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Article by STEPHEN WALL

Welcome To Broome Western Australia

Broome, is located on Roebuck Bay approximately 2200 km north of Perth and is classified as the “Southern Gateway To The Kimberley’s” and the perfect base camp to explore the Kimberley region.

Broome’s lifestyle is rather laid back and is reflected in the residents easy nature. Due to the previous history of Pearling which goes back decades and decades the main population consists of a mix Asian and old colony influences, which creates a great cosmopolitan feel to the town.

Broome is an important port for the Pearl Industry but Broome tourism has taken over due to spectacular beachside resorts such as the “Cable Beach Club” at the famous “Cable Beach”.

There are many attractions to Broome ranging from the 80 year old open air Sun Pictures Cinema, the Japanese cemetery, Broome Bird Observatory on Roebuck Bay, Gantheaume Points dinosaur footprints and the Chinatown area.

Fishing and boat charters are available as well and there are a stack of restaurants with choices of food to suit any one. We have pristine beaches, superb yachting facilities, awesome Coastline and inlets, beach and sea fishing, breathtaking dives great shopping, sumptuous restaurants and a cosmopolitan cappuccino strip, magnificent art galleries, delightful wineries, world-class golfing, lovely lagoons and of course excellent accommodation including Broome Bed & Breakfast, self contained, resort, hotel motel & caravan park accommodation.

Broome’s Climate

Broome is generally very hot in the summer months and very wet due to the monsoon rains further north. The best time to visit is in our winter months and this is reflected in the visitors that arrive from May to November and the small amounts of rain.

So whether you like it hot or a little cooler the weather is ideal for holidays in our beautiful region most of the year round, so planning a holiday is made so much easier.

History of Broome Western Australia

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

The first European to visit Broome was William Dampier in 1688 and again in 1699. Many of the coastal features of the area are named by 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 selected 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 an interesting 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. The riches from the pearl beds did not come cheap, and the town’s Japanese cemetery is the resting place of 919 Japanese divers who lost their lives working in the industry.

Many more were lost at sea, and the exact number of deaths is unknown. The Japanese were only one of the major ethnic groups who flocked to Broome to work on the luggers or the shore based activities supporting the harvesting of oysters from the waters around Broome. They were specialist divers and, despite being considered enemies, became an indispensable part of the industry until World War II.

Broome was attacked by Japanese aircraft on 3 March 1942. The air raid killed at least 88 people.

The West Australian mining boom of the 1960s, as well as the growth of the tourism industry, also helped Broome develop and diversify. Broome is one of the fastest growing towns in Australia.

At Gantheaume Point and 30 metres out to sea are dinosaur footprints believed to be from the Cretaceous Age approximately 130 million years ago. The tracks can be seen only during very low tide.

Broome entered into a Sister City agreement with Taiji, Japan in 1981 as historic ties between the two towns date back to the early 1900s, when Japan became instrumental in laying the groundwork of Broome’s pearling industry. The annual dolphin hunting in Taiji was the subject of the 2009 documentary The Cove, and sparked a unanimous decision by the town’s council, headed by Graeme Campbell, to end the relationship with the town if the dolphin hunt were to continue. The decision on suspension was reversed in October 2009.

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The Japan Times recently covered the suspended sister city relationship between the coastal towns of Broome in Western Australia and Taiji, in Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Their ties date back at least 100 years to the pearling industry in Broome. At that time, Broome was the biggest pearling center in the world, and many Japanese worked there as divers. Diving deep below the surface was the only option then for finding pearls. Divers risked great dangers to bring oysters to the surface to search for pearls inside the oyster shells.

A parasite may enter the oyster shell, and the oyster protects itself by creating layers of nacre around the parasites. The parasite changes and grows and ultimately, a pearl is formed inside the oyster. Today, however, pearls like salmon and trout, are farmed. A small, rounded bit of shell is inserted into an oyster. The oyster is returned to the water, and the pearl slowly forms in the oyster shell. Pearl formation requires a few years.

Unlike silver, gold and diamonds, pearls need nothing to be finished. They emerge from their shells and are ready for rings and necklaces. Before pearl farming, pearls came from the ocean. Divers dove down to the bottom of the ocean searching for oysters. Most of the divers in the pearling industry in Broome were from Taiji. Between the shark attacks and the bends, diving was a very dangerous business. According to some sources, the job killed approximately half of the divers.

The Japanese cemetery in Broome has the graves of 919 Japanese divers who died trying to take riches from the sea. Others were lost at sea and their bodies never found. When World War II started, the Japanese divers were imprisoned in prisoner of war camps. Ironically, the war probably saved many of the divers from sharks and the bends, keeping them alive until the war ended.

Taiji, a whaling town for hundreds of years, was the birthplace of Japanese traditional whaling techniques. These techniques were developed in the 17th century when Wada Chubei introduced group hunting and a new handheld harpoon. After, a whaling net technique was also introduced. Group hunting lasted for several hundred years until an accident claimed over a hundred lives in 1878. Group hunting then collapsed. Taiji suspended commercial whaling in 1988.

Today in Taiji, commercial dolphin hunting is a major business. Some of the dolphins are sold to aquariums around the world. Other dolphins are slaughtered and sold to eat. Considerable dolphin is apparently eaten in Taiji and the media has covered the high mercury content of the dolphins and the Taiji residents who eat them. Taiji has been subjected to both domestic and international criticism and pressure to stop commercial dolphin hunting. Unfortunately, no acceptable alternative employment has yet been suggested for Taiji residents who depend on commercial dolphin hunting for their income.

The town of Broome has recently been subject to both domestic and international criticism and pressure concerning the town’s sister city relationship with Taiji. In late August this year, the Broome local council suspended their sister city relationship with Taiji until commercial dolphin hunting stops. Broome has also requested both Australia and Japan to assist Taiji in developing alternatives. Broome hopes that the people of Taiji can find other work and the sister city relationship can be resumed.

About the Author

For translation and more, a primarily Japanese client base goes to Aaron Language Services athttp://www.aaronlanguage.com on the Web.If you don’t read Japanese, click on the menu where it says personnel.

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