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 26th August to the 10th September 2023
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 3 June
- Race Day 2: Saturday 10 June
- Race Day 3: Sunday 25 June
- Race Day 4: Saturday 1 July
- Race Day 5: Sunday 16 July
- Race Day 6: Friday 28 July
- Race Day 7: Kimberley Cup Saturday 5 August
- Race Day 8: Ladies Day Tuesday 15 August
- Race Day 9: Broome Cup Saturday 19 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.
WWII Plane Wreck Tour – click link to WWII plane wreck tour page.
2023 Dates that these planes are visible.
September 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
October 1st, 2nd , 3rd, 30th and 31st
November 1st
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 2023
Friday 7th – 6.34pm
Saturday 8th – 7.13pm
Sunday 9th – 7.58pm
May 2023
Saturday 6th – 5.53pm
Sunday 7th – 6.42pm
Monday 8th – 7.37pm
June 2023
Monday 5th – 6.26pm
Tuesday 6th – 7.31pm
Wednesday 7th – 8.38pm
July 2023
Tuesday 4th – 6.20pm
Wednesday 5th – 7.29pm
Thursday 6th – 8.35pm
August 2023
Wednesday 2nd – 6.15pm
Thursday 3rd – 7.21pm
Friday 4th – 8.23pm
August / September 2023
Thursday 31st – 6.03pm
Friday 1st – 7.05pm
Saturday 2nd – 8.05pm
September / October 2023
Saturday 30th – 6.45pm
Sunday 1st – 7.45pm
Monday 2nd – 8.45pm
Late October 2023
Sunday 29th – 6.26pm
Monday 30th – 7.28pm
Tuesday 31st – 8.29pm
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 |