Broome is a sensational holiday destination steeped with history, culture and natural beauty. Here is some information to assist you with planning your trip to Broome including seasons, tides, events and natural phenomena. – We look forward to seeing you soon.
Festival of the Pearl is on in Broome from the 17th August to 1st September 2024
A carnival for the senses, Shinju Matsuri – Japanese for ‘festival of the pearl’ – is a celebration of Broome’s / Rubibi’s unique multicultural and pearling history. Held annually over nine days in August and September, Shinju Matsuri unfolds across a series of events showcasing the fusion of flavours, sounds and colours that make this iconic outback town so captivating.
The annual Shinju Matsuri originated from three cultural festivals – Japanese Obon Matsuri, Malaysian Hari Merdeka, Independence Day from British rule in 1957, and the Chinese Hang Seng. Shinju Matsuri rekindles the excitement and romance of Broome’s early days of being a world-renowned producer of South Sea Pearls when the Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Koepangers, Filipino and Europeans flocked to Broome from the late 1800’s to be a part of this prosperity. This unique multicultural population of pearl industry workers joined with the local Aboriginal people and Europeans to work on up to 400 Pearling Luggers that sailed out of Broome.
Broome’s people and businesses sees the festival as an opportunity to re-educate and inform the community of the cultural heritage of Broome. Ensuring that education and information is passed on to young people and new arrivals will assure that Broome’s unique and diverse identity is acknowledged and remembered through the generations.
Shinju Matsuri will tempt your senses with an exciting whirlwind of colour, sound, taste and smell as the community shares this beautiful locale with the world and the people who call it home.
Country Thoroughbred racing at its best. Race day is a buzz with excitement and entertainment.
- Race Day 1: Saturday 25th May
- Race Day 2: Saturday 8th June
- Race Day 3: Sunday 15th June
- Race Day 4: Sunday 30th June (Family Day)
- Race Day 5: Saturday 13th July
- Race Day 6: Friday 26th July
- Race Day 7: Kimberley Cup Saturday 10th August
- Race Day 8: Ladies Day Tuesday 20th August
- Race Day 9: Broome Cup Saturday 24th August
Broome has the 4th highest tidal range in the world, 10.4m. Due to the gentle pitch on our beaches and tidal flats around Broome, that tidal range means that the distance between the high tide mark and the low tide mark is between 1.5km and 15km. The tides are all due to the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon, which we love explaining on our tours. Spring tides is every second week, and this is when you have the most change in water movement, followed by a neap tide week where the tide doesn’t change very much at all. All of our tours demonstrate the power of Broome’s phenomenal tidal range and it is awe-inspiring witnessing the tides whilst you are out on tour. During a spring tide week, the tides are incredible however if you have lower mobility or fitness, it is encouraged that you tour in our neap tide weeks where the water movement is less.
This is a part of Broome’s history that everyone must experience. Back in WWII, 15 Catalina and Dornier Flying Boats were moored in Roebuck Bay 400m off the end of the old Broome Jetty. They were evacuating mainly women and children that were fleeing what was then known as the Dutch East Indies, now known as Indonesia. One hour before their scheduled departure, nine Japanese Zeros strafed them all from the sky. Over 80 people died in these attacks on Broome. The Planes sank to the bottom of Roebuck Bay and on a high spring tide, these planes are over 10 m under the surface of the water. However, 23 times per year, Broome’s phenomenal tidal range sees these wrecks exposed to the open air and you can visit this war grave and explore these WWII plane wrecks. A very sombering, but very much a must-do experience. Many visitors book their flights to Broome around the dates that these planes are visible, which is only 23 times per year. Because we have such a shallow draft on our boat, Brahminy Kite, we do tours out to these wrecks – a fully guided tour with informative commentary about the events that lead to the demise of these people and their planes.
2024 Dates that these planes are visible.
August 22nd, 23rd and 24th
September 20th, 21st, 22nd
October 19th, 20th and 21st
November 17th and 18th
Broome’s greatest natural phenomenon takes place along the Roebuck Bay foreshore. It’s an amazing visual reminder of the force of the moon’s gravitational effects on the giant Kimberley tides. Join thousands of people who gather to watch the full moon rise up over the tidal flats of Roebuck Bay, leaving a giant golden staircase in it rising path.
Two great places to watch the Staircase phenomenon is from the Mangrove Hotel or the Town Beach foreshore. The Staircase to the Moon can be seen from our venue so if you are choosing to book our Dinosaur Adventure Tour on one of the staircase dates, you may be able to see the staircase during dinner (timing dependent). And if the tour is scheduled to finishes earlier than the staircase time, we can drop you off at Town Beach or the Mangrove Hotel. Both of these locations have bus transport to and from most of the major hotels.
Below are the dates and times that this phenomenon is visible.
April 2024
Thursday 25th – 6:20pm
Friday 26th – 7:04pm
Saturday 27th – 7.54pm
May 2024
Friday 24th – 5:49pm
Saturday 25th – 6:43pm
Sunday 26th – 7:43pm
June 2024
Sunday 23rd – 6:35pm
Monday 24th – 7:39pm
Tuesday 25th – 8:42pm
July 2024
Monday 22nd – 6:29pm
Tuesday 23rd – 7:32pm
Wednesday 24th – 8:33pm
August 202
Tuesday 20th – 6:17pm
Wednesday 21st – 7:19pm
Thursday 22nd – 8:19pm
September 2024
Wednesday 18th 6pm
Thursday 19th – 7:02pm
Friday 20th – 8:05pm
October 2024
Thursday 17th – 6:47pm
Friday 18th – 7:54pm
November 2024
Saturday 16th 6:37pm
Sunday 17th – 7:44pm
The Yawuru people are the native title holders of the town of Broome, Rubibi in Yawuru.
The Yawuru calendar shows six seasons, outlined below.
| Man-gala | Marrul | Wirralburu | Barrgana | Wirlburu | Laja |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Late summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring | Early Summer |
| December | April | May | June-August | September | October |
| March | Hot season | Dry season | Cold season | Warming | Austria |
| Wet season | No wind | No rain | Some fog | season | Hot season |
| Strong winds | High tides | Days hot | Dry winds | Days and | Hot time |
| Monsoon | hot | nights cool | nights getting hotter | Buildup |
Broome experiences a tropical climate, which is considered as hot/semi-arid. Average yearly temperatures have a high of 32.3 degrees and a low of 21.3. Month by month averages are in the following table.
Broome’s dry season (April – October) is made up of warm days, balmy nights and perfect holiday weather most of the time. Not a cloud in the sky.
Broome’s wet season (November to March) brings rain, hotter weather and humidity. Broome is absolutely beautiful at this time of year. It is humid, however no more humid than Indonesia and Singapore, and tourist travel there all year round. Broome in the wet season has the most incredible sunsets with golden linings and an abundance of turtles and wader birds. The months of January and February are associated with monsoonal weather and the risk of cyclones.
| Statistics | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | ||||||||||||||
| Mean maximum temperature (°C) | 33.3 | 33.0 | 34.0 | 34.4 | 31.7 | 29.3 | 29.0 | 30.4 | 31.9 | 33.0 | 33.7 | 33.9 | 32.3 | 84 |
| Mean minimum temperature (°C) | 26.3 | 26.1 | 25.5 | 22.7 | 18.3 | 15.2 | 13.7 | 14.9 | 18.5 | 22.5 | 25.2 | 26.6 | 21.3 | 84 |
| Rainfall | ||||||||||||||
| Mean rainfall (mm) | 200.9 | 179.4 | 98.0 | 24.9 | 26.9 | 18.2 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 9.7 | 63.8 | 627.6 | 82 |
| Mean number of days of rain ≥ 1 mm | 9.4 | 9.0 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 35.3 | 83 |