Roebuck Bay — Red Moon Secrets

Your quest begins at Sun Pictures Cinema on Carnarvon Street, Australia's oldest operating cinema, opened in 1916. This venue, Heritage Listed Western Australia in 1996, witnessed open-air screenings under the stars, offering pearlers and Broome residents respite after tough days. Its walls still echo with stories from the adjacent neighborhood, intimately linked to the pearling industry that shaped the town.

A short walk away, the Broome Historical Museum, housed in pioneer pilot Harry Wray's former home dating from 1923, opens the doors to the past. This museum, located 300m from Sun Pictures in the heart of Chinatown, is dedicated to Broome's pearling history and its Japanese and Chinese communities. Here you discover pearling artifacts from the 1880s-1930s, from tools to life stories of the divers who built the town's fortune. Your first puzzle awaits you, hidden among the treasures of the past.

Continue to Pearl Luggers, a museum located near Dampier Terrace and Roebuck Bay, opened in 2003. Here, restored pearl luggers testify to the industry from 1860 to 1939. Guided tours reveal the living conditions of divers and the flourishing pearl economy. Nearby, the Roebuck Bay Lookout, a recently built viewing platform at the intersection of Dampier Terrace and Frederick Street, offers panoramic views of Roebuck Bay, a Ramsar site since 1990, and a direct link to the waters that gave so much to Broome.

Your journey then takes you to the Women of Pearling Monument in Bedford Park, overlooking Roebuck Bay. This 3m statue, erected in 2011, pays tribute to the Aboriginal women whose contributions were essential to the pearling industry. Within walking distance of Broome's center via Dampier Terrace, this monument embodies the resilience and strength of local communities. It is here that Jimmy Akbar, the last king of the pearl divers, is said to have shared his final visions for Broome's future.

Finally, the Japanese Cemetery, 500m from the center near Roebuck Bay, is a place of remembrance and contemplation. It bears witness to the more than 900 Japanese divers who died in pearling before 1914, highlighting the deep links between pearling and Asian communities from the 1890s. Although the famous 130-million-year-old Dinosaur Footprints are 8km away near Gantheaume Point, the views from Roebuck Bay recall the unique geology of the Kimberley. Completing this journey, you take with you the story of a town shaped by courage, the sea, and cultural blending, a true Heritage Listed Western Australia.

The path ends at Camera Bay, where the secrets of the red moon seem to whisper on the sand. This exploration of Broome, rich in history and culture, will have introduced you to the many facets of its pearling heritage. From the bustle of Chinatown to the memorial sites, each step has revealed a fragment of the soul of this coastal town. You leave with a deeper understanding of pearling's impact on lives and landscapes, an unforgettable experience in the heart of the Kimberley, designated a Ramsar Wetland in 1990.