The story of pearls
by iandsmith
Somewhat surprisingly, cultured pearls weren’t commercially grown here until after WWII (1957) and it was a Japanese man who worked out that local oysters injected with grit from the Mississippi mussel (pig toe clam) was the way to make pearls on a commercial basis.
Some of the places the 19 farms are located are very remote. I know this because I went on a 10 day cruise and we went past a couple located in the middle of nowhere.
What I found surprising is how labour intensive they are. The pearls have to be turned regularly otherwise they don’t grow uniformly. They feed on microscopic phytoplankton.
They also have to be cleaned every three weeks, first with a brush and then with a meat cleaver, the latter to remove things like barnacles.
Inside each oyster there is a blind crab whose symbiotic relationship keeps the inside clean.
55% of oysters can be reseeded for a second time, 30% a third time but only 5% a fourth time. They are checked by x-ray and 15% are lost at the first incision. Pearl technicians work for 3 months of the year and can earn around $100,000 but, remember, shell dust is carcinogenic. After their pearl life they are then inserted with plastic shapes to make Mabe or half pearls. Up to 7 per oyster can be inserted.
If all that wasn’t enough, oyster meat currently sells for $700 per kilo in Japan!
The lustre of a pearl is merely the nacre (mother of pearl) deposited uniformly on an irritating object inside the oyster.
The fabled black pearl is also now being grown in the Abrolhos, a group of islands off the West Australian coast but all Australian pearls are silver or pink.
The only golf action you'll find above Geraldton
by Gwynneth
Experience golf at the Broome Golf Club. It's the only 18 hole fully grassed course between Geraldton and Darwin. (Up North in the West grass is a luxury) And when you've finished your game and sitting back taking in the view from the clubhouse, you'll discover why they say "its a million dollar course with a million dollar view".
Gantheaume Point
by mikegr
Gantheaume Point is situated at the southern most end of Cable Beach and is most well known for the dinosaur footprints preserved in the rock. Unfortunately the prints spend most of their time submerged beneath the sea, and are only visible at the lowest of low tides.
But fear not - all is not lost!
Even if you miss seeing the footprints (like we did!), Gantheaume Point is still worth a visit. The red rock formations stand in stark contrast to the sandy expanse of Cable Beach, and you can easily spend an hour exploring.
You can take a bus to Gantheaume Point, or alternatively it is about a 90 minute walk from Broome, beyond the Japanese cemetary.
Gantheaume Point
by iandsmith
Gantheaume Point lies at the southern end of Cable Beach and is where the lighthouse is. The rock formations here are, at times, extraordinary.
The dominant colour is rust red but the early morning and late afternoon light show them up to best advantage.
There's a short patch of dirt road to negotiate to get there but it's worth the effort.
Located approximately 6 km from town, this is a scenic area of red, craggy cliffs providing a stark contrast to the azure water below.
What are presumed to be dinosaur footprints over 120 million years old can be seen here when tides are less than 1.5 metres. As the reef area is very fragile, care must be taken when exploring this area. For the benefit of visitors a plaster cast of the tracks has been embedded at the top of the cliff.
On the north side of the point is Anastasia's Pool, a small man made rock pool built by a former lighthouse keeper for his wife Anastasia who was crippled with arthritis.
Cable Beach sunset
by iandsmith
Watching the sunset is a popular activity in Broome. Many take their dinner, a lot more take drink, all come to watch the sun go down over the water.
Depending of what cloud formations there are, you may be in for a special treat but, more often that not during the tourist season (the dry) there will be no clouds.
However, when I was there there was a fire somewhere inland and the smoke drifted over and gave an unusual colour to the evening sky. None of these pictures have been touched up in any way, it's just the way it was.
You can also drive onto the beach as you can clearly see in my pictures.
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Cape Leveque Rd
Reception and Gallery entrance
Gantheaume Point
Another view inside
