Weekend on the Dampier Peninsula

After a few bumpy and long days on the Gibb River Road, we first had our car fixed. Equipped with a new starter - the whole thing took only a morning, which we spent in a nice café in Broome, enjoying the Wi-Fi and a hearty breakfast - we set off for a big shopping trip, refueling, and then driving north to the Dampier Peninsula.

Our first destination was Middle Lagoon. The road there is a bit slow because it's mostly gravel or sandy tracks. But in the middle of the afternoon, we arrive at our destination and set up camp for two nights.

This is the first campsite on this trip where we can see the sea directly from our spot - and sometimes even spot a whale in the distance. We also enjoy the sunset, sitting in our camping chairs with a beer or a glass of wine in hand, and only a few other campers share this beautiful sight with us. Listening to the sound of the ocean while stargazing and falling asleep is a special feeling.

The next day, Mathias starts with a short morning jog/workout on the beach (which is needed again). Then we relax, but that doesn't mean we do nothing. We read our (more or less) exciting books, play intense city-country-river games, or take a refreshing swim in the waves. We also meet our "neighbor" Russell - a retired Australian who has been traveling around Australia for 11 months and is now in the last month (on the last kilometers). He's a cool and slightly eccentric guy with lots of stories to tell - for example, about fishing. And he invites us to have dinner with him (meaning at his camper) on that topic. Of course, we don't refuse and have dinner out tonight. It's incredibly delicious! He cooks Parrotfish fillet (self-caught) with an onion-vegetable sauce and rice. We spend an interesting and fun evening with him - the whole time background music playing Woodstock recordings on a small TV in his bus. The second night directly on the sand dune at the seaside gets a bit windy, but our rooftop tent holds up.

The next morning, we do another round of morning exercise before we pack up our camp and head a bit further north. We drive all the way up to Cape Leveque - just one of many great tips from Nadja and Chregu - and camp here for two nights as well. The Kooljaman campsite is a bit better equipped, so we rent a spot with electricity once again. We have to catch up on several days (almost weeks) of missed album work. But first, we take a swim at the beautiful Eastern Beach. One of the most beautiful beaches we've ever been to - we agree on that immediately. From the beach, you can sometimes see whales surfacing in the distance, and indeed, we spot some. But here on Cape Leveque, you enjoy the sunset on the other side - so in the afternoon, we switch to Western Beach. The beach and the orange-red glowing rock landscape look almost "Martian" as the sun slowly sets.

The second day here is quickly told - we did exactly the same thing again. Because it was so beautiful the first time... breakfast, swimming, reading, lunch, chilling, sunset, dinner...

After four days on the Dampier Peninsula, we drove back down to Broome. We're running out of food and should start thinking about the return journey to Darwin. We still have a few sightseeing stops along the way, so we'll make our way back tomorrow to avoid getting into a time crunch. You'll soon read about where and what we'll do on the way back here.