Traveller Bruce Tuffin shares his experience of Mercedes Cove, 130km north of Broome on the Cape Leveque Road, and surrounding regions.
Let me start by saying that the Cape Leveque Road, when we travelled on it, was quite a bumpy ride. The 4WD we were travelling in had a water tank tear off and we snapped a leaf spring! Mind you, we were giving the accelerator a bit more than a gentle nudge.
Despite our 4WD mishap, what a fabulous destination Mercedes Cove is. If you are the type who needs to be entertained, or can’t live without television, radio, Wi-Fi, Facebook and all the rest, forget it. But if you’re like us and enjoy simply relaxing, with good company, plenty of food and a drink or three, this could well be the place for you.
It is undeniably relaxing. As for accommodation, we had a ‘two-bedroom’ house, with a kitchen and two bathrooms. It was spotless. Five-star? No, but more than adequate. You’ll notice I put bedroom in quote marks. The reason is, you see, there are no real bedrooms. Rather, there are two double beds under mosquito netting on the large undercover veranda.
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The kitchen has everything you could possibly need, all supplied – a good, big fridge, microwave, gas oven and cooktop, pantry, crockery, cutlery, glassware, pots and pans, and cooking utensils. Our house sat on a slight rise, and from the veranda there was nothing between us and the ocean.
We could see the whales cruising down the coast, surfacing now and then to play. There’s even a dedicated ‘sundown’ area where travellers can sit and watch the sun slip below the horizon, lighting the coast with the intense orange and red hues you get only in the Kimberley, before the skies are painted in iconic purples and mauves.
Within an hour’s drive is Cygnet Bay there’s a pearling farm, tourist accommodation and a totally unexpected oasis. The restaurant (with pool!) looks out over the milky blue waters and the food is up to the standard of any city eatery.
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There is also the tiny campground and cafe at Whalesong, closer to Mercedes Cove. We can thoroughly recommend the view there, too, of the coast curving away on each side of Pender Bay, and the tranquil susurration of the waves on the beach below the cafe.
Oh, and we can also heartily recommend the mango smoothie, for which the cafe, quite rightly so, is famous. So there you go, Mercedes Cove is somewhere different and not for everyone, but well worth the time and effort. And just because we may be over 60, there’s no reason to just stay at home and rust, is there?
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