Broome is the kind of town that gets under your skin. It’s remote — genuinely remote, located on the edge of the Kimberley in Western Australia’s far north-west, more than 2,200 kilometres from Perth — but once you’ve been, you understand immediately why people keep going back. Cable Beach. The pearl history. The extraordinary light. The laid-back pace of life at the meeting point of the Indian Ocean and the ancient red landscape of the Kimberley.
Broome was once the pearl capital of the world, producing over 80% of the world’s mother-of-pearl shell at its peak in the early twentieth century. That history — with its mix of Aboriginal, Japanese, Malay, and European cultures — gives Broome a unique character that sets it apart from anywhere else in Australia. Add in one of Australia’s most famous beaches, crocodile country, dinosaur footprints, and some of the most dramatic tidal phenomena on the planet, and you have a destination that deserves far more than the brief visit most travellers give it.
Here’s everything you need to know about what to do in Broome.
📋 TL;DR — the quick version
- 🏖️ Cable Beach is the main event: 22km of perfect white sand with legendary sunsets and camel rides.
- 🌙 Staircase to the Moon: a natural phenomenon where the full moon reflects off tidal mudflats — only visible a few nights per month, March to October.
- 🦕 Dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point: 130 million year old sauropod tracks exposed at low tide.
- 🐊 Crocodile Park: get up close with saltwater crocodiles at the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park.
- 💎 Pearl farms: tour a working pearl farm and learn about Broome’s extraordinary pearl history.
- 🌡️ Visit May–October: the dry season — warm, beautiful, and free of the wet season’s oppressive humidity and marine stingers.
- 🛶 Kimberley cruises: Broome is the gateway to some of Australia’s wildest coastline — consider a multi-day cruise.
🏖️ Cable Beach — Broome’s iconic stretch of sand
Cable Beach is not just one of the best beaches in Western Australia — it’s one of the best beaches in the world, and it genuinely lives up to the hype. Stretching 22 kilometres along the Indian Ocean coast just north-west of Broome town, Cable Beach combines fine white sand with turquoise water and a backdrop of red pindan cliffs and ancient pandanus trees. The beach is so long that even during the peak dry season, it never feels crowded — you can walk for twenty minutes and find yourself completely alone.
The sunsets at Cable Beach are legendary. The beach faces directly west over the Indian Ocean, which means you get a completely unobstructed view as the sun drops towards the horizon, turning the sky through every shade of orange, red, and pink. The camel trains — strings of camels carrying tourists along the waterline as the sun sets — are a Broome institution, and while they sound touristy, riding a camel into a Cable Beach sunset is genuinely one of Australia’s most memorable experiences. Book in advance during the dry season as spots fill up quickly.
The beach is divided into two zones. The southern section, near the Cable Beach Club resort, is pedestrian-only and is where most visitors congregate. The northern section allows 4WD vehicles on the sand and is popular with locals for fishing and more private beach time. Between October and May, marine stingers (including box jellyfish) can be present — check signage and consider wearing a stinger suit or sticking to the pool.
👉 Book Cable Beach camel rides and Broome sunset tours on GetYourGuide →
🌙 The Staircase to the Moon
The Staircase to the Moon is one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles, and it’s unique to Broome and a few other locations along the Kimberley and Pilbara coast. The phenomenon occurs when a full moon rises over the Roebuck Bay mudflats at extremely low tide, creating a shimmering optical illusion of a golden staircase rising from the mudflats to the moon. It lasts about an hour and is genuinely breathtaking.
The Staircase to the Moon occurs on three consecutive nights each month during the full moon phase, from March to October. The best viewing spot is Town Beach, where the Broome Courthouse Markets are held on Staircase nights — food stalls, local art, and the natural spectacle combine to make this one of Broome’s most atmospheric events. Check the Broome Visitor Centre website for exact dates well in advance and plan your trip around them if you can.
Worth adding to your itinerary: Things to Do on Rottnest Island.
🦕 Dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point
About 6 kilometres south of Cable Beach, Gantheaume Point is a dramatic headland where red pindan cliffs meet the turquoise sea — one of the most photogenic spots in Broome and worth visiting for the scenery alone. But the real attraction here, visible at very low tide, are 130 million year old sauropod dinosaur footprints embedded in the sandstone reef. These are among the largest dinosaur footprints ever found — the tracks of enormous plant-eating dinosaurs that walked through what is now the Kimberley coastline during the Cretaceous period.
The footprints are only exposed a few times per year when extremely low tides coincide with daylight hours. Check tide tables before visiting — you’ll need a very low tide (below 0.3 metres) to see the actual tracks. When the tide is too high, a plaster cast of the footprints is displayed near the car park. Even without the dinosaur tracks, Gantheaume Point is a magnificent spot at any tide — the colours of the cliffs against the water are extraordinary, and the reef visible at low tide is home to abundant marine life.
💎 Explore Broome’s pearl history
Broome’s pearl history is one of Australia’s most fascinating stories. At the height of the pearling industry in the early 1900s, Broome was home to over 400 lugger boats and produced most of the world’s mother-of-pearl shell. The industry drew workers from Japan, Malaya, the Philippines, China, and the Aboriginal communities of the Kimberley, creating a multicultural community unlike anything else in Australia. Over 700 Japanese pearl divers are buried in Broome’s Japanese Cemetery — a moving reminder of the human cost of the industry.
- Willie Creek Pearl Farm. Located about 38 kilometres north of Broome (4WD recommended), Willie Creek is a working pearl farm where you can take a guided tour to learn how Pinctada maxima oysters produce the famous South Sea pearls that Broome is known for. You’ll see the pearl seeding process, the oyster baskets in the creek, and the harvesting and grading of finished pearls. Tours include a boat ride on the creek in a pristine mangrove environment. Highly recommended.
- Chinatown and Dampier Terrace. Broome’s historic Chinatown precinct dates back to the pearling era and still retains a wonderful atmospheric quality. The Sun Pictures outdoor cinema — built in 1916 and claimed to be the world’s oldest operating outdoor picture garden — shows films nightly in a garden setting that’s uniquely Broome. Walk Dampier Terrace to see the heritage pearling buildings and visit the pearl jewellery galleries.
- Broome Historical Museum. A surprisingly excellent museum housed in a heritage building that tells the story of Broome’s pearling industry, multicultural history, and the Japanese air attacks on the town during World War II. Free entry, worth about an hour of your time.
🐊 Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park
The Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, located a few kilometres outside Broome, is home to over 1,000 saltwater and freshwater crocodiles and offers a genuinely educational and impressive close-up experience with these ancient reptiles. Malcolm Douglas was one of Australia’s most famous wildlife filmmakers and conservationists, and the park he established continues his legacy of respectful wildlife interaction.
The highlight is feeding time — typically in the late afternoon — when rangers feed the park’s large saltwater crocodiles from elevated walkways. Watching a 4-metre saltwater crocodile lunge from the water to take a piece of meat is an experience that makes very clear why these animals are so dangerous, and so extraordinary. The park also has other native wildlife including wombats, echidnas, and various reptiles. Allow about two hours for a full visit.
🛶 Day trips and tours from Broome
🚁 Helicopter flight over the Kimberley coast
One of the best ways to appreciate the extraordinary scale and beauty of the Kimberley coastline around Broome is from the air. Helicopter flights over Cable Beach, Gantheaume Point, and the red pindan cliffs give you a perspective that’s impossible to get any other way. Several operators offer flights ranging from 15-minute scenic circuits to 90-minute expeditions over the wider Kimberley coast. Expensive, but genuinely unforgettable.
🌊 Horizontal Falls cruise
The Horizontal Falls in Talbot Bay — about 260 kilometres north-east of Broome — are one of Australia’s most extraordinary natural phenomena. Tidal water is forced through two narrow gorges at high speed, creating what looks like a waterfall lying on its side. Sir David Attenborough called it one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Day trips from Broome typically involve a seaplane flight to the falls, a jet boat ride through the gorges, and a scenic cruise around the Buccaneer Archipelago — it’s a big-ticket day out, but absolutely worth it.
👉 Book Broome day tours and Kimberley experiences on GetYourGuide →
🌄 Roebuck Bay — wildlife and birdwatching
Roebuck Bay, on Broome’s eastern side, is one of the most important shorebird habitats in Australia. During the northern migration season (July to October), hundreds of thousands of migratory birds — including bar-tailed godwits, red-necked stints, and great knots — rest on the bay’s mudflats before continuing their journey to Siberia and Alaska. It’s a genuinely astonishing spectacle for birdwatchers and casual nature lovers alike.
Town Beach on Roebuck Bay is the best spot for the Staircase to the Moon and also worth visiting at low tide for the sheer scale of the exposed mudflats and the wildlife they attract — including saltwater crocodiles that occasionally venture into the bay. The walking path along the foreshore connects several lookout points and is an excellent place to watch the sunset on evenings when Cable Beach is too crowded.
🌡️ When to visit Broome
Broome has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons. The dry season (May to October) is the best time to visit. Temperatures are warm and pleasant (highs of 25-30°C), humidity is low, the sky is consistently blue, and almost all of the town’s attractions and tours are operating. This is also when Cable Beach is at its most beautiful and the Staircase to the Moon is occurring.
The wet season (November to April) brings high humidity, frequent heavy rain, extreme heat (temperatures regularly exceed 40°C), and marine stingers in the water. Many tour operators close or reduce services during this period. However, the landscape is transformed by the rain — the pindan earth turns vivid red against lush green growth, and dramatic lightning storms over the Indian Ocean are genuinely spectacular. If you’re visiting in the wet season, come prepared and manage your expectations.
💡 Practical tips for visiting Broome
- Book accommodation early. Broome has limited accommodation and the dry season gets busy, especially around major events like the Staircase to the Moon nights and the Broome races. Book three to six months in advance if you’re visiting between June and September.
- Getting there: Broome Airport has direct flights from Perth (about 2.5 hours), and seasonal flights from other capital cities. Driving from Perth takes about 22 hours via the North West Coastal Highway — a serious undertaking only for those who want to explore the coast en route.
- Hire a 4WD. Many of Broome’s best experiences — the northern section of Cable Beach, Willie Creek Pearl Farm, and exploring beyond the town limits — require a capable 4WD. Several hire companies operate at Broome Airport.
- Carry cash. Some of Broome’s markets, smaller operators, and the Staircase to the Moon food stalls are cash-only. ATMs are available in the town centre.
Exploring more of Western Australia, read our guides to greyhound Australia bus pass, best hostels in Australia, coasteering Australia, canyoning Australia, and paragliding Australia.
