When hearing of Broome most people will probably think of
Broome´s Cable Beach, the world famous white sands beach !

But Broome is much more than Cable Beach, Broome is the "pearl" on Australia's Northwest Coast, the gateway to the Kimberley wildnerness area, with an interesting history and aboriginal cultural tradition.

Broome like Darwin is one of the Australia´s tropical destinations that divide people´s opinion between enthusiasts and disappointed visitors. Most of times the disappointment is due to the usual hype the travel industry has created around Broome, but the reason may lay also in lack of information and also wrong expectations.

It is important you get accurate information about the place so to have a clear picture of what Broome is really like and especially what you can do and you cannot do during the wet and the dry season. Take your time and visit all of Broome attractions. Let's take a virtual tour now:

How to get to Broome and how to get around

You can fly to Broome from any major cities in Australia as well as from minor places in western Australia. From Perth the flight takes 3 1/2 hours. Ideally you can combine a visit to Broome with a visit to the Kimberley wilderness area, from Broome you can access the southern Kimberley. If you are staying at Cable´s beach resort area, about 7km from the town centre, you will definitively need a vehicle to move about, if you are not hiring a car, you can use the town bus which runs every half an hour. The best way to explore Broome and its surrounding area, the northern beaches up to Cape Leveque and the Kimberley Outback area is to hire a 4WD, alternatively you can join a tour or a cruise for a specific area you are interested in.

When to visit Broome

The best time for a visit is the dry season, from April to October, because of the warm and dry weather, but it is also the busiest, during the winter months it is also popular with many Australians escaping from the cold south. During the winter months Broome´s population of about 14.000 increase up to over 50.000 people! So if you plan a visit in June-August be prepared for it because it will be very busy ! Nonetheless if you want to get away the masses of tourists you can head north to the northern beaches.

If you are planning a visit during the wet months (nov-march) and crave for swimming, you will not be able to swim in the ocean because of the stingers. If you want to swim at that time of the year you will have to drive to the northern beaches, where the ocean is free of stingers ! If you do not mind hot and steamy weather and a bit of solitude the wet season will be just perfect. I am sure, one way of the other you will love Broome! Let´s see what Broome has to offer.

 

Where to stay in Broome

If you plan visiting Broome, make sure you book your accommodation in Broome a good time ahead. Broome gets booked up very quickly especially during the dry season and in the peak months of June-August it is almost impossible to find a room at a reasonable price. So for your convenience check out this great site that delivers in real time the best hotels deals in Broome!

What to do and what to see in Broome

Before you start your visit to Broome, go to Broome´s Visitors Centre, and get yourself all what you need to explore Broome. There is a lot of free information you can pick up: from street maps, town bus map to tide charts.

• Chinatown is Broome´s main shopping area. Here you can find some of the finest pearl showrooms, Broome is famous in the world for cultured saltwater pearls ! If you love pearls than it will be almost impossible to leave Broome without buying something ! In Chinatown used to be the old industrial centre with the pearl sheds, there are places to visit around wittnessing the pearling past of Broome. Let´s see some of them.
• At Pearl Luggers on Dampier Terrace you can take a tour of 2 restored pearl boats watch an interesting about the fascinating Broome´s pearling history. The tour includes also a show of the pearling equipment like the diving gear, and admire a great collection of pearl and mother of pearl. You can combine this tour also with a visit to a pearl farm outside Broome. More about it below.

• Johnny Chi Lane is another place where you can learn about Broome´s history, by reading interesting stories on the wall of 20 shops. The stories take you through the whole history, from the very early days to the pearling industry up to the present days with the tourism boom. On Sundays you can visit the Chinatown Markets.
  

• Courthouse Markets the other market in Broome, with large local arts and crafts stalls and food as well. These are held on Saturdays inside the Courthouse, an old building (1888) which once housed the old Cable Station.

• Gantheaume Point with its amazing red rock formations, you can see a pic below, and the the lighthouse is one of the biggest attractions in Broome. You also find Anastasia´ s pool and the oldest dinosaurs footprints: if you are lucky to spot them ! If you want to make sure you see them get there early in the morning at low tide. From there you can walk along Cable beach back to the resort area. It´s a 7km wonderful walk.

• Cable Beach this beach is heavily marketed by the tourism industry and is definnitely Broome´s most famous beach. It´s beautiful, no doubt, stretching for 22km. You can access the beach from the resort areas with a 4WD and from there you can drive up to the end the best way or you can take a walk from Gantheaume Point early in the morning, so that you can have a chance to spot the 135mio dinosaurs footprints too !

• Town Beach where you can see the Staircase to the Moon ! What is this ? The full moon ligth that reflects on the Roebuck Bay at low tide. There is also a Staircase Markets too, held monthly on this natural event.

• Riddell Beach between Riddel Point and Gautnheam Point. This is a nice rocky beach with red cliffs and sands, the colour contrast with the tourquise ocean is simply amazing ! Great beach for a walk, for taking pictures, and if you want to avoid the busy cable beach.

• Broome´s Northern Beaches are located in the Dampier Peninsula, around Cape Leveque, you will need a 4WD to get there. You will be travelling across aboriginal land, so you also have the opportunitiy to learn from the aboriginal community who offers tours and accommodation too. If you love camping, fishing and deserted beaches than these places will reward you with a terrific experience. Middle Lagoon, Qandong Beach, Willie Creek are some of the beaches, to name a few. At Willie Creek beaches you can also visit Broome´s pearl farm and learn about the pearling industry of Broome.