School holidays are here, though I should be working most of them while the better half gets the pool time with the kids. Whats wrong with this picture… ?
Although, we do have 2 nights booked this week at Eco Beach resort, about 100km out of town, where we have a villa right on the beach. My plan is to do very little at all : still reading Alastair Reynolds’ “Zima Blue” short story anthology, maybe book in a massage and some time at the bar…
Still on the touristy stuff, last week checked out Broomes sole mention in the Aussie WWII listings, the Catalinas, flying boats sunk by Japanese zeros, right here in Broome town, our very own One Day War.
The Catalinas were people-carriers, on this day transporting Indonesian refugees from the war. They were due to lift off from Town Beach here at 9am. At 8am, the Japanese attacked. Most of the Catalinas were destroyed in the first run. One managed to take off, and was cut down straight away.
The remains are now visible only at extreme low tides, a handful of times a year. Walked out with my mate J a couple of weeks ago across the mudlflats, about 1km out and checked them out. The 70 odd years have not been kind to them, although the engines and a fair bit of the airframes on a couple are still fairly well recogniseable.
This next one a different craft, a Dornier.
Actual numbers killed are unknown , most estimates close to 80 as the Cats were all fully loaded, many with woman & children, when they were mown down.
Heading home across the mud, came across this solitary turtle, calmly awaiting the incoming tide.
