Broome, Western Australia, AustraliaMarch 22: Cruising Indian Ocean
A tropical depression is affecting the weather. Temperature 84; wind 25-30 mph; 10' swells. Lots of rain all afternoon.
March 24: BROOME
Looking forward to seeing this small town in the far northwest famous for the pearling industry, Cable Beach, and its Indian Ocean sunsets.
Town Center--Ship provided shuttle to the main shopping precinct--Chinatown with all the pearl shops. Visitor Center for maps and public bus schedule. Pearl Information Center very interesting with exhibits of different kinds of pearls from around the world. Nice shopping center across from Visitor Center.
Carnarvon Street--enjoyable walk from town south admiring the views along the way. A huge Boab Tree is by the entrance to the city's original police lockup. The tree was planted in 1897 by Broome's first police officer. Great views along the walk of Roebuck Bay.
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Matso's, a local brewrey, for lunch. Neat place with good food. Bus stop right outside; heading for Cable Beach.
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Cable Beach--"A long stretch of white sand set against a backdrop of red ochre cliffs;" famous for its sunsets. "A telegraph undersea cable was laid from Broome to Singapore, connecting to England in 1889; hence the name Cable Beach."
Very windy today with big waves. It's low tide and the intricate patterns in the sand are everywhere. They are made by the Sand Bubbler Crab, tiny crustaceans that sift through the sand searching for food. "They are expert sand sculptors whose beautiful sand sphere creations are quite unintentionally artful." First time seeing this--remarkable!
Lots of neat looking pink rocks and tide pools. Saw the people getting ready for camel ride at the north end of the beach; don't envy them with this blowing sand. Great place to explore and photograph the many colors that make up this rugged coast.
No sunset tonight; nothing but clouds.
2025-05-23