Dampier Peninsula
We returned from to the boat after Quickies paddle out and some more last minute goodbyes. Broome had been great and we both agreed it would be somewhere we could easily slot back into living.
Our plan was to day hop our way up the coast, with the intent to spend some time at the more northern areas like Beagle Bay and Cape Leveque. So the plan for today was to get some miles up the coast, around the James Price Point area before finding a spot to anchor.
It was an uneventful day with enough wind to sail the first hour before the wind turned on the nose and died off completely. Cruising past Willie and Barred Creek and onto the red foreshore of James Price Point reminded me why I was so glad that they didn’t turn this into another industrial gas hub as was planned. When you see the beauty of the area first hand and compare it with the established industrial hubs down at Ashburton and Dampier – keep the development down there and preserve the beauty!!
After a bit of a roly night off Manari Point we headed off with a planned destination of Red Bluff, a distance of only about 23 nm. We had an early start which meant we arrived just after lunch and so plenty of time to explore. After a bite to head we headed into the beach, just below the stunning coastal cliffs of Red Bluff, pulled Bob up the beach and went for a walk. First stop was a high spot up the bluff to check things out, including a view across to the Lacepede Islands, before a long low tide beach walk. Quick nudie swim then back to the boat!







Rinse and repeat the next day with Beagle Bay our next stop. A light easterly fading out mid morning was forecast and so we set off with a lovely 10 – 12 knots of easterly, screecher out and with the tide doing 7.5knots! Twenty minutes later and the wind was blowing 20 knots so screecher down, mainsail and jib up. Twenty minutes later and it was blowing 25 knots so jib furled and a second reef!! Forecasting…. what forecasting!
Funnily enough as we were getting pounded we were trying to livestream Jemma in Youth Parliament – couldn’t have come at a worse moment but we got to see her make one of her speeches – very proud Mum and Dad!
We made it around into the shelter of Beagle Bay and found a sweet spot to anchor, midway down the bay on the eastern side and about 300m from the beach and about 500metres form Corban and Seb on ‘The Gathering’’. After sorting the boat it was into the beach for a swim!
We had just settled on the front of the boat to read up on the regions ahead when a couple of boats pulled up. It was our old mate Dave Myatt from Port Noarlunga SA with whom we had become friends back in the Broome days. Dave and his then wife Lee used to spend a few months up the peninsula fishing and we had become good friends, catching up with them at Aussies every year. Dave had been at Middle Lagoon for five weeks and was heading up into the Buccaneer Archipelago in a few days for another few weeks. We invited everyone on board and sat up on the front deck having a catch up and talking about the area. Dave is a classic guy - still exactly the same as he was twenty five years ago - big watermelon grin, no hat, no shoes and almost black by the sun!







The next four days we spent exploring Beagle Bay and surrounds. A lovely spot with great beaches – which you had to yourself, nice beach walking and some nice wildlife including manta rays. The local rangers were burning off so there was plenty of smoke and fire – seems a perpetual thing in the Kimberley during dry season!
We visited Gnylmarung Campground, which is run by Alphonse Cox from Beagle Bay. I worked with his uncle, big Eric Cox back when I was a 17year old police cadet in Broome and it was Eric who took me camping through all of these areas back in the day, catching and eating turtle and bluebone as well as many other adventures. Eric passed away a few years back but I have fond memories of those times.
Thomas Bay is where Lombadina / Djarindjin communities are located and was our next step, located about 30nm north of Beagle Bay. We a moderate easterly forecast we set off early but soon it was gusting 28knots so we pulled up, dropped the sails and anchored up in the lee of the coast, just south of Middle Lagoon. After three hours things had settled down a bit so off we went soon crossing Pender Bay. As usual I had a lure out looking for dinner and got a big hit which after a twenty minute tussle turned out to be a very large trevally. After a quick photo I released him back to the wild and on we went.
We arrived into Thomas Bay late in the afternoon and after finding a suitable spot dropped anchor and went into the usual routine of putting the boat to bed, quick swim then a rinse before Scrabble once again emerged from the cupboard.
Nicky had enjoyed a late lunch but now she wasn’t so happy and after a few hours with intense gut pains she knocked herself out with a painkiller and thankfully slept it off. We are putting that one down to some dodgy feta cheese – noting this is the first time since we have been on the boat that one of us has been ill.
We had an early start next morning into the beach and a long walk north around the coastal reef, rocks and cliffs. Stunning scenery with clumps of pandanus sitting atop ochre red cliffs, all shaped by the weather into an array of differing shapes and sizes. Not a soul to be seen – just the way we like it!















Back onto Singularity and we prepared to run down to Cape Leveque, a distance of only 8 miles. I put a lure out as we left he confines of Thomas Bay and four minutes later I had a nice 4 kg mackeral onboard. Quick clean and fillet – if only getting dinner was always this easy – fresh fish tonight! We had tide current in our favour with a boat speed of 4.5 knots and a speed over ground of 7.5 knots! We turned the corner of Cape Leveque and made our way to the eastern side where we nudged our way into a sweet little sandy anchorage. Beautiful scenery once more, looking back to the Lighthouse and the old Kooljamin resort to the west and a long white sandy beach running away to our northeast.
Swim off the back, more scrabble and then panko breadcrumbed mackeral with smashed potatoes and vegies – deluxe!
We had a cruisy Sunday morning before heading into the beach and taking a nice long walk down towards the point. With a backdrop of red sand dunes, white sandy beach and crystal clear green water – really stunning!
We did some dinghy exploring, including a quick reef swim, checked out the entrance to Hunter Creek and threw (unsuccessfully) some squid jigs around. Another day in paradise. This will be our last long beach walk for a while – tomorrow we head into the Buccaneer Archipelago – where it will be crocs, gorges and freshwater pools.