Eighty Mile Beach Wednesday 19th August.

Eighty mile beach is a listed wetland and feeding ground for migratory birds. Each year millions of migratory shore birds arrive in Northern Australia from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle and as at Roebuck Bay in Broome they would have travelled between 10000 and 15ooo kilometres.Some of them might only have been hatched for a couple of months and Eighty Mile beach is rich in the food source that they require.

Without a Telstra G network phone we are totally out of communication with the outside world and with no Internet either we are unable to read our emails or send them.

Last night we decided we would stay another day so after checking in we headed off to the beach and was absolutely amazed at the sight of the number of people lining the beach fishing. They were as far as the eye could see from one end to the other. This explains why this place is so popular and so full with many people staying in the caravan park staying for weeks so they can fish. Here we did see them being caught in much greater numbers than any where else we had been. We walked the beach for a couple of kms checking out the catches that had been made and saw some great fish which we were told would make excellent eating. Unfortunately we weren’t offered any! We sat and watched the whales on the horizon breaching and blowing as they made their way down south.

After lunch we walked down to the market stalls that had been set up in the park, with fellow travellers selling their read books and watched videos etc, things they had made or items they had brought in for the market. We purchased a couple of books and another talking book to keep us amused on the long stretches of road that we will have to travel to get across the Nullarbor.

We then headed back to the beach for some walking and checking the shells that had been left from the high tide as it appeared to drain away into the distance.

Now have I got a sample of them all ?

It was time for evening nibbles, a couple of drinks and dinner before settling down for the night and making plans for our departure tomorrow morning when we head off to Roebourne or where ever we end up as we hadn’t decided for sure as we would visit the tourist bureau in Port Hedland to pick up some information.