Out and about - Broome

Well, one of the best things about the westwards move is deifntiely the chance to explore and visit all the beautiful places that WA has to offer. Having lived away for such a long time also means that I can legitimately play 'tourist' in my home state.

My husband and I were lucky enough to travel to Broome last weekend and I have to confess that the last time I was in Broome was probably 1985 so I had been expecting a lot to have changed. We stayed at the absolutely divine Pinctada Resort which is owned and operated by the Paspaley pearling family.

As Broome's only five star resort we had pretty high expectations and they were not disappointed. From the first moment of our arrival we felt enveloped in a haze of tropical luxury and cool perfection. A dip in the clear aqua waters of the pool and a laze on the loungers on our deck were all it took for us to feel recovered from our SkyWest flight.

I have to admit the flight was my first real chance to see the impact and scale of the current resources boom. I would have to guess that more than half of the passengers (clearly identified by their bright orange protective gear and uniforms) were FIFO (fly in fly out) workers on their way to remote sites in the Kimberley. It was quite strange to stand waiting to board in the midst of a sea of fluorescent safety gear!!

Our first afternoon in Broome was taken up with a Town Tour which gave us an insight into the sad history of Broome's pearling past and included a visit to the Japanese cemetery where so many of the early pearl divers lay buried, so far from their homeland. The tour dropped us back at our hotel just in time for us to adjourn to the deck of the Sunset Bar for a well earned drink while watching the sun set over Cable Beach.

A quick dash into town for an early dinner and then we were staking a possie on the other side of the penninsular to view the mystical spectacular that is Stairway to the Moon.

This natural phenomena occurs when the rising of the moon conincides with low tide and creates the magical effect of a golden pathway from the beach to the moon.  We happily passed nearly an hour marvelling and enjoying the sight. I have to report that we were truly moved and awed.

(My photography skills were definitely not up to the challenge of capturing the beauty and wonder of this event so I have borrowed a pic from the www.broomewa.com/cam/StaircasetotheMoon.htm website.)

Being a bit of a foodie, I didnt mean to gloss so prematurely over our dinner! We dined, based on a local's recommendation, at the Azuki Japanese fusion restaurant. I am a vegetarian with pretty high standards and I must admit my expectations were exceeded with the chef's interpretation of the classic dish - agedashi tofu. The piquant broth and perfectly crisp tofu squares were an absolute delight!

The next day we headed out to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm for a tour of the operation including a scenic helicopter flight over the coast. We conquered our fear of heights in a very small helicopter without doors and by the end of the flight we had substantially loosened our death grips on the edge of our seats and I at least was almost leaning out of the cockpit to score the best shots!

That afternoon we capped off our visit with a much more sedate form of transport - a leisurely camel ride along Cable Beach.

All in all a most enjoyable mini-break in the North-West which has given us both a taste for more exploring above the 26th parallel.