Day 22 Broome to Larrawa Station

Packing up this morning was thankfully dry and therefore a much easier proposition. We said farewell to our new friends and headed into town not for fuel or food but our latest travelling addiction. Talking books!! We found very early on that music would not hold our interest or there was nothing that we all liked to listen to so thanks to the friends that also gave the inspiration to do this blog (amongst other things) also lent us a couple of the talking books that they had listened to on their travels. We are now on to our 5th book. We thought that Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow novels might be too colourful for the kids but they absolutely loved it and have been asking for more. Arthur Upfield’s Bachelors of broken Hill and the Clue of the New Shoe also held us entranced for many a boring hour on the road. IT is amazing how much of the stories the kids have taken in and we talk about the characters long after the book has finished.

Tonight we took a chance on a recommendation by the lovely Mark at the Halls Creek information service. We are staying on a working cattle farm about halfway between Broome and Kununurra. We are about 140km from Fitzroy Crossing and 130km from Halls Creek. Really in the middle of nowhere. For $15 a night you get a water tap, basic, clean amenities and no one except the station staff within miles. Sunset was truly awesome and we are relying on battery power until the sun comes up! The people here are very friendly and willing to show you the farm. We said hello to the pig and the cows and put the chooks in for the night. Daisy the dog was very timid at first, but took to Shannon almost immediately. We met a couple of the young visiting station hands and like Kings Creek Station, the stars here are stunning.

The kids are watching a movie until the battery on the laptop runs out (nothing like “roughing it eh?) and at 7:50pm we are thinking of going to bed as there is nothing else to do. The donkey over the way just let us know he is there and I hope he is satisfied with that.