BROOME
Broome is fast becoming Australia’s
and Australians first choice for an 'in Australia' holiday.
For Broome, but unlike Port Douglas, good weather is almost
guaranteed, and unlike Darwin there is a great beach to enjoy. The
Indian Ocean brings another dynamic for Aussie tourists. From an
International tourism perspective the idea of ‘cheap’ pearls and a
‘cheap’ holiday have endured for Broome. 
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.
While the OZ dollar remains high
against the US dollar international tourism has been hit for six. The
slack is being picked up by some locals; but only just.
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, then in n 1883, John
Forrest selected the site for the town, and it was named after Sir
Frederick Broome, the then Governor of Western Australia.
In 1889, a telegraph
undersea cable was laid from Broome to Singapore, connecting to
England. Hence the name Cable Beach.
     
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.

Broome was attacked by
Japanese aircraft on 3 March 1942.
The air raid killed at least 88 people; the Broom War
Memorial and town monuments plus the museum
gives
some dedication to those that lost their lives.
   
Given so many lives were lost a dedicated
acknowledgement might be expected.
Broome is a new town and
the hotels and

churches reflect this. 
The camel rides bring
economic relief to the visiting tourists and are a lot of fun.  
Broome is a fascinating
small but vibrant town. Have a holiday and delight in the place, but
get the seasonal timing wrong one may anticipate this.  _small.JPG)
Heritage
diary  
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