We are in the Moonlight Bay Suites which are located at the far end of the main street of Broome, about a ten minute walk from the action. We left Derby this morning after having a quick look at the highlights of the town. there was a semi-circular jetty which is still part of an active working port and therefore inaccessible to the public. The old Derby lockup is a rusty series of cages used to house prisoner awaiting trial. Designed to hold about 40 people, it sometimes held up to 160 and was still in use up to 1972. The cage had a roof but was only enclosed on one side. the shower and toilet facilities were out in the open and visible from the road. Some people lived in this cage for up to three months. Considering these were the conditions for people yet to be tried, many innocent people would have had to endure these deprivations. But in a time where being a blackfella was almost a crime in itself, the lockup is a stark reminder of the cruel and unequal way in which whitefella justice was imposed on the original inhabitants of this land. Derby still feels like a frontier town and there was nothing that could induce me to stay another night. We found a geocache just outside of town at the sewage treatment plant. In a town that is desperately short of attractions, they have an elevated viewing platform over the treatment ponds. Although ostensibly for bird-watching, concerned locals could also pop down to ensure that the remains of last night’s dinner had been successfully delivered. The final attraction of Derby was the Prison Boab Tree. This is a hollow boab that was used to hold prisoners in transit between Derby and elsewhere. With two prisons and a shitworks in the top three attractions it is easy to see why Derby is not on the top of everyone’s list of holiday destinations.

Near the prison tree was Derby’s final claim to fame - the longest cattle trough in the southern hemisphere. Now the trough looks like any other trough, but a bit longer, about 120 metres long. So it’s big, but not that big. Anyone could easily build one bigger but I guess the world has decided to leave Derby with at least one thing it can be proud of.

Although only 220km from Derby to Broome, we took the trip at a slow pace. The spare tyre with the slow leak had been pumped back up, but now the front right tyre had developed a split in the side wall. I marked the size of the split with a pen and checked it each time we stopped. We made it into Broome without blowing another tyre. We checked into the hotel then cleaned the vehicle, hosing off half a tonne of red dirt and returned it a day early. Being fully insured we were reimbursed for the cost of the tyre repairs and returning the vehicle was a much easier process with friendlier and more professional staff than at the Darwin office.

We returned to the hotel and went across the road to the restaurant which also had a brewery attached. Sue had a mango beer and a chilli beer which was the hottest beer I had ever tasted. I had the ‘Smokey Bishop’, which is a dark ale, as well as a very tasty porter. The food was also excellent and was the perfect way to introduce ourselves to this new town.