts that they take along with them on their Big Lap, but today’s sighting takes the cake.

Yes, that’s a toilet chair, proudly transported on the roof of the shiny Prado. Go Nomads.

The thing that makes Cape Leveque famous is the red rocky cliffs that meet the white sand that meets the blue water of the Indian Ocean. Try getting that in one photo.
As Chief Executive Officer of The Boys Adventures Taxi Service, I was booked for a 5.15pm pickup down at Kooljaman (Cape Leveque). Luckily this place has the flashy café that serves 9/10 coffee, so I found myself there well in advance of the Boy Team arrival. And checked that the coffee was indeed good. Perched on the cliff top, sipping my coffee with a sensational view over the ocean was tough. But I got the job done.
The sun was getting low and the beach was looking better by the minute.

Harry called in on the radio on time at 5pm as scheduled, and we met as planned just in front of the red cliffs as the sun dropped below the horizon.