Broome

If someone mentions the name ‘Broome’ an image of pearls or camels on the beach probably pops into your mind. Pearls feature prominently here, there are heaps of shops selling them at various prices and tours galore to see how it’s done, you can even eat pearl meat at some restaurants. We have given all a miss but have been down to the fabulously long and white Cable Beach where at sunset you can take a camel ride through the shallows. In fact we have swum twice at Cable, the first time I have been into the Indian Ocean, the water temperature is about 24, so the water is warm and silky, very pleasant, oh dear!
Another first, last night we went to the movies at Sun Pictures outdoor cinema. You sit out under the stars in deck chairs (remember the scene from the film Australia), we saw Samson and Delilah, a gut wrenching story about the problems young Aboriginal people face. Very relevant for us, during this trip we have been made aware of many of the issues.
Broome has a long history of pearl production, initially in the 1880s it was mainly pearl shell but with the introduction of diving helmets and the ability to dive deeper Broome pearls became famous around the world. With the introduction of plastics the bottom fell out of the button market and the industry went into decline until the 1950s when the introduction of cultured pearls revived the town’s fortunes. There is a long history of pearling masters from Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan working these waters and the town has a multi cultural feel.
The town was bombed by the Japanese during the war and has had to endure many cyclones, the latest in 2002, so much of it is newly built, but there are 120 million year old dinosaur footprints which can be seen on the rocky shore at low tides. We are enjoying the warm and balmy climate here and have extended our stay until Friday when we head south.