H&L Mechanical Services

 

Friday 25 June 2021 – H&L Mechanical Services

Well that was probably the chilliest night we have had so far on this trip and in Broome no less!  We all had a bit of a lie in (by our standards) and then the boys got busy setting themselves up as H&L Mechanical Services with tarpaulins spread and tools and jacks at the ready.

After seeing the Goldstream jacked up at an alarming tilt so the boys could get under and replace the coils, Jenny and Miranda made themselves scarce and took off to the laundry.  Although I had done a load of clothes yesterday there were sheets and towels and all the forgotten items of clothing to be done today including the bag of wet clothes and shoes from Tunnel Creek.

We then did a bit of ‘admin’ sorting out Marble Bar Caravan Park and a possible booking for Matso’s and I did some blogging while Miranda did research on a replacement fridge as the one in the Goldstream was also a victim of the corrugations and broken suspension.

The boys had successfully replaced one coil and, having sorted out their technique, the second side took them half the time to do and we were all standing back admiring their handiwork by late morning.  The washing, by the way, was also completed by this time as the strong winds (which have not dropped since yesterday) and the sunshine made it a perfect drying day.  Jenny had even had to do a mad dash across the CP when the empty laundry bag took flight!  That being enough exercise for us for the day we retired to Matso’s for restorative food and beverages.   Here we were extremely lucky as we had rung and tried to book a table earlier only to be told they weren’t taking any more bookings for the day but that we were welcome to drop in and take our chances.  Our chances turned out to be extremely good as we scored a nice table down in the courtyard and a lovely waitress called Theresa who couldn’t ply us with drinks fast enough and, although busy, was happy to chat and take photos for us.  We couldn’t figure out her accent and eventually discovered she was German (we had guessed a mixture of Dutch and Irish) so we thanked her with many Dankes on our way out as she had ensured we didn’t ever have an empty glass and chased up our food order when she thought it was taking a bit long.

                                    

Jenny, having displayed her normal koala habits and sat on one drink, was then pressed into service as chauffeur in the Discovery and it took a little while to work out the turn dial gear box and that you can just turn the car off at the end and it will automatically put itself into park etc.  We drove to the  Kimberley Caravan and Camping store where H&M bought a new Yeti esky as they couldn’t get the Engel they wanted and L bought some new outdoor shoes.  Then on to the bookshop as L had finished his book and then we decided we hadn’t seen quite enough of the industrial areas of Broome and we should head back there.   All good though as it is where the Moontide Distillery is and this time, as well as the gin tastings, we were given a little tour of the distillery and given a briefing as to how gin is made.  Amusing to see the still they use, which has been imported from Holland, is called an ‘i-still”!

After the tastings, H&M bought a tasting paddle and L&J had a lemon, lime and bitters each and then we decided we may as well buy another bottle of gin and bottle of the aniseed spirit as we had finished both of the mini bottles on the GRR and these ones can go home with us and get us through the next few wintery months in Perth!

Headed back to the van and then over the road to the bottle shop and the general store for bread and milk  We will probably do a big shop at Woolies tomorrow afternoon.

We packed the picnic hamper with cheese, dip and crackers and headed down to Town Beach for the Staircase to the Moon.  The markets were on again tonight (we didn’t need to go last night after all!) and it was a lot busier this time because of said moon and staircase.  We sat on the grass with our cheese and crackers and although still cool, it wasn’t quite as bracing as last night and there were a lot more people to shelter us from the wind all lined up along the water’s edge waiting for the spectacle to begin.  It had a bit of Australia Day Fireworks vibe to it and there was the same “OOH” and rush to the front to take photos when the moon popped up over the horizon and started its red trajectory up with the resultant reddish reflections across the mud flats making the ‘Staircase’ event everyone flocks to see.

It was very pretty and quite spectacular and we pushed and shoved with the best of them to get our requisite grainy photos and then made our way homewards only stopping at the hot donut stall (no queue as everyone was moon gazing) on the way out.

We cooked up Miranda’s frozen spaghetti sauce and pasta for a late dinner and then sat around chatting and looking at maps as we need to start thinking about the next leg of the trip which will include Marble Bar, Karijini and Millstream-Chichester NP.