Broome Part 2 -Dinosaur Footprints and a crocodile (near miss) experience

One of the key things to do in Broome is to find the dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point. I was a bit dubious about it but it was SO COOL to find a bunch of very clear, very obvious dinosaur footprints preserved in the rocks. They aren't marked out but there is a map in the tourist information booklet that can help you find them. We got lucky – as we scrambled down the rocks a man pointed out to us where some people were crouched looking at one of the sets of prints, so they were easy to find. From there we just followed the map to figure out where else to look to find the other 2 sets and managed to find them all.

Megalasauropus broomensis footprint

Stegosaur hand

A trail of footprints

Megalasauropus broomensis footprint

Sauropod footprint

Theropod footprint

The rocky outcropping at the Point is worth exploring in its own right. The colours in the cliff face are amazing; the reds and the layers in the rocks are so pretty, set against the backdrop of either the turquoise sea or the blue as blue sky just make it much more stunning. And I still can't believe I saw and touched dinosaur footprints!

We went 4WD on Cable Beach. I can't believe they allow it... back home things like that get stopped all the time. It is incredibly popular at Broome, which is why I can't believe they haven't put a stop to it. It was really nice to get further up the beach and stand on the beach, isolated from everyone else. We enjoyed a swim and the kids played and splashed about in the shallows, jumping waves, racing against the waves and generally having a great time. It was lovely to be alone on the beach, swimming in the crystal clear water. Occasionally a car drove up the beach but as the tide was out there was a far gap between them and us. I was puzzled when a couple of retirees decided to come and set up about 30m from us to fish. I mean, there was no one probably 5kms either side of us but they had to set up right there. Still, I wondered if they knew something about a good fishing spot that we just happened to be swimming in, or if they felt more confident being close to other people rather than alone on such a large stretch of beach. Regardless, it was a lovely time at the beach.

Imagine my surprise when, the next morning, another family posted a picture of a saltwater crocodile they spied on Cable Beach the same day we were there. Still, I consoled myself that it could have been there at any time of the day and not when we were there, so imagine my surprise and consternation when we went to Cable Beach that afternoon and it had a sign up saying a crocodile had been spotted at 10:30am.... the exact same time we were swimming, alone and isolated on the beach! All I can do is console myself with the fact that we didn't see it, so it was at some other part of Cable Beach (hopefully a long way from where we were), and that we didn't get eaten! It certainly hasn't helped my fear of being in the ocean that I am trying to conquer ever since the Coffin Ray zap.