20. The one with the grand final

Total distance travelled: 14,472km (+491km)

We left our caravan behind in Broome and headed north to explore the Dampier Peninsula with our tent and newly-installed car fridge (thanks Nick!). We almost aborted the idea while re-packing everything in the heat & humidity, but thankfully we perservered.

The peninsula's central road is entirely sealed, which made our almost 3 hour journey to Kooljaman at Cape Leveque an easy one, with the exception of backburning (in the 'mild' 40 degree heat) reducing visibility in parts. It's not until you reach the carpark at Kooljaman that you finally see the water, and oh, what a sight it was! The red dust and dry green scrub breaks into brilliant red/orange sandstone cliffs, which fall onto pristine white sand before the endless shimmering blue of the Indian Ocean runs to the horizon - all the

quintessential Kimberley colours in one stunning vista.

We were assigned campsite #1, perched on an exposed west-facing hill overlooking this sight, which was fantastic until we remembered that such views come with a catch - no shade or shelter from the baking heat and wind. Some hastily arranged tarps and tent flaps did little to counter this, so we quickly resolved to explore during daylight hours.

A lighthouse seperates the east and west sides of the cape, with a short, but precarious walk via a poorly-maintained boardwalk joining the two. On the east side we could swim in the clear turqoise water and relax on the white sand, while the west side became front row viewing at sunset, but also had a cafe which provided welcome shade & cold drinks during the heat of the day.

From Kooljaman we moved south to Pender Bay - a hidden gem that required an hour of driving through sand tracks before at last we found the water once more. Here we were assigned a secluded clearing amongst the bush on a hillside facing the bay. While the

season's whale calves had long-since migrated south, the view was no less special, and had the benefit of close access to the amenities, which also had unique bay views!

The secluded bush camp settings weren't the only reason we came here. Rumour had it that the manager would be displaying the NRL and AFL grand finals this weekend - rumours which were soon proved true. We were treated to a unique communal picnic grand final viewing experience on the grass that we'll remember for years to come.

Otherwise, days in Pender Bay were spent swimming to cool off, and collecting hermit crabs while exploring the rugged coast line. But before we knew it, we were packing the tent back into the car and returning to our caravan in Broome.