Broome, Western Australia

Broome
Western Australia

Broome jetty

Broome

Coordinates

17°57′43″S 122°14′10″E / 17.96194°S 122.23611°ECoordinates: 17°57′43″S 122°14′10″E / 17.96194°S 122.23611°E

Population

14,776 (2015)

Established

1880s

Postcode(s)

6725

Elevation

19 m (62 ft)

Time zone

AWST (UTC+08:00)

Location

2,240 km (1,392 mi) from Perth

Mean max temp	Mean min temp	Annual rainfall
32.2 °C ^{90 °F}	21.2 °C ^{70 °F}	615.1 mm ^{24.2 in}

Broome is a coastal, pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 2,240 km (1,390 mi) north of Perth. The urban population is estimated at 14,776, growing to over 45,000 per month during the tourist season.Broome International Airport provides transport to several domestic destinations.

Broome is situated on the traditional lands of the Yawuru people.

It is often mistakenly thought that the first European to visit Broome was William Dampier in 1688, but he only visited the north of what was later named the Dampier Peninsula. In 1699 he explored the coast from Shark Bay to La Grange Bay, from where he headed north leaving the Australian coast. Many of the coastal features of the area were later named for him. In 1879, Charles Harper suggested that the pearling industry could be served by a port closer to the pearling grounds and that Roebuck Bay would be suitable. In 1883, John Forrest chose the site for the town, and it was named after Sir Frederick Broome, the Governor of Western Australia from 1883 to 1889.

In 1889, a telegraph undersea cable was laid from Broome to Singapore, connecting to England. Hence the name Cable Beach given to the landfall site.

The town has a deep history based around the exploits of the men and women who developed the pearling industry, starting with the harvesting of oysters for mother of pearl in the 1880s to the current major cultured pearl farming enterprises.

...
Wikipedia