van wyk journeys October 16th, 2019 – Broome, Plus 30C no wind
Often called “the pearl of NorthWest Australia,” this coastal gem is a treasure box full of surprises. Once a leader in the pearling industry, Broome wears its history well in the lovely 19th-century building that dots the city. Learn the secrets of how beautiful cultured pearls are produced with a visit to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm.
But pearls aren’t the only riches Broome possesses. Walk in the footprints of 130 -million-year-old dinosaurs at Gantheaume Point. Mount a “ship of the desert” (camel) for a ride along turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. For adventures by land and sea, Broome is a city like no other in Australia.
So goes the description on the Sea Princess Patters front cover the day we docked in Broome. Like other seaport stops, we had not booked a tour for Broome as we found that none were really of interest and we also found the pricing was a little high for what was being offered.
Instead, like so many other passengers, we chose to get onto a shuttle bus taking us to the city center as we could not walk the pier as it was a working pier. Once in town, we found ourselves in an area of town with many stands geared towards tourists. At the same time, we were to understand that Broome was rather spread-out and looking over the map we were given confirmed that. Plus, it was 30C and that in itself convinced us that an airconditioned bus was the way to go.
This is a bare sample of the history that can be experienced in and around Broome. Cable Beach (named after the undersea cable laid between Broome and Java) is nearby and its white sand beaches can be explored atop a camel, which is considered a must-do. As our stay is short making many other local activities a thing to do on another visit in the future. The departure of the ship is highly dependant on timing the tides as like Darwin there is a significant difference in high and low tides.
White sandy beaches, rich red-orange earth, and sand combined with a vivid deep aqua ocean and sky are viewed from the decks of the Sea Princess.
