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Broome, WA: Was The Largest Pearling Centre in The World

Broome is a coastal town on the shores of Roebuck Bay in the Kimberley region of northwest Western Australia and named after Sir Frederick Broome, the Governor of Western Australia from 1883 to 1889.

In the late 1800s, Broome became a booming pearling town. The industry attracted people from all over the world, including Japan, Malaysia, and Europe. The pearling industry was dangerous, with many divers dying from the bends or shark attacks.

Yawuru People

Broome has been inhabited by the Yawuru people for thousands of years.

Yawuru is often used for both Yawuru and Djugan people. Another group calls itself Goolarabooloo, meaning "coastal people". The three groups, and others, unite under the name Rubibi, which refers to Broome town (see Sullivan 1996).

Aboriginal people of the region were highly mobile due to the changeable weather patterns and food availability.

Yawuru country is said to exist where the grasslands of the Great Sandy Desert meet the sea. Fresh water is generally only found in springs and soaks for most of the year.

Between January and March is the monsoon season, which often brings rain and possible flooding and cyclones. This is a time of lots of fresh water but limited food sources. At other times of the year, temperatures are extreme and fresh water is scarce.

The sea was a major food resource, but the hunting and collecting plants on the pindan (semi arid scrub country) was also important. (Acacia) seeds, lizards, birds and fish were important food sources.
 Aboriginal people of the Kimberley, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 31 March 1927
 A corroboree near Broome, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 31 March 1927
There was a division of labour between men and women, with women gathering roots, seeds and tubers and men hunting larger animals. Fruit bats living in the mangrove swamps were a common food. Fish traps called jimbinundira or kurljan were used during low tides.

Only initiated men were permitted to collect fish from the traps, and they sang sacred songs which women and children were not allowed to hear. The Yawuru believed that a woman became pregnant when a "spirit child" (rai) entered her body (Sullivan 1998). The baby pre-exists in the form of spirit children and enters the mother's body in the form of food eaten or maybe the spirit of a deceased person.

Totemic increase rituals were carried out. In area of the Kimberleys, the ceremony involved touching or the men dropping blood from their arms on cave wall paintings of the animal to increase a particular animal or plant food source.

The Jawuru used to fish using masses of grass which they pushed about like a net to corner and entangle fish. Such a "net" was called "marukutju:n". With it they got plenty of fish. Any kind of grass could be used, as also the tendrils of Cas- sytha (Tindale 1953).

The Aboriginal people from the Southwest of Western Australia observed six season: Man-gala — wet season (Monsoonal weather and strong winds- summer), Marrul — hot season of late summer (High tides and hot weather), Wirralburu — dry season (No rain with cool nights and hot days -Autumn), Barrgana — cold season (Some fog with dry winds -Winter), Wirlburu — warming season (The country is warming up -Spring).

Yawuru is a Western Nyulnyulan language which has a relatively free word order. Such a language often uses other means to ensure that sentences are not misunderstood.

Roebuck Bay was an important site for meetings, exchanging gifts, arranging marriages and settling disputes.

1688

The first European to visit the area was William Dampier, an English explorer mapping the coastline in 1688. Dampier and the crew of the Cygnet spent three months in Western Australia and became familiar with and made observations about some of the Aboriginal people.

Dampier named the bay where he anchored "Roebuck Bay" after his ship, the HMS Roebuck. He also observed pearl shells in the bay and noted their potential value. This discovery eventually led to the development of the pearling industry in Broome in the late 1800s.
William Dampier (baptised 5 September 1651 died March 1715) was an English explorer, pirate
Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938)
Listen to: The Real Robinson Crusoe

In 1864 there were clashes between European explorers and Aboriginal people in the Roebuck Bay area near modern-day Broome, resulting in the deaths of both explorers and Aboriginal people.
Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 - 1901), Wednesday 5 October 1864

1870s

In 1879, Charles Harper proposed the site at Cape Villaret, at the south end of Roebuck Bay, for a Government Station to provide facilities for the extension of the Pearl Shell Fishery. 

Perth Gazette and West Australian Times (WA : 1864 - 1874), Friday 11 October 1872
The Broome Cable House, constructed in 1879, opened on 9 April 1889, is now known as the Broome Court House. The facility was used as a cable station until March 1914.

1880s

Northern Miner (Charters Towers, Qld. : 1874 - 1954), Thursday 10 November 1881 (Peter Hedland originally Lars Peter Hedlund born Hudiksvall, Sweden) – 1881was a mariner, explorer, and pearler; he was widely known as "Captain Hedland". In January 1871, Peter Hedland and three other mariners, were tried on charges of forcing Aboriginal people to work for them.

In 1883, John Forrest chose the site for the town, naming it after Sir Frederick Broome, the Governor of Western Australia from 1883 to 1889.

Broome's pearling industry began in the 1880s, when Japanese divers were brought in to work as laborers. The industry quickly grew, and by the early 1900s, Broome was one of the world's leading producers of pearls.

The pearling industry in Broome was based on the harvesting of Pinctada maxima, the largest and most valuable pearl oyster in the world. Divers would descend to depths of up to 40 meters to gather oysters, which were then shucked and the pearls extracted. The industry was incredibly dangerous, with divers facing the risk of drowning, shark attacks, and the bends.

Many of the divers who worked in Broome were from Japan. The Japanese Cemetery in Broome is the final resting place of hundreds of Japanese divers who lost their lives while working in the pearling 

industry. The Japanese divers were admired for their energy and endurance, working from dawn till dusk, making up to 50 dives a day.

Pearl divers (called "Manilamen") came to Broome from the early 1880s.

In the late 1880s, the settlement of Broome consisted of two stores and a few scattered houses.

The submarine cable was laid in 1889 between Banjoewangie [now known as Banyuwangi], located at the eastern end of the island of Java. (Australia was connected telegraphically with other countries in 1872)

1890s

A Broome pastoralist and pearler sold Aboriginal skeletons to a museum in Dresden, Germany, in 1894. They were returned in 2019. The Gwarinman memorial area within Broome cemetery is for this purpose.

The Orfelin Ecole, or "orphan school" in Broome was established some time around 1895 by the parish priest, Trappist Father Nicholas Maria Emo, known as "Father Nicholas".

In 1897, the Government built a town jetty at Mangrove Point, and a tramway linked the jetties and Chinatown.

Aboriginal women of Roebuck Bay, WA, The naturalist in Australia" (1897)

1900s

A report in 1902 determined that "Broome is entirely dependant on pearling for its existence; without this industry, it would simply be a cable - telegraph transmitting station..."

The Yamsaki family opened a store on Carnarvon Street in 1903 selling Asian goods. The family converted part of the building to a Noh theatre. In 1913, the building was purchased by master pearler Ted Hunter, who converted the store into a cinema.

Royal Commissioner Walter Roth (1905) accused the police in Western Australia's Kimberley region of arresting Aboriginal people, noting that an escorting officer paid the per capita ration allowance of two shillings and sixpence per day could double his salary. The constables and the Aboriginal police assistants in search of offenders were armed and carried chains for at least 15 prisoners. (1.)

According to research (2.), in Western Australia in 1901 only 10% of the prison population in gaols was classified as Indigenous, but 96 out of 99 prison escapes were by Aboriginal prisoners.
Chain Gang, Kimberley WA - early 20th Century (BA684/32, State Library of WA)
 Robison and Norman's Establishment, Broome, WA, Great North-West (Perth, WA : 1904), Thursday 1 December 1904
Bourne and Inglis' Store, Broome, WA, Great North-West (Perth, WA : 1904), Thursday 1 December 1904
Newman, Goldstein and Co.'s Store, interior, Broome, WA, Great North-West (Perth, WA : 1904), Thursday 1 December 1904
Robison and Norman's Establishment, Broome, WA, Great North-West (Perth, WA : 1904), Thursday 1 December 1904
The Mechanics Institute Hall was built in 1904 as a library and reading room.
The Weld Club Hotel, Broome, WA, and the residence of Mr. Rodriguez, which adjoined, were entirely destroyed by fire in 1905
Streeter's Jetty, Broome at full tide, WA, Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924), Wednesday 12 April 1905,
ARTESIAN BORING AT BROOME. WA. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 14 July 1906
The Sisters of St John of God arrived in the Kimberley, from Ireland in 1907, and established a base in Broome.
Broome Rifle range, Broome, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 15 August 1908
Cleaning Shell On Board Schooner, At Broome, Western Australia, 1908, Special Collections
Y. Yamasaki, store keeper and dealer in Japanese goods in Broom(e), Western Australia - circa 1909, Aussie~mobs
Japanese women, Broome, WA, Sumo Yamasaki front right, ca.1909, SLWA
Hedland Advocate (Port Hedland, WA : 1906 - 1912), Saturday 14 August 1909
 Continental Hotel, Broome, WA, ca.1910, SLWA

Cyclone At Broome

SOME EFFECTS OF THE RECENT CYCLONE AT BROOME, WA, A STREET VIEW - MR. R. M. RUBIN'S STORE (ON LEFT) WAS COMPLETELY WRECKED, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 17 December 1910
Th eBroome Post Office after the cyclone, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 17 December 1910
RUINS OF THE OLD ESPLANADE HOTEL, Broome, WA, Saturday 17 December 1910
MR. T. PRITCHARDS HOTEL. Broome, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 17 December 1910
Japanese pearl diver and lugger crew, Broome, WA, 1911, SLWA
Selling crabs in Broome, WA, 1911, SLWA
The pearling fleet at Broome, WA, 1910, SLWA

WWI

Studio portrait of 3906 Private (Pte) Robert (Robin) Arthur Mackellar, 28th Battalion. A pearler from Broome, WA prior to enlistment, Pte Mackellar embarked with the 9th Reinforcements from Fremantle on HMAT Miltiades on 12 February 1916. Whilst serving on the Western front he was listed as missing in action at Pozieres and a later Court of Enquiry determined that he had been killed in action on 29 July 1916. Having no known grave, he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. AWM
The Malay quarter, Broome, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Friday 8 May 1914
Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record (Renmark, SA : 1913 - 1942), Thursday 11 March 1915
Sun Pictures opened on 9 December 1916.
Stingray speared in Broome Bay, WA, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 4 December 1918

1920s

Horse tram in Broome, Western Australia, 1920, NLAUST
Roebuck Bay Hotel, Broome, WA, c1920
Residence at Broome, WA, 1920, SLWA
Dugongs are sometimes called ‘Sea Cows’ because they graze on seagrass roots, Kimberly region, WA, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 24 April 1920
SOME OF THE JAPANESE CHILDR EN ATTENDING THE CONVENT SCHOOL, BROOME. Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), Thursday 28 October 1920
Riots involving Japanese and Indonesian (mainly from Kupang in Timor) communities took place in Broome in December 1920. Raced-based violence had also occurred between the Japanese and the Koepanger population in 1907 and 1914.
Broome, WA, race riots of 1920, SLWA
Daily Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1903; 1916 - 1926), Sunday 31 December 1922
Horo Gorokichi began building the Convent for the Sisters of St John of God in 1923.
AUSTRALIANS—MOTHER CHILD, AND belonging to a tribe at the Mission Station, Broome, W.A. Amongst these people the Sisters of St. John of God are working in the Vicariate of Kimberley. Advocate (Melbourne, Vic. : 1868 - 1954), Thursday 13 November 1924
Broome, WA, ca. 1925. SLWA
 IN THIS PICTURE THK STRING BAG USED BY THE DIVERS ON PEARLING VESSELS IS SHOWN. Broome, WA, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 3 July 1926
The Ladies' cricket team at Broome, WA, including a few "interlopers." The figures sixth and eighth
from the left in the back row are trying to disguise themselves in women's attire, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 9 September 1926
Man hawking fish, Broome, WA. Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 3 July 1926
Pictures from Broome, WA, 1. MALAY H7TH A STINGRAY. 2. A VIEW OF BROOME FROM THE AIR. 3. HIS FIRST LESSON WITH THE BOOMERANG. 4. DIVER COMING ABOARD A PEARLING BOAT AT BROOME. E. DUQONO, TURTLE, AND SHARK, CAUGHT IN BROOME BAY. C. PACKING PEARL SHELL. Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 12 June 1926
Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Friday 1 June 1928
Hammer head shark caught at Broome, WA, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Thursday 17 January 1929
Native "sports" at Broome -Throwing a spear from a woomera. The natives are good marksmen, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Thursday 17 January 1929
Bill and Agnes Ward were the proprietors of the Roebuck Bay Hotel from 1922–37, Broome, WA

1930s

New diving apparatus, it may be tried at Broome, WA, Call News-Pictorial (Perth, WA : 1927 - 1931), Friday 20 March 1931
Owing to the pearl shell surplus and consequent lower wages offered by the pearlers, several hundred Japanese divers left Broome last month and many others are preparing to depart. This picture shows the crowded train taking the men and their belongings to the jetty. West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 4 March 1931
 Captain Gregory was one of Broome's 'pearling masters' and early civic leaders. He was business partners for 30 years with Japanese photographer and inventor Yasukichi Murakami. Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Saturday 23 April 1932
BROOME'S MINIATURE RAILWAY ENGINE, WA.— This tiny locomotive which only weighs 13 tons with a full, supply of bunker coal and water, arrived at Fremantle by the State steamer Koolinda yesterday. It is used on the Broome jetty to haul passenger carriages and trucks from the jetty head to the small station in the midst of the pearling port. The diminutive 'driver' on the footplate is a Broome boy who travelled down on the boat and who has travelled behind the engine since his babyhood. Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Thursday 16 February 1933
Chinatown, Broome, Western Australia [transparency] / [John Flynn?]. Created/Published [1912-1955], NLAUST
Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Monday 18 July 1932
Japanese women praying at Broome Cemetery, WA, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 9 November 1932
Broome the port of pearls, A, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 28 December 1933
Broome natives decorated for a corroboree, WA. West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Saturday 27 January 1934
Luggers during lay-up, Broome, WA, 1935, SLWA
Japanese Town, Broome, WA, 1935, SLWA
 A man of the Kullarabulloo tribe at Broome, WA. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 23 January 1936
In World War II, Broome became an important military base for the Allied forces. The Royal Australian Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces both operated from airfields in the area.

On 3 March 1942, Broome was attacked by Japanese aircraft, now known as the "Broome Air Raid". The attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 100 people, including many Dutch nationals who were evacuating Java. Several aircraft were also destroyed, and the town's infrastructure was severely damaged.
BROOME, WA. 1942. THREE OF THE MOTORS OF ONE OF THE FOUR ENGINED AIRCRAFT WHICH WAS BURNT OUT IN THE JAPANESE AIR RAID ON THE TOWN ON 1942-03-03. FOURTEEN FLYING BOATS IN THE HARBOUR AND SIX LARGE AIRCRAFT ON THE AERODROME WERE DESTROYED. MOST OF THE AIRCRAFT HAD JUST ARRIVED FROM THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES CARRYING REFUGEES WHO WERE STILL ABOARD THEM. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 35 TO 40 PEOPLE, INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WERE KILLED, AND PROBABLY AS MANY AGAIN WOUNDED IN THE RAID. AWM
Douglas DC-3 PK-AFV derelict on a beach north of Broome, Western Australia March 3rd 1942.
Following the attack, Broome was heavily fortified, with defenses including anti-aircraft batteries, searchlights, and radar stations. The town's airfields also played a major role in the Allied offensive against the Japanese, with aircraft based in Broome carrying out reconnaissance and bombing missions.

Today, Broome is home to several World War II-era artifacts and memorials, including the Broome War Memorial and the Catalina Flying Boat wrecks. These serve as a reminder of the town's important role in the war and the sacrifices made by those who served.

Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Wednesday 4 March 1942
BROOME, WA. 1943-05-04. BROOME GAOL, USED AS STORE AND ARMOURY OF "D" COMPANY, 19TH AUSTRALIAN GARRISON BATTALION. AWM
BROOME, WA. 1943-05. SCENE ON THE JETTY AT BROOME. SHOWING THE SMALL LOCOMOTIVE USED FOR HAULING CARGO, MOSTLY MEAT FROM THE BROOME MEAT WORKS, ONTO THE JETTY FOR SHIPMENT. AN ANTI-AIRCRAFT MACHINE GUN IS MOUNTED IN THE RIGHT FOREGROUND. AWM
Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Tuesday 18 July 1944
A large number of the present Aboriginal population of the town belong to families that began to move into camps on the town’s outskirts after the Second World War.
RECORDED HISTORY: In this portrayal of the first recorded landing-that of Dampier-the 
suspicion attending the meeting of black and white is clearly shown. Dampier, hand extended, holds a musket behind his back. The native comes forward with both hands out-stretched but he stealthily drags a spear between his toes. Exhibition in the Perth Art Gallery. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 15 August 1946
Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 15 August 1946
Broome jetty at high tide, WA, Walkabout. Vol. 12 No. 11 (1 September 1946)amber, 1946
Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Saturday 5 January 1946
40 Ex-Servicemen To Seek Pearls Forty W.A. ex-servicemen have launched a pearling venture and their first lugger will sail for Broome on Monday. Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Saturday 12 April 1947
TWENTY FATHOMS DEEP. Broome Divers At Work.The chief diver on board a pearling lugger opening shell and searching for pearls. Any found are placed in a slotted box which is opened by the ow West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Saturday 22 March 1947

Sheba Lane, Broome, WA, 1948
Japanese pearl divers cemetery, Broome. 1948, SLWA
Broome is also known for its rich fossil record, which includes some of the earliest dinosaur fossils found in Australia. In the late 19th century, a collection of dinosaur fossils was discovered in the area, including a nearly complete skeleton of a theropod dinosaur that was later named Megaraptor namunhuaiquii.

Since then, several more dinosaur fossils have been found in the area, including the bones of sauropods, ornithopods, and other theropods. The fossils are thought to date back to the early Cretaceous period, approximately 130 million years ago.

1950s

Roebuck Bay Hotel, Broome, WA, ca. 1950, SLWA

Broome was the setting for Arthur Upfield's novel The Widows of Broome, (1950)

Ah Ming's store was a popular store in Broome opening in 1952 and run by Kwok Chan Yu (Georgie), for 50 years until he retired in 1992.
The party of Japanese pearl divers who arrived yesterday were interned in Australia during the war.
They are reported to be happy to be in Australia again and are expected to be at sea within a week West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 25 March 1953
Jack Murrop (left), of Parramatta .(N.S.W.), and his brother Bill (right), who is his
co-driver. Inspect a necklace of Broome pearls worth about £250 at the home of Mr. W.
B. Ellies, a Broome pearl cleaner. West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 14 July 1954
BROOME, Man. — Only 167 of the 180 Redex trial cars which left Christmas Creek reached Broome today before the control closed. Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Tuesday 13 July 1954

1960s

Sun Pictures, Chinatown, Broome, WA, 1960s

1970s

Chinatown, Broome, WA, 1970s. Short St. Streeter and Male own the buildings on the left. Masts of luggers tied up at Streeter's Jetty in the background. yaruman5
The new Continental Hotel, Broome, Western Australia, ca. 1972, SLWA, No copyright
Workers at the back of the old Continental Hotel, Broome, Western Australia, ca. 1972 [picture] / Bruce Howard. No Government Copyright Ownership
Between 1976 and 1986, the population of the Broome shire doubled, mostly in the town. The sealing of the road from Port Hedland in the west may have been a factor.

1980s

The Seaview Shopping centre, opened in the early 1980s, and was the first shopping centre constructed in Broome.

Sir Charles Court officially opens the Broome Historical Museum in 1981.

A Japanese linguist, Hosokawa Kōmei compiled the first basic dictionary of the Yawuru language in 1988.

The Broome Bird Observatory located 24 km from Broome began operating in 1988.

1990s

The Old Post Office building was purchased by Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community La Grange Inc. with funds from ATSIC.
Chinatown Broome Western Australia. 1990s, yaruman5

2000s

Around 2004 the Seaview Shopping Centre was demolished.
Former Seaview Shopping Centre, Broome, WA, Verandah posts and concrete slabs and a decorative part of the roof are all that remain of the former Seaview Shopping Centre, once the only shopping centre in Broome. Included a Charlie Carters Supermarket later bought out by Coles and later the centre was demolished. The Centre was near Town Beach opposite what is now "The Oaks" Accommodation. yaruman5
Cruise Liner Europa at Broome in 2004, yaruman5
2012: The Save the Kimberley campaign was a grassroots movement that began in Broome and aimed to protect the Kimberley region of Western Australia from industrial development. The campaign was launched in response to plans to build the Browse gas hub, a massive liquefied natural gas processing facility that would have had a significant impact on the region's environment and Indigenous communities.

Ultimately, the campaign was successful in blocking the construction of the Browse gas hub, and the Western Australian Government agreed to a range of conservation measures to protect the Kimberley region. 

2022: A "one in 20 to 50-year" rainfall event occurred 20 January 2022 at Broome, with destructive winds and rain.

2023: Broome's post office demolished.


Around Broome


Broome Chinatown, WA
Matso's Store & Captain Gregory's House, Union Bank (former), Streeter's No.2 Store, Monsoon Gallery, Hamersley Street, Broome, WA
Uniting Church, Broome, WA, was built in 1925
Broome Court House, WA
The Broome Pioneer Cemetery, WA, (Robinson Street). Main entrance is located at 1 Port Drive and is laid out in geographical sections; north, south, east and west. It also has designated Japanese, Chinese and Muslim sections.
The dinosaur footprints in Broome, WA, are scattered around Roebuck Bay and along the coast
Streeter's Jetty, Broome, WA, was built for pearl dealers and merchants E. W. Streeter & Co of London, and is known to have been in existence in 1897
Broome Historical Museum, Broome, WA
Camel ride along Cable Beach in Broome, WA
Crocodile park at Broome, WA
A monument, at Broome, WA, on what is now known as Smirnoff Beach at Carnot Bay commemorates those who died in the attack as well as the survivors and their rescuers
Known as “The Roey”, The Roebuck Bay Hotel was established in 1890 by E.W. Streeter and was one of the first buildings in Broome


Things To Do and Places To Go
 
Vsitors to Broome can learn about the town's dinosaur history at the Broome Historical Museum, which has a collection of dinosaur fossils on display. There are also several guided tours and excursions available that allow visitors to explore the area's ancient history firsthand.



Dolphins Dugongs Turtles