Broome

Broome exists because oysters grew shells beautiful enough to kill for. Pearl oyster beds discovered offshore in 1883 created a town that would supply 80% of the world's mother-of-pearl before World War I—buttons, inlays, and ornaments for Victorian and Edwardian consumers.

The industry required diving in waters full of sharks, crocodiles, and cyclones. Japanese divers using copper helmets and lead-weighted boots became the 'mainstay of the hard hat pearling industry.' By 1901, 943 of 998 workers in the fleet weren't white—Japanese, Malay, Filipino, and Indigenous Australians did the dangerous work. The cemetery records the toll: over 900 pearling industry graves, many from the bends, drownings, and cyclones.

The fleet peaked at 403 luggers in 1913. Polyester's 1952 arrival killed the mother-of-pearl button trade—but cultured pearl farming revived the industry. Modern operations in Kuri Bay and nearby waters produce South Sea pearls worth A$67 million annually, Western Australia's second largest fishery.

Tourism replaced pearling as the primary employer after Lord Alistair McAlpine invested millions in the 1980s, restoring the Sun Picture House (the world's oldest operating outdoor cinema) and building Cable Beach Club Resort. Visitor spending reached $343 million in 2024—down 26% from 2023 but above pre-pandemic levels. Visitors stay 8.2 nights on average.

Broome's population reflects its history: a multicultural mix of Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Filipino, European, and Yawuru Aboriginal heritage exists nowhere else in Australia.

By 2026, Broome tests whether a remote pearling town can sustain itself as a gateway to the Kimberley.