Broome Time

I'm holed up in the Slow Death that is Broome on account of the fact I decided that if I got a job before Staircase To The Moon I'd stay in Broome and save up for the Kimberleys tour I wanted to do. If not, I'd be off to Darwin the day after the Staircase.

Anyway, I landed me a job with a gardener, I mow lawns, rake leaves and trim hedges and by "trim" I mean butcher in a style made famous by Jack The Ripper in the 1800's. My boss is nice enough, he's an English bloke, he's been away from home since 1973 and solidly proves the theory that you can take the Pom out of England but you can't take the whinge out of the Pom. It's a job anyway, it's cash in hand so I should be able to save enough for this overpriced 4WD adventure then get out of here.

I also work on the markets on Saturday mornings making fruit smoothies and juices so I'm getting something resembling a health food intake (take note, mum) although there's something about working on a market stall that makes you talk like a southerner with a dodgy cock-er-ney accent.

Bitch, Moan, Whinge
In case you haven't guessed I'm not Broome's biggest fan, it was never part of my plan to stay here until I found this tour, I was going to head straight to Darwin and spend a few months there. It doesn't help that I never wanted to leave Perth in the first place, I guess that any town I spent any time in after the West Coast road trip was doomed from the start for simply not being Perth. For the first time in Australia it doesn't feel right, I feel a bit lost and confused, like I'm treading water or wasting time, I feel like I'm in some sort of limbo, waiting for something to fall into place.

I miss Perth and the people I left there so much it actually hurts, I think about going back every day, even if its just for a weekend but I think it would be the wrong thing to do, I think I want to go back for the wrong reasons and it would be too different.

Party At The MCG

Gypsy Camp

I'm staying at Roebuck Caravan Park in an unpowered section called the MCG (Mango Camping Ground), known to every one else in the park as the Festival Site on account of the fact it looks like a scaled down Glastonbury (minus the mud and medieval diseases people contract from being soaked in water for three days), the dope smoking and the loud music.
I like living here, its like an outdoor hostel but I'm over camping now. I love it when I'm travelling but when I'm settled somewhere I want a proper bed and a powerpoint for my laptop and a light switch but I'm paying $69 pw here. A hostel would be over $150 pw so my choice is live here and leave sooner or live in a hostel and probably miss out on Darwin.

Some Of The Broome Crew

Killing time in Broome invariably involves alcohol, it has to, there's not much else to do but it's hindered by one painful fact; Goon is illegal here. Oh you can get 2 litre casks but you're looking at $11 and when you've been paying that price for 4 litres it's gutting. This also means that games like Goon Rugby and Goon Volleyball and other games involving an inflated 4 litre goon pillow are out of the question so we've had to resort to Intelligent Conversation and Making New Friends.

Just Chillin'

MCG Golf Hockey Team (Yeah, We Were Bored)

The thing is, I'm surrounded by friends, old and new. The weather is amazing considering it's winter, it touches the late 20s every day. My tour is booked, I know when I'm leaving, I'm earning money and saving enough to get to Darwin comfortably.

So what the fuck is wrong with me?!

written by  Koala Bear on June 1, 2007 from Broome, Australia
from the travel blog: Sod Off Great Big Mission Round Oz
tagged Work and Bollocks
Send a Compliment

comment on this...