Broome

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17th May to 31st May Broome

Map http://www.broomevisitorcentre.com.au/pages/map-of-broome/

We moved out of the motel and into a caravan park, ‘Tarangau’. This is a smaller van park but at the time we arrived there was plenty of grassy sites. We looked at several van parks, apart from Tarangau only one seemed to have a few grassy sites. We were looking for a quieter park. This is very well maintained and friendly. It doesn’t have a swimming pool and the ratio of washing machines to campers is a little low. If these are not priorities with you then I would certainly recommend it. There is quite a stroll to Cable Beach as there is no shortcut.

In the beginning we had a few nights when it rained or sprinkled with some cloud during the day. This cleared as the days progressed and by the time Pat and Gordon arrived we were having beautiful sunny days and cool pleasant evenings. The rain disappeared entirely so we have hopes that the roads will continue to dry and will all be open by the time we leave Broome. Amazingly you can pour water onto the ground and within minutes it has been soaked up and there is little or no evidence that there was any water there. This indicates how wet it must be for the roads to remain closed.

Broome visitor centre is extremely helpful and well worth a visit. They generally have up to date information on the road conditions around the area and into the Kimberley.

The Town

Broome has been around for over 100 years, going from the collection of pearl shell mostly for buttons to a very robust and lucrative pearling town. The pearling industry still dominates the town but tourism has also become a mainstay of Broome and the surrounding area.

China town (originally called Japan town) is a few blocks of old, very well preserved corrugated iron buildings. Amazingly the buildings seem to have survived tropical cyclones and floods in the past and remain in original condition. All more recent buildings have been designed sympathetically and there is a lot of charm that is very attractive.

The roundabouts and streetscape have been well landscaped and there is some shade in parts from large established trees.

The shops themselves are mostly tourist orientated, being mostly pearl shops, clothes, food and art of all descriptions not to leave out the fishing and local tours.

The old picture theatre itself is something to experience. We were lucky to be able to see Bran Nue Dae lounging in the beach chairs, which are the seats in the theatre. Bran Nue Dae is set in Broome. It has been lovingly restored and remains an outdoor theatre which still has the original seating, floorboards, corrugated iron and a small section as a museum. Definitely a must see for anyone traveling to Broome.

There is an old jetty called Streeters jetty which you can walk along. It originally had a channel cleared through the mangroves which surround most of China Town. There is still a channel there but the mangroves are gradually encroaching so eventually the channel will probably disappear. At low tide, hundreds of red crabs run around the mud flats through the mangroves.

When the wind is blowing in the right direction, the aircraft fly low over the jetty, short street and then straight down the runway. They are so low that when standing on the jetty you feel you should duck.


Cable Beach

This is a 22km long beach of white sand and aquamarine waters. At the southern end, near Gantheaume Point, boats for tours of various sorts from sailing/sunset tours to fishing tours sit waiting for their customers. Then there is the area for general sunbathing, strolling along the beach, swimming etc (provided there are no stingers in the water and the occasional crocodile during the wet season). Around a small area of rocks is a beach access road where the vehicles drive down and head North of the rocks. There is a nudist area and a dog walking area, also north of the rocks.

Camels take riders along the beach, particularly popular at sunset.

At sunset the beach is buzzing with tourists, waiting to see the famous sunsets of Cable Beach. Most tourists go several times while they are in Broome. Lyle and I kept bumping into an American couple who had sold their house 8 years ago and bought a sailing boat and have been traveling ever since. They were both interested in photography.

I had great fun taking photos of the rivulets in the sand as the tide goes out and the patterns made by the little balls of sand left by the crabs. There would be very few who leave without a picture of the camels.

Pat, Lyle, Gordon and I went out on the Intombi, a lugger built in 1903. A wonderful, relaxing trip, the last half under full sail. Gordon went for a swim off the back while the rest of us savored the champagne, wine and antipasto plates.

Gantheaume Point & Dinosaur Footprints

This is an interesting point between Cable Beach and Reddell Beach. It has eroded rocks in many colours from a deep red to almost white and black. The variety of the shapes is a photographers delight. Here, at low tide, Lyle and I climbed down the rocks to see the dinosaur footprints that only become visible at the lowest tides. How they have survived so long is amazing considering the amount of erosion in the rest of the rocks, and the fact that they are underwater most of the time.

Here there is a light house tower, currently with a sea eagle nest with 2 almost full grown babies.

Also a lighthouse keeper whose wife had severe arthritis concreted a rock pool for her to relax in to ease the discomfit. Perhaps at that time there were not so many fallen rocks, but from our point of view it would have been quite a trial to get down to it with her health issues.

The Port

This is a long pier with a T section at the end. From Broome they export live cattle and we were amazed at how quickly they could load the cattle onto a ship. Offshore oil and gas exploration supply vessels, pearling, fishing and charter boats, cruise liners and more also utilize the port.

Fishing is popular from the pier, I can understand why as we saw some quite large fish in a school swimming directly under us. There is a small reef about halfway down the pier where you can see the occasional turtle and dolphins. I did see a turtle, which popped its head up for a breath but very quickly dived again. They don’t pose for photos unfortunately.

Town Beach
This is a small beach which is at the end of the mangroves around the town. There is the remains of an old jetty and the area is most suitable for families with small children. There is a lot play equipment and there is a caravan park next door.


Malcolm Douglas Wildlife Park

Gordon and I went to see the park and watch the feeding of the crocodiles. There are also kangaroos, wallabies and many different birds. We went on a Sunday afternoon, the park was only open from 2-5pm that day so there were sections of the park which we missed. If you haven’t seen crocodiles before or wish to see some of the endangered birds from the area this is well worth a visit.
James Price Point

Just an hours drive north of Broome is James Price Point. This is an area of red Pindan Cliffs, vegetation and beautiful undisturbed beaches. A wonderful place for photographs and enjoyment of this pristine are.

Unfortunately the whole area is under dispute for the building of a gas hub. From what I can gather an area of around 60 square km will be taken. This will cause massive damage to the area, further endanger already endangered wildlife and remove the area from local people and tourists alike.
One site with some details http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/kimberley/james-price-point-2013-a-special-part-of-the-kimberley-coast-threatened-by-fossil-fuel-lng-industry
If this project goes ahead it will only be the tip of iceburg for industry in the Kimberley. Broome, it’s sustainable pearling industry, wildlife, whale birthing grounds will be under threat and WA as a destination for its flourishing tourism industry will be compromised. The current spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows that promises by large corporations that there are emergency plans in place to minimize accidents and protect surrounding areas is certainly not assured.

South of Broome

One day Lyle and I headed south and after approximately 110km of mostly small trees and scrub with only one break of cleared ground for farming found the Eco Beach Wilderness Resort. We really enjoyed the day we had there. We had a very nice light lunch served under a large covered area which looked out towards the beach and ocean. The beach has beautiful white sands and the sandhills are intact. After lunch, with the tide low we were able to walk down the beach and past a couple of rocky headlands, again with very interesting eroded shapes. Found a hermit crab running around in his borrowed shell.

We left late in the day after a very relaxing time, walking, eating and watching the various tours go out in boats. This would be a place to come when you want to leave all your cares behind!


Car Maintenance Lyle carried out the basic maintenance as we have now travelled for around 6,000km since we left Kuranda. We also had to replace the main battery and the slave cylinder is leaking and will have to be replaced or repaired. Stayed in Broome an extra day while the mechanic rebuilt the slave cylinder. Otherwise the car has been doing brilliantly.

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Photos

Johnny Chi Lane
There is red highlights around the windows and doors in most of the shops in Johnny Chi Lane.

Broome Movie Theatre
This is a wonderful way of seeing how people were entertained in the past. The deck chairs used as seats are the original frames.