It is a grim Christmas scene in the baking heat of Broome, where dozens of people sit amid blankets, empty wine bottles, and discarded food wrappers.
They are sleeping rough on the oval in the centre of town, close to boab trees festooned with Christmas lights.
Some nap quietly in the shade, happy to be in town to catch up with relatives and attend appointments.
But others are on an alcoholic bender — shouting abuse and stumbling close to traffic.
It is behaviour that Senator Patrick Dodson says is dangerous, destructive, and needs to stop.
"You've got to be responsible for your behaviour. You can't just swan about the place, wreaking havoc, and expect to be accorded some type of dignity as to your rights," he said.
An age-old problem
Broome is Pat Dodson's hometown. He is a Yawuru elder, as well as a Senator for Western Australia.
He is calling out the behaviour of the out-of-town drinkers, saying they have both a cultural and civic responsibility to treat the place and people with respect.
"This is an age-old problem and it's upsetting that it continues," Senator Dodson said.
"Some of these people have deep-seated problems and I understand that. Some may have been abused, some have come out of institutions, others have mental health issues.
"So, we've got to have services to help these people come to terms with what is giving rise to the excessiveness of their behaviour through alcohol and drugs."
Majority of rough sleepers from far away
National data shows binge drinking is more common and more of a problem in northern regions like the Kimberley.
Statistically, Indigenous Australians are less likely to drink alcohol than non-Indigenous people.
But it is the public displays of mess and aggression by a small number of people from remote communities that is causing angst in northern towns.
The majority of the rough sleepers in Broome are from remote desert communities across northern WA where alcohol is banned or difficult to come by.
Data from Broome's Kullarri Patrol, funded to transport intoxicated people to a safe place, shows the number spikes every January when bush communities often become cut off by flooding.
Thirty per cent of people are from the far-away Tanami Desert communities of Balgo and Mulan.
Many have deep cultural knowledge, speak multiple languages, and could live off the land in heat and terrain that would terrify gudia, or white people.
But they are often not skill sets that translate into job options or status outside their home communities.
'My countrymen like to drink'
Many of the rough sleepers express sadness about their lifestyle and feel like they have a lack of control of their future.
Phillip Downs is from the Fitzroy Valley in the central Kimberley but ended up homeless in the town of Broome.
"My countrymen like to drink," he explained.
"It's what they do — get drunk and look for fight.
The ABC meets him on a steamy December morning in Old Broome at a free breakfast being hosted by the Kullarri Patrol.
The aim is to give people a decent feed and carve out some sober time for them to assess their options.
Mr Downs sits on a bench in the morning warmth, nursing a bacon wrap.
He said he wants to go home but found the bright lights of the bottle shops hard to resist.
"I'm thinking about going back to community, it's better than here.
"I drink too much. I'm trying to stop, but it's not easy. You have to be a strong man to give up drinking."
Sober-up closed
The tensions in town have been exacerbated by the sudden closure of the WA government-funded sober-up facility which provided a refuge for intoxicated out-of-towners.
Two months on, the Mental Health Commission has found an alternative building out of town, but the disruption came at one of the busiest times of year for WA Police and other services.
And more people have been trapped in town due to the COVID-19 suspension of the regional Greyhound bus service.
It was the only affordable transport for those ready and willing to return home, and in its absence Kullarri has occasionally done a 1,000-kilometre round trip to drop people off.
Complex lives
Many of the itinerant people camped in the sand-dunes and parks do not drink but have to endure the humbugging and aggression of those who do.
John Churchill does outreach work for the local drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, and says each of the rough sleepers has their own set of challenges.
"There are 50 to 200 people in the park and around town every night so we're trying to support them by getting them into long-term accommodation and rehabilitation," he said.
"At this time of year, in the wet season, there are a lot of people from right across the Kimberley in Broome.
"Some need employment, some need to get off drug addiction, some have got alcohol problems, some are homeless.
"So, it's complicated, but we try to keep it simple."
