Broome & the Kimberley

The long-time pearling center of Broome has an enviable location at the edge of beautiful Roebuck Bay, literally miles from anywhere on the wild northern coast of Western Australia. To the northeast of this vivacious town rises the Kimberley plateau. This is one of Australia’s greatest wilderness areas, its remote ranges riven by dramatic gorges and its southern boundary dusted by the Great Sandy Desert. Acquaint yourself with Broome’s idiosyncratic nature by wandering the streets of Chinatown, where entrepreneurs and artists alike have set up shop. Fronting the Indian Ocean is Cable Beach, a dazzling sweep of sand where fiery sunsets light ...

The long-time pearling center of Broome has an enviable location at the edge of beautiful Roebuck Bay, literally miles from anywhere on the wild northern coast of Western Australia. To the northeast of this vivacious town rises the Kimberley plateau. This is one of Australia’s greatest wilderness areas, its remote ranges riven by dramatic gorges and its southern boundary dusted by the Great Sandy Desert. Acquaint yourself with Broome’s idiosyncratic nature by wandering the streets of Chinatown, where entrepreneurs and artists alike have set up shop. Fronting the Indian Ocean is Cable Beach, a dazzling sweep of sand where fiery sunsets light up the sky. From here, visit the Indigenous communities of the Dampier Peninsula — take your four-wheel-drive all the way to the spectacular tip of Cape Leveque. Inland down the Great Northern Highway lies the magnificent Geike Gorge, carved out of limestone by the Fitzroy River and best admired from the deck of a cruise boat. Farther down the highway is Purnululu (the Bungle Bungle range), famous for its striped rock domes and lovely swimming holes.

About the Expert

Paul Smitz has coauthored a dozen guidebooks for Lonely Planet on places such as Australia, New Zealand, Malaysian Borneo, Brunei, various Pacific Islands, Prague, and Brussels.