WA’s former frontier town has a fascinating history and a chilled-out vibe.
The former frontier town of Broome has a fascinating history, incredible natural beauty and a chilled-out vibe.
Right on time, Broome’s dazzling Staircase to the Moon takes centre stage and even earns a little applause from visitors and locals alike who have waited patiently for the natural phenomenon.
The ‘Staircase’ happens when the light of a full moon reflects off the exposed mudflats of Roebuck Bay at very low tides and resembles steps leading up to the moon on certain dates from March to November.
Broome local, Sally Thomas says it’s something she never tires of and it still gives her a thrill after moving to Broome some 20 years ago.
It’s just one of the many attractions of Broome, star of Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
A ramshackle last frontier town back in the 1890s, Broome was a world leader in supplying pearl shell and became a pearling hub.
More than 400 pearling luggers once anchored in Roebuck Bay, and divers from Japan, Malaysia, China and the Philippines donned heavy canvas diving suits and metal helmets to harvest pearl shells from the ocean floor.
The colourful history of the early pearling days can be discovered at the Pearl Luggers museum that displays original diving artefacts. You can also relive those lugger days when you step aboard the restored Willie, a traditional gaff-rigged sailing vessel for a memorable sunset cruise around Roebuck Bay and Cable Beach. Under full sail, we sip bubbles and nibble canapés as we hear about Broome’s early pearling history.
These days, multicultural Broome is still home to a pearling industry but instead of master pearlers’ houses lining the dirt roads, you can do a pearl store hop along Chinatown’s impressive showrooms including Paspaley, Cygnet Bay, Allure South Sea Pearls, Willie Creek and Kailis.
Broome’s iconic 22-km Cable Beach is also great for sunset views whether it’s on a camel trek that sees your shadows dance along the sand as the sun sinks or sipping a Broome Sky cocktail from the Cable Beach Club Resort’s Sunset Bar.
As local resident Steve Wilson says, “It only takes about 30 steps on this beautiful beach before you slip into holiday mode. You never tire of this beautiful part of Australia – it just gets under your skin.”
Delve into the past with Bart Pigram, a Yawuru man from the West Kimberley region who grew up in Broome and shares his knowledge on his Narlijia Tours. You may also be lucky enough to see the world’s only resident population of snubfin dolphins on a Broome Whale Watching Tour in Roebuck Bay.
Dining is a cosmopolitan adventure with a variety of restaurants and cafés, while the vibrant Courthouse market is all about art, culture and community with good coffee and local treats.
To see another natural phenomenon, Go Horizontal Falls provides a bird’s eye view of Cape Leveque and Buccaneer Archipelago. The 13-seat aircraft also lands at Cockatoo Island for a two-hour boat cruise through Yampi Sound to Talbot Bay and the turbulent Horizontal Falls. Sir David Attenborough described it as one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.
It is not surprising so many fall under the spell of Broome and the Kimberley.
“IT JUST GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN.”