BROOME

HEMA Map reference 79/B8

17° 57' 7' S 122° 14' 2' E

Statistics

Caravan Park

Services

Attractions

Broome Crocodile Park (established by Malcolm Douglas - hero to all those who love the north west.), Bird observatory, Japanese cemetery, Buccaneer Rock, Cable Beach, Museum, Deep Water Point, Staircase To The Moon, Dinosaur footprints, Moonlight Bay, Streeter’s Jetty, Bedford Park, Flying boat wrecks, Captain Gregory’s house, Riddell Beach, Beagle bay, Gantheaume Point, Anastasia’s Pool. Malcom Douglas' new Wildlife Wilderness Park.

Buildings of note

Sun Picture Theatre. This building was first used as a dry goods store and was constructed by the Yamasaki family. Later it was turned in to a Japanese Playhouse and in 1916 it became an open air picture house. It is now recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest continually operating cinema in the world, Streeter & Male company house circa 1900, Uniting church 1910, Old police lockup 1894, Courthouse 1889, Anglican church 1903, Museum 1889.

Calendar of events

April/June: Big moon rising arts and music festival. August: Broome Cup, Ladies Day, Opera under the stars. September: Shunju Matsuri Festival. October: Kite festival.

Old buildings

Description

The 'pirate' William Dampier visited the area in 1688 aboard the privateer ship Cygnet. After writing a book about this voyage he returned to the area with a commission from the Admiralty aboard HMS Roebuck.

Baudin, De Freycinet, Flinders and Tasman all sailed through the waters close to Broome and in 1821, Lt. Phillip Parker King extensively charted the area.

The French left many Gallic names scattered along the coast to account for their passing and most of them remain to this day. Many of these later explorers carried with them copies of Dampier’s original writings.

A convict named Wildman (possibly appropriate) was to be the catalyst of the next expedition to the area. Wildman claimed that he had found gold in the north west when serving aboard a Dutch ship. It was confirmed that he had sold some gold nuggets back in England and so a group was formed to travel with him to look for gold. Wildman proved to be unreliable and no gold was found but when the party stopped off at Roebuck Bay, it was determined that there was good pastoral land nearby and not long afterwards The Roebuck Bay Pastoral Association brought 2000 sheep north in the ship Hastings. (October 1864).

In November 1864 a group of explorers (James Harding, Police Inspector Frederick Panter and Constable William Goldwyer) set off from Cape Villaret looking for more pastoral land. When nothing had been heard of them for over 60 days a rescue party was formed and went heavily armed as it was suspected that the original party had been murdered by Aborigines.

Eventually the murdered explorers were found.They had been attacked in their sleep and had no opportunity to defend themselves before being clubbed and speared to death. (This has since been disputed but as only one of the three men was outside the tent and had only fired three or four shots, it seems likely that they were attacked at night without any warning.)

At Cape Latouche on the 6th of April 1865, the European punitive expedition (as it had now become) led by Maitland Brown, confronted about 25 native warriors. The result was never in doubt. After a brief fight 18-20 Aborigines were either wounded or dead and the remainder fled into the mangroves.

A settlement was established at Camden Harbour (600 miles north east of Broome) by a group of Victorians who had high hopes but no practical experience.

After 11 months of torment (including the loss of most stock and the deaths of 9 settlers) the settlement at Camden Harbour was abandoned and the initial investment of around 20,000 pounds was all lost.

When pearling started in Broome there was more trouble with the local Aborigines because many pearling captains had no morals at all and happily kidnapped men and women from the tribes and forced them to dive for pearl shell. This was nothing more than slavery and many Aborigines died during these dangerous dives. Finally in 1875 the Pearl Shell Fishery Regulation Act came into force and the most wild excesses of pearlers were curbed.

Most pearlers lived aboard their ships as a safety precaution against attacks from local Aborigines (who were especially warlike in this area) but infestations of cockroaches would force them ashore to escape the unwanted attentions of the insects that were said to eat the calluses and toenails right off the pearlers' feet. To rid themselves of these insects some skippers sailed into tidal creeks, sank the boat and waited for the tide to fall before letting the water out and plugging the keel again.

The copper diving helmet arrived in the mid 1880s and by the end of the decade most divers used it when collecting shells. This meant the end of using Aboriginal divers. The pearling season was also changed from summer (when dangerous cyclones were frequent) to winter.

When the ‘White Australia’ policy was introduced there was a concerted effort to have Malay, Japanese and other foreign national divers removed and replaced by Australian divers. The pearling Masters could see their profits disappearing as they would have to pay proper wages to the Australians while they were free to pay foreign workers a pittance. A group of experienced English divers was brought in but their work was deliberately sabotaged and after deaths and injuries, the idea was abandoned and the pearling Masters had their way. (Strange that now in 2007 we see more and more Australian jobs going overseas for exactly the same reason – greed!.)

The town developed due to the rich pearling grounds off the coast but diving for pearls in shark infested seas where strong currents could sweep divers away, was not for the faint hearted. Fatalities from "the bends" and shark attacks were high. One lugger lost eight men in eight days but the lust for riches drove others on.

Broome was officially founded in 1883 (one day before Derby) and was named by John Forrest after Sir Frederick Napier Broome (Governor of W.A.) The Aboriginal name for the area is Nileribanjen. The Governor made some enquiries about the town and found it was uninhabited. This led him to complain that the only people in Broome were the ‘tenants of three graves’ and asked that the name be cancelled. This offended Forrest as his brother Matthew had died aboard a pearling vessel and was buried in the cemetery. However, Sir Frederick was destined to achieve a sort of immortality despite himself.

A deep water jetty had been completed by 1897 and by the following year Broome had become the foremost port in the north west.

Broome’s early days were marked by a real ‘wild west’ atmosphere where gambling, drinking and fighting were among the main entertainments. The pearlers were a rough bunch but they did have a code of honour among themselves and fights resulted in nothing more serious than a few bruises and lumps.

The police were quite corrupt and readily took bribes to ‘look the other way’ when it came to enforcing licensing, gambling and prostitution laws.
 

A Japanese sauce factory was established in 1916 and was successful for many years. It was the only one of its kind in Australia and the soy sauce made there took some 9 months to produce. The factory was established because import duties on soy sauce were so high.

In 1920 racial tensions boiled over and a riot erupted between the Japanese and Koepangers. After 3 days of mayhem it was amazing that only three men had been killed but eventually the tension subsided and by Boxing Day the riots were over. Sadly Inspector Thomas, who had taken charge during the riots and had prevented them from getting too far out of hand, collapsed and died on the evening of the day that things settled down.

Uncounted pearls have come out of the waters around Broome but probably the most famous pearl of all was called the Southern Cross. It was not one pearl but a series joined together in the shape of a cross. A pearler called Kelly discovered it and sold it to Frank Roy for just 10 pounds. Roy thought it was a great joke when he sold it in Cossack for 40 pounds but both men did not realise the unique nature of a natural gem that was to sell in London in 1924 for 24,000 pounds. The pearl was later bought by the Vatican and became one of its numerous treasures.

The terrible effects of cyclones on the pearling fleet was never more evident than in 1935 when the fleet stayed too long at sea and were caught by a huge storm. Of the 36 boats that failed to get to shelter 20 went down and only two men from those that sank made it to shore. Only one man survived long enough to be rescued. The other 16 boats were all battered and de-masted by the storm. A total of 141 men had died.
 

In 1922 there was an attempt by Murakami Yusukichi and Ancil Gregory to introduce cultured pearling to the area. This was strongly resisted by other pearlers and despite being initially granted a license for the production of cultured pearls, the authorities buckled under pressure and the enterprise was shut down before it even managed to get going. Murakami also developed a new design for a diving outfit that used a metal tank to hold air for the diver. He initially had a patent for the design but this lapsed while he was interned during World War Two and in 1943 two Frenchman (Gagnan and Cousteau) came up with the SCUBA design that was almost identical to that of Murakami.

During World War II, Broome served as a military outpost and was attacked by Japanese planes. The most serious loss of life occurred after Dutch civilians had boarded flying boats in Roebuck Bay waiting to be flown further south. 16 flying boats were moored in the bay and none survived the attack. Casualty figures vary but it is thought that up to 200 people lost their lives in the raid. The aircraft had been getting ready to leave the area and had been told to leave by 10am. The Japanese attack started at 9:30am with all the flying boats still at anchor and packed with passengers.

A plane that was due to land at Broome managed to miss the above destruction by landing at Wallal Station instead. If it was not for this lucky mistake they too would have been among the casualties at Roebuck Bay.

On the same day a Dutch DC3 was making its way down the coast when it too was jumped by Japanese zeros. The pilot and others were wounded and the plane crash landed on the beach at Carnot Bay. Three people died whilst  waiting for rescue. Days later, the remaining survivors were rescued. However, a package handed to the pilot when leaving Indonesia, remained on the plane.

Jack Palmer, sailing past the abandoned plane some time later, stopped to examine the wreckage and came across the mysterious package. Imagine his surprise when he found it full of glittering diamonds. The diamonds found their way into numerous pockets and 'Diamond' Jack returned a number to the authorities. It was suspected that Jack had kept a large portion of the gems and he was charged and brought to trial. The jury - which seems to have had some sympathy with 'Diamond' Jack - acquitted him and he took the secret of the missing diamonds to his grave.

With the development of plastic buttons, the demand for pearl shell collapsed and the town went into decline. Now Broome is a tourist town and a base for excursions into the Kimberley region, Broome is promoted as the "Pearl of the Northwest". Cultured pearls have returned some of the former glory to the area.

Roebuck Bay is situated on one side of Broome with Cable Beach on the other; it is in an ideal spot for all sorts of water sports. It is a little over rated by many people in Australia who have not travelled overseas to exotic locations. However, the stark beauty of Gantheaume Point and the sharp contrast of red rocks against azure seas make the area special along the North West Coast.

The area north of Broome up to Beagle Bay is worth exploring if you have a 4-wheel drive and some spare time. There are estuarine crocodiles in the area so stay alert when you are close to the water.

Beagle Bay was the first mission established in the Kimberleys by the Right Rev. Dr. Gibney and was founded in 1890. The monks sent to Beagle Bay experimented with the planting of tropical fruits and vegetables with some success. The church is famous for its decorations of pearl shell.

Tall tales & true: Ghosts around the light.

A beacon that once used to burn on a beach near Broome was said to dim unaccountably from time to time. It was overhauled and checked with no apparent reason ever found but the dimming continued. One explanation offered was that the ghosts of drowned pearlers danced around the light causing it to dim at certain times of the year.

Man Overboard.

There are stories in Broome dating back to the early days of pearling that suggest that the European skippers of pearling luggers had to be very careful on their voyages out to collect pearl shell.

Most went out with loaded weapons, not as you might expect as protection against sharks and crocodiles, but as protection against their own crews.

Lugger crews were made up mostly of Malays or Japanese and at one point the Japanese started to dominate as crew members. More than one skipper didn’t return with their vessel and was said to have fallen overboard during a storm.

The Malays and Japanese had a long standing hatred of each other and it was found that if crews were mixed 50/50 from these two groups that skippers stopped falling overboard in a ‘storm’.

The Cursed Pearl

It is well known that many pearls found their way on to the black market as crews came up with all sorts of ways of pocketing the gems before their bosses got their hands on them.

When a pearl buyer who was known to deal in stolen pearls turned up floating face down in the sea near Chinatown, an investigation was launched into his murder.

When found the dealer still had some 450 pounds in cash on him and it appeared that he had died from blows to the head.

The police eventually arrested three men, Marquez, Espada and Hagan. Marquez turned King’s evidence in an effort to save himself from the gallows and admitted that the plan was to rob the dealer (Liebglid) of 500 pounds that he had agreed to pay for a large stolen pearl.

They lured Liebglid down to the mangroves near the Roebuck Hotel where they attacked him but not before he had the chance to cry out ‘Murder!’. The attackers fled into the night without managing to collect the money and the dealer’s body was found the following morning.

The men had been turned in to the police by a pearl diver called Toledo. He claimed that the three had been seen with wet clothes and were whispering together the night of the murder.

Marquez, Espada and Hagan were tried in Fremantle and hanged for their crime (turning King’s evidence did not save Marquez.) but the pearl they had lured Liebglid to his death with had not been found.

Rumour has it that Toledo had originally stolen the pearl and Marquez had seen him hide it. Marquez then stole it for himself and that was why Toledo turned him in to the police.

The pearl is said to have been in the hands of an old Philippino who was almost destitute. He sold it to a man called Gomez and then returned on the proceeds to the Philippines but died almost as soon as he touched home soil.

Then the pearl was stolen from Gomez who committed suicide in a fit of despair. Then it turned up in Port Hedland and was bought by a man called Davis who was about to sail on the ship Koombana.

The Koombana sailed from Hedland on March 19th 1912, straight into the arms of a huge cyclone. The Koombana was lost with all hands.

Even the original thief, Toledo did not escape the curse of the pearl. He drowned in a cyclone off Eighty Mile Beach.

REVIEW

Malcolm Douglas' Crocodile farm

We arrived at the park before the 3pm feeding tour was due to take place and so did about a hundred other people. The one thing that will leave some people disappointed about the 3pm tour is that too many people take the tour and some will see nothing but the backs of others when the feeding takes place. There is probably a good reason for only doing one tour a day but I have to admit that more tours would thin the numbers down a bit. You can wander the park freely before or after the tour so you won't really miss anything important if there are a lot of visitors.

The park is interesting and you can watch some of Malcolm's documentaries in an outdoor viewing area before you go for a wander around. (Remember to take some insect repellent as the croc park has lots of pools where hungry mosquitoes tend to breed.)

Having been to a croc park in Innisfail we had (to be honest) been hoping to see Malcolm rather than the crocs but as there were several species of crocodile on display (as well as a few kangaroos) there was more to see than we had expected. South American Camen, New Guinea Crocs, American Alligators, Freshwater and Estuarine crocs make up the collection and it is worth coming to see what each species looks like.

Because of the variety of species here and the chance to see the differences between them, this is the croc park to visit while you are touring Australia. The one we saw in Queensland isn't a patch on this one.
Reviewed: May 2003

Note: Sadly Malcolm was killed in an accident in September 2010. He was a great Australian and will be greatly missed by everyone.