Broome WA

Broome sits on the Kimberley coast of Western Australia, a remote town built on the old pearling industry. Cable Beach, a 22-kilometre stretch of white sand backed by red pindan cliffs, is the main attraction and one of the better beaches in the country. Camels walk along the sand at sunset, which has become Broome's most recognisable image. The town itself is small, with a Chinatown quarter that dates from the pearling days when Japanese, Chinese and Malay divers worked the shell beds. The Staircase to the Moon, a natural optical illusion caused by moonlight reflecting off the exposed mudflats at low tide, is visible from Town Beach on certain nights between March and October. The Pearl Luggers museum covers the industry's history, including the dangers divers faced. Matso's Brewery does a good mango beer. Temperatures are hot year-round, and the wet season from November to April brings cyclone risk.