This morning we awoke in an unusually warm van, and it got steadily warmer. The air con was working fine, but the temperature outside was getting so hot that even the air con couldn't suppress it. The temperature forecast for our area was in the late 30's, but where we were heading today was forecast to be 41 degrees.

Our first stop was at Derby, about 40km off the main highway but worth the detour to visit the Boab Prison Tree. This is a hollow-trunked 1000-1500 year old boab tree with a girth of 14 metres. The reason for the name is that it was supposedly used to contain Aboriginal prisoners many years ago while they were awaiting transport to the town gaol. They have erected a fence around the tree in the last couple of years to prevent tourists from damaging the tree. The information sign also warns that snakes like to hide inside - that would be enough to keep me out, never mind the fence! The walk around also gave us a taste of what 41 degrees feels like. It feels so hot you feel your skin burning after a few minutes, so we didn't stay out the van for too long.

On the drive from Derby we saw loads more boab trees and termite mounds, some of them huge. We couldn't resist stopping and taking a few pictures - it's helps to convey their size.

We made it to Broome around 5pm and found a decent campsite with a pool and internet. This meant I could catch up on e-mails and Facebook after a long break. Stu took a dip in the enormous pool, as the temperature was still high while I prepared dinner.

After some food we thought we'd head over to Cable Beach. We're back on the coast once again and this beach is supposed to be a great spot to watch the sunset. We made it over in good time, and Cable beach looks amazing, but unfortunately it had clouded up quite a lot and the sunset was a bit disappointing. Never mind, we'll be travelling down the west coast for a while so hopefully we'll be able to catch a good sunset at some point.