Broome, Nov 2020

TLWR? (Too long, won’t read?) Watch the video of our Broome highlights video instead!

👩‍🦰 Aaron and I took advantage of the crazy cheap airfares to Broome and booked a quick 5 night getaway. I’d never been and he hadn’t been up that way for many years. I jumped on to Trip Advisor to get the lowdown on things we should see and do while there. Aaron was keen to lay about doing nothing, which is his idea of a perfect holiday, whereas I like to cram in as much as possible!

If you’re not familiar with Broome, it’s a beach resort town located in Western Australia’s Kimberley region up north, a quick 2.5hrs flight from Perth. My top tip would be to not forget the mosquito repellent and sunscreen, because dayum was it sunny and buggy up there!

I booked a tiny little tin shack called The Pearler’s Cottage through AirBnB. It had an outdoor shower and toilet which I was NOT keen on (hello, spiders!) but it was cheap, had a comfy looking bed, air conditioning, and I figured we wouldn’t be spending much time there anyway. (Photos from AirBnb listing)

Turns out, it was actually pretty perfect! It was inside the grounds of a beautiful property that looked like a tropical oasis, with large open grounds filled with palm trees. It was so quiet and peaceful that besides seeing the owner from the main house once or twice during our stay, it felt like we were the only ones there.

The aircon in the room was perfect because it's such a small space, it cools down very quickly. And the location was central to all the hotspots that you’d want to check out too. We hired a scooter to get around, which I’d definitely recommend. Good luck getting taxis up there! I’d never been on a scooter before, and certainly never tried to ride one myself before...I think I’ll leave to Aaron ahha!

First stop just had to be Matsos Brewery for some bevies, and we returned quite a few times for the great food and drinks. Make sure you pop in if you visit Broome, it’s worth a stop! Really great Sunday sesh vibes.

Then of course we had to hit the beach right away, so we scootered down to the famous Cable Beach and were surprised to find it totally empty (more on that later!). This 22 km stretch of white sand beach is a popular tourist spot for not only the beautiful water and spectacular Indian Ocean sunsets, but for the sunset camel rides. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do them as Aaron (at 6’3 and 100kg+) was too heavy.

After a quick dip we hit up Sunset Bar and Grill for a drink and watched the sunset while a man with his guitar played some tunes. A beautiful spot to finish off the day even though it was hectic!

Our first full day and we decided to ease into it, doing another Cable Beach swim before going to Mangrove Hotel’s The Bay Club for dinner. It has a stunning view over Roebuck Bay to watch the sunset, before enjoying a delish meal. It wasn’t all that busy either. Definitely bring mozzie repellent!

We hit the ground running for our second day, with an early morning fishing charter - obviously that was Aaron’s idea not mine! He bought me the suitable attire so I wouldn’t look as out of place as I 100% am, and off we went. Much to my delight, I caught 2 shovel nosed sharks, 2 catfish and 1 threadfin salmon, all while pulling off a ridiculous hat. I say it was to my delight because I’m not above rubbing my victories in Aaron’s face - he caught just 1 catfish and managed to scare off anything else on any line that he touched haha! It was marvelous.

After returning from the fishing charter, we scootered off to lunch at Diver’s Tavern (really good pub meals and famous Broome location that’s definitely worth a quick stop even just for a beer) then we had dinner at Mr Saigon. FYI, the beef brisket (pictured below) at Mr Saigon is AMAZING! Do yourself a favour and try it. The restaurant itself doesn’t look like much but the food is epic.

The next day we ventured out to Gantheaume Point (GP). A quick 5 mins drive (or 10 mins scooter) from Broome, GP is a popular tourist spot for not just its awesome views - unbelievably blue water and red rocks - but for dinosaur prints that can be seen at low tide and for Anastasia's Pool, a natural spa pool that one of the early lighthouse keepers created for his wife who had arthritis. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the pool, and we weren’t there at the right time for dino prints, but it’s still an absolutely stunning spot and a must if you’re up in Broome.

After Gantheaume Point we drove to Redell Beach, clambering down the rocks to find that we had the entire stretch of beach to ourselves. Aaron almost stepped on a shovel nosed shark in the water, so I jumped up on some rocks to avoid becoming fish food haha!

There was still time to squeeze in one more spot on the list, so we headed to Coconut Wells, stopping to let some friendly locals cross the road on the way up! The beautiful blue sky of earlier was making some scary rumblings and looking pretty angry off in the distance.

Thanks to a bum steer from Google Maps, it ended up being a 15 minute walk through the dunes to the spot where the rockpools were. Every minute as the front moved closer towards us the sky got darker, the massive cracks of thunder grew louder, and the wind picked up, whipping us with stinging sand. We didn't spend long at the pools as the rain started to come down and the photos were definitely not like the ones I’d seen on Instagram haha!

I have learned that while I like pina coladas, I do not enjoy getting caught in the rain. But it made for some pretty awesome photos with the mean-looking storm clouds clashing against the bright blue sky! Genuinely scary being exposed on a beach with a massive storm coming through!

For our last full day in Broome we squeezed in another Cable Beach dip and recreated the Ariel on the rock moment before heading to Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park where over 2,500 crocs and alligators live. On the way there our guide gave us some facts about Broome, but we also discovered the reason that the beach was empty both times we visited - just a week prior, there was a fatal shark attack at Cable Beach and swimming was prohibited….Oops! 😖

We got to see lots of feedings up close and heard some hilarious stories, like the drunk guy who scaled the fence of the tavern next door and jumped on the back of a 5 metre cantankerous croc called Fatso! When we first walked in, the crocodiles right up against the fence (see the pictures) looked fake. They’re such massive, prehistoric-looking creatures and watching them feed is something else!

We finished off our day with delicious food for dinner at Ginreab Thai, then we hit up Sun Pictures outdoor cinemas to watch possibly the most perfect movie for that location. Shot right along a stretch of the beautiful WA coast, we watched Dirt Music, not a bad flick.

Later in the evening we headed to Roey Hotel for the famous wet T-shirt contest which was actually a blast! I have no idea where all of those people came from or where they all hid during the day but the place was packed and it was a vibe! We’ll definitely be back - and I don’t mean just for the wet T-shirt comp haha! Cheers, Broome, until next time!