Dragonflies in Broome

Broome locals talk about the appearance of Dragonflies heralding the end of the wet and beginning of the dry season.

Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and midges among other things and at this time of year the midges are really set to bite! That’s probably one of the more uncomfortable aspects of Broome, but I can happily vouch for my friend Ali’s wonderful ‘Midgie Magic’ cream from her business Hidden Valley Handcrafts – see http://www.hiddenvalleyhandcrafts.com.au/shop/skin-care-general/health-helpers-including-midgie-magic-healing-cream-achy-breaky-etc/midgie-magic/

I remember last year doing a trip to Cape Leveque with two girls from Melbourne who complained bitterly that their travel agent hadn’t fore-warned them about midgie bites!

Ah but the cooler mornings and nights here now are just beautiful and it’s so nice not to have to sleep with the aircon going full blast.

And beach life is waking up again!

Currently I’m house-sitting in Broome, and taking care of Shar, a Wolfhound/Bull Arab cross. She has a great temperament and we have had several walks along Cable Beach, and to Entrance Point, where she’s allowed off the lead. She always makes a dash for the water though she doesn’t stay in for very long! And of course it’s important to keep an eye on the tide times, especially at this time of year when the tides are huge. The tide was coming in yesterday and in less than an hour the water was up to the rocks at Entrance whereas previously we had walked on the sand!

Had a great day out this week with some good friends – we drove up to Derby. Though there’s not much happening in this little town and I had been there before, I visited a couple of places I hadn’t seen previously, such as the old Derby Gaol. This has a very powerful history display (harsh insights into how the criminalisation and incarceration of Aboriginal people have been such a central strategy of colonisation, from its earliest days).

We also visited the Derby “Poo Ponds” or more politely, the Wetlands, where there are flocks of different birds, well worth a visit for all dedicated bird-watchers.

Derby is a pretty town, with tree-lined streets and of course the high tides are stupendous. There are often sightings of crocodiles but we didn’t spot any on this day.

Tourists are starting to arrive with their caravans, campers etc. so the town is starting to fill up once again. There are lots of activities on in May at the start of the tourist season and all the cafes and shops that were closed during the dry are now opening up again.

Can hardly believe I’ve been in Broome almost a year as I arrived on Mothers’ Day 2018. How time flies!