New name suggestions for Port Hedland’s Spoilbank Marina, sculpture deja vu in Broome and funny nomad slogans

Hi, welcome to Gone Troppo, your weekly dose of the news and rumours which make the North West the best place to live.

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Deja view

Broome’s new Chinatown entry statement is striking.

It is also familiar to intrepid WA travellers.

Visitors to Denham will see strong comparisons in the Shark Bay town’s Union sculpture, designed by the same artists with many of the same materials and a similar back story.

When we posted this comparison on social media, one eagle-eyed follower suggested the two futuristic-looking sculptures could secretly open portals between the two towns for speedy transit.

Broome barra for lunch, Shark Bay whiting for dinner?

Yes please.

While we’re on the subject of inspiration from Denham, Gone Troppo would like to suggest copying the town’s excellent communal fish cleaning stations too.

Naming rights

Port Hedland is getting a marina, and currently it is called Spoilbank.

Sure, there is a small amount of history in the name but we would argue there are better options out there than naming the place after a pile of sand.

With plenty of them nesting on the adjacent beach, perhaps Turtle Quays would be a more fitting name for our long-awaiting marine precinct.

Or, for a more piratey vibe, how about Sawfish Cove? It would be a nice nod to the rare creatures which inhabit our waterways.

There is time to burn, and we’re sure locals have plenty of creative names to share.

Nifty nomads

The grey nomads are here, and with their arrival come the caravan slogans telling us about how they have ditched all responsibilities.

Gone Troppo has already seen plenty of “adventure before dementia” and “spending my kids’ inheritance” stickers, as is the norm.

Up around Sandfire roadhouse recently, we came across a new one — “goodbye tension, hello pension” — which had us chuckling behind the wheel.

A Broome Advertiser reader posted a recent sighting of an amusing “goodbye kids” false number plate, while another spotted “runaway nanna”.

They can be annoying on the highways, but we lo5ve our nomads and can’t wait to be one ourselves.