Explore Broome for a Great Vacation in Western Australia

If you are thinking about your dream trip to Australia and do not know which amazing destination to choose, why not have a look at going to Broome? The town sits 2200 kilometres north of Perth on Australia’s amazing western coastline. It combines blue skies and hot sun with amazing beaches, such as the world famous Cable Beach that comes complete with camels! It has an interesting history based on the pearling industry, beautiful scenery, a wide range of accommodation to choose from and lots of activities on offer. The contrast between the colours of the pale turquoise seas, the silver sands of the beaches and the deep red of the pindan soil, create a visual feast and are a gift for the photographer looking for stunning images. So whether you want to wander around the museum getting a feel for Broome's rich history, sun yourself on the soft, silky sands of one of the beaches, watch the crocodiles being fed, or go to see how pearls are produced at Willie Creek Pearl Farm - there is something for everyone in Broome!

It is an isolated town with a standing population of about 15000 people which swells to around 45,000 people during the tourist season, and is a gateway to the famous Kimberley region. The area has been home to the indigenous Yawuru aboriginal people for many thousands of years and the first Europeans to sail the coast were Dutch traders in the seventeenth century who called the west coast ‘New Holland’. The first documented land fall was by William Dampier in 1688 and 1699, and the Dampier Peninsula and Dampier Terrace were named after him.

The area was visited by various ships and pearling boats in the following years and Roebuck Bay was put forward as a suitable port for the pearl luggers in 1879 by Charles Harper. Broome officially became a town in 1883 and was named by John Forrest after the then Governor of Western Australia, Sir Frederick Broome. The new town initially did not take off, but the arrival of the undersea telegraph cable in 1889 from Singapore and the growth of the mother of pearl fishing industry soon saw the town expand and grow.

The pearl shell was initially fished for the mother of pearl which was used to make buttons, jewellery and decorative articles. Initially the divers were aboriginals who had been tricked or kidnapped and forced to dive without diving suits or equipment, in a practice known as ‘blackbirding’. With the development of the diving suits and heavy helmets and boots, the Japanese, Malaysians, Koepangers, and Chinese came to dive, with the Japanese divers being regarded as the most highly skilled. The onset of the First World War and the development of the plastics industry were major hammer blows to the pearl shell diving, and it was then that the market in cultured pearls began to be developed and is still going strong today

Broome has two seasons, the dry season and the wet season. The dry season from April to November is the best time to visit the town and the surrounding Kimberley region as the days are clear, sunny and warm. It is the perfect weather to spend long days lazing on the beach, taking tours, fishing or any outdoor activity that you can think of. In June, July and August the nights can get chilly though, so make sure that you do take a couple of sweaters with you. The temperature rises in the wet season and the weather is very hot and humid with heavy rainfall. Many of the tour companies stop their tours in the wet season as the roads become impassable due to flooding, and it could be several weeks before they are clear again.

The easiest way to get to this remote town is by air and Broome International Airport has services from most of the major Australian cities and a good local schedule operated by Qantas, SkyWest, Virgin Blue, Airnorth and Golden Eagle Airlines. If you want to drive you can take the Great Northern Highway or the North West Coastal Highway from Perth or come from Darwin, via Kununurra and the Great Northern Highway. If you have a sturdy 4WD and are experienced at driving on unsealed roads, you can travel the famous Gibb River Road. The main thing to be aware of is that the distances are vast and it is likely to take you several days to reach your destination. Greyhound Australia also runs regular daily services to Broome from both Perth and Darwin.

It is also included in the itineraries of many tour operators, and you can find a tour to suit any budget. The tours range from basic backpacker camping trips to luxury tailored trips in top accommodations and transport. Many of the tours going out into the Kimberley also originate in Broome, and again are designed to suit all tastes and budgets. There are also various cruise lines that specialise in cruising the gorges of the Kimberley coastline, which operate out of the town.

Getting around Broome itself is easy, as there is an excellent and frequent local bus service that operates around town and out to Cable Beach. For any information you need about the town and the tours and activities that are available, you can go to the Visitors Centre. There are many day tours available ranging from town tours, to tours going further out in the Kimberley to Cape Leveque, Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge, Geikie Gorge and the Horizontal Falls.

There are many types of accommodation available for you to choose from, ranging from basic backpacker hostels, through caravan and camping sites, self-catering units to hotel rooms and five star resorts. The main tourist accommodation areas are out at Cable Beach and in the town itself around Roebuck Bay. The first resort to start up in the Cable Beach area was the Cable Beach Resort and Spa which was opened in 1988 and is the only resort hotel that fronts directly onto the beach.

There are many shopping opportunities in Broome. As would be expected from a pearling town, there are many fine pearl showrooms, showcasing their luxurious pearl jewellery. Look out for Paspaley Pearls and Willie Creek Pearl Farms, who also run tours to their pearl farm just outside of town where you can learn about how cultured pearls are produced and the history of the pearling industry. You can wander the historic lanes, such as Johnny Chi Lane, and shop for souvenirs or visit the modern Paspaley Plaza Shopping Centre or the new Boulevard Shopping Centre on Frederick Street.

If you are looking for something to eat, there are many cafes and restaurants to choose from. They range from convenience food outlets like McDonalds through to fine dining. One of the unique restaurants in Broome is Matso’s Broome Brewery, which is an award winning microbrewery and restaurant. You can enjoy great food while sampling the Hit The Toad premium lager or their famous alcoholic Ginger Beer. Most of the resorts also have their own restaurants, and if you are out at Cable Beach you should give the Old Zoo Cafe a try.

The most well known of the beaches, Cable Beach is situated 6km out of town, and offers around 22 km of soft, silver sand and warm turquoise waters. It got its name from the fact that it was point where the undersea telegraph cable from Singapore reached the Australian shore and it is rated as one of the world’s top five beaches. Apart from swimming, surfing, fishing and other usual beach activities, Cable Beach also offers the famous camel rides, watching and learning all about crocodiles at the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park and you can also search for the famous dinosaur footprints discovered in 1935 at Gantheaume Point.

There is also a smaller beach, called Town Beach, situated in the town itself on Roebuck Bay. The Pioneer’s Cemetery sits on a little promontory overlooking the ocean, and there is a cafe, toilets, showers and a camping/caravan park. On a few days of the year the tide goes far enough out that the remains of the Flying Boats that were used to bomb the area in 1942, which resulted in a great loss of life. The Broome Museum is also just around the corner in the little Seaview Shopping Mall. It is situated in the building that used to be a general store called Newman Goldstein & Co, and contains exhibits from the region's colourful history, including local aboriginal history and culture, the history of the pearling industry and the role of the area during World War II.

What is now the Broome Courthouse started life as the telegraph cable station, which enabled the town to communicate directly with other major Australian cities, and the rest of the world. The cable station was converted to a Courthouse in 1921 and still used to this day. On Saturdays and Sundays there is a popular market in the Courthouse Gardens, selling jewellery, souvenirs, local art and handicrafts.

One of the things that Broome is most famous for is the natural phenomena known as the ‘Staircase to the Moon’. The ‘Staircase to the Moon’ is an optical illusion that looks like a staircase is reaching up to the moon and is caused by the full moon rising and reflecting off the mudflats in Roebuck Bay at low tide. It occurs between March and October on different dates every year. Good viewing spots are Town Beach and the garden of the Mangrove Grove Resort Hotel.

So if glorious sunny weather, stunning beaches, turquoise ocean, loads of activities to try, great tours, and a good selection of accommodation, eating places and shopping mixed with a big dollop of history is your thing, look no further than Broome in Western Australia. It could be your vacation of a lifetime so start booking your tickets!

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