tuesday 31st August - Road trains on the Buntine

What can we say about the Buntine – it was straight. So.... we decided to take a detour through Pigeon Hole and come out at Victoria River Downs (VRD) Station. Nobody could tell us what the road was like but it seemed pretty good – if not clearly signposted. An hour before sunset, we decided to camp in Needle Paddock for the night and hope that the little pink dotted line on the map did indeed come out on the Buchanan Hwy.

Drops of water from beneath the Troopy required some hasty repairs and stockpiling of water in every available container. We were so thirsty by the next day that Spaghetti Bolognese flavoured water tasted great!

Monday 30th August - Time to move on

Driving through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Kimberley, David had trouble keeping Cathy moving as she wanted to take photos so her dad could paint them.

We crossed the Pentecost, went through the Cockburn ranges, loved the hills alongside the road from Doon Doon to Halls Creek then wound our way along the Duncan to Sawpit Gorge. We spent the night with only one other car camped there. Brilliant star show with satellite spotting and a shooting star!

The second day – The day of Rest – Sunday 29th August

When you realise you are the only ones camped in paradise, it seems a pity to move on. Having worked out it was better to pick up further supplies on a Monday, we settled in for another day lazing by the water. We even did a walk to a private waterhole (2-3km each way) so we felt we earned our next scones with jam and cream!

The first day – Derby to Ellenbrae - Saturday 28th August

Cathy is at last on holidays. We headed off early but still got stuck behind dusty B doubles on the Gibb River Rd, making Queen Victoria’s Head look like it rose out of fog.

Breakfast at Mac’s Jump Up got us out into clear air. Galvan’s gorge provided a nice stop for a swim and a sandwich. The trucks had pulled off at Mt Barnett so we had the road to ourselves and magnificent views as we travelled on to Ellenbrae, stopping for the first afternoon tea at Gibb River crossing. David was like a horse approaching the home straight as we neared Ellenbrae for Scones with jam and cream (second afternoon tea). Even more refreshing was the dip in the billabong at the campsite. Despite the heat, we had a small campfire and spotted a shooting star before cloud cover ruined the view.

The last 48 hours in Derby

Cathy had only remarked on the weekend that "I haven't had a retrieval to do this time". Well the time came on Thursday morning when a very sick baby was brought to the Derby Hospital and needed retrieval to Darwin. The pilot was out of hours so we were able to do a mercy flight there but had to stay overnight. This gave Cathy time to meet with the doctors there and see further test results that confirmed the baby had a nasty congenital heart problem so he's on his way to Melbourne to see whether he is a candidate for surgery.

Once back in Derby, it's been a day for packing up and saying farewells. We managed to get Emma, the paediatric registrar, to give the blowcart a try. Cathy burnt a track out across the marsh in favourable winds.

There were 5 of the paediatric team in Derby tonight. Shveta and Miki cooked up a great pasta dinner for us all before they had to race off to the opera. If there's one thing we've learnt, it's that Derby has plenty of entertainment. There was only time for a couple of quick photos. The team of Ian, John, Shveta, Emma and Cathy....

then one with just Shveta and Cathy (David just couldn't quite focus!!).

When the Cat's Away....

Cathy had to take a sick baby to Darwin (and stay the night) so I went down to the wharf (again) to watch the sunset. Toyota's Rule!!!

Croc legs for dinner

Cathy couldn't resist buying the croc legs from the Derby Butcher whose cooking instructions were "use them any way you'd cook chicken drumsticks".

David managed to cook dinner before Cathy got home last night to avoid her cooking croc legs but tonight she cooked them up and he ate dead sheep instead.

Monday

Cathy headed off early to Looma (1.5hrs each way hours in a car) whilst David did the shopping and cooking. Forunately, the wind came up before the cleaning, so he went Blokarting.

Seagulls waiting for sunset or a beer, perhaps a chip or maybe Ms Derby to walk past?? (rumor has it she is quite gullible)

What has Cathy been up to??

So much happens in Derby that a week goes by without putting up a blog post.
On the weekend, Cathy did her ward rounds then finally got going on the blokart with David.

She had to pack up late Saturday afternoon so she didn't miss out on the CWA Annual Flower and Produce Show. Her favorite item didn't win a prize - it was an entry in the kid's section of fruit and vegetable arrangement.

After the judging, the auctioneer whipped up the bidding as most items were sold for charity. I don't often have to pay $8 for a loaf of bread with chutney but it tasted great. Missed out on the chocolate mud cake for $40 so I cooked chocolate mud mess the next day.(long story)

Sunday night was the great debate between Notre Dame Med Students doing a rural immersion in the Kimberley. They debated that "A Dating agency would be more effective than current strategies to attract and retain doctors in rural areas". It was most entertaining and many locals turned up to listen and join in for dinner. Better still, Cathy caiught up with Prof Donna Mak, the doctor from Fitzroy Crossing who inspired her as a medical student during her elective. Donna had arranged the whole program for the students.

Monday, I drove out to Looma Community with a medical student and took a young patient and his grandmother back home. Looma is in a beautiful setting near the Fitzroy River. It was a busy clinic but I had time to play with my new otoscope so the student and the patients could see inside their ears! Andrea is one of the few Aboriginal doctors(student for now) I have met, so it was great to have the time to chat.

Blokarting

On Tuesday, Mum and Max returned from an exciting trip to the Horizontal Waterfall. The wind picked up during the day - so we went blokarting. It was awesome!!! Cathy managed to arrive just before sunset. It's very difficult to see mud when you are looking into the sun :)

I carried my iPhone (Using the Cyclemeter app) which recorded my track across the Marsh. Try and guess which way the wind was blowing. Other stats
Started: Started: 17/08/2010 3:33:39 PM
Sail Time: 19:52
Distance: 11.21 km
Average: 33.83 km/h
Fastest Speed: 54.69 km/h!!!!!

You know you're back in Derby....

When you head down the main street and see the butcher's specials. Does anyone have a recipe?

It feels like we've come back to our home away from home. We enjoy the friendliness and familiarity of Derby where we can walk down the street and bump into people we know. Cathy enjoys treating the kids on the ward and was even happy to be called in for a 4am caesarian section as she doesn't do as much neonatal work nowadays in Melbourne. We'll see how long that lasts!

Meanwhile, David, Max and Irene got the blokart going out on the marsh. By the time Cathy got there, a flat tyre was interrupting the fun.

Catalina Wrecks - Roebuck Bay

Early norning start for the 30 minute walk from the beach out to the Catalina Wrecks. The Catalina's were bombed during WWII and are only exposed at very low tides.

You can clearly see the wing structure, some of the fuselage and several engines (one has detached).

Microlight Sunset Flight

Exhausted after a long morning big ride, I headed to the Airport in the late afternoon for a Sunset Flight with Broome Trikes. Charles fixed my camera to the landing gear and we stacked ourselves into the open cockpit.

We were very fortunate to spot two whales "cavorting" close to the shore off Cable Beach Resort. We saw one leap into the air and the other roll onto its back, showing off its white belly and waving its fin. Stunning Stuff. After a couple of landings on the beach and a try at the controls, it was back to Broome International Airport and a safe landing.

Around The Bay Training

I rode with Jesse to the edge of town. The thought of 318km to Sandfire (let alone the 6400km to Melbourne!!) had me doing a quick U-turn. I finished my training with a loooong look at The Bay - Roebuck Bay.

Broome Races - It's Ladies Day so get moving

It was a busy day at the Broome Races.

Minutes were spent decorating the hat.....



Buy a champagne and study the form guide.....



Cathy showed Helen how to place a bet, then they watched the race.....



Before long, we saw a winner's grin!!



Helen and Cathy have worked together in Melbourne. Helen's husband is a patient in the Broome hospital in the middle of their long service leave. It was lovely to see some good luck head her way. David gave Jesse $2 to put on the last race and it came in a winner too - more money for his fundraising for HD.

Jesse Rides Into Town - 10th August 2010

Jesse gets his feet wet in the Indian Ocean after a long bike ride from Melbourne. Go read his blog at cycleozforhd

Jesse taking photos of a Cable Beach Sunset

David and Cathy celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary at the Zoo cafe with Irene, Max and Jesse.

Lazy Saturday in Broome

Cathy has caught a cold so had trouble getting out of bed this morning. David was amazed to see how late she slept in - almost 9am!



We ambled down the Broome market to meet Irene and Max. After a busy morning shopping, ice creams were on the menu.



The afternoon stayed sunny and warm so we relaxed on cable Beach with a swim and flying a kite.

(Art) Clinic at Warmun

The walk to Warmun Art Centre.

David flew back to Broome today to greet Irene and Max. Cathy had to keep working (at least that's what she says she does). She seemed to spend more time watching the artists at work crushing up the ochre and painting canvases at the Warmun Art Centre. She met Patrick Mung Mung, Mabel Juli and Betty Carrington all hard at work. Naturally, she contributed to the community buying her first piece of Aboriginal Artwork. Only a couple of kids turned up to clinic today.

Busy Days

Cathy is busy solving the problems of the world.

David is busy making problems for the world.

We are made for each other :)

Chango at Matsos - the only way to deal with a crazy Sunday in Broome

After an unusually dry wet season, Broome is now experiecing an unusually wet dry season so we listened to rain most of last night. The roads were dry by the time Cathy cycled out to Cable Beach. A leisurely morning was spent packing then we headed to Broome airport to fly to Kununurra. Due to some ticketing errors on the part of the hospital booking agent, only David was able to board the flight. This left Cathy stranded in Broome without a car or house (the keys were packed in the baggage). Luckily there is a later flight. With my laptop and wirelss internet, I was able to book and hopefully meet up with David tonight. Most of the Broome locals are wearing winter woollies as it is a cool 20-23 degrees by my estimate.

In the meantime, I got a steak sandwich at Lustre Bar then walked to Matsos for a "Chango" or two. A chango is a mixture of chilli beer with Mango beer - sweet and tingly!