We had heard so many people rave about Broome so we were so excited to get there. Once we got into town, we realised we had no idea what we should be doing or what was good.
But it was quick and easy to fall in love with the place. Hopefully, these 8 points get you started on some fun Broome-time.
The beaches of Broome are a must visit.
1. Barn Hill Station Stay
Barn Hill Station is the perfect start or end to your time in Broome. It’s a relaxing campground with ocean views and shady sites, perched high on the top of red cliffs about one hour south of town. The small kiosk turns out pizzas four days a week and serves up a three-course roast dinner on Sundays. And the beach is just 100m away, where you can swim in the sea or the rock pools at the point.
The station is also just about to open up a small lawn bowl’s green for camper’s use. Be sure to catch a sunset down on the beach to watch the rocky cliffs light up.
Barn Hill Station is the perfect place to camp when in Broome.
2. Grab an epic mango smoothie from The Dragonfly Cafe
The best mango smoothie ever! Not even kidding. I grew up on a mango farm and I haven’t ever created something quite as delicious. It’s like drinking rich mango ice-cream and it hits the spot in a big way.
The bright orange sands merge with the blue water at Port’s Beach.
3. Watch the changing colours of The Port’s Beach
Both the beach at The Port and at Roebuck Bay have beautiful colour plays, however, the port is way more accessible. The red cliffs have crumbled and formed bright orange sand that blends with the cool blue waters of the ocean on an outgoing tide. There are perfectly round mangrove trees nestled in the shoreline that add their bold green to the contrasting colour scheme.
Unfortunately, it is not always safe to swim in these areas as they offer great coverage for the rare but possible saltwater crocodiles.
Chill out and swim in the rockpools at Gantheaume Point.
4. Take a dip at Gantheaume Point
Dinosaur footprints, big rock pools and cliff jumping, Gantheaume Point has a lot to offer. To go in search of the dinosaur footprints it needs to be an extremely low tide where the sand around the point is dry so that you can walk out to the rocks further out. For the rock pools to work it needs to be at least a 9m high tide for the pools to fill up.
It is wild to think of and see the tidal differences that occur around Broome. If the tide is neither high nor low it is still a nice place to slip off the rock for a float in the glowing blue water.
Drive down to Cable Beach to watch the sun go down over the horizon.
5. See an iconic Cable Beach sunset
You can’t come to Broome and not drive your 4WD down on to the beach to see the sunset. Some people opt to view the sunset on camelback. About an hour before sunset the camel tours walk down on to the beach and make for amazing photos. Make sure you take some drinks and nibblies cause the sunsets seem to go on for hours.
You can stand on the shore, or watch the sunset on camelback at Cable Beach.
6. Sink a few ginger beers at Matsos Brewery
Matsos is famous for a few drinks, ginger beer, hard lemon and mango beer, and they are all delicious. The Brewery has a beautiful beer garden out the back and a family-friendly atmosphere. They offer a wide range of cuisines from Australian classics to Indian curries. You can also catch some awesome live music from local musicians on the weekend. If you think you can handle spicy give the Angry Ranga beer a try.
Sip on a mango beer at Matsos Brewery.
7. Catch a movie at Sun Pictures outdoor cinema
The historic Sun Pictures Cinema hosts movies under the stars and alternates between kid-friendly movies and movies for the rest of us. I hope you don’t mind your movie being interrupted by the occasional aeroplane just overhead as the cinema sits in the airport flight paths. For us it just added to the whole experience, so did the popcorn and choc-tops.
Head in your 4WD down to Cape Leveque.
8. Take a long weekend to Cape Leveque
Just north of Broome is a whole other adventure and deserves at least a few days of your time. You can find more information about Cape Leveque here.
Kooljaman at Cape Leveque has incredible scenery.
The highlights for us would have to be Middle Lagoon, a beautiful and quiet camp and a good place to launch your boat, Kooljaman for epic scenery and then camping at Gumbanan and Quondong Point.
What’s your favourite spot in Broome?
Touring Australia full-time in our Nissan Patrol, Max and I live life in the slow lane. Fishing, hiking, and camping is what we do at Powershala. Our favourite place will always on a secluded beach and we are always on the search. Check out more of our adventures at @powershala
I cannot understand the necessity for people to drive down beaches in their 4WD. I doubt if they give any thought to the marine life living in the sand. As can be seen from the photo the sand gets very compacted destroying the animals and their environment. It appears it is all for the Instagram pic and ticking the box of ‘I’ve done that’ instead of appreciating the location and its natural features.
I agree with you Neal… to a degree. Provided there are some controls around the beach access, I think this is fine i.e. stick to the tracks, only drive within designated areas. I’m no marine biologist though, so cannot comment on the impact this has on marine life.
But, I’m also of the strong belief that we should only leave footprints, and even these are damaging to some ecosystems. So if there is no real necessity to drive a vehicle on the beach why not park up before you get to the water’s edge and enjoy the last stretch on foot, feel the sand between your toes and take in nature around you.