Cape Leveque

There wasn’t a ripple on the water and our beach shack was exactly as I hoped, our own little piece of paradise just a step from the warm and generally croc free waters of stunning Cape Leveque. We had travelled 2,500km in 2 ½ days to escape winter in Perth to land three hours north of Broome, our first stop on our six-month trip.

Packing and organising everything for a big trip always seems to end with a mad rush so it was nice to finally take a break and relax for 5 nights at this incredibly picturesque spot.

Snorkelling equipment, bikes and fishing gear took care of all our available free space in the car so we were hoping to use them as much as possible. The beach at Cape Leveque was the perfect place to get our Salted Fatbikes off the camper and explore further afield. The hard beach was easy but once the tide came up, we were forced onto softer ground which made the peddling a little more challenging. After a great deal of time and effort in purchasing the right bikes and installing our off-road ISI racks to the camper, I was really hoping that our fat bikes would be used daily. As soon as we pulled up, the kids were on their bikes and it was reassuring that we made a good decision in carting them all the way around Australia.

The first morning, I woke to a low tide and grabbed my snorkelling gear to check out the marine life. I was told the snorkelling was good, however I was dubious as there is big tidal movement and I thought the visibility would be poor – how wrong I was. One and a half hours later, I emerged from a great snorkel where I saw numerous blue spotted rays, anemone fish and an array of tropical species. Thankfully not a sign of a croc anywhere and I was keen to take the kids the following day.

Between swimming, bike riding, a bit of school and testing out our new toys (Oziris Azure Lounges), it was easy to fill in a day. The lounges were comfy to enjoy on the beach and the kids soon took to the water with them. I am unsure how long they will last on our trip but we will soon find out.

The green tree frogs were a hit at the shower block and the boys looked forward to spotting them at night with the odd one even in the toilet bowl needing rescuing. It was hard to sit down and open up the school books when the ocean was just a stones throw away but we did try for an hour each day.

When the boy’s saw a spear making tour on offer, they were desperate to go. We booked in with Bundy, a local from the Goodarlgoon tribe (the traditional owners of Cape Leveque) and he took us to some sacred sites. He taught the boys how to make a spear, how to find fresh water in the tidal areas and hunt for food around the mangroves. Although Bundy was able to spear a fish (which was devoured by an awaiting sea eagle) we found it a lot more challenging. It was great to hear some of the traditional dreamtime stories of the area, cook mussels on hot coals and now we have three spears tied to our roof rack for the rest of the trip.

Ashley kept our Engel fridge and freezer going with our solar panels and we soon got into a rhythm of cooking on the camper stove. As the kitchen had ocean views, it was actually a pleasure to make dinner and watch the sun set at the same time. Cape Leveque was a brilliant spot but it was time to restock the Engels and food drawers in Broome, ready for some remote touring on the dusty and corrugated Gibb River Road.