What it's all about...
"The history of the small coastal town of Broome, in Western Australia's far north west is an incredible tale. Movie makers would find it difficult to write a screen play of fiction to match the reality of the events that took place in this remote frontier town..."
Broome Historical Walking Tours is a 2 hour journey back in time. Our adventure starts in 1942 and winds its way through some of the prominent places and events of Broome's past, back to 1896, learning the incredible stories along the way that defined the worlds most remote frontier town.
Through the window of photography, we visit iconic locations of Broome's pearling past where the images were captured, comparing the real time view against the images shown through portal into the past, along our 1.5k walk...
You do not need to be super fit to join our tour. The walk is suitable for most ages. while there are some sandy and somewhat 4wheel drive aspects to our route, anyone with a love of the outdoors and walking will be enthralled by our journey into yesteryear...
Tour departs at Town Beach, the site of the old wharf...
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
From here our history book opens and our journey into the past begins.
The date is 3rd of March 1942, a day forever etched in history...
From our vantage point we see the photos of the ships at mooring and 3 of the 15 flying flying boats preparing for take off, unaware that 75 years later a group of people would be standing on the remains of the old groin at "Mangrove Point Jetty", discussing how on that day, so many years ago, 9 Zero fighter planes swooped down on Roebuck bay destroying all 15 planes, killing 100 people and plungingWestern Australia headlong into World War 2...
As we walk backward through time, we study the images and discuss the events that led up to that day, the stories and heroes that came from it. Gus Winkle takes a machine gun from his plane and shooting from the hip, brings down a Zero in Roebuck bay. Ivan Smirnoff lands a bullet riddled DC3 on a remote Kimberley beach and the story of Jack Palmer and the Diamonds of Carnot bay begin to unfold...
We wind further back along our road into the past, to visit the iconic 'layup' camps of the Pearling heyday. we study artefacts and learn the legends and stories of Broome's past
Who killed Liebglied the 'Snide'pearl dealer and why??
Why did 80./. of the worlds 'Mother of Pearl come from Broome?
We discuss the legendary Japanese divers. Why did they come to Broome? why were their diving skills so revered? What possessed them to dive to depths of 40 fathoms in search of the elusive 'Oyster'.
How did 93 of them die in 2 short years...?
How did Broome manage to escape the 'White Australia'
policy of 1901? What was the fate of the 'Koombana'?
Australia's own answer to the 'Titanic', lost on Kimberely
coast, taking with it the famous 'Rosa Pearl'.
These answers and more wait the intrepid historian on our
adventure...
As we head east along our foreshore journey, we stop in 1906
for beer and ammunition at the 'Bourne and Inglis'
general store. Here we discuss how Master pearlers sent
pearling whites to be laundered in Singapore, had cigarettes
rolled in Cairo, their champagne brought in from France,
while the people who worked for them lived in the sand...
Our tour finally journeys to it's last destination, the
world famous 'Broome Historical Society" and museum.
Here we explore in depth the full Divers dress and associated
equipment used on the 'lugger', all of which is displayed before us.
Your entry to the museum is covered under B.H.W.T tour price.
Clients are invited to stay on at the museum and explore the many
fascinating artefacts and stories there.
See our 5 bubble rating on Trip Advisor, the worlds number 1 travel reviewer!
