After a refreshing stay at the Habitat Resort it was time to hit the road again ...
... it had been raining heavily all night so it was a surprise to see blue sky again in the morning ...
... it was another 30-degree scorcher today, and for the first time we had high humidity levels. The humidity measured in at 99% (!), making it a very hot and sticky day for the intrepid runners as we left the beautiful town of Broome and took to the highway for Derby ...
Our bodies rely on the evaporation of water from our skins to keep us cool. In high humidity, perspiration does not evaporate from the body and as a result, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature! Emily and Helena try to cool off with their water bottles ...
... on days like today, a wide-brimmed hat is handy ...
We saw quite a lot of the Brahman cattle grazing near the road ...
... while they seem quite comfortable with passing roadtrains and other vehicles, the sight of a runner with a torch caused a lot more consternation ...
... cars frequently have to slow down as the cattle cross the road in front of them. This one seemed to want to have a run with the Torch ...
Also for the first time today, we are seeing the amazing Boab tree (the name is shortened in typical Australian fashion from Baobab trees.) Native to Australia and also to parts of Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula, they are a reminder of when these continents were once joined together.
The trunk of the tree can grow to have a circumference of 34 metres and stores inside up to 120,000 litres of water! Boab trees attract attention because of their striking and unusual shapes. As they shed their leaves during the dry season, most of the ones we’ve seen have bare branches ...
... the Boab is held in high regard by the Aborigines of the Kimberley Region. They know the tree as larrkardiy and regard it as having a strong spiritual presence. In Dreamtime it was regarded as being too proud and arrogant and was punished by being re-planted upside-down with its roots in the air. Interestingly, the African Baobab is also known as the “upside-down tree” ...
"I'll trade you!"
On arrival in Derby, we had a little time to relax with some of the locals ...
Fay Whittaker, Assistant Community Development Officer of the Shire of Derby, organised a wonderful reception for us when we reached Derby in the afternoon ...
... we met with some of the local runners ...
... and together, we did a 2 km run on a special trail over the mud flats ...
... out to the jetty ...
A beautiful sunset was the backdrop for the reception ...
... where we were delighted to be able to offer five Peace Run Torch-Bearer Awards to outstanding members of the community ...
Shire President Councillor Elsia Archer presented the awards ...
... the recipients were Darren Simmons, Don Dunbar, Mark Norval, Daniel Pavlovich and Darren ‘Dags’ Cross ...
HAWK Now (Healthy and Active in the West Kimberley) kindly provided a delicious barbeque for everyone after the ceremony. It was great to meet the wonderful people of Derby and we thank you all so much for coming out, honouring the Torch-Bearer recipients and of course, holding the Peace Torch!
We stayed at King Sound Resort Hotel, where Wayne kindly provided us with a delicious buffet dinner and even offered breakfast for tomorrow!
Thank you so much to Wayne and all the wonderful and friendly staff at King Sound Resort Hotel – especially the Chef for specially cooking the fantastic vegetarian food!
