This under-the-radar beach town boasts a multicultural history – but its the warm locals and old-timey charm that keep travellers coming back
PHOTOGRAPHY: @BOYFROMBEYOND
It’s 10AM on a Sunday when I find James Carpenter sitting by the steps of the Broome Courthouse. Nearby, an ancient boab tree rises from the ground, its thick, swollen trunk wide enough to hide a motorbike. The building is one of the oldest in town, completed in 1889 to house the cable station for the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company. Since the 1980s, its grounds have been home to the Broome Courthouse weekend market, and today the air is filled with the aroma of hot Thai dishes, mango smoothies and brewed coffee. Taking my time, I visit stalls that showcase handcrafted jewellery, vibrant textiles, local artwork and even pet food made from camels.
James – 54, big-framed and friendly, wearing a blue cap, long-sleeved shirt and beige shorts and slippers – stands to greet me. The secretary of the Kimberley Arts Network, which organises arts and culture events in the region, James works full-time in the government health sector, though not long ago, he considered starting a hyperlocal newspaper. “I thought I had the time,” he says with a grin. “Turns out I didn’t.”
Still, he’s a natural storyteller. James was born and raised in Perth, lived in London as an adult and has been based in Broome for 18 years now. He knows how to decode everything – the tides, the town, the housing squeeze. We hop into his white 4WD and begin our loop around the beach resort town. We start near Roebuck Bay on the east side and end on the other side of the peninsula, where the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean unfold along Cable Beach and Reddell Beach.
Perched on the northwestern coast of Australia, Broome is closer to Bali than to Sydney. It has long operated on the fringe – geographically and economically – but it’s this peripheral status that has made it unusually resilient. In an era of over-tourism, Broome, with its population of just under 15,000, remains intact, even stubbornly local.
James and I pass Chinatown, the iconic Sun Pictures and then Minyirr Park, a sacred area behind the dunes that was once used by Yawuru women as a birthing site. “There’s a power here,” he says. “Women feel it the most.” The scrubland is thick and alive. The air is soft and dry. And just past the last curve of red road, we arrive at Gantheaume Point, where cliffs the colour of rust plunge into clear blue sea. This dramatic red-rock headland is known for its lighthouse and 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints visible at low tide.
As we jump out of the car, the bush flies are relentless. They stick to the back of James’ shirt, crawl under my spectacles and buzz in my ears. He tells me about the old Aussie saying – no flies off my back – and I try not to laugh as I swat the winged bugs with my hat. “For most of the 20th century,” James says, “Broome was the heart of Australia’s pearling industry.” Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Filipino and Aboriginal workers came to dive for mother-of-pearl shells. Many stayed. “It’s always been a multicultural place – not perfect, but mixed in a way that just… works.” Broome has its own logic – its own rhythm. “We call it Broome time,” James explains. “Things don’t move fast here. But they move eventually. And usually, they move the way they’re meant to.”
Before driving me back to my hotel, James suggests one last stop. We pull into the Broome Fishing Club, perched above the tidal flats near Broome’s port jetty, and order fish sandwich and chips from the Ocean Addict truck parked out front. It’s simple, crispy and perfect. James chats with the guy behind the grill before we get our drinks and wait for our food, enjoying the pristine view of the water. No one’s in a hurry.
Later that afternoon, I head back to Cable Beach to catch the sunset alone. The show is everything I’d heard: camels plodding across the horizon, 4WDs parked like front-row seats, strangers quieted by sky layered in wide, hazy bands of blue, ochre and sand – like a Mark Rothko canvas come to life.
The next morning, Broome Whale Watching picks me up for their snubfin dolphin cruise. Out on the calm waters of Roebuck Bay, we scan the surface for the elusive Australian snubfin – a rare, shy species first identified here in 2005 and previously thought to be an Irrawaddy dolphin. The guides know where to look and soon we spot dorsal fins. These dolphins surface briefly before slipping back into the tide-stirred shallows. Along the way, we pass mangroves and red cliffs, and spot turtles, sea snakes and even a dugong.
In the afternoon, I meet Kim Male at Haven, a modern Australian café in Paspaley Plaza, opened by Melburnians who recently relocated to Broome. It’s just a short walk from Kim’s Chinatown office, and the surrounding area is lined with modest timber buildings clad in corrugated iron, known locally as “Broome houses”. Designed with no gutters – a practical response to the wet season’s intense rainfall – each bears a plaque noting its original occupant and historical significance.
Kim turns 83 this July. He’s sharp, droll and dressed with old-school formality: white short-sleeve shirt with a collar, white shorts, brown soft leather walking shoes, just like the statue of his father that has been erected on Short Street. Joining him is Abby Yang, who works part-time at Yuen Wing General Store, one of Broome’s longest-running family businesses.
Kim’s family has been in Broome since the late 1800s. His great-grandfather came from the south of England and became a member of Parliament for West Australia. Together with his younger brother, he built one of Broome’s first buildings, The Roebuck Bay Hotel, which is still around and is a popular stop for both locals and tourists.
Kim’s storytelling is meandering, but rich with anecdote – the kind you only get from someone who’s seen Broome transform from a roughneck frontier into a polished holiday spot. With his family deeply entrenched in Broome, Kim helped name Shinju Matsuri – the Festival of the Pearl – the annual multicultural festival that began in 1970, and which will be held from 23 August to 7 September this year. “Everyone had a float – the Filipinos, the Malaysians, the Chinese, the Japanese,” he recalls. “It wasn’t just a celebration. It was recognition.”
After coffee, I walk to Yuen Wing General Store, a no-frills shop filled with everything from garden tools to Asian sauces and different kinds of salted plum – a local favourite. The original shop stood next to Sun Pictures before moving to its current location in 1971. “If you want something practical,” says Abby, “this is where you come.” “You go to Yuen Wing if you want Asian supplies or vegetables you can’t find in Coles or Woolies,” adds James. “It’s not flashy, but it’s dependable.”
Later that afternoon, I hop in a car to Reddell Beach. It’s a quiet local favourite with smooth rock outcrops and pale coral sand. There are no camels, no tour groups – just a few locals with ice coolers and folding chairs. The light of sunset is soft and low, the kind that turns even footprints into sculptures.
Before heading home, I make a detour to The Broome Closet, a new cocktail bar on Dampier Terrace in Chinatown. My drink is a tamarind whisky sour: balanced, smoky and unexpected. The crowd is small, a mix of young locals and in-the-know visitors. It’s very Broome – a little mysterious, a little improvised and exactly where you want to be.
On my final day in the shire, I stop by Sun Pictures, the world’s oldest operating open-air cinema, located on Carnarvon Street. First opened in 1916 by the Yamasaki family, the theatre once enforced racial segregation: white patrons in front, Japanese in the middle, others on the sides.
Today, it’s all one garden of fold-out chairs and fairy lights, with the occasional passing plane whizzing by in the distance. Though films are shown only in the evenings, the grounds are open all day. There are two screenings every night and the cinema can seat up to 460 people. It remains a local favourite; Barbie was sold out for two weeks and so was A Minecraft Movie.
That’s when I meet Yukie Barnett, Sun Pictures’ bubbly general manager. Originally from Japan, she moved to Broome over a decade ago and joined Sun Pictures in 2011 – she was the last projectionist before the switch to digital. “I love it here. Everyone is just happy and relaxed. It’s a very magical place,” she says.
Determined to catch yet another stunning Broome sunset, I hop on the bus to Gantheaume Point. I sit on a rock and watch the sun dip; it’s redder, moodier and even more dramatic than the one on Cable Beach, and there’s no music, no crowd, no rush.
That night, I go for something livelier: Matso’s Brewery. Once a general store run by the Matsumoto family, the building is now heritage-listed and home to a breezy microbrewery overlooking Roebuck Bay. Run by second-generation owner and director Martin Peirson-Jones and his sister, Matso’s has been in the family since 2000, starting as an in-house restaurant for Moonlight Bay Suites next door but soon evolving into one of Broome’s popular venues. The original building – constructed in the early 1900s for the Union Bank – has lived many lives. It was relocated twice before landing at its current site in the 1980s, where it narrowly escaped demolition.
The Peirson-Jones opened shop after a cyclone in 2000, and within a few years, turned the operation from extract brewing to a full mash brewery. Matso’s ginger beer and mango beer became so popular with visitors that they eventually partnered with Perth-based Gage Roads Brewing Co to scale production nationwide.
Though the Matso’s brand is now owned by Gage Roads, the Broome venue remains under family ownership and management. “This is still the spiritual home of the brand,” Martin explains.
The menu blends local produce with Asian-influenced flavours without being overly fussy. “We’re not trying to be a gastropub,” says Martin. “It’s more about reliability, consistency and giving people a reason to come back.”
Broome, after all, is a town that changes with the seasons – but somehow remains the same. Matso’s reflects that, staying open, adaptable and rooted in place. By now, I’ve stopped checking the time.
Where to stay in Broome
There’s nothing flashy about Bali Hai Resort on Cable Beach – and that’s precisely the point. In a town where the sunset is the main spectacle and the pace is gloriously unhurried, this resort’s low-rise timber villas blend in rather than shout for attention. That understatement is part of its appeal, especially for return guests who book months in advance for school holidays or festival season.
The villas – spacious and self-contained – are designed with both practicality and privacy in mind. Each comes with a full kitchen, generous living area and, notably, an outdoor shower. For families or groups travelling together, the larger two-bedroom units strike the right balance between togetherness and alone time.
Bali Hai’s day spa, set in a Balinese-style pavilion, is a draw for both guests and Broome locals alike – a rare sign of a resort truly integrated into its community. Treatments are tailored and never rushed, best followed by a languid afternoon at the small but serene pool surrounded by frangipani trees.
It’s a short walk to Cable Beach – just far enough to avoid the noise and traffic
of the camel crowds at sunset. And while their restaurant is open mostly for dinner only, it’s easy to stock up from the local supermarket or head out to one of the neighbourhood favourites nearby.
This isn’t a stay built around spectacle, but around comfort, discretion and repeat visits. For a Broome base that feels more like a well-kept secret than a splashy resort, Bali Hai hits the mark. balihairesort.com
Broome Time Resort, situated on Cable Beach Road East, offers a functional and convenient stay for travellers seeking to explore Broome without the frills of high-end resorts. Positioned between the town centre and Cable Beach, the resort provides easy access to local attractions and amenities.
The resort features 58 self-contained rooms, including studios, family suites and apartments, each equipped with kitchenettes, air conditioning and complimentary Wi-Fi. A simple buffet breakfast adds value for guests looking to start their day without venturing far.
Facilities here cater to both leisure and practicality. Guests can utilise the outdoor pool and children’s wading area or prepare meals at the communal barbecue facilities. The presence of an on-site shop offering essential items and ready-to-cook meals adds to the convenience, especially for those on extended stays.
The resort’s location opposite the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre and proximity to public transport makes it a strategic choice for visitors aiming to explore Broome’s offerings. Its straightforward approach appeals to travellers prioritising functionality and accessibility over opulence. broometimeaccommodation.com.au
