Broome

Introduction

Cable Beach

© Degolasse

Broome, located in the Kimberley region, is a popular tourist and pearling town in Western Australia. During the summer months it swells with visitors from the colder parts of Australia.

Sights and Activities

• Cable Beach is a 22.5-kilometre-long white sandy beach. The camel rides at sunset are particularly popular with tourists.
• The Broome Bird Observatory allows visitors to study the migratory birds that stop by here.
• Willie Creek Pearl Farm is situated 38 kilometres north of Broome, with the creek providing a growing environment for the Pinctada maxima oyster which produces South Sea Pearls. The farm is open to the public, with information about the pearling industry provided, and a cruise on Willie Creek to view the pearl farming operations.

Events and Festivals

Staircase to the Moon - From March until October the phenomenon called Staircase to the Moon occurs, due to the full moon rising and reflecting off the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide, which creates the illusion of stairs reaching to the moon.

Weather

The winter months of May to November are dry and have a fairly consistent average maximum temperature of around 30 °C. These are the popular months to visit. During the sweltering summer months from December to March, the average maximum temperature reaches 35 °C and is accompanied by high humidity and erratic tropical downfalls. Most visitors stay away from Broome during this time.

Getting There

By Plane

Broome International Airport (BME) provides links to Perth, Darwin, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney as well as several smaller regional towns. Qantas, Virgin Australia, Skywest and Air North are the main carriers.

By Car

Travelling from Perth, drivers can either take the Great Northern Highway, inland road through Newman or the North West Coastal Highway via Carnarvon and Karratha. Be aware that the trip is over 2,000 kilometres.

By Bus

There is a daily Greyhound service to/from Darwin and Perth.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

There is a bus service (Town Bus Service) operating seven days a week connecting Cable Beach with the main Broome town.

Eat

• Aarli Bar, 2/6 Hamersley St, ☎ +61 8 9192-5529. 8:00am to midnight. For great tapas and pizzas, just across from the Courthouse Market area.
• Asian Noodle, Out the front of Broome Boulevarde Shopping Centre. For when you just want a takeaway stir fry, fried rice or laksa. Or spaghetti carbonara for some unknown reason.
• Azuki, 15 Napier Terrace. 11:00am-2:30pm, 5:30-9:00pm, closed Saturday and Sunday. Fir Japanese fusion near Chinatown.
• Café D'Amore. Hidden away in a residential area, good Italian food and wood fired pizza.
• Divers Tavern, 12 Cable Beach Road West. 11AM-12AM. For standard pub fare at the bar or some more interesting offerings in the Bistro out the back.
• Kool Spot Cafe Restaurant, 2, 12 Carnarvon St. Fancy café food in Chinatown.
• Matsos Brewery, 60 Hamersley St, ☎ +61 8 9193-5811. 07:00-22:00. For great boutique beers and gastro pub food with excellent tasting plates.
• Ra Ra's Cafe, 26 Dampier Tce. A friendly café with everything from laksa to burritos on the menu.
• Rambutan, Cable Beach Club. At the Cable Beach Club - pricey but lovely Thai food by the Beach Club's pool.
• Selene Brasserie, 10 Murray St, Cable Beach, ☎ +61 8 9193-8388. For Mediterranean, Middle Eastern food by the pool.
• Wharf Restaurant, 401 Port Drive, ☎ +61 8 9192-5700. Fresh fish restaurant with great views across the bay - it's a fair way out of town but worth the effort. Eat in, or grab some takeaway and head around to the beach at Entrance Point to watch the sunset.

Sleep

• Moonlight Bay Suites, 51 Carnarvon st, ☎ +61 8 9195-5200. Broome, Right on Roebuck Bay, this place is spectacular. Fully self contained suites situated on massive manicured gardens, massive lagoon pool, and day spa facilities.
• Broome Blue Marine Eco Tours and Accommodation. Funky spacious luxury self contained accommodation in a secluded Broome location which suits couples or independent travelers who are on a tight budget.
• Cable Beach Backpackers, 12 Sanctuary Road, ☎ +61 8 9193-5511. A good spot, the only hostel close to cable beach. But make sure you book beds in advance (especially the one 7 bed dorm!), as the staff have a habit of overbooking and you'll end up sleeping in the garden at the back of the hostel. There's a small pool there, and a chaotic kitchen.
• Cable Beach Club Resort. Right on cable beach, this place is famous. Great kids club, pool scene, and chilled adults only swimming pool. You will have to save up to stay here though.
• Mercure Broom, ☎ +61 8 9195-5900. On Roebuck Bay (1km from the town centre), positioned in tropical gardens and set between red desert and azure sea. Recently refurbished, features 136 rooms, plus a restaurant, two bars and a swimming pool.
• Oaks Broome, 99 Robinson Street, ☎ +61 7 3246 1717, e-mail: broome@theoaksgroup.com.au. Check-in: 2:00pm, check-out: 10:00am. This property, offering long and short stays, is located near Cable Beach and is a short distance from the airport. Consists of on-site restaurant and bar, two swimming pools and offer free parking and laundry service.
• Oaks Cable Beach Sanctuary, 1 Lullfitz Drive, Cable Beach, ☎ +61 7 3246 1718, e-mail: cablesanctuary@theoaksgroup.com.au. Check-in: 2:00pm, check-out: 10:00am. This resort contains 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments and suites. Facilities include four swimming pools plus a kid’s pool, sun deck, restaurant and bar.

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are very common in the larger Australian cities and popular tourist destinations. However, once you leave the major population centres, you might have trouble finding somewhere to log on. Free wifi is getting more and more common (either with or without a code) in places like restaurants, some bars and coffee places and hotels. Sometimes a fee is required.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Australia is on a GSM 900/1800 network, so if you have an unlocked phone that works on those frequencies, you will be able to buy a prepaid SIM-card and stick into your phone when you're in Australia. You will receive a new Australian phone number with the SIM-card.

To dial out of Australia use the prefix 0011, followed by the calling code of the country you are trying to reach, followed by the area code of the city/town (without the 0!) and finally the phone number.

Within Australia, it is necessary to add an area code to the phone numbers if you are calling from outside the area. Below are Australia's area codes:

• 02 - New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory (Sydney, Canberra)
• 03 - Victoria & Tasmania (Melbourne, Hobart)
• 07 - Queensland (Brisbane)
• 08 - Western Australia, South Australia & Northern Territory (Perth, Adelaide, Darwin)

000 is the emergency telephone number in Australia, but the international GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112 also works on mobile phones.

Post

Australia Post is the government's postal service. Most suburbs will have at least one post office. Opening times are mostly from around 8:00 or 9:00am to 5:00pm though larger ones keep longer hours sometimes. A standard letter or postcard sent within Australia will cost $0.60. Internationally, it costs $1.70 to send postcards anywhere in the world. Letters cost $1.85 to send within the Asia Pacific region and $2.60 to anywhere else in the world.^[1]. It is also possible to send things as parcels or by express mail. You can also use use private courier companies like TNT, UPS or DHL as they are competitive and reliable.

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