Tag Archives: beaches

MY AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE, Pt. XIIIa – THE BEACHES OF BROOME

What can I saw about the beaches around Broome? I don’t think “fantastic” or “extraordinary” says enough.  The most popular and famous one is Cable Beach – 22kms long and bounded by red ochre cliffs and sand dunes, the wide expanses of white sand offers great beach combing and walks, especially at low tide. There are numerous resorts and caravan/camping grounds along the length of it, and Cable Beach has first-class dining venues, lots of parking lots…perfect for family activities as well as romantic strolls. Lifeguards are on duty at the beach from May to October and it is advisable to swim between the flags. Suzi and I had several enjoyable visits….

Cable Beach is famous world-wide for two things: the sunsets and the camels. Camels? Yes, there are 2 camel ride companies who take tourists up and down the beach atop the friendly beasties – Suzi and I decided to pass on that (the rides are pretty expensive) – but we enjoyed the sunsets every night, driving 5 minutes down to the main viewing area and along with hundreds of sun worshipers, watched as the sun dropped below the horizon. So beautiful and exciting…people would cheer and clap each time.

There are several more fab beaches around Broome, such as Roebuck Beach and Town Beach (below) with its long fishing jetty and a history that included WWII bombings and strafings that killed hundreds. But beware, there are salt water crocs, jellyfish and sharks that can kill ya! No swimming or paddling for me! Overall, it’s pretty safe on Broome’s beaches, just read the signs and know your seasons – when we went, it was not jellyfish season and the crocs were pretty scare. You’ll get the best view of the beaches flying into the town…when I looked out the window and saw this, my heart started pounding….get me to the beach! Next blog….I hit the Broome pearl boutiques and buy my fantasy pearl!

 

MY AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE – Pt V. THE BEACHES

Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world can be found in Australia and I was lucky to visit a few. The whitest sand and most stunning vistas can be found in the Whitsunday Islands that lay off the n.e. coast of Queensland between the mainland and the Great Barrier Reef. Sadly, I didn’t visit there this trip, however, Broome’s famous Cable Beach made up for it with incredible sunsets and miles of soft white sand.

After Suzi and I left the red heart of the country, we flew up to Darwin – bathers need to be very careful where they swim as salt-water crocs as well as sharks and jellyfish patrol the shallows looking for unsuspecting tourists who soon become dinner! It wasn’t the season for any of the big predators but still, we were careful to look but not touch! Great sunsets happen every night so it was great to join the crowds watching as the sun dipped down over the Timor Sea. After our stay in Darwin, we flew s.w. to Broome in Western Australia, which is known for its pearling history as well as the famous Cable Beach and the camels who give rides to tourists (not me, thank you very much). Loved Broome and wish I could have stayed longer – such friendly people and great seafood (barramundi is a tasty meaty fish and I certainly ate my fill). Our final stop was Perth, the state capitol of Western Australia and my home town. Throughout the 60s, my family moved around, first living at the beach before building up in the hills overlooking the city.  My sister Jenny who lives in Perth along with her own family kindly drove me to my fave beaches which include Cottesloe and Swanbourne, then onto Trigg (used to be called Trigg Island) as well as her own fave beach, a secret shelling beach close to Fremantle, the big port. I am such a beach baby! I love me some sand, surf and sun…throw in a palm tree or two, and I’m in heaven. I hope you get to find your favourite beach and bliss-out on your next vacay!

 

BEACH WEATHER IN PORT HOPE!!

Is that Waikiki? Bora Bora? How about world famous Bondi beach in Sydney? No, believe it or not, this is the lovely little beach on the shores of Lake Ontario at Port Hope, a charming historic town just 50 mins. east of Toronto. And with our unusually warm weather in the middle of what should be winter, my fabulous intern and photographer Gabriella Luchetta and I decided to take a little road trip yesterday so we could have some fun as well as getting work stuff done! Come run your toes thru the sand with us on this virtual beachcombing stroll…..File 2016-02-04, 7 30 14 PMI grabbed my Samsung Note 4 and started shooting video and snapshots…stand still please, seagulls!20160204_145223 20160204_145703

Here’s Gabriella in action…20160204_145047

and this is the shot she just took…File 2016-02-04, 7 25 56 PMWe took some cool “boomerang” videos, too, and I’ll upload those later. I’ll also take you for another walk along the streets of my favourite town and intro you to my PH friends who welcome visitors year-round to their stores and restaurants in another blog that should be published by the end of today. Until that’s uploaded, enjoy the beauty and peace of Port Hope’s lovely little beach….where’s my sunscreen???File 2016-02-04, 7 30 49 PMwww.porthope.ca