We reach the Indian Ocean

We are currently touring the southern, central and western states of Australia in our motorhome called Ixi, and recently visited Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA). Leaving Derby we headed to Broome, a beach resort town on the Indian Ocean.

Our view of Roebuck Bay beach, Broome, WA

In fact, Broome’s place on the Indian Ocean is right where the Kimberleys begin (or for us, end). This small town of around 18,170 people (2025), is famous for its beaches and its pearling history. We found a camping site that was right on Roebuck Bay beach in Broome township, and stayed there a few days enjoying the views and ambience.

Our view of Roebuck Bay, Broome, WA

Roebuck Bay is of international importance for millions of migrating birds and we saw many. But because Broome sits on a peninsular, there is a beach on the other side of town called Cable Bay. It’s named after the Java-to-Australia undersea telegraph cable that reaches the shore there. It’s beautiful and is Broome’s main swimming beach.

Colonial-style architecture in Broome, WA

Broome’s fame with pearls, began in the 1860s, when the pearl industry enslaved and indentured people of Aboriginal, east and southeast Asian descent as pearl workers. These days, the multicultural population contributes to Broome being quite a vibrant town that still shows its colonial roots.

Staircase to the sun over Roebuck Bay, Broome, WA

As well as beaches and pearls, Broome is famous for the ‘staircase to the moon’ event which occurs a few nights of each month between March and October. On those nights, the full moon reflecting over the water of Roebuck Bay creates an amazing stair effect. We missed it, but we got up at 5 am one morning to see the sun rise which was particularly beautiful, so we called it ‘staircase to the sun’.

Marg on our boat trip to see snubfin dolphins, Broome, WA

While in Broome, we did a boat trip to see snubfin dolphins. After being picked up by the tour company, we boarded an amphibious vehicle that shuttled us into the bay where we boarded a launch. Soon, we were deep into the bay for a bit of dolphin spotting.

 

Snubfin dolphin mother with calf, Roebuck Bay, Broome, WA

Snubfins are a breed of dolphin with a short dorsal fin and round head with no visible snout. The snubfin population is small and vulnerable, and there was no guarantee of sightings. But Roebuck Bay is known as one of the best places to see them, and we did! At first, we saw just one mother with a calf, but the rest of the pod soon came and frolicked around us. It was great.

A giant manta ray in Roebuck Bay, Broome, WA

We were also entertained by some gigantic manta rays; the World’s largest (which can grow to 8 metres across). Their long triangular wing-like fins allow then to gracefully glide through the water or even somersault out of it, and their huge white mouth opens very wide to hoover up plankton. They seemed playful and not afraid to come close to the boat. All up, we had a great day on the water.

 Sacred Heart Church, Beagle Bay, Dampier Peninsular, WA

A few days later, we left Broome and drove north along the Dampier Peninsular. Our first stop there was at Beagle Bay, home to the Nyul Nyul Aboriginal people who’ve existed there for thousands of years. After paying a small fee to enter this tidy wee settlement of 307 people, we walked to its famous Sacred Heart Church.

Sacred Heart Church altar, Beagle Bay, Dampier Peninsular, WA

The church was built by hand in 1917 by the local Aboriginal people and the Pallottine monks who started the Catholic mission in the late 1800s. It is particularly famous for its beautiful altar and walls decorated with mother-of-pearl and cowrie shell.

Christ the King church, Lombadina, Dampier Peninsular, WA

Our next stop was at the Aboriginal town of Lombadina, set up by the Catholic Church in 1909 to house Aboriginal children. Lombadina became a self-governing community in 1975, and is now home to around 348 Bardi Jawi people. After paying a small entry fee, we visited its historic (1932) Christ the King church and admired the amazing workmanship of its wooden beams and paperbark roof.

Our meal at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm restaurant, Dampier Peninsular, WA

Our final stop was near the top of the Dampier Peninsular at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. The temperature was well into the mid-40s when we arrived so our first stop was to their infinity pool which looked out over Cygnet Bay. That night, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the pearl farm’s restaurant, consisting of produce from around WA including pearl meat, crocodile and kangaroo.

Pearl from a Cygnet Bay oyster, Dampier Peninsular, WA

The Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm is a working farm, so the next morning we took a tour to learn how the pearls are created, harvested, and processed. This area grows the world's largest pearl-producing shell at around 30 cm in diameter, which produces a valuable South Sea pearl, and highly-prized, edible pearl meat. It was so interesting, and we watched as a huge shell was opened and a pearl extracted.

The waterfall reef, Buccaneer Archipelago, WA

Later that day, we took a cruise to the amazing waterfall reef in the Buccaneer Archipelago off Cygnet Bay. We cruised through the pearl farm and past some of the many islands of the archipelago to arrive at a submerged reef that has water flowing across it, making it look like a waterfall in the middle of the ocean. It was absolutely amazing.

Buccaneer Archipelago whirlpool, Dampier Peninsular, WA

On the return journey, we navigated a series of large whirlpools created as the tidal waters get pulled toward the ocean. There were so many and it felt quite treacherous. The driver did a broadside at one of them and we and our camera and phone were swamped with water. Marg’s camera is still not working and Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm accepts no responsibility for the damage. Great trip but bummer result.

Marg on the mudflats at 80 Mile Beach, WA

Leaving Cygnet Bay, we drove south off the Dampier Peninsular to 80 Mile Beach, which is actually 220 km of pristine Indian Ocean coast. It is incredibly tidal and low tide exposes around 4 km of mudflats that provide food for many species, making it one of the world’s most important feeding grounds for migratory shorebirds.

 

Flatback turtle tracks and nest, 80 Mile Beach, WA

The beach is also a major nesting site for flatback turtles, which are only found in northern Australia. Female flatbacks make their way up the beach to the dunes and lay their eggs between October and February. Their path to and from the dunes leaves tyre-like tracks in the sand, and at the peak of their tracks is a huge nest. We didn’t see the turtles as they do this in the middle of the night, but we saw plenty of tracks and nests.

Marg about to cover the distress seagull ready for it to be freed

On one stroll along the beach, Leigh spotted a distressed seagull that had a fishing hook through its beak, so we asked a local fisherman to help cut it free. While Marg covered the bird with seaweed to still it, the fisherman managed to get the hook out and the bird flew off….good job! We loved it at 80 Mile Beach and stayed longer than planned, enjoying the sea air, the beautiful sunsets, and the visiting wallabies.

Mulla mulla roadside wildflower near 80 Mile Beach, WA

Leaving 80 Mile Beach, we saw many roadside wildflowers. One in particular looked like snow or a lot of polystyrene on the roadside. We stopped for a closer look to find a very pretty creeper plant that we now know is called mulla mulla. The roadside flowers we have seen here are so different to those at home and it’s been fun spotting them.

Huge ship sailing into Port Hedland, WA

A couple of hours later, we arrived in Port Hedland on the Indian Ocean. This town is home to around 15,000 people and has a deep anchorage harbour that has resulted in it becoming Australia’s main port for the export of iron ore and other minerals, plus livestock. In fact, it has the largest bulk port in the world.

The end of a very long iron ore train, Port Hedland, WA

The iron ore is delivered to the port by trains, and we marvelled at the 2-3 km length of them. While in Port Hedland, we caught up with long-time friend Mark who kindly gave us a wonderful tour of the city and port with lots of information, followed by a lovely meal at a local seaside restaurant. The next morning, we moved on to Karijini National Park, but that’s in the next blog.

This post is the eighth in a series about our travels through Australia’s south, centre and west. The first post was about Adelaide and can be found here.