WAPort & river
Broome
Pearl shell made a remote coast a global crossroads.
1883Town gazetted
WHAT STARTED IT
Broome was established as a port for the pearling industry. Before cultured pearls, mother-of-pearl shell was valuable for buttons and other manufactured goods.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Workers from Japan, China, Southeast Asia and elsewhere helped create a distinctive maritime town. The industry’s story includes dangerous work, racial restrictions and exploitation.
TURNING POINTS
1883Broome is gazetted.
1889The undersea telegraph cable comes ashore.
1987Tourism began to boom after the sealed Highway One link finally connected Broome reliably with the Kimberley road network.
1987Completion of the sealed road to Highway One helped turn Broome’s growing visitor trade into a tourism boom.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
Tourism, regional services and pearling shape the town. Its multicultural heritage and coastal setting remain central to its identity.