When you get closer to the coastal part of Broome, the desert lightens from red to ochre, shot through with orange ribbons of dust. Then, suddenly, the desert comes up against the sea, and the blinding turquoise of the Indian Ocean splashes against the red earth, sandstone cliffs and bone-white beaches. “Come to where the red desert meets the sea”, is the holiday slogan of Broome, the last frontier of the Kimberley region. The local secret of Broome lies in its wilderness. It gained its famous name as “The Pearl of Northwest Australia” from its pearl industry back in the 1860s and it has a history of human resilience, tragedy, and survival. Broome is 2226 km (1383 mile) drive from Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Virgin Australia and Qantas fly to Broome from most Australian capital cities. If you want to explore its local secrets, here are the best things to do in Broome, Australia.
1. Admire the scenic views at Roebuck Bay Lookout
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
Your Broome holiday will be even more memorable when you get to see the majestic nature views at Roebuck Bay Lookout. It is a spacious viewing platform where tourists can unwind while marveling at the picture-perfect views of Dampier Creek and Roebuck Bay. It is no ordinary rustic platform as when you look up to its ceiling, you will notice fascinating craftsmanship. Everyone is welcome at Roebuck Bay Lookout, and you can drop by anytime you want.
Roebuck Bay Lookout
Address: 45C Dampier Terrace, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Website: Roebuck Bay Lookout
Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)
2. Unwind at Streeter's Jetty
Broome is a captivating city in Australia that is known for its gorgeous natural wonders, such as natural parks and pristine beaches. Your Broome vacation will not be complete if you haven’t been to Streeter’s Jetty. Nestled on Dampier Terrace, this site is utilized by pearl luggers as the city is also known for its thriving pearl industry. You need to visit this idyllic place not for the pearls but for its spectacular views of Damper Creek and its lush vegetation that you can admire as you walk through the jetty. It is a favorite spot for tourists who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of downtown Broome.
Streeter's Jetty
Address: 9 Dampier Terrace, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Website: Streeter’s Jetty
3. Shop and dine at Johnny Chi Lane
Located in Damper Terrace, Johnny Chi Lane is a vibrant and bustling shopping mall in Broome. It is a beautiful area filled with shops that vend different products, such as clothing, jewelry, souvenir items, and even artisan crafts. One of its many attractions is a small museum where you can see masterpieces of local artists and exhibits that tell stories of Broome’s rich culture and heritage. Also, there are dining spots at Johnny Chi Lane that offers affordable and mouthwatering Australian fare.
Johnny Chi Lane
Address: 22 Dampier Terrace, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Website: Johnny Chi Lane
Opening hours: 8am - 7pm (daily)
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4. Learn about Broome's history at Broome Historical Museum
Besides swimming in pristine waters for days, checking out bars, and shopping for souvenir items, you might be interested in getting to know the beautiful coastal city of Broome on a deeper level. Whether you are a history buff or just a curious John, you are welcome at Broome Historical Museum. Located on Robinson Street, this museum’s main goal is to preserve the city’s rich history and heritage. It showcases three buildings filled with exhibits, including old photographs, artifacts, and a fascinating sailmaker’s shed.
Broome Historical Museum
Address: 67 Robinson St, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Website: Broome Historical Museum
5. Score souvenir items at Broome Courthouse Markets
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
Posted by Broome Markets on Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Located in the beautiful gardens of Broome Courthouse, Broome Courthouse Markets is a one-day-a-week market that has been in operation for more than two decades now. In the summer and spring seasons, this bustling market gets filled with up to 115 shops that sell different products and thousands of visitors. The majority of the items you will find at Broome Courthouse Markets are artisan products, such as home decors and souvenir items. Besides these, you will also find culinary delights, clothes, and accessories here. There’s also live entertainment that makes shopping and dining extra fun.
Broome Courthouse Markets
Address: 8 Hamersley St, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Website: Broome Courthouse Markets
Opening hours: Sat: 8am - 1pm (closed from Sun - Fri)
6. Try turtle kayaking with Broome Adventure Company
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
'A Big Day Fishing' At the end of the day retrieving the boat isn't all that bad especially with a sunset scene like...
Posted by Broome Adventures - Richard Young Photography on Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Make your Broom holiday one for the books by availing of the exciting tour packages offered by Broome Adventure Company. Take advantage of the city’s pristine beaches, breathtaking views, and delightfully soothing sea breeze by spending most of your days playing in the waters. Experience turtle kayaking with Broome Adventure Company. This tour agency offers a three-hour-long escapade with equipment and gear. The tour will take place in a fantastic spot rich in wildlife, where you can have a chance to see sea turtles, manta rays, humpback whales, and migratory birds.
Broome Adventure Company - Turtle Kayak
Address: 158 Reid Rd, Cable Beach WA 6726, Australia
Website: Broome Adventure Company - Turtle Kayak
Opening hours: 7am - 10pm (daily)
Price: From 65 USD
7. Relish delicious Chinese food in Chinatown Broome
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
Chinatown Broome is a reflection of Broome’s rich cultural heritage. Since the late 19th-century, this Chinatown has been providing the city with Oriental offerings, and it has also become one of the most-visited tourist attractions in Broome. It is a boutique retail hub that is filled with colors and fascinating decorations wherever you look. Dining spots await tourists to have a taste of Asia without setting foot out of Australia. Vendors welcome everyone and offer them diverse products, from Oriental herbal medicines to trendy retail stores.
Chinatown Broome
Address: Carnarvon St, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Website: Chinatown Broome
Opening hours: Mon - Tue: 8am - 4:30pm; Wed - Fri: 8am - 8pm; Sat - Sun: 8am - 2pm
8. Catch a breathtaking sunset at Cable Beach
Cable Beach is ranked among the world’s top beaches for a reason. It’s the only place where you can watch the high sand dunes change from red soil to light orange, and eventually fade into pure, white sand as it reaches the turquoise Indian Ocean.
It’s perfect for many activities such as long walks, runs, swims, and other relaxing activities. Or, if you prefer more adventure, there is also 4WD tailgating and camel rides.
One of the best ways to enjoy Cable beach is to enjoy the beautiful sunset while watching a group of camels pass by - one of the best tours in Broome. You will catch breathtaking photos while sipping your drinks as the camels and their riders stroll past.
Broome Camel Safaris
Address: Broome, Western Australia
Price: from 85 USD
Opening Hours: 8am - 8pm. Closed on Sundays.
Duration: around 1 hours required.
Access: Broome Camel Safaris is walking distance from Cable Beach Resort
Contact: +61 419 916 101
Website: Broome Camel Safaris
9. Watch a movie under the stars at Sun Pictures Cinema
Sun Pictures is one of Broome’s local secrets that has an age as old as time. Way before drive-ins and beanbag-laden moonlight cinemas were invented, the al fresco movie was happening in Broome and continues to screen films to this very day.
The oldest open-air cinema in the world, it attracts both locals and tourists keen to enjoy the latest film on deck chairs in historical surroundings. You can choose deck chairs either up the back under the roof, or down front under the stars and enjoy the planes as they sometimes pass low, overhead.
Sun Pictures Garden Cinema
Address: 27 Carnarvon St, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Price: from 17 AUD (13 USD)
Contact: +61 8 9192 1077
Near by Food: Sun Pictures is a cash only venue with a small kiosk that sells popcorn, soft drinks, ice cream etc.
Website: Sun Pictures Garden Cinema
10. Find a staircase to the moon at Roebuck Bay
In this remote outback town of Broome, find a mystical staircase to the moon. “Staircase to the moon” is how locals describe the natural phenomenon that looks like a staircase to the sky when a full moon rises over the exposed tidal flats of Roebuck Bay.
It creates an optical illusion of golden stairs leading to the moon. As you move left or right the staircase appears to follow, and some who witness the event say the effect is like a ladder with rungs of fire. It occurs only 2-3 days a month, between March and October, each year.
During the natural phenomenon, Broome holds the Staircase to the Moon market at Town Beach, where you can sample local produce, buy handmade products, a variety of international food, and enjoy the sounds of local entertainers.
11. Ride the natural wonder of the Horizontal Falls
The Horizontal Falls are a unique experience and a reminder of the incredible power the moon has over the Earth’s oceans and tides. The Horizontal Falls are a fast moving tidal flow through two narrow and closely aligned gorges in the McLarty Range. The direction of the flow reverses with each tidal change and in the Kimberleys, this can reach 10m (33 ft).
The effect is like water falling in a waterfall. It is actually rushing water produced by the ebb and flow of some of the planet’s largest tides.
The morning “adventure” is one way you can experience the falls. You fly from Broome airport on a seaplane that will take you to Talbot Bay. From there, you board a high-speed jet stream boat that goes through the falls. It is like shooting the rapids on a particularly violent river with the water boiling and bubbling as it breaks from what appears to be a mirror-like lake and cascades into Talbot Bay.
The Horizontal Falls are located approximately 270 km (168 miles) from Broome (65 minutes by seaplane) on the edge of Talbot Bay in the Buccaneer Archipelago, north of Derby and northeast of Broome on the Kimberley coastline. The best time to see this is phenomenon is when there is a big difference between high and low tide, so be sure to plan your visit carefully.
Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures
Address: Hangar 14, Gus Winckel Road, Djugun WA 6725, Australia
Price: from 795 AUD (615 USD)
Opening Hours: 8.30am - 5pm. Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Duration: around 6 hours required.
Contact: +61 8 9192 1172
Website: Horizontal Falls Tour
12. Know about the story of pearls at Willie Creek Pearl Farm
When it comes to pearl diving, Broome holds a rich, yet brutal history of human resilience, tragedy, and survival. At Willie Creek Pearl Farm, you will learn about the extensive history of skin diving to get the Pinctada Maxima oysters, the original pearl producers.
Today, marine biologists are able to insert tiny perfect spheres into thousands of oysters and most will produce a pearl in around two years. That’s how today’s local pearl farmers sustain their business without reducing the Pinctada Maxima oyster population.
Willie Creek Pearl Farm
Address: Willie Creek Road, Waterbank WA 6725, Australia
Contact: +61 8 9195 2200
Website: Willie Creek Pearl Farm
13. Follow in dinosaur footsteps at Gantheaume Point
A stretch of white sandy beach and a red rock cliff face, overlooking the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, Gantheaume Point is the place where the red desert literally meets the sea. It’s a 10-minute drive from the town centre of Broome. The spectacular view from the cliff of Gantheaume Point is reached by a short stretch of unpaved road. There you will find parking and an interpretive centre, which showcases the history of the area.
The real local secrets of Gantheaume Point are found when you head past the interpretive centre. There is a well-worn track, which leads to a cast of dinosaur footprints. The real 130 million-year-old dinosaur footprints, preserved in reef rock, can be seen at very low tide at the bottom of the cliff.
Children will love to hunt for the dinosaur footprints in this area. Should you wish to visit, you can contact the Broome Visitor Centre for further information and be aware of Broome’s huge tidal movements. Please note that lifeguards do not patrol Gantheaume Point.
Broome Visitor Centre
Address: 1 Hamersley St, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Opening Hours: 10am - 4pm.
Contact: +61 8 9195 2200
Website: Dinosaur Footprints
14. Feed a baby croc at Malcom Douglas Wilderness Wildlife Park
If you want to get up close and personal with ancient and dangerous saltwater crocodiles, the Malcolm Douglas Wilderness Wildlife Park (better known locally as the croc park) is the right place to go.
The tour starts with a guide holding a tiny baby crocodile in his palm, its snout bound with a black band. Some of the park’s handlers will pass around other little crocodiles for visitors to hold. They are adorable and unexpectedly silky to the touch. Their little claws and even their tiny teeth are cute too!
Once the babies are put away, it is time for a feeding frenzy. Move slowly around the park, where you can choose between the feeding shows and the demonstrations. These surprisingly lazy animals can be lethal when they are hungry. Learn how to recognise the crocs, so you don’t become their dinner.
You can also see lots of other native Australian wildlife, like dingoes, kangaroos and colourful parrots. Take the daily baby crocodile feeding tour and you will have an amazing encounter with these lethal animals.
Malcom Douglas Wilderness Wildlife Park
Address: Broome Rd, Roebuck WA 6725, Australia
Price: from 35 AUD (27 USD)
Opening Hours: 2pm - 5pm. Closed on Christmas day.
Access: It is located only 15 minutes drive from Broome
Contact: +61 8 9193 6580
Website: Crocodile Feeding Tour
Tip from Content Creator
Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park is home to freshwater crocs, saltwater crocs and alligators! All of the crocodiles in the park are either rescued from zoos or dangerous situations! One of the crocs was shot by a copper for swimming in a local creek (luckily, he survived, albeit minus one leg)!
This is definitely a must-do activity in Broome!! If you want to watch their famous crocodile feeding, be aware that it only runs once a day during the wet season!
15. Join a tour of Matso’s Broome Brewery
Matso’s Brewery is Kimberley’s award winning microbrewery and a true Broome local secret. Matso’s Head Brewer loves to combine the finest natural ingredients and traditional time-honored brewing techniques with modern technology, to produce a range of beer styles that - above all else - aims to deliver flavor.
This microbrewery provides a wonderful selection of unique, tropical beers. You can order a taster of their entire range, feast on meals from their fabulous menu or order from the curry hut, situated in the outdoor drinking area. Try the mango beer and the ginger beer - so refreshing!
Matso's Broome Brewery
Address: 60 Hamersley St, Broome WA 6725, Australia
Opening Hours: Open daily until late
Contact: +61 8 9193 5811
Website: Matso’s Broome Brewery
Beautiful and remote
The beautiful remote town of Broome is the perfect destination for those who love to experience an off-the-beaten-track holiday and explore its local secrets.
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