BigRedBusTouringCo.com: On The Road To Broome

After a wonderful few days at DeGrey's River, it became imperative, after a short detour down to Eighty Mile Beach, to have our rear view mirrors fixed, as they had almost be shaken off, so off to Broome asap. Also needed to make enquiries about purchasing new house batteries, as ours no longer seem to be lasting the distance, so a visit to Broome may just be a bit unhealthy for the old bank account.

An overnight stop at Goldwire rest area, which is another great overnight stop (again with 24 overnight campers) and a dump point, and this one in conjunction with another one further down the road called Stanley Rest area, are to be commended and are maintained by WA main roads - they are doing a great job providing these camps. After all - it is a long way between towns over this way.

Arrived in Broome and located our mechanic, who couldn't fit us in for 4 days, so off to a caravan park we go. $38 pn + a $8 pn electricity tariff!! The High season price hasn't started yet, but even heard of a caravan park somewhere over this way charging an on top tariff for dogs.......

Nice caravan park though.

Spent our first day, perusing the pearl shops, of Broome, of which nearly every second shop is consumed with pearls, so very beautiful, but take your money with you. The historic Chine town is well worth the visit, but in particular the ope air picture theatre, with its deck chairs and the occasional jet over shooting the screen, drowning out the sound of the movie, but all just a great experience.

Staircase To The Moon Necklace

Yellow and White Pearls

A visit to Broom is not complete without the compulsory sunset shot of the camels on Cable Beach. A photographers dream shot. Very difficult to get that perfect shot, with hundreds of tourists down there trying to get the same thing, sitting in their chairs with drinkies taking in the scene. Each camel train, has about 4 photographers running along side taking photos for clients as well.

Camels On Cable Beach

Sunlit Jelly Fish

That Almost Perfect Shot

The Camel Earning Every bit of his $65

Sun Setting Over Indian Ocean

Sunset On Cable Beach

History of Broome

Originally founded as a pearling port over a hundred years ago, Broome now boasts a multicultural population of many nationalities lured here by the promise of finding their fortunes. Koepanger, Malay, Chinese, European and Aboriginal cultures have all blended to create a captivatingly friendly and flamboyant personality that is the heart and soul of Broome.

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS

No modern discussion of Broome's history can ignore the regions indigenous Australians, historically known as the Aborigines or Aboriginals. Their claim to the lands that would become known as Dampierland, Roebuck Bay and Broome, span forty thousand years and clearly supersede that of any of the European explorers that would come later.

In 1688, when William Dampier first visited "New Holland" as the area was known to the rest of the world at the time, the first seeds were sown that would forever change the lives of the regions indigenous people. The constant and fundamental cultural clashes between the two people eventually led to the exploitation of the regions original inhabitants, especially in the early days of the pearling industry when Aborigines were forced to become skin divers for pearl shell and work aboard the pearl luggers.

ROARING YEARS

The Fat Years of 1889 to 1891 saw the price of mother of pearl shell escalate to new highs and established Broome as a port often referred to as the Queen City of the North. By 1898, Broome was the principal cargo port for north Western Australia and by the First World War; the Port of Broome was second only to Fremantle.

At this time, men from the UK dominated the pearling industry at Roebuck Bay but by 1900 many had retired to England or other destinations to enjoy their fortunes. As these men disappeared, they were replaced by younger men from Victoria and New South Wales affected by the depression of the nineties.

War returned to Broome on December 8, 1941 the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. Australia instantly joined America in declaring war on the Japanese and almost immediately, all pearling activity ceased in Broome. Men rushed to join the war effort and the industry’s labour pool vanished overnight as Japanese residents were interred in camps.

Since Broome’s livelihoods relied heavily on the skill and experience of Japanese divers this was an economic death knell for the pearling industry and the town. The residents of Broome were suddenly faced with rounding up and interring friends and employees simply because they were Japanese. Unlike other towns Broome’s Japanese population made up a good portion of the towns inhabitants and many had been born and raised in Australia and had no ties to Japan. Although they complied with the internment policy, Broome, residents tried to make life as easy as possible for the Japanese.

The war escalated quickly and by February 26, 1942 Malaya (now known as Malaysia) and Singapore had fallen, as well as the islands of Ambon and Timor. This put the Japanese only three hundred miles north of Broome and the threat of a Japanese air attack became a reality. A defence unit was organised and the town’s aerodrome was upgraded to accommodate the largest planes and Broome became a re-fuelling station for the R.A.A.F.

In January 1942, pearlers were informed that their luggers were to be purchased and unseaworthy vessels destroyed as a provision against a Japanese landing. Shortly afterwards on March 3, 1942 Japanese Zeros strafed the aircraft in Roebuck Bay and at the aerodrome wiht machine gun fire and destroyed sixteen Flying Boat planes (Dorniers, Catalinas and Short Empire flying boats) which were refuelling after evacuating Dutch refugees from Java.

Following there were three further air raids, one on the 20th March 1942 in which one aircraft was destroyed and one person killed, and in August 1942 and August 1943 which resulted in minimal damage with no deaths or injuries. The constant fear continued to force Broome residents to stay away and the town languished into decay. By the time the war ended, Broome was badly deteriorated and a mere shell of its former self. Residents, who did return, found little to salvage and were forced to start from scratch. But, as had happened after World War I, Broome would recover and rebuild once again. The pearling industry once again evolved and a new market in cultured pearls changed the way pearl shell was harvested forever.(Courtesy Of Broome Visitor Information Centre).

A highlight of our time in Broome was a visit to Willie Creek Pearl Farm. Very informative to hear how pearls are cultured and grown, and totally understandable as to why they are so expensive.

"Divers ‘drift’ over the oyster beds of the Australian North West coast between January and March each year to collect ‘Wild’ caught shell for use on Farm for Pearl production. As an industry we are restricted to collecting no more than 572,000 oysters of a minimum legal size of 120mm. Oyster are housed in Pearl panels and rested for a period of 4 months on a bottom lease. However, heavy investment into research by Australian companies has led to an increased production of hatchery produced Pinctada maxima with a minimum legal size of 90mm. This technique reduces the cost and hazards of collecting wild shell whilst allowing more control over oyster growth, health and production.

Hatchery and wild oysters are held in large re-circulating tanks onboard seeding vessels prior to their first operation. Oysters are relaxed and ‘pegged’ open to allow a pearl technician to perform the operation in a sterile room onboard the vessel.

Highly trained pearl technicians perform the delicate seeding operation. A small nucleus formed from the shell of the Mississippi mussel is inserted into an incision in the oysters gonad. The nucleus is coupled with a piece of nacre secreting mantle tissue. The shell is then safely housed within a protective pearl panel and placed in the ocean. Divers ‘drift’ over the oyster beds of the Australian North West coast between January and March each year to collect ‘Wild’ caught shell for use on Farm for Pearl production. As an industry we are restricted to collecting no more than 572,000 oysters of a minimum legal size of 120mm. Oyster are housed in Pearl panels and rested for a period of 4 months on a bottom lease. During their two years on a ‘farm’ the oysters are cleaned and nurtured before being examined by pearl technicians who hope to find a large and lustrous south sea pearl.

These technicians are highly skilled and highly paid professional performing up to 500 operations a day during harvest time. They generally work for 3 months annually and can earn in excess of AU$100,000 for this period. Technicians have been predominantly Japanese however the success of the Australian industry has lead to increased diversification with Australian technicians now more common."

(Courtesy Of Willie Creek Website).

Willie Creek- Home to some very big Saltwater Crocs - see the marks on the sand?

Taking The Boat Trip

Aerial Shot of the tidal Creeks From the Helicopter

Cable Beach From The Air

Anatomy Of An Oyster

Flatback Turtle

Bringing Up The Oysters

Long Line Of Oysters

Trip to Cape Leveque

Another challenge on our journey was a trip to Cape Leveque, a 4WD track with a large majority being sandy and very corrugated. At one stage, w felt like we were driving in a creek crossing, and on our return journey, it was right here, that we met not just a semi trailer, but a road train!!! Barry drove as high up onto the embankment as we could, to let him past, but the higher we went, the more we were sliding back down. lol . Bit hairy to say the least.

The trip itself is well worth it, but another visit would see us overnight up there. Beagle Bay we missed, as we missed the turn off, but took the walk down to Western Beach and saw the awesome red cliffs along the beach.

Further up the road is One Arm Point home to a Trouchus shell hatchery, and some wonderful green turtles and assorted other marine life, and where we chose a spot to have lunch.