Broome Tourist Attractions
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Broome (pop. 5780) is a coastal town in the south of the Kimberley region. Its wide sandy beaches, warm and sunny climate and turquoise sea have brought this old pearl-fishing town, founded in 1883, a tourist boom and a considerable increase in population. It now claims to be 'top tourism town'. The site of the settlement was chosen by John Forrest, surveyor-general and first prime minister of Western Australia, and named after the then governor of the state, Frederick Broome. Around 1910 Broome, with some 400 pearl-fishing boats, was the pearl capital of the world, but the development of cultured and artificial pearls led to the decline of the industry. Now there are only very few people who earn their living by pearl fishing.The Historical Museum in the old Customs House in Saville Street tells the story of pearl fishing. In the Japanese cemetery in Anne Street a tall column commemorates the Japanese pearl-fishers who lost their lives in a cyclone in 1908.Other features of interest are the Broome Crocodile Park and the Pearl Coast Zoological Gardens, in which most species of Australian parrots are represented. 3km from the town center is Cable Beach, starting point of the cable to Java which provided telegraphic communication with Europe.Characteristic features of the landscape round Derby are the bottle-shaped boab trees, which can store water in their stout trunks. 7km south of Derby is the Prison Tree, which is said to have served as a jail in the early days of the settlements.
Surroundings
At Gantheaume Point, 7km south of Broome, fossilized dinosaur footprints can be seen at low tide.Broome is a good base for day trips and longer excursions in the Kimberley region.Characteristic features of the landscape round Derby are the bottle-shaped boab trees, which can store water in their stout trunks. 7km south of Derby is the Prison Tree, which is said to have served as a jail in the early days of the settlements.
Derby
Derby (pop. 3260) lies in King Sound in the tropical far North West of the Kimberley region. The area was settled in the 1880s, after the explorer Alexander Forrest had reported favorably on the grazing land round the Fitzroy River. Later Derby became an important supply port for the gold prospectors of Halls Creek.The town is a good base for expeditions to the remoter parts of the Kimberley region with their magnificent rivers and gorges. The roads and tracks in the area have been much improved, including the Gibb River Road, which runs northeast for 600km from Derby to just short of Wyndham. During the rainy season the roads and tracks are frequently impassable.The museum in the Derby Cultural Centre in Clarendon Street has collections of Aboriginal art and old photographs.Characteristic features of the landscape round Derby are the bottle-shaped boab trees, which can store water in their stout trunks. 7km south of Derby is the Prison Tree, which is said to have served as a jail in the early days of the settlements.
