Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
it's open from 9am to 4pm in the Dry (Apr-Sept), and from 9am to 1pm in the
Wet (Oct-Mar).
Book hotels and tours well in advance of the peak June-through-August season.
GETTING AROUND Avis
(
&
08/9193 5980),
Broome Broome Car
Rentals
(
&
1800/676 725 in Western Australia, or 08/9192 2210),
Budget
(
&
08/9193 5355),
Europcar
(
&
08/9193 7788), and
Hertz
(
&
08/9192 1428)
all rent conventional cars and four-wheel-drives. Hertz also rents camping-gear
kits and car-top tents that affix to the larger four-wheel-drives. Among the motor-
home companies are
Apollo Motorhome Holidays
(
&
08/9192 3087) and
Britz
(
&
08/9192 2647).
The
Town Bus Service
(
&
08/9193 6585
) does an hourly loop of most
attractions starting at 7:10am and finishing at 6:35pm daily. Tours depart every
half-hour from June to mid-September. A single fare is A$2.70 (US$1.75), and
a day pass is A$8.50 (US$5.50).
Broome Taxis
(
&
08/9192 1133
) operates the airport shuttle; book ahead if
you want a transfer to your hotel door. For a cab call
Roebuck Taxis
(
&
1800/
880 330
).
Several coach or four-wheel-drive companies run a variety of day tours of the
town, plus trips of a day or several days to natural attractions farther afield like
Windjana and Geikie Gorges, Tunnel Creek, and the Dampier Peninsula
(described in “Beyond Broome,” below).
WHAT TO SEE & DO
Head to
Chinatown,
in the town center on Carnarvon Street and Dampier Ter-
race, when you arrive to get a feel for the town. It's not all that Chinese anymore,
but most shops, cafes, and galleries are here.
Probably the most popular dry season pastime is lazing on the 22km (14
miles) of glorious, white sandy
Cable Beach
. The beach is 6km (3
3
⁄
4
miles)
out of town; the bus runs there regularly. A beach hut near Cable Beach Club
Resort Broome (see “Where to Stay & Dine,” below) rents beach and water-
sports equipment in the Dry. In the Wet, about November through April, the
water is off-limits due to marine stingers—it's incredibly frustrating! Crocodiles,
on the other hand, do not like surf, so you should be safe swimming here. Go
to the beach for at least one of the magnificent sunsets in the Dry, when the sun
sinks into the sea behind the romantic outlines of pearling luggers.
A novel way to experience the beach is on a camel ride. Several outfits operate;
the most popular time is at sunset as the sun drops over the ocean. A 1-hour sun-
set ride with
Red Sun Camel Safaris
(
&
08/9193 7423
) costs A$33 (US$21)
adults, A$22 (US$14) kids 11 to 16, and A$11 (US$7.15) kids 6 to 10. Kids
under 6 pay A$10 (US$6.50), but they must ride with an adult.
Four-time state surf champ
Josh Palmateer
(
&
0418/958 264
) gives 2-hour
surf lessons on the beach through July and August for A$80 (US$52) per person,
or A$40 (US$26) per person for two. He supplies the boards and the wet suits,
and the lessons are great fun.
Don't miss the
Pearl Luggers
, 31 Dampier Terrace (
&
08/9192 2059
). A
75-minute session includes a look over two restored Broome pearling luggers, a
browse through a small pearling museum, and a riveting and hilarious talk about
pearl diving by former pearl divers, including Richard “Salty” Baillieu. Salty is so
entertaining it's worth timing your visit for the days he's on duty. Admission is
A$17 (US$11) adults, A$15 (US$9.75) seniors and students, A$9 (US$5.85) kids
8 to 17. The attraction is open from 9am to 5pm May through October, and from
