The Pearl Coast

Located at the south western tip of the Kimberley region, and once the pearling capital of the world, is the town of Broome. Called the ‘Pearl of the North’ and often referred to as the southern gateway to the wilderness region of the Kimberley, it is located on a peninsula with the Indian Ocean to the west and Roebuck Bay to the south east.

With its languorous pace and cosmopolitan atmosphere, Broome offers to seduce the visitor with its easy-going tropical charm that offers an alternative lifestyle for those wishing to escape. Broome has a distinctly Asian feel, partly because of its history as a pearling centre and partly because Perth, the state capital, is closer to Indonesia then Sydney.
 

Nearby Cable Beach is one of Australia’s famous beaches. The other major attractions in Broome are the 80-year-old open-air Sun Pictures Cinema, Chinatown, the Japanese cemetery, and the dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point. Bird-watchers have the Broome Bird Observatory on Roebuck Bay, rated as one of Australia’s top non-breeding grounds for migrant Arctic waders. Swimmers should beware of stinging jellyfish in the water between November and March.

Events of note include: Staircase to the Moon from March to October, Broome Billfish Classic, Shinju Matsuri Festival (Festival of the Pearl), Opera under the Stars, and the Mango Festival.

For up-to-date information including tide times and road conditions visit the tourist information centre. For Broome accommodation click here: