24. The one when we went back to the future

Total distance travelled: 21,263 km (+1,435 km)

The celebrations of our new-found freedom were short-lived, with a long to-do list requiring us to book an extra night in our Kununurra cabin. First on the list was the punctured tyre, which as we found out, had actually pierced the steel belt, meaning replacement was the only option. We also re-stocked on supplies, re-packed the van, and double-checked the air-conditioner was working with it's new control board - it was!!

The next morning, we managed to leave at a decent time, expecting a long drive ahead. We had two priorities for the evening's accomodation: safety, and power for the air-conditioner. With almost

all accommodation closed for the wet season, and Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing not being particularly safe after dark, we dodged lizards and stray cattle all the way to Willare Bridge Roadhouse.

The relief at arriving after almost 900km's of driving was interrupted by a hissing sound that greeted us as we stepped out into the fading daylight. Sure enough, a tyre on the caravan had just punctured, requiring the spare to be fitted. We quickly realised our plans to skip Broome would need to change, with it being the only nearby option to get the tyre fixed. While disappointing, we were all thankful the tyre hadn't burst earlier during the heat of the day and the high speed of the highway!

We made another early start the next day, driving directly to the industrial area of Broome. The first tyre shop was fully booked, but the second were willing to see us straight away. Unfortunately after more than 20,000km on this journey alone, we found that both van tyres needed to be replaced.. on closer inspection, the rubber was delaminating, and the steel belt fraying. If we'd gone much further, we'd be risking high speed blow outs, which made the bill marginally easier to swallow, although it now took our tally to 11 tyres purchased in the last 30 days (Caravan: 2, Trailblazer: 4+1, Yaris: 4)!!

We then settled into the Cable Beach Caravan Park for the afternoon, which has grounds as tired as its entrance sign, but a large pool that gave us all a chance to cool off and relax. We visited the newly-opened Town Beach jetty and were lucky

enough to see a group turtles, before heading across for a sunset walk along Cable Beach, which made a great end to our unexpected stay in Broome, before our return to Eighty Mile Beach the next day.

Head- and cross-winds made the journey south a little challenging, but passing the turn off to Barn Hill Station gave us all the satisfaction of finally starting to break new ground. We stopped briefly for fuel at Sandfire Roadhouse - a quirky oasis in the middle of baking-hot nowhere, before moving on towards our destination.

Despite Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park being located on the same coast as Barn Hill Station, the two beachfronts couldn't be more different. Gone are the red cliffs and soft white sand of Barn Hill. Instead there are now small grass covered sand dunes with the beach covered entirely in crushed shells. Fishing appears to be the main pastime here, with the owners sporting fishing vehicles of the finest backyard engineering, but the heat, strong winds & choppy conditions largely confined our activities to the van during our stay.

After more than 2,500km's, we were finally back to the west coast and rediscovering our love of van life.