EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Broome first flourished around the old port area in Chinatown , which once accommodated a lively mix of pearl-divers and seamen. This old Asiatic quarter has seen the most concentrated reconstruction of original buildings, with street signs in five languages and payphones topped with jaunty Chinese roofs. Modern boutiques and cafés occupy most of the buildings, but Sun Pictures on Carnarvon Street, which opened in 1916 (making it as old as Hollywood itself), is one of the oldest "walk-ins" still in use today. During the daytime you can take in the virtually unchanged interior and see photographs showing the segregated seating codes of the old days (tours Mon-Fri 11am & 2pm; $3.30). At the end of the street is the post office and the Paspaley Pearls Plaza shopping centre . The dilapidated Streeter's Jetty runs into the mangroves off Dampier Terrace; the terrace hosts several pearl dealers operating from former warehouses.

A walk down Hamersley Street, past the 1888 courthouse on the corner of Frederick Street, leads to what was the rich end of the old town, where masters and merchants once lived in splendid, airy bungalows such as Captain Gregory's House , now a brewery near the junction with Carnarvon Street. Next door, Matso's Store (daily 10am-5pm) displays local artwork and is a cool place for an outdoor lunch.

Next to the old Seaview Shopping Centre (daily 8am-6pm), now without a supermarket, the Customs House houses the local museum (May-Nov Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 10am-1pm; Dec-April daily 10am-1pm; $3). Naturally focusing on the town's maritime traditions, and with a pleasing "junk shop" appearance, it could easily occupy a couple of hours. Round the back, the old Pioneer Cemetery overlooks Town Beach , the nearest to the town centre. From the jetty, very low tides reveal the remains of Dutch sea planes bombed by the Japanese in 1942. This is also the best vantage point for observing the " Staircase to the Moon ", the overrated lunar reflections in the mud flats, which occur for a few nights each month, around the full phase of the moon. Dates and precise times for the "Staircase" can be obtained from the tourist office.