Broome Things to Do

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Cable Beach somehow defines Broome. Of course there is the small town centre (China Town) with its shops, the museum and a few other attractions. But Cable Beach is like a small town on its own, and this is where most of the hotels and resorts are located.
I spent most of my time on the beach, of course because it was so beautiful, but also because this was the only place where I could stand the climate - there was a constant cool breeze here!

Cable Beach might be a strange name, and it is called like this because this is the place where the telegraph cable from Java connected Western Australia to the world. The cable is of course long gone, and now it is just a wonderful and impressive beach. It is 22km long and was indeed one of the best beaches I have ever seen. Just incredibly long, and during this time of the year not crowded at all. When I did a long walk in the morning from Gantheaume Point back to Cable Beach town, there were hardly any people! And even in the evening, when the camel rides for the tourists are done and people come to see the sunset, it did not feel crowded. Combined with this special, soft light that I only encountered in Western Australia, it felt like a piece of paradise.

My long beach walk was probably one of the best and most relaxing I have ever done, and Cable Beach totally lived up to my expectations. It is one of the places I really want to return to.

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Gantheaume Point is located at the southern end of Cable Beach, about 7km from the centre of Broome. Although this location is a little remote, Gantheaume Point is one of Broome's most famous attractions. One reason for this is that here you can see dinosaur tracks that are more than 120 mio years old!!! Well, let's rather say: You can see them in theory. They are only visible at very low tide (below 2,16m). Of course I visited at low tide, but I did not find the tracks... There is a replica at the top of the rocks, though.



Although I missed the real dinosaur tracks, the place was still worth a visit. There are many big red rocks, and it is very beautiful. The contrast between the blue see and the red rocks is fascinating. It was fun to clamber onto some of the rocks and explore the area.

Another thing to look out for is Anastasia's Pool, an artificial pool carved into the rocks. It was constructed by a lighthouse keeper for his wife Anastasia, she suffered from arthritics. You can see the pool in picture 5.



Gantheaume Point was previously named Gantheaume Island because the French sailor Gantheaume, who was the first white person to discover it, mistook it for an island when he saw it from his ship. 



After I spent some time at this wonderful place I walked back to Broome along Cable Beach, a nice and long beach walk of about four kilometers. I really enjoyed it!



If you want to go to Gantheaume Point by public bus you must be careful: There is only one bus, the very first in the morning! Please see my bus tip for further details.



Picture 4 shows the area where the tracks must roughly be located... somewhere down there!

China Town is actually the town centre of Broome. In my tips I always call it the "town centre" because that is how I thought of it, but its actual name is China Town, although it is just the usual town centre and not a chinese quarter like the china towns in big cities. However, the architecture still shows some Asian influences!
Of course there are many, many pearl shops in Broome, and even most of the shops that are not distinct pearl shops sell some pearl jewelry.

Apart from this, it is just a usual town centre of a holiday destination, with a few restaurants and cafés, many souvenir shops and the odd food shop and supermarket. During the hot days when I stayed there, there were not many people on the streets, though, and it sometimes almost looked like a ghost town. Apart from me of course who was stupid enough to walk around instead of staying inside!

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The Pearl Luggers Exhibition is located in the town centre and consists of two historical pearl luggers that have been perfectly restored, the Sam Male and the DMcD. These luggers are original ships that went to sea, but are now permanently located in the town as a museum.

You can access the luggers for free and wander around on board, but to see the interior you need to take their one hour guided tour. I did not do this, but the website says that it includes "some rare archival footage" and presentations of the history of pearling. The tour price is 20,00AUD for an adult, 16,50AUD concession, 10,00AUD for a child and 50,00AUD for a family.

As I said I did not do the tour, but I enjoyed my short visit to the luggers.

Although Broome is quite small, it has a very interesting and moving history. Mostly this history is connected to the pearling industry.

The historical museum is a traditional style museum and very old-fashioned, but I loved it. I usually like these small local museums very much, they are full of interesting stuff and you can see that the volunteers put so much love into their work!
This museum was no exception. There was so much information on Broome's history and the pearling industry, on the Japanese and Chinese people who worked here, how hard their lives were and how they shaped today's society and life in the town. I especially liked that the Aboriginal people were not neglected, there was a lot about their traditional life in this region and how they were exploited by the pearling industry, when they were forced to work and in fact used as slaves.

It was sad to read about all of this, but as I said there were also exhibits about today's society and the cultural heritage many Asian workers brought to Broome. There are some interesting old artifacts belonging to Aboriginal culture, as well as many historical photographs.
And last but not least, it was great to spend some time in an air-conditioned building!

Attention: The museum closes early during summer!

Admission fee: Adult 5,00AUD, concession 3,00AUD, children 12 to 17 years 1,00AUD.
Opening times: October to May daily 10.00am to 01.00pm, April to November daily 10.00am to 04.00pm, to 01.00pm on weekends.

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Cable Beach it seems is the beach to be seen at. The beach itself is sparkling clean and a huge expanse of white, hard sand.

Be prepared to see some "expanses" of nude bodies!

You can hire sun lounges and umbrellas during the peak season.

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Every Saturday from 9am - midday there are markets in front of the Courts where local craftspeople sell their wares. Examples of some of the goods on show: jewellery, handmade soaps (see other shopping tip), clothes, artwork, honey, various condiments, gemstones and of course pearls (be careful some are Chinese not local). There are also foodmarkets and sometimes a local band playing.

If you are interested in what is happening on the local scene this is the place to go.

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An interesting way to have a look at the mudflats around Roebuck Bay is to take a hovercraft tour.

It is quite expensive but different!!

There are a number of different tours you can take including: a 1 hour tour over the tidal flats to see preserved dinosaur prints ($85), a sunset tour which takes 1 3/4 hour and includes hors d'oeuvres and non alcoholic cocktails ($125) or a full scenic/historic tour to see flying boat wreckages and the dinosaur prints 1 1/2 hour ($125).

We took the $85 trip and found it quite enjoyable. The driver/guide is quite informative and humorous. The seats are in pairs so you can get a good view of the surroundings.

Well worth it if you have the time and the money.