Goodbye - sweet cabin.....

It was a wrench leaving Cape Leveque and our little cabin- we have had a wonderful three days there swimming, beach walking, soaking in the superb views. It really felt like we were on holiday. There are few places we have been that can match this place for sheer beauty, and we have seen some wonderful places in our travels.
After we had packed up we took one last walk down to the beach, but couldn't resist going in the water. The waves were coming in fast and furious, and we played like children in the surf. A great ending to our stay.

As we made our way the 200kms back to Broome we stopped at Beagle Bay. Named in 1838 after his ship by Captain Whickham as he explored the area, the area is the traditional home of the Nyul Nyul people, and it's aboriginal name Ngarlun Burr means Place surrounded by springs.
There has been a church here since 1890, when the Trappist Monks came to the area and established a monastery. The early buildings were of bush timber and paperbark, which were constantly wrecked by the cyclones, bush fires and white ants that are the scourge of this area..
The present building was started by German priests in 1915, at that time they were under house arrest  during the first world war. It took them two years, using 60,000 clay bricks fired locally.
They then spent the following year decorating the church and altar.


The Dampier Peninsula is famous for it's pearling industry, and many are washed up on local beaches, along with cowries and olive shells. These were gathered by the locals, and as a result  the altar is a thing of beauty and a fusion of traditional symbols both Christian and local.
Symbols of  turtles, dingos, snakes, emus and local fish are laid out before the tabernacle, along with spears and shields.




So-  on back to Broome for a couple of days, we will re-victual before moving on south west down the coast, with a couple of stops before we enter the Pilbara, to revisit the gorges there, some of which we saw last year.