'Chinatown'...a name synonymous with Broome. A name which evokes all sorts of images of the early life in the town and of this particular ethnic group which was so much a part of it. Liz remembered it from her visit here in the early 90's as a small cluster of tin walled shops and buildings, huddled together in what was then Broome's only 'main' street,
much like this 1920's view of the town (courtesy of 'broomesightseeingtours').
Well, how times have changed. We should have expected it. Liz had already been amazed by the suburban development and expansion she saw as we came into Broome, and, sadly for me in particular, this has extended to the CBD.
'Old Chinatown' has been completely swallowed by modern commercial development, but the district retains the name. I think it fair to say that this discovery was one of my greatest travelling disappointments. From what I saw, the central business area of Broome is now devoid of much of the character which set it aside from the rest of the country for so long. The style of the newer buildings does demonstrate a will to retain something of the original feel of the place, but it is still clearly modern.
much like this 1920's view of the town (courtesy of 'broomesightseeingtours').
Well, how times have changed. We should have expected it. Liz had already been amazed by the suburban development and expansion she saw as we came into Broome, and, sadly for me in particular, this has extended to the CBD.
'Old Chinatown' has been completely swallowed by modern commercial development, but the district retains the name. I think it fair to say that this discovery was one of my greatest travelling disappointments. From what I saw, the central business area of Broome is now devoid of much of the character which set it aside from the rest of the country for so long. The style of the newer buildings does demonstrate a will to retain something of the original feel of the place, but it is still clearly modern.
We began our stroll around the main Broome CBD at the northern end of Carnarvon Street.
Given the intensity of the recent publicly in Western Australia about the drunken and anti-social behaviour of many of the indigenous members of Broome's population, we were somewhat (pleasantly) surprised to discover that during the day there was little evidence of it.
Signs like this, however, on the entrance to the Paspaley shopping mall at this end of Carnarvon Street, which include a prohibition on fighting (how on earth the powers that be think that this will have any effect is beyond me), did give a clear indication that things do become somewhat willing from time to time.
We wandered south along what can be a very busy thoroughfare
until we came to the first main intersection ...with Short Street.
Here, under a shelter surrounded by palms and one of the Kimberley's ubiquitous boab trees,
stands a bronze plaque commemorating (if that's the right word), an air-raid by Japanese naval aircraft during the Second World War.
.
Broome had become a staging point for the evacuation of Dutch military personnel and civilians from the Japanese occupied Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Flying boats were used extensively, landing on the waters of Roebuck Bay to refuel. The Broome airfield was also being used by the RAAF as a refuelling base for Allied bombers and other aircraft.
On 3 March 1942, Japanese fighters attacked Broome. They strafed the military aircraft on the ground at the airfield and downed a US bomber carrying wounded personnel shortly after it struggled into the sky. Then, discovering that there were fifteen flying boats lying in Roebuck Bay, the focus of this twenty minute raid shifted.
The Japanese pilots swooped down on the flying boats as they lay at anchor, still crowded with evacuees. Within minutes the cannon and machine gun fire spitting from the wings of the Zeros resulted in the destruction of all these defenceless aircraft. Many trapped inside the hulls died instantly, but to the horror of all who witnessed this attack, others perished frightfully as they struggled to swim ashore through flaming fuel and debris. Over eighty men, women and children perished this day. Only Darwin suffered greater casualties during the course of the war.
In all, twenty-two aircraft were destroyed. Today the wreckage of some is revealed during very low 'spring' tides, (as this shot courtesy of 'pinteret.com' shows) and those interested can actually reach these on foot across the mud flats of Roebuck Bay.
Back to the present and our jaunt down Carnarvon Street. At last the 'real thing'. Here,
tucked in between its much more modern neighbours, are the twin gables of the Broome outdoor cinema, Sun Pictures.
We wandered south along what can be a very busy thoroughfare
until we came to the first main intersection ...with Short Street.
Here, under a shelter surrounded by palms and one of the Kimberley's ubiquitous boab trees,
stands a bronze plaque commemorating (if that's the right word), an air-raid by Japanese naval aircraft during the Second World War.
.
Broome had become a staging point for the evacuation of Dutch military personnel and civilians from the Japanese occupied Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Flying boats were used extensively, landing on the waters of Roebuck Bay to refuel. The Broome airfield was also being used by the RAAF as a refuelling base for Allied bombers and other aircraft.
On 3 March 1942, Japanese fighters attacked Broome. They strafed the military aircraft on the ground at the airfield and downed a US bomber carrying wounded personnel shortly after it struggled into the sky. Then, discovering that there were fifteen flying boats lying in Roebuck Bay, the focus of this twenty minute raid shifted.
The Japanese pilots swooped down on the flying boats as they lay at anchor, still crowded with evacuees. Within minutes the cannon and machine gun fire spitting from the wings of the Zeros resulted in the destruction of all these defenceless aircraft. Many trapped inside the hulls died instantly, but to the horror of all who witnessed this attack, others perished frightfully as they struggled to swim ashore through flaming fuel and debris. Over eighty men, women and children perished this day. Only Darwin suffered greater casualties during the course of the war.
In all, twenty-two aircraft were destroyed. Today the wreckage of some is revealed during very low 'spring' tides, (as this shot courtesy of 'pinteret.com' shows) and those interested can actually reach these on foot across the mud flats of Roebuck Bay.
Back to the present and our jaunt down Carnarvon Street. At last the 'real thing'. Here,
tucked in between its much more modern neighbours, are the twin gables of the Broome outdoor cinema, Sun Pictures.
The hoarding on the front of the building proudly, and correctly, proclaims this to be 'The Worlds (sic) Oldest Operating Picture Gardens'. Unfortunately we did not have time to go to the movies. This is genuine old Chinatown.
On past more modern shops we walked,
where the owners of some had made a greater attempt than others to remain in character,
until we reached the southern end of this relatively short 'main drag'.
Here the commercial buildings give way to a very large, green open space
which is, unsurprisingly, the venue for gatherings of many groups of our indigenous cousins. As I have noted earlier, we saw nothing of the rowdy and drunken behaviour which has forced a local restaurant to close down in the evenings, and increasing anxiety within the business and tourism industries. Mind you, from all we learnt, this is a very different place once night falls. I was all set to find out for myself, but my beloved travelling companion vetoed that plan in words of one syllable.
"How can I present a factual picture of Broome if I don't explore?" was my complaint. "You'll only end up in a fight and you are not as young as you used to be, or would like to think you are", was the terse response. "I've seen you in action at the Adelaide Railway Station late at night". Fair point....hoons only get away with their antisocial rubbish because most folk do nothing, is my view. My exploration of 'Broome by night' was confined to social ventures around Cable Beach only!
The median strip at this end of Carnarvon Street hosts a group of statues dedicated to those involved in the development of Broome, and the pearl industry in particular,
including this life-sized depiction of a diver dressed in the cumbersome suit and helmet which was the standard gear many years ago. We were later to learn so much more about the pearl industry and the crucial role it played in the development of Broome.
In no time, walking back along the other side of Carnarvon Street, we were again at the intersection of Short Street, looking west towards Dampier Terrace,
a street runs which runs parallel to Carnarvon, and as we soon discovered, is the hub of the town's pearl retail sector.
But before taking a stroll along this 'avenue of dreams' (as far as we were concerned at least), we came to a real piece of Broome history at the end of Short Street, the old and surprisingly short, Streeters Jetty.
This narrow wharf extends out across the mud flats through the dense mangrove groves towards the waters of Roebuck Bay.
As I read a nearby explanatory sign, which also carried a photograph of the approach
channel at high tide, I began to gain some feel for the early days of the Broome pearl industry, or more to the point, the primitive nature of the supporting infrastructure.
This comparatively tiny pier is described as having "been in existence since 1897" (which makes me suspect no one is quite sure when construction actually began). As the name suggests, it was built for the pearl merchants and dealers E.W. Streeter of London who had expanded their enterprise considerably and come to Broome to hang out their shingle. It is the only remaining jetty to have been used by the Broome luggers to unload their pearl shell.
The jetty was originally longer than that which now remains. Nevertheless, it was still a tight squeeze for the lugger skippers to come alongside. In this photo, taken in 1979, which I have cropped and enlarged from a nearby monument (a newly acquired skill which surprised even me!) luggers can be seen lying alongside on the mud at low tide.
These boats could only access the jetty up Dampier Creek on spring tides, and even then this was not a major waterway as can be seen in this extraordinary aerial shot of the creek and old Chinatown (for which I express acknowledgement and thanks to 'kimberlymedia.photoshelter.com')
In this part of the world, as we had already seen at 80 Mile Beach, the tidal range is significant. Here, courtesy of 'fathomoz.wordpress.com', is a lugger alongside on the high tide,
During the lay-off season, the hulls of the laid up luggers would be draped with hessian to prevent the timbers from drying out and the planks from springing. Heavy sandbags were used to support the base of the hulls so that the boats would not topple over completely.
Whilst taking in all that was on offer at Streeters Jetty, I learnt another fact about his industry....the crews of the luggers were actually harvesting the pearl shell rather than pearls. The discovery of a pearl itself was a bonus, but that all changed later in the piece as we soon discovered.
And now, of course, it is all about pearls, and in Broome they are inescapable, no more so than in Dampier Street, where blocks of modest looking shops are home to an array of pearl retail outlets, such as Cygnet Bay Pearls.
On past more modern shops we walked,
where the owners of some had made a greater attempt than others to remain in character,
until we reached the southern end of this relatively short 'main drag'.
Here the commercial buildings give way to a very large, green open space
which is, unsurprisingly, the venue for gatherings of many groups of our indigenous cousins. As I have noted earlier, we saw nothing of the rowdy and drunken behaviour which has forced a local restaurant to close down in the evenings, and increasing anxiety within the business and tourism industries. Mind you, from all we learnt, this is a very different place once night falls. I was all set to find out for myself, but my beloved travelling companion vetoed that plan in words of one syllable.
"How can I present a factual picture of Broome if I don't explore?" was my complaint. "You'll only end up in a fight and you are not as young as you used to be, or would like to think you are", was the terse response. "I've seen you in action at the Adelaide Railway Station late at night". Fair point....hoons only get away with their antisocial rubbish because most folk do nothing, is my view. My exploration of 'Broome by night' was confined to social ventures around Cable Beach only!
The median strip at this end of Carnarvon Street hosts a group of statues dedicated to those involved in the development of Broome, and the pearl industry in particular,
including this life-sized depiction of a diver dressed in the cumbersome suit and helmet which was the standard gear many years ago. We were later to learn so much more about the pearl industry and the crucial role it played in the development of Broome.
In no time, walking back along the other side of Carnarvon Street, we were again at the intersection of Short Street, looking west towards Dampier Terrace,
a street runs which runs parallel to Carnarvon, and as we soon discovered, is the hub of the town's pearl retail sector.
But before taking a stroll along this 'avenue of dreams' (as far as we were concerned at least), we came to a real piece of Broome history at the end of Short Street, the old and surprisingly short, Streeters Jetty.
This narrow wharf extends out across the mud flats through the dense mangrove groves towards the waters of Roebuck Bay.
As I read a nearby explanatory sign, which also carried a photograph of the approach
channel at high tide, I began to gain some feel for the early days of the Broome pearl industry, or more to the point, the primitive nature of the supporting infrastructure.
This comparatively tiny pier is described as having "been in existence since 1897" (which makes me suspect no one is quite sure when construction actually began). As the name suggests, it was built for the pearl merchants and dealers E.W. Streeter of London who had expanded their enterprise considerably and come to Broome to hang out their shingle. It is the only remaining jetty to have been used by the Broome luggers to unload their pearl shell.
The jetty was originally longer than that which now remains. Nevertheless, it was still a tight squeeze for the lugger skippers to come alongside. In this photo, taken in 1979, which I have cropped and enlarged from a nearby monument (a newly acquired skill which surprised even me!) luggers can be seen lying alongside on the mud at low tide.
These boats could only access the jetty up Dampier Creek on spring tides, and even then this was not a major waterway as can be seen in this extraordinary aerial shot of the creek and old Chinatown (for which I express acknowledgement and thanks to 'kimberlymedia.photoshelter.com')
In this part of the world, as we had already seen at 80 Mile Beach, the tidal range is significant. Here, courtesy of 'fathomoz.wordpress.com', is a lugger alongside on the high tide,
and the same boat resting on the mud on the low (again thanks to fathomoz.wordpress.com)
Whilst taking in all that was on offer at Streeters Jetty, I learnt another fact about his industry....the crews of the luggers were actually harvesting the pearl shell rather than pearls. The discovery of a pearl itself was a bonus, but that all changed later in the piece as we soon discovered.
And now, of course, it is all about pearls, and in Broome they are inescapable, no more so than in Dampier Street, where blocks of modest looking shops are home to an array of pearl retail outlets, such as Cygnet Bay Pearls.
Competition is understandably fierce. The folk at Cygnet Bay have decided that good old down to earth retailing is the way to go. And we agreed that to invite children into the shop and encourage eating and drinking whilst browsing does make them "a little bit different".
We could not resist a peek. After all this is Broome, the mecca of this industry.
Whilst I have to admit to no particular affection for pearls, Liz loves them. As she padded up and down past the display cases I maintained a polite interest in my surroundings, trying not to look too over-awed by some of the prices and fervently trusting that The Treasurer would remain circumspect. Bless her, she did, and our coffers were not drained in a moment of impulse!
The laid back approach taken by Cygnet Bay is in complete contrast to that at Autore where the retail attitude is somewhat more haute couture.
Willie Creek pearls, very much a local as we shall see later, peddle their wares from a stand alone building,
whilst other outlets are tucked away in nearby arcades.
And just to top it all off, at the end of Dampier Terrace are the buildings of the very interesting 'Pearl Lugger', a museum, come shop, come cafe. More of this later.
Dampier Terrace is not entirely about pearls, but it is certainly all about separating tourists from their hard earned. Here at the 'Camel House' bookings are taken for the Cable Beach rides, massages are available, as are cafe meals and souvenirs.
Next door fishing charters are being flogged at a cost which made me blanch.....$260 for a half day jaunt indeed! That will buy a full day of piscatorial plundering in most other places, even in Western Australia.
And at the other end of the street is the iconic (and here I use that overworked word advisedly) Roebuck Hotel. The original old pub building, which must be able to tell so many tales (such as Lord McAlpine buying into Broome with a signature on a beer coaster),
has been complemented by an adjoining modern dining area to better cater for the hungry hordes.
It was here we were again reminded of the social problems confronting Broome. For the uninitiated, 'humbugging' is the name given to the practice of our indigenous brothers of pestering people for money or a free drink, when refusal is often the trigger for a course and violent outburst of language, or worse. This can be a very unpleasant experience, and for those who are not used to any form of conflict, particularly unsettling. It is a seriously bad look for a town reliant on tourism.
We left Dampier Terrace via the Johnny Chi Lane,
where clothing and souvenir shops stand side by side with more pearl retailers.
Liz could not resist a quick scour through the stubbie holders on offer in one typically cluttered store, but, to my real surprise, resisted the temptation of what was on offer.
The wonderfully colourful Johnny Chi Lane morphs into the aptly named Shady Lane, where many flock to the outdoor cafes for breakfast and later meals under equally colourful umbrellas.
As we made our way back to Carnarvon Street and the end of this morning's jaunt through Chinatown,
I found another opportunity to indulge my penchant for spotting odd, arresting or humorous signs. We could only hope that the hairdressing offered here was of a higher standard than the proprietor's spelling!
Next we take a closer look at the pearl industry with a visit to the Broome museum and a local pearl farm, where Liz did actually get to wear a $30,000 pearl necklace.
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