Port of Broome History | Kimberley WA

By the late 1870's there was a growing pearling industry in the waters off north-western Australia with the largest base of operations being located in Cossack, about 700 kilometres from what was to become Broome. Alex McRae found rich beds of pearl shell in Roebuck Bay in 1882 on his ship the 'Dawn'. This find would guarantee increased activity at the sheltered harbour site and lead to a base of operations for the pearling industry.

In 1879, Charles Harper suggested to the Legislative Council for government offices that Roebuck Bay be set up as a port with facilities for the pearling industry. Thus, in 1883, John Forrest selected a town site on Roebuck Bay just east of Dampier Creek where three native wells existed and predicted this site would become the 'Capital of the Kimberley'. Later that year, the townsite of Broome was proclaimed and named after the colony's Governor, Frederick N. Broome.

Before Forrest's arrival at the bay, an English businessman by the name of E. W. Streeter had recognized the potential of this outback location and had a passage cleared though the mangroves. He had a rough jetty built near a well-worn path which led to the wells. There was no form of a permanent settlement at that time, but soon a motley collection of bush camps, tents and corrugated iron sheds were erected near the jetty and the beginnings of the town were born.

The first sale of town lots took place in October 1886 and three years later Broome was gazetted as a port. Streeter bought up a large tract of town land and employed George Roe to erect a store and his residence. Next, he contracted to build the Roebuck Arms Hotel. Later, realizing that the demand for fresh meat and dairy products was also a financial opportunity, he took up a pastoral lease and opened a butcher shop in town. In 1890, he also opened a dairy and milk run for the residents of Broome.

About this time, two brothers who had been working in the colony's goldfields made their way to the port of Broome. Arthur and Archie Male were hired as clerks in Streeter's store and by 1899 had become managers in Streeters various concerns and in later years partners in the firm. Even today, visitors to Broome can visit the Streeter and Male store and the Male family name is well known in Broome history.

In 1889, a new telegraph cable was established at Roebuck Bay, linking the isolated colony direct with England, via Singapore, India, Aden, Egypt, Malta and Gibraltar. The structure the Eastern Extension and China Telegraph Company erected in Broome was by far the most elegant building in the town and was called Cable House. Today it serves as Broome's Court House and is located on the corner of Frederick and Hamersley Streets. The grounds host the popular Saturday Court House Markets.

Broome Courthouse, originally Cable House constructed by the Eastern Extension & China Telegraph Co - 1890's

By 1891, the port of Broome consisted of a butcher's shop, a building of twelve sheets of iron, the Telegraph Office and Cable Station, a Post Office and Streeters store. No jetty was available for travelers and other than at high tide, passengers had to endure the gruesome experience of trudging for over half a mile, wading in pools and mud carrying their belongings. The town was lawless and following constant complaints M.S. Warton, son of C.N. Warton, the Attorney General, was appointed officer-in-charge and became the port's genial Resident Magistrate.

The 'Fat Years' of 1889 to 1891 saw the price of mother of pearl (m.o.p.) shell escalate to new highs and it established Broome as a port. Often called the 'Queen City of the North', Broome developed into a town different from any other pearling centre and different from any other Australian city. By 1898, Broome was the principal cargo port for north western Australia and by the first world war, the Port of Broome was second only to Fremantle. Broome was becoming a cosmopolitan centre fuelled by visiting pearl buyers and businessmen from the major city centres around the world.

When World War I was declared in 1914, Broome harboured about 300 pearl luggers and had a population of over 3,000. Within a few months, the fleet numbers were halved as men enlisted in the forces and economic events in Europe severely depressed the pearling industry.

When the war ended in 1918, a different pearling industry emerged with new challenges and new rules to rebuild itself in the years to come. The English influence and affluence of "Old Broome" disappeared forever. Many returning soldiers could not find work in the economically stricken town and many of the socially prominent families chose not to return after the war. Additionally, Broome had suffered extensive damage from the cyclones of 1908, 1910 and especially 1912 and much of the town needed to be rebuilt.

Slowly, Broome would rebuild itself once again into an exciting and economically viable port. The 1920's would see Broome once again a vibrant, bustling, international melting pot with the pearling industry thriving and the price of pearl shell at its highest ever.

Australia joined America in declaring war on the Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbour and almost immediately all pearling activity ceased in Broome. Men rushed to enlist and the industry's labour pool vanished over night as Japanese residents were interned in camps.

Since Broome's livelihood relied heavily on the skill and experience of Japanese divers this spelt ruin for the pearling industry and the town. The residents of Broome were suddenly faced with rounding up and interning friends and employees simply because they were Japanese. Unlike other towns in Australia, Broome's Japanese population made up a good portion of the town's inhabitants and had resided in the community for over a half a century. Many had been born and raised in Australia and had no ties to Japan. Consequently, it was extremely difficult for Broome residents to suddenly treat these long term Broome inhabitants as "the enemy". Although they complied with the internment policy, Broome residents tried to make life as easy as possible for the Japanese, bringing food and presents to the camp and allowing regular visits to town to go shopping.

Broome's population was now vastly decreased. Most of the white men had rushed to enlist in the war effort, a number of white families decided to evacuate to safer areas further south and many of the indigenous people were sent to Beagle Bay under the charge of the Sisters at the St John of God Convent.

On March 3, 1942 Japanese Zeros raided Broome and destroyed sixteen flying boat planes on Roebuck Bay which were crammed with Dutch refugees from Java. Most Broome residents left town and the town fell into decay. By the time the war ended, Broome was badly deteriorated and a mere shell of its former self. Buildings stood empty and neglected with looters having taken most items of value. Residents who did return found little to salvage and were forced to start over from scratch.

By 1951, the few master pearlers in Broome were trying to get the town back on its feet. The labour problem was critical and by February 1952 the government decided to again permit the entry of Japanese pearling workers.

Pearl production in 1957 was reputedly reaching pre-war levels, and the town was slowly recovering. Rebuilding had begun in earnest but within two years another downturn in the pearling industry economy caused concern. Plastic was cheaper and readily available and m.o.p. was no longer needed for the making of buttons and fasteners. Since Broome's economy was based on pearling, this was devastating. By 1962 the pearling industry, as it had previously existed, was virtually abandoned due to its lack of profitability. Broome needed new economic drivers and they were to become tourism and cultured pearl farming.

Cultured pearl farms had been in the experimental stages since the mid-50's and the technology of seeding and growing cultured pearls was just beginning to be perfected. Slowly, this new version of the pearling industry grew and prospered. Today Broome is once again the world's major producer of South Sea Pearls and m.o.p. shell. Harvesting techniques may have changed and modern diving equipment may lessen the perils of the divers but the demand for pearls and the mystique that surrounds them is as evident today as it was in the past.

Tourism began to emerge as an important business for the town. Since the early 1900's, Broome had been a destination for visitors attracted by its warm winter climate, diverse cultural history and white sandy beaches. A concentrated effort led by Lord Alistair McAlpine to resurrect the historical charm of the town led to restoration of many of the town's old buildings and a sound plan for Broome's future.

Developers discovered that Broome had a wealth of available opportunities and were eager to invest in the town. With the exception of a down turn in its economy caused by the Australia-wide airline's pilots' strike in 1989, Broome continues to grow. Tourism is now recognised as a major industry for Broome.