The Australian town of Broome was founded as an operating base for pearl fishers. Nowadays tourism plays the main part: it's a popular tourist destination for Australians, at least during dry season (from May until September). The snowy white beaches in the vicinity on the crystal-clear, turquoise sea form the main attraction.
Broome has 15,000 inhabitants, but the population density strongly increases during tourist season when three times as many people stay in or around town.
Broome is located in the northwest of Australia, on Roebuck Bay. Nearby lies the wonderful, white sandy Cable Beach which stretches out for more than 20 kilometers until the mouth of Willie Creek. East of this beach lies the coastal reserve Minyirr Park.
Broome has its roots in pearl fishing. Around 1900 no less than 400 fishing boats harvested pearls from the sea. Often this work was done (mostly forced) by Aboriginals. In the twenties of the last century pearl fishing was taken over by the Japanese and after World War II the pearling industry had practically disappeared. Nowadays Broome mainly depends on tourism.
Broome Airport is situated between the northern part of the city center and the suburbs further north. The airport is easily reachable by rental car. From the center you take Hamersley Street which turns into Broome Road. The exit to the airport entrance is clearly signposted on this road.
There's a regular bus connection between Broome's center (and Chinatown) and several places along Cable Beach.
Australians love their cars and Broome is perfectly equipped for it. You will have no problem finding your way around and parking your rental car is no problem either. Cable Beach is over 20 kilometers long and you can drive across the beach, to find a completely private spot for example. It goes without saying that the beach nearby Broome is busiest; the further away, the less people.
You'll find several accommodations in and around Broome, but most tourists choose a hotel or resort nearby Cable Beach, the town's main attraction. We recommend booking your accommodation well in advance if you want to visit Broome during the tourist season.
For more information about Broome, we recommend Google and the following sources: