Kooljaman, Cape Leveque, West Australia

Thursday June 30^th saw us up in good time to head North to Cape Leveque. We finished preparing our caravans for storage while we were away for 5 days of tenting.

We headed West towards Broome before taking a turn North on the Cape Leveque road. The first section is sealed but it wasn’t long before we hit the dirt. A quick stop to adjust our tyre pressures and we set off again. We had heard that the road was in poor condition but we found it much the same as our last trip in 2011. Not nearly as bad as many we have already been on this trip. Parts of it are very wide while other parts are quite narrow with the sides sloped up like a skateboard halfpipe. Lot of loose bull dust on the sides and middle of road, but not too much corrugation or sharp rocks. We completed the 90 Km of dirt road in 90 minutes which wasn’t too bad compared to other dirt roads we have attempted this trip.

Just before Beagle Bay turn off the road becomes sealed again right up to One Arm Point on the North East tip of the peninsula. The drive way into Kooljaman where we were staying was dirt with quite a bit of sand and narrow sections. We arrived at our destination safely around lunch time.

On our last visit in 2011 Sandra and I were celebrating our 25^th Anniversary and treated ourselves to the luxury safari tent accommodation. Our accommodation this trip was a bit of step down as we had secured two powered tent sites. Power was minimal and would only really keep our portable fridge/freezer going. $50/night is one of our more expensive camping fees as well. Services were basic but the location is incredible. Amenity blocks are basic, low quantity, and not as clean as they should be. 2 Stars for these ones.

Once we were setup we walked down to the Eastern Swim beach for a swim. The tide was out and you had to pick your spots around some sharp rocks. We walked down to the Western Beach later for sunset. The colours in the cliff faces are beautiful at this time of day and we captured a few more sunset photos for our collection.

Friday morning we enjoyed a big breakfast before setting off to explore the area again. First stop was One Arm Point where we toured the Hatchery, Round Rock lookout, and a couple of beaches. The tidal current at Round Rock is up to 15 Knots which is quite amazing to witness. The beaches have beautiful clear blue water. We enjoyed morning snack and a short walk down the beach.

We then ventured back up the road to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. This is a working pearl farm that is open to the public. They have a nice restaurant and infinity swimming pool there that is free to use. They have accommodations and tours as well. We did a short walk down to a lookout point where we enjoyed our picnic lunch overlooking the water. Was a nicely shaded site with a cool breeze which was nice given the hot temperatures. After our lunch we enjoyed a cool swim in the pool before returning home to Kooljaman.

We enjoyed a relaxed afternoon and BBQ before taking in some free entertainment on the lawns outside the restaurant. Was some local kids and one of their teachers who played quite a wide variety of music. Very good!

Sunday morning we were hitting the road again. We packed up our tents before enjoying one last cool swim and shower. Cape Leveque is a magical place that we really enjoyed returning to. Would recommend to anyone visiting the Broome area of the Kimberleys.