Broome Tours and Travel tips

Japanese Cemetery
The Japanese Cemetery at Broome (which is the largest Japanese cemetery in Australia) dates back to the very early pearling days and bears witness to the close ties Japan established with Broome in the early twentieth century. The first recorded interment in this cemetery is 1896. Literally hundreds of young Japanese divers died either from the bends (divers paralysis) or from drowning. A large stone obelisk in the cemetery recalls those who were drowned at sea in the 1908 cyclone. The cyclones of 1887 and 1935 each caused the deaths of at least 140 men.

To give some idea of the scale of deaths resulting from the bends it is worth noting that the cemetery has the graves of 33 men who died of divers paralysis in 1914. There are 707 graves (919 people) with most of them having unusual headstones of coloured beach rocks. The cemetery which has been immaculately restored is on Port Drive on the way out to Cable Beach.

The red cliffs near Broome
If you continue driving south along Port Drive and turn west onto a dirt road just before the BP fuel depot you have an opportunity to inspect one of the wonders of Broome. At Riddell Point, Red Hill and along the beachfront from the jetty to Gantheaume Point the distinctive red soils of Broome (known as 'pindan'] meet the white sands and the impossibly blue seas. The interplay of these three colours is one of the most unusual and dramatic sights to be seen anywhere in Australia.

Broome Crocodile Park
There are a number of sites of particular interest to the visitor to Broome. Among the more significant are the Broome Crocodile Park on Cable Beach Road near the Cable Beach Resort. The brainchild of well known adventurer and wildlife documentary maker, Malcolm Douglas, it has been established as a research station as well as a place where the public can be educated about the dangers of crocodiles. The crocodiles in the park are predominantly 'problem' animals which have been transported from all over northern Western Australia.

Cable Beach Resort
The $55 million Cable Beach Resort with its manicured lawns, slightly oriental architecture, and feeling of opulence is an example of a rich man's fantasy. Built by Lord McAlpine it has become a popular tourist resort particularly as it fronts on to Cable Beach which has the reputation, not entirely justified, of being the most beautiful beach in Western Australia.

Broome Historical Museum
Visitors interested in exploring the remnants of the history of the town should start and the Broome Historical Museum in Saville Street at the southern end of Dampier Terrace which has an excellent range of memorabilia relating the town's pearling past. The Broome Heritage Trail brochure is an excellent guide to some of the town's more unusual historical attractions.

Sun Pictures outdoor Cinema
One of the most interesting is the Sun Pictures building in Carnarvon Street which was built in 1916. Thought to be the oldest open air cinema in the world it is now operated by broome locals. It showed silent movies until 1933. It still operates and is a pleasant and unusual way to spend an evening in Broome.

Streeter old pearling Jetty
The jetty was named after Edwin William Streeter, the owner of the adjacent land and operator of the business that used the jetty. It was built in the late 1890s and was used to moor pearling luggers. The jetty was thought to have been rebuilt in 1946 and reconstructed in 1966, but deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. Following extensive lobbying in 1998 from the community and vested interest groups, the Shire of Broome convinced Paspaley Pearls Pty Ltd to relinquish ownership and allow control of the jetty to pass to the shire.

Eighty Mile Beach
Eighty Mile Beach the site of the 1887 cyclone, one of the most famous disasters to the Broome pearling fleet, lies some 50 km south of the Sandfire Roadhouse. In 1887 the length of the beach was littered with bodies (140 men were killed by the cyclone) and debris washed up from the battered fleet. Today it is one of the area's tropical delights. Its blindingly white sands and intense blue seas are quite breathtaking. The beach stretches off to the horizon in both directions and there is an excellent caravan park nestled in behind the sand dunes.