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I Finally Visited Broome and Cable Beach Changed My Whole Trip
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items Planning a Broome trip from overseas and drowning in vague travel blogs that all say the same thing? I spent two weeks in Western Australia's Kimberley region and Cable Beach was the highlight I almost skipped. Here's everything I actually did, wore,...
Sections
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Cable Beach Camel Ride Experiences Worth Booking
What to Pack for Cable Beach and Broome
Broome Restaurants and Food After a Beach Day
Other Broome Experiences Beyond Cable Beach
Planning Tips for Broome from Overseas
Cable Beach Camel Ride Experiences Worth Booking
I almost didn't book a camel ride because it felt touristy. Then I watched a sunset from camel-back and literally teared up. Not all operators are equal though, so here's what I learned the hard way.
Grab the sunset slot, not the morning one. I did both and the afternoon light on the Indian Ocean made my phone photos look professional. Book at least two weeks out during dry season or you'll get waitlisted.
Red Sun Camels
Try this one if you want a smaller group. Our guide knew every dune by name and told stories about the old pearling days. Perfect for couples who don't want to ride in a 30-person conga line of camels.
Ships of the desert
Get this if you burn easily or hate crowds. The morning light is softer and there were only eight of us. I slathered on sunscreen anyway and still got a tan line from my watch.
Broome Camel Safaris
Snag this time slot if you want to hit dinner right after. We rode for 45 minutes then walked straight to a restaurant with sand still in our shoes. My camel's name was Gerald and he had zero patience for selfies.
Red Sun Camels
Swing by after your ride for a cold drink and a silly camel magnet. I grabbed one for my fridge and my mom immediately asked when I became a camel person. It's right near the beach parking area.
Mabu Buru Shop
Skip the camel ride one evening and just sit on the sand instead. Bring a towel and a cold drink. Watching the camel trains pass while the sky turns orange is free and honestly just as memorable from the ground.
Cable Beach's Sunset Bar
What to Pack for Cable Beach and Broome
I packed like I was going to Bali and regretted half my suitcase. Broome is remote, dry, and hotter than you expect. These are the things I was grateful I brought or wished I had.
Wear this instead of regular sunscreen reapplication every hour. The UPF fabric kept my shoulders from frying during a full day at Cable Beach. Lightweight enough that I didn't overheat, which shocked me.
Women's Capilene® Cool Daily Hoody
Toss these in your bag for the beach. The sand at Cable Beach gets scorching by noon and I watched someone hop around barefoot like a cartoon character. These dry fast and pack flat.
Women's Slim Flip Flops Black
Keep your phone and wallet in this during camel rides. One guy on our tour had his phone slip out of his shorts pocket into the sand. I kept everything sealed and clipped to my waist.
Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil Dry-Bag 13L Blue Atoll
Bring a portable charger because you will drain your battery taking 400 sunset photos. I thought I'd be disciplined about screen time on vacation. I was not. This thing charged my phone twice over.
Anker Nano Portable Power Bank Intelligent Display
Use the lotion, not the spray. Wind on Cable Beach is constant and spray sunscreen just blows sideways. I learned this when half my face burned and the other half didn't. Reef-safe too, which matters here.
Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Broad Spectrum Sheer
Pair this with sunglasses and you're set. I felt ridiculous wearing a bucket hat until I saw every single local wearing one too. The chin strap saved it from blowing into the ocean twice.
Bora Bora™ II Booney Hat
Broome Restaurants and Food After a Beach Day
After riding camels and swimming all day, I was starving every single night. Broome's food scene surprised me. It's small but punches way above what you'd expect from a town this remote.
Get the mango beer and the fish tacos. Sit outside. I went three times in five days and I'm not even a beer person. The vibe is relaxed and sandy feet are basically the dress code.
Matso's Broome Brewery Review
Try the barramundi if it's on the menu. This place does modern Australian food with Asian influences and the cocktail list is short but every single one hits. We stumbled in without a reservation on a Tuesday and got lucky.
The Aarli | Similar Restaurants Nearby
Walk here straight from the sand for a long lunch. I ordered the seafood platter and it was big enough for two but I ate the whole thing myself. No regrets. Views of the beach from the deck are ridiculous.
Exquisite views over Cable Beach paired with cultured food
Snag a spot before sunset for drinks with a panoramic view. I brought a friend who said she'd seen enough sunsets that week. She took 30 photos from this rooftop. Cocktails aren't cheap but neither is the scenery.
18+ Music Bar
Swing by for breakfast before exploring. The coffee is strong and the portions are generous. I had the big breakfast plate two mornings in a row and the staff recognized me by day three. That's how you know it's good.
Milkbar Townbeach
Grab a flat white here if you're a coffee snob. They roast their own beans and it shows. I'm from Melbourne where people are insufferable about coffee and this place would hold its own there.
The Good Coffee Cartel
Other Broome Experiences Beyond Cable Beach
Cable Beach gets all the attention but I almost missed some of the best stuff by not looking past it. Broome has dinosaur footprints, pearl farms, and tides that do things I've never seen anywhere else.
Get there at low tide or you'll just stare at water and rocks. I checked the tide chart wrong on my first attempt and saw nothing. Came back the next day at the right time and found 130-million-year-old theropod tracks. Wild.
Dinosaur Footprints
Book the full tour, not the short one. I learned more about pearls in two hours than I expected to care about. The guide cracked open a live oyster and pulled out a pearl right in front of us. My jaw actually dropped.
Willie Creek Pearl Farm Tour | Broome Tours
Check the dates before you plan your trip. This only happens a few nights per month when a full moon rises over the mudflats at Town Beach. I timed my visit around it and the night market that pops up alongside it was a bonus.
Staircase to the Moon Night Markets
Bring kids here or just bring yourself. I watched a feeding session and a saltwater croc launched out of the water about three meters from the viewing platform. My heart rate didn't come down for ten minutes.
Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park |
Splurge on this if your budget allows. A seaplane flies you over the Kimberley coast and then a boat takes you through tidal waterfalls that flow sideways. I've traveled a lot and this is one of the most unusual things I've ever done.
Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures - Tours, Flights & Cruises
Spend an hour here before you explore town. The pearling history and Japanese diver stories gave me context for everything else I saw. Small museum but dense with real artifacts. I walked out understanding Broome completely differently.
Broome Historical Museum Tickets & Tours
Planning Tips for Broome from Overseas
Flying to Broome from the US or Europe takes effort. It's not a place you accidentally end up. These are the logistics I wish someone had spelled out for me before I booked.
Fly from Perth, not Darwin, unless your itinerary demands it. The Perth to Broome flight is about 2.5 hours and Qantas runs it daily during peak season. I booked six weeks out and still got a reasonable fare.
Flights from Perth to Broome
Stay here if you want to walk to Cable Beach in under five minutes. I rolled out of bed and was on the sand before I finished my coffee. Not the cheapest option but the location alone justifies it for a short trip.
Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa
Switch to this if you'd rather spend money on experiences than a hotel room. Clean, social, and close to Chinatown. I met a German couple here who became my travel buddies for the rest of the week.
On a budget? Find Cheap Hotels in Kimberley, South Africa
Grab a campervan if you want flexibility. I rented one for three days and parked at different spots each night. Waking up at a beach with nobody around felt like having my own private coastline. Book early for dry season.
Britz
Stop here on your first morning. The staff handed me a tide chart, a map, and three recommendations I wouldn't have found online. They told me about Gantheaume Point timing, which saved me from wasting a trip out there.
Broome Visitor Centre: Welcome to Broome
Get a policy that covers adventure activities before you go. The horizontal falls boat ride and some camel operators ask about insurance. I used World Nomads and the process was painless. Don't skip this, especially flying that far from home.
Travel Insurance for Adventure Activities