Today we got off the ship for a few hours, we had pre-booked a short bus tour prior to leaving home with a local company called Broome & Around and the tour was called Broome Port Panoramic Sightseeing Adventure. Google research showed very little in the area other than some remarkable scenery and with it being a Sunday we decided to do a quick tour of the area then walk around the town. Last night we received a flyer with the Princess Patter telling us no private tours would be able to pick us up from the jetty which was not correct.
Broome & Around pay a fee to be allowed onto the jetty and we anticipated a bit of a fight to get off without a shuttle ticket but in the end it wasn’t an issue and we were soon on our way to our first stop which was a headland called Gantheaume Point. We were there for around 15 minutes and viewed some amazing looking colours and rock formations.
Our next stop was Cable Beach which again was a long stretch of white sands. We were given a quick talk about how the area evolved along with how it got it’s name which was after the telegraph cable laid between Broome and Java in 1889.
The area was developed in the 1970’s by British gentleman called Lord Robert McAlpine who recognised the potential of making it a tourist destination which is exactly what he did. There is a statue of him on the lawn in front of the beach in recognition of his services to the region.
The next was a very quick stop to view a Japanese cemetery, they have their own graveyard because there was an influx of Japanese from the 1880s to the 1960s, seeking work in its pearl shell industry for which Broome is famous.
One last stop at Town Beach before being dropped off at China Town in Broome. 2 ½ hours was just about right for this quick look at the region and after walking around Broome for a similar time we caught the shuttle back to the ship for a quick bite to eat and a dip in the pool.
It was a lot warmer than forecast today and speaking to a few Aussie passengers, northern areas of Australia are experiencing higher than average temperatures and Mount Wellington in the south had an inch of snow. It’s not a happy planet at the moment that’s for sure.
Fitbit Steps 14,826
I have to ask…what’s up with the silhouette statues (the ones with the planes on the ground)? Did that have something to with the Japanese population?
Easier to post a link to a good explanation
It’s called 9 Zeros – 9 Stories
https://www.sobroome.com.au/whats-up-broome/broome-air-raid-80-years-on