Broome
Rubibi
Pearling Port at the Edge of the Kimberley
On the lands of the Yawuru people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Apr 2026
On the remote Kimberley coast in Australia's far north-west, Broome is famous for the long red sands of Cable Beach, the pearling history of its multicultural Chinatown, and the dramatic 'Staircase to the Moon' tidal phenomenon.
Broome was founded in the 1880s as a pearling port and quickly became one of the most multicultural towns in colonial Australia. Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Filipino, and Aboriginal pearl divers and lugger crews built a community that still defines the town's character. Chinatown, the historic old town centre, has restored pearling masters' houses, the open-air Sun Pictures (the world's oldest still-operating outdoor cinema, established 1916), and several pearling museums.
Cable Beach is 22 kilometres of red Pindan cliffs giving way to white sand and turquoise water. Sunset camel rides along the beach, run since 1987, are the most photographed activity in town. Vehicles are allowed on the northern end of the beach during the dry season.
Gantheaume Point, at the southern end, has 130 million year old dinosaur footprints visible at low tide. The Staircase to the Moon is a tidal optical illusion where the rising full moon reflects off the exposed mudflats of Roebuck Bay between March and October, creating what looks like a staircase climbing into the night sky.
Broome is the gateway to the Kimberley region, including Horizontal Falls, the Bungle Bungles, the Mitchell Plateau, and the Gibb River Road. The dry season (May to October) is the only sensible time to visit. Wet season closes much of the surrounding country.
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- MK-07628-33 Gantheaume Point (Broome).jpg · Martin Kraft · CC BY-SA 3.0
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