Around The World Without Flying: Broome - the centre of our pearling industry

The next morning we finally berthed at the pier in Broome. It was really sad saying goodbye to the captain, our guest presenters and really friendly crew, all of whom lined up on deck to shake our hands and wish us well. So very different from departing from a big cruise ship!

We were taken to a big resort which had everything you could want. It was right on the famous Cable Beach, with its beautiful fine white sands, azure seas and palm trees - a tropical paradise! And finally we had coverage for our mobile phones, so it was great to catch up with family and friends after ten days of silence.

Despite the incredible heat, during the day most of us went into the township on buses to explore this incredible, multicultural, historic town with its rich history of the pearling industry that had led to the establishment of the town. In fact, on our cruise we had entered a bay where one of the pearling companies was growing its oysters with their pearls hidden inside. There were many shops selling pearls and pearl jewellery as you might imagine. Of these, perhaps the most well-known for the quality of its pearls and jewellery is Paspaley Pearls. I visited their shop and was simply stunned by the beauty, size, and varied colours of their pearls. I wished I was a millionaire and could afford some of the magnificent necklaces - especially those with sapphires, rubies and emeralds as well. Such works of art! Anyhow, they kindly gave me some much-needed cool water and showed me a movie about their company and how they grow and harvest their pearls. Unlike many companies, they do not alter the pearls to make them into artificially shaped perfect spheres. The documentary was truly fascinating! No wonder they are so proud of their pearls.

Over the road from there was a delightful, aromatic shop that sold sandalwood products made from sandalwood grown in the region. The art of growing sandalwood, which I think is a native of India, is quite incredible. It requires another tree growing beside each sandalwood tree. Unfortunately I cannot remember what species that other tree is. But this has been a huge project in the north and the shop now sells its top quality products all over Australia. I had a lovely time there buying little gifts for friends, including soaps and shampoos and conditioners.

Further down the road I was delighted to see the historic open-air Sun Cinema that was featured in the film 'Australia' that starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. However, in the movie the cinema was portrayed as being located in Darwin!

When I returned to Cable Beach late that afternoon, hoping to see the parade of camels and their riders that walk along the beach at sunset, I found there were crowds of people right along the pathway overlooking the beach waiting to catch a glimpse of them too. Unfortunately we had been given the wrong idea of where they would appear from, though at least I managed to get some lovely photos of the sunset. By the time we spotted the camels coming from further down the beach in the opposite direction, they were already off the beach and it was too dark to take their photos.

However, when I went back there in 2015, I was better prepared, so if you wait until I talk about that trip, you will see some photos of the camels and their incredible parade.

The next morning, alongside some other guests, I met our wonderful tour director-driver for our 16-day unforgettable, magical APT tour of the Kimberley, and other significant areas. Just one couple from the cruise went on this tour too.

That tour will be the subject of my next posts.