We stopped a night at eighty mile beach, unaware of the area and we just planned to treat it like all other stop overs, sleep and rest, but we were pleasantly surprised with a lovely spot to explore.

We heard to an observation desk that was under construction and as we looked out over the sand we saw unusual tracks in the sand and realized that what we were looking at several turtle tracks leading to large holes where they had laid their eggs.

A ranger walked up to us handing a brochure all about turtles, their life cycle and identifying markers.

We headed down to the beach for an afternoon walk, the sand was heavy with shells of all kinds and little hermit crabs scurrying around by the shallow pools. We made patterns with the shells and looked for how many unique shells there were. I found my first sand dollar and enjoyed how smooth and circular they were.

That night we headed onto the beach searching out fresh turtle tracks and listening out for turtles digging there nests. We were lucky enough to find one only after a short walk. She was digging out her nesting hole, so we paused shortly watching by starlight the black shadow of a turtle digging with effort. We left her shortly after not wanting to interrupt her important work.

We left the beach happy that we got to share in that moment the lifecycle of the precious sea turtle.

We stayed in Broome in early December and discovered that it’s a quiet coastal town when it’s not filled with tourists.

We enjoyed a quiet caravan park, having the beach to ourselves and premium fishing spots.

We checked out the fishing at Willie creek and flat rock. The locations are only accessible by 4wd, and the road to flat rock is narrow. But the view and fishing at these spots were great. Emmett caught his first ever fish at Willie creek, the two that he caught were sadly too small but fun all the same. You can’t swim here, even though the water looks amazing, because saltwater crocodiles are sighted and caught throughout the year.

Flat rock was tricky to find for us as google maps didn’t know how to find it, so we just decided to wing it and follow a track that looked promising. The guess paid off and we were rocked up to two possible fishing sections. You could see schools of fish swimming past, mud crabs in the shallows and baby bait fish dancing on the edges.

We divided up to see which spot would produce more fish. Gav fished to the left, where there were more mangroves and trees at the bank, where myself and Emmett went to the right to a large, flat rock with a decent drop to the ocean below. Our location paid off, as I hooked three coral trout, all under 40cm so they had to be thrown back. Emmett hooked up a fish but due to the jagged rocks on the wind up caused his line to wear through. We were lucky enough to spot a sea turtle swimming through the current and wouldn’t be surprised to see more sea life the longer you spend here.

If we had more time in Broome I would love to camp at the free camp at Willie creek with a tent and fish all the low tides.

Cable beach is a large stretch of beach that is popular for its lovely and fun things to do on it.

1. The sand dune walks that lead to the beach. Right by the caravan park we stayed at was a short ‘jellyfish signed’ walk that led over a sand dune to a quiet part of the beach. From here you can walk just under 1km to the main section of the beach.

2. Many people flock to the main section of cable beach to view the beautiful sunset over the water and at the right times of the month snap a picture of the staircase to the sun.

3. Exploring the rock pools was something I always love to do at any beach and at cable beach we found tiny hermit crabs, fish and crabs, the rocks were easy to climb around. There are rock further up the beach that were beautifully coloured and varing in heights which made for a fun climb and photos.

4. Just past the carpark was the 4wd entrance, where you can down and through the rocks onto a section of the beach.

5. Camels come out on the beach for people to book rides on. They come out just before sunset and during sunset, which allow great photo opportunities and a ride if you are adventurous.

6. Swimming and sand is an obvious choice to do at Cable beach. But you do need to be aware when it is stinger season, and they do have stingers kits on the main walkway steps and they contain vinegar. Crocs are also possible but rare on the beach front, so we enjoyed a swim in the shallows being aware of these conditions.