Quondong Point

Much as we loved Whale Song and Pender Bay we knew we had to leave eventually.  We didn't go far though :)  

Sitting in our campsite overlooking Pender Bay.  The colours are just beautiful

We had delicious pizza at the Whale Song Cafe, made with ingredients
grown in their garden.  And what a location!

There's a turnoff on the Cape Leveque Road which leads to some lovely spots right on the Dampier Peninsula coast and the one we chose was Quondong Point.  There are free bush camping sites up here, most on the headland overlooking the sea.  However most of these spots were taken by grey nomads in their off-road vans so we took some dirt tracks further north and found a wonderful site. It was behind some small sand dunes and in a real bush setting with plenty of shade.  Only metres away we could stand just above the beach and watch the whales playing out at sea!

Barely two minutes from our site to the sand.

Red cliffs and eroded rock formations along the shore

We ended up staying here for 5 days.  The weather's perfect, the scenery gorgeous, the campsite relaxing and whale-watching's addictive.  We saw them every day splashing around out in the distance.  Not close enough to photograph but we could clearly see their tails rising into the air and creating a huge splash when they hit the water.  We were lucky enough to see a couple raise themselves out of the water and dive back in - simply awesome.  Many hours were spent exploring the rocky outcrops, beachcombing, walking in the shallows and reading and relaxing.  We met a couple who camped nearby for a few nights and enjoyed their company too.

These crab trails could be seen everywhere in the mornings ...

... a result of all this activity around us every night!  Hermit crabs in their
dozens, all over the place.

Yesterday we left Quondong Point but before returning to Broome (for fresh water mainly) we explored a little further north along this coastal road (4x4 track).  The places we came across were simply stunning.  This is a pretty quiet, very natural, undeveloped part of the peninsula and without doubt the loveliest coastline we've ever seen.

A turtle shell, found by a fireplace and probably only recently been
a feast for some of the local indigenous people.

On the cliff tops - look at those colours!

Access road to one of the best beaches.

Near Coulumb Point, absolutely beautiful.

Never seen a beach like it.  Pristine.  We're going back!

So, having seen these amazing places yesterday, we decided that after re-stocking in Broome today (water, food, showers and washing) we'll head back up here tomorrow for a few more days of sun, sea, sand and superb, stunning scenery!  It's only about an hour and a half north and we're pretty excited about spending a few more days in the area.  Oh yes, and seeing the whales again will be fun.

We had a good day in Broome today, checking out a few more of the sights and learning a bit more about the pearling days.  As far as towns go, it's quite user-friendly and there's no denying that Cable Beach is a beautiful, classic Australian beach with its turquoise water and loooong stretch of white sand.  It was a 30+ degree day today, making staying up north as long as possible very enticing.