What could ever top our Bungle Bungle experience, those magnificent beehive Dome structures, towering 250 meters high and being 360 million years in the making, well nothing really, but we thought we would try a little beaching to revive our bodies. Some of the best beaches in The currant Halls Creek is an Aboriginal town of some several hundred people, most of which spend their days loitering in the main street, watching and intimidating white tourists passing through, while they wait to buy their daily alcohol allowance. We had heard en-route that it was not a place to stop, but we badly needed supplies and a prospecting license before going bush again. The crew at the tourist information centre were most helpful in securing the license, all done by fax in under an hour. Buying food at astronomical prices really hurts, but in these remote communities they charge what they like and you just pay it. But it was the liquor store which hurt the most, a 30 can carton (or brick) of low alcohol beer was $60, and we were only allowed one carton and that's all they sold, no wine , no spirits and we had to wait till 2pm to buy it along with the locals. There are government restrictions on the sale of alcohol in many outback towns, but this was one of the worst we had found.
We quickly exited town after our purchases towards Old Halls Creek and Caroline Pool where we were to set up camp. What a beautiful spot, a natural billabong between two towering rock formations, but we almost never got there. The road was the worst we had experienced to date, with huge corrugations and potholes for the entire 18 kilometers of dirt road, which pushed us and the van to our limits. We really wanted to turn around and go elsewhere, but we were committed and besides the road wasn't wide enough to turn around, and the journey did make that beer taste better, when we finally arrived.
The parking area at Caroline Pool had obviously caused many drivers problems, as it was thick gravel and you could see were vehicles had got bogged, but little did we know that during our few days there we would be rescuing 2-3 vehicles per day, along with the help of another young prospector Darren who was camped there too.
The following day we unhooked the van and went adventuring, finding the remains of Old halls creek, and the decaying caravan park , still operational they say, although there's no water and only limited power sometimes? That day we detected in two of the more popular fossicking area's with nothing to show but rubbish, still we are cleaning up Australia
The following day we headed further afield to Palm Springs were we came across two distraught Austrian tourists, who had lost their car keys in the water while swimming and consequently were locked out of their car in the middle of nowhere. They were very pleased to see us and even more happier when we produced a wire diving rod to brake into their car with, to retrieve the spare key, thankfully they had one. We gave them a few tips about hiding their keys in the bush and not taking them adventuring with them. Then it was our turn for a swim, how beautiful was this oasis, complete with palms tree's, in the hot Kimberly outback. 
As we continued on to find a prospecting area we came across a solo lady named "
We stayed another day with out finding any gold and we were keen to get to Broome so we headed onwards, with two overnight stops at Mary Pool and Ellendale lake, both very pleasant places to stay along the
Laurie once lived in Western Australia Quondong Beach
In all the time we spent fishing I only caught one small Taylor yet we had either fresh Blue Bone, Spanish flag fish or Mackerel for dinner every night, thanks to the generosity of the Murphy's' ( Mr. and Mrs. Murphy ) and a few others, this also included half of a very large Mackerel, that had been shared with a shark, on its way up from the depths of the sea. We also left Broome with a 60litre freezer full of fish, thanks to these guy's.
A tour of the famous Willy Creek Pearl Farm was first on the list of things to do in Broome. The tour provides visitors with a unique insight into modern cultured pearling. You learn how technicians seed a live Oyster and cruise the azure coloured waters to view Oyster panels in their natural environment. The scenic estuary is ever changing with incredible 10 meter tidal movements, which we witnessed during our visit. Laurie won the right to wear a string of cultured Pearls valued at $22,550 by guessing the right price, it's a pity they came with a body guard who wanted them back.
In down town Broome or 
We now have a greater understanding of these unique gems, the five virtues of a Pearl, are Lustre, size, shape, colour and surface and it can take up to 5 years to grow one pearl .
With the weather a wonderful 32 degree's , the reddest of sunset sky's over the ocean, white silky sand and the bluest of oceans, Broome is certainly a picture paradise and it was hard to leave knowing we are heading south into Iron ore country and cooler weather.
Our new prospecting friend Darren the young fellow who we met in Old Halls Creek had traveled with us to Quondong and fallen in love with the place and so would stay a while longer and catch up with us in Kalgoorlie
In the mean time we had news that our dear friends Arie and Topsy were not far ahead of us now and all going well we would catch up with them soon somewhere on the inland way.
And with that, we will say good bye for now and catch up with you again somewhere on the inland way.
Stay safe and remember, look after those gems!
Alan and Laurie
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