Broome

From MaxTravelz

Broome is a historical pearling town situated in the Kimberley region in Western Australia. It is developing as a tourist resort, popular with Australians, in the dry season (from May to September).

In the dry months the weather is ideal. It has sunny days with temperatures around 30C and balmy evenings and nights when the temperature fall to the low twenties.

The town is situated on the Indian Ocean and the main beach, Cable Beach, is a beautiful expanse of golden sand. The sunsets on Cable Beach are magnificent and can be enjoyed on the beach or from one of the restaurants on the esplanade.

The population of the town expands from about 12,000 in the wet to a high of about 30,000 at the height of the tourist season. The camping grounds are booked out pretty early and accommodation can be hard to find at the height of the season.

The town has an interesting history based around the exploits of the men and women who developed the pearling industry, starting with the harvesting of oysters for mother of pearl in the 1880s to the current major cultured pearl farming enterprises. The riches from the pearl beds did not come cheap and the town's Japanese cemetery is the resting place of more than 900 Japanese divers who lost their lives working in the industry. Many were lost at sea and their number is unknown.

Contents 1 Get in 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out

Get in

From Perth: By road approx 2200 km. By air: Qantas flies twice a day.

From Darwin: By road approx 1900 km. By air: Air North and Qantas

Get around

Virgin Blue also has flights to Broome.

See

• The beaches - Cable Beach and Town Beach.
• Pearl Luggers - Two reconditioned luggers and an enthralling presentation on pearl diving by "Salty Dog" Baillieu.
• Willie Creek Pearl farm - a must see. A working pearl farm with demonstrations on pearl seeding.
• The Wharf.
• Gantheaume Point. Red cliffs and turquoise blue water.
• Broome Crocodile Farm
• Sun Pictures. An unusual open air cinema with deck chairs. It shows up to date films

Do

Buy

• Pearls - available from several upmarket jewellers.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Cable Beach Backpackers. A good spot, the only hostel close to cable beach. But make sure you book beds in advance (especially the one 7 bed dorm!), as the staff have a habit of overbooking and you'll end up sleeping in the garden at the back of the hostel. There's a small pool there, and a chaotic kitchen.

Get out

Attractions within a day's round trip include:

• Derby
• Fitzroy Crossing
• Geikie Gorge National Park
• Windjana Gorge National Park
• Tunnel Creek National Park
• Beagle Bay
• Cape Leveque

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. It does not have a template and contains minimal information. Please plunge forward and help it grow!