HURRY! GET TO CAPE LEVEQUE BEFORE IT’S SEALED UP

By Unsealed 4X4 12 Min Read

With plans and work underway to cover the road to Cape Leveque in Western Australia’s far north with blacktop, Monica McInnes gets one last hurrah in before the dirt road is sealed up.

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Holding the handrail above my head I glance towards my husband and almost laugh at him fiercely eyeballing the road in front – his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel; the concentration palpable. But it’s no laughing matter. We’ve been forced up a steep embankment that’s part and parcel of the Broome to Cape Leveque road. It’s a velodrome-like, sandy and corrugated road leading to the picture perfect Cape Leveque on Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula about 210 kilometres north of Broome. And, even after travelling the Gibb River Road and other unsealed roads through the Kimberley, it’s the worst road we’ve travelled.

 

Understandably the Western Australian Government has committed to sealing this notorious stretch of road.

 

It’s estimated to cost $65 million and will take approximately four years to seal the last unsealed 90 kilometres of road. Vegetation clearing and earthworks began in August 2017. Touted as a grand opportunity to increase tourism, improve road safety and – for 1,400-odd people who call the Dampier Peninsula home – provide greater accessibility and reduce isolation during the wet season.

 

A local man agreed, commenting that the tourist cars are to blame for all the deep corrugations on the road. He explained that the suspension in newer 4WDs makes them comfortable to drive – but the wheels bounce all over the road, contributing to the corrugations.

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Continuing somewhat comfortably, northwards, shadows cast from the tree-lined route don’t help visibility… possibly a good reason not to travel in the late afternoon sun. Soon we reach the tar and our destination – Kooljaman (pronounced Gooljaman) Wilderness Camp. Owned and operated by the Bardi Jawi communities, Kooljaman is located on Native Title land fronting both the Indian Ocean and the calmer waters of Eastern Beach.

 

Pulling into our campsite, we’re stunned at our luck! Brilliant red rocky cliffs jut abruptly from the crisp white sand, while piercing shades of blues lap the other side. It’s a visual feast and we delay set-up to watch the sun dancing on the water before retiring for the evening. Our site, perched atop the cliffs, is magical and worth every nerve-wrecking moment travelling here. It would be hard to pull ourselves away from the view over the next few days.

 

The next morning we do pry ourselves from the view and hit the 4WD-only beach after airing down to the recommended 18psi. Thinking it will just be a quick reconnaissance, we’re unprepared for swimming. Except the warm, clear waters beckon. Thankfully I find my rash vest squirrelled away in the 4WD, and bathers for the kids (which as with most parents, are always stashed in the car). The clear water deters saltwater crocodiles – yet we still scan for menacing shadows. Despite a few other fishing groups we feel isolated on our little patch of paradise at the farthest end of the beach.

 

Reluctantly leaving we head back to camp via nearby Dinkas Café and Cultural Hub. Ice-creams all round! Then just before sunset we join fellow travellers to watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean from Western Beach. The red cliffs dazzle in the light, and the full moon rises behind us. It’s a faultless scene. We retire for an evening of fine dining experience at the on-site restaurant. It definitely beats the BBQ and salad that was on the menu at our campsite!

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The following morning, we head to One Arm Point, home to the Ardiyooloon community and about 30 kilometres east of Kooljaman. We purchase a $15 Community Day Pass (per person; under 16 free) from the office in town, before heading further east past the town’s centre to the Aquacentre and Hatchery (entry is included in the day pass). Arriving in time for fish feeding, we carefully dangle pilchards for the large barramundi to gulp, and peruse other sea creatures like green back turtles and the prized Trochus. The marine life here are carefully nurtured and released back to nature when ready.

 

We linger longer to read the local community story written by the school children adorning a wall here, and browse the Trochus shell jewel creations. After colonisation, Trochus shells were polished and cut into buttons adorning haute couture and fashion labels around the world. Nowadays the demand for such shiny trimmings has diminished. Instead the shells are polished and crafted into jewellery.

 

On the hunt for more ocean jewels, we detour to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and take a 90-minute Pearl Farm Discovery Tour. Back in 1946, the farm’s founder Lyndon Brown and his team of mostly aboriginal people (including Tom Wiggan) were the first non-Japanese people in the world to culture a pearl. The Australian South Sea Pearl thrives in the warm waters of Cygnet Bay, growing safely inside the large mother of pearl oysters called Pinctada Maxima. We soon harvest a pearl and marvel and how pure it looks – with nothing more than a quick polish to be showroom-ready. The pearl meat is scurried away and presented on a platter inside the gallery to sample along with its fine jewels.

 

The next day we try to harvest another sea creature and join a guided spear fishing tour at the Djarindjin community south of Kooljaman. We meet Bundy at the Djarindjin Store and Office and local kids point at our dust-covered car and ask about our number plate. We assure them we have a number plate on the back! The kids laugh and run away playing tiggy. We air down and start the tag-along tour through the community past a menagerie of dogs, houses and cars, before hitting a sand dune. At the top a glorious view meets our gaze. Crystal-blue waters and white sand sparkle in the mid-morning sun.

 

Soon we pause under some shady trees where Bundy explains fishing traditions for his people. Men would catch fish using a spear, while women would forage for land food. It was our turn to sample the traditions. First we collect nearby firewood and kindling for a small fire before the men start work on making spears.

 

Gathering around the campfire, the men are presented with a long slender branch. Using the fire, the branch is charred; and straightened using feet (shoes preferred). Once straight, the charring and any imperfections are scraped and smoothed away with a knife.

 

Leaving the men to continue crafting, Bundy shows the women how to forage for bush food – namely yams – which can be found just below the ground. We scratch in the dirt for the tiny morsels, shell them and share them around. Before long the sticks are straight and smooth, and Bundy prepares the ends for the spears by carving a flat groove in the wood. Wire is wound around the stick and spear. Spears in car, we follow Bundy to a nearby tidal river and try to hunt fish… but there’s no joy. On our return leg, we stop to view fossilised footprints in the sand – a reminder of the area’s ancient civilisation.

 

Bouncing back along the Broome to Cape Leveque road, we delight in all we’ve experienced at Cape Leveque. We are pleased we made it here before word got out about this incredible region and hordes of tourists and their two-wheel drive hire cars started arriving.

 

Destination Details:

Region: Cape Leveque is situated on the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia’s far north-west.

 

Nearest town: Broome is 208 kilometres south of Cape Leveque. The only access road is via the Broome to Cape Leveque road.

 

When to go: Like all of northern Australia, Cape Leveque has two seasons – wet and dry. The wet season is between October and May, while the dry (and the best season to visit) runs between April and September. Typically the road to Cape Leveque is impassable in flood. However, this should change once the road is sealed.

 

Accommodation: Camp or glamp at Kooljaman Wilderness Camp (caravans prohibited), or Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, or choose from other locations such as Lombadina, Beagle Bay, Goombaragin, Gnylmarung or Middle Lagoon.

 

What to take: Fishing rods; snorkelling and swimming gear.

 

Difficulty: The road is corrugated and sandy, but most importantly you need to watch the side inclines. Also watch for oncoming traffic – often if the road is better on the wrong side, people will drive there. Make sure you have a spare wheel. Lower your tyre pressures and have an air compressor on board.

 

Fuel and mobile: Depending on your fuel tank capacity and usage while at Cape Leveque you may only need to fill up in Broome or at the Roebuck Roadhouse just before the turn-off to Cape Leveque. If you do need to top up though, fuel can be purchased at Beagle Bay, Lombadina and One Arm Point.

 


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