You can’t go to Western Australia and not visit Broome.
Broome was originally founded in the late 1800’s and is a very historical town based on pearl farming. There is some restored and preserved history in the town such as the Streeter’s Jetty. It is a cross between a picturesque beach haven and a small country town which happens to be on the water.
The water is a beautiful, magnificent stretch of water. There is the famous Cable Beach which is 22 kms of pristine white sand and lovely clear water. It is here that you can do the just as famous camel beach walks.
There is also a magnificent phenomenon at Gantheaume Point where there are amazing rock formations as well as being the home to original dinosaur footprints. We unfortunately didn’t get to see these as they are only visible at tides lower than 2.16m and the lowest tide we experienced was a 2.83m. But these footprints are over 120 million years old. But there is a plaster cast of the tracks that has been embedded at the top of the cliff. From the replica of the footprints you can also see Anastasia’s pool which is a small pool carved from rock for a former lighthouse keeper’s arthritic wife many years ago.
If you chat to the locals too they will happily pass across directions to their local beach which you can be forgiven for thinking you are in some exotic tropical island location…the water is so crystal clear and the blues and aqua’s are spectacular and the beach itself is deserted and you feel like you are in your own little oasis.
Now while Broome has spectacular beaches and some lovely spots it is a small town. There are only a few places to eat aside from resorts (and the MacDonald’s and Eagle Boys which seem to make it to most places!). Suggestions for a decent meal would be Divers Tavern and/or Matso’s Brewery where they brew their own beer. There are a few places that offer water views….one is the Sunset Bar and Grill which is a part of the Cable Beach resort and another is on the waterfront of Cable Beach itself called Zanders but we never ate at either. Another place worth a visit, or so we are told, is the Cable Beach General store and cafe.
Beware…. of what I call the ‘bitties’…either mosquitoes or sandflies but they are vicious here so bring good spray to keep them away.
Also a must do is the Sun Pictures which is THE oldest operating open-air picture gardens in the WORLD…but don’t forget the bug spray here too. A family with 2 kiddies was $55 for the movie and it is a great outing.