Glenn Moore – Destination Broome
A very warm welcome to Broome, a remote outback town with a multicultural population of 14,660* people.
Broome sits at the tip of a barely 15km long and 5 km wide Peninsula surrounded by Roebuck Bay Marine Park to its east and The Indian Ocean to the west. This 20 something kilometres of peninsula coastline is home to some of the most stunning beaches and varied rugged and rich coast anywhere in the world.
Starting from the south and tracking the coast north we are going to explore the various beaches, coves and cliff faced coastline in and around Broome and hopefully explain why the West Kimberley region is so special and why each one of these beach or coastal locations is so unique.
Crab Creek Road is a 16km 4WD only recommended drive. SORRY NO DOGS SORRY ALLOWED.
At the tracks very end is Crab Creek. Crab Creek itself extends inland about 2 km’s on massive tides and could easily have been called Croc Creek as both are known to frequent so if you are not Croc wise, please google “common sense” and use it.
Just 5km’s from Broome you turn south off the Broome Highway and onto Crab Creek Road.
Relax; the smooth hum of bitumen will soon disappear and those sweet corrugated pindan and soft sand tracks replace to get every rattle working.
You’re off-road and you’re away! Hooray!
As beautiful as Crab Creek is at any tide level with its mangrove covered creek entry and it’s white to pink to pindan sands, this road isn’t all about the destination and the roads ultimate namesake.
Littered along the bumpy 16 km long track are many a stop off to the right to enjoy, so pack a picnic, esky, and thermos, go slow and take the day to enjoy the unspoiled rugged beauty of the untouched Wild Wild West.
This complete wilderness area lays in the belly of Roebuck Bay. Roebuck Bay’s Marine Park waters are already a sanctuary for dugong, Green, Loggerhead & Flatback Turtles and more fish species than can be named, it’s rich rich waters which is why the humpback whale visit July to September each year.
As recently as 2005 Australia’s only native dolphin, The Australian Snubfin dolphin, was identified & immediately named as not just endangered but also a threatened species, the numbers are so rare.
The Snubfins shy & playful antics are childlike to watch and their cartoon like faces are a pure delight with bright sparkling eyes joined almost by the happiest of grins you could find.
But it’s back on land that this region is even more remarkable. The Roebuck Bay coastline is considered the most significant shorebird site in Australia. #4 in the world in fact making Broome the Shorebird Capital of Australia.
Broome has the greatest diversity of shorebird species anywhere in this wide world. Additionally, 800,000+ birds visit annually.
Broome region is home to more than 336 species of birds and that is almost 40% of Australia’s total species: including 50 species of wader birds, again almost 25% of the world’s total population.
Raptors or birds of prey are always present, with most Australian Raptor species recorded in and around Broome year-round.
So, it probably wouldn’t surprise anyone to find the Broome Bird Observatory and The Clive Minton Discovery Centre. 15km’s down the Crab Creek Road, Admission is free and includes access to centre and gift shop, where you can gather trail information and BBO’s bird list, together with access to shade house and birdbaths.
There’s also camping and accommodation as well as a range of tours, both regular and seasonal. Check the website for full details broome@birdlife.com.au
I’m not going to go through the Crab Creek Road stop by stop, there are plenty along the way. The wonder of this journey is all the stunning reveals you discover at every little diversion you take from the main track. Obey road signs, Drive safely, and do not enter when signs say “Don’t Enter”
Pack your handline or rod, camera, binoculars, book or what helps you unwind and spend some time on Australia’s western coast and please take all that you bring in and don’t leave anything behind.
This is a day you will never forget.
*2021 census