After living in Broome for six weeks, there were some unusual and curious things I had noticed about this small town… things that, as the locals would say, are just #SoBroome.
These are things that make a small town unique, give it character, and have me missing it from the bottom of my heart while typing this.
Read on for my curious observations about Broome.
The 7 Minute Theory
We’d spent a few days in Broome, when one of my fellow Jawun secondees pointed out a curious fact – from basically anywhere in Broome, it was seven minutes to anywhere we wanted to go.
Wanted to check out Cable Beach? Oh look, seven minutes. Want to go do a food shop? Oh that’s a casual seven minutes away… Need a coffee from one of your favourite local cafes, the Good Cartel – oh surprise surprise, that’s SEVEN MINUTES.
Sure, we know not everything was seven minutes. But we decided to coin the “7 minute theory” when looking up how to get to a place in town – and google maps returned three options with… you guessed… 7 minute journeys for all!
So I’m claiming it as a thing!
Looking for things to do in Broome? Check out my ultimate guide for the best things to do here.
No Traffic Lights
While we’re talking about driving, something I did not actually realise until I returned home and had to drive in Perth again for the first time… there are NO traffic lights in Broome. Yep – not a single one!
This is a town of roundabouts (and seven minute journeys!). Probably the longest you’ll ever have to wait in your car is for your coffee to be made… Which brings me to my next observation ….
Drive Through Coffee (which is actually good coffee)
Broome in some ways, is LIGHT YEARS, ahead of my home city, Perth. Why? Because there are multiple places that serve you drive through coffee.
Maybe this doesn’t seem surprising to some, but in Perth the only place that really does drive through coffee is Muzz Buzz or McDonalds type places – there are no actually GOOD drive through coffee shops.
However, Broome knows how to do it! Take The Good Cartel for instance – this place is a regular coffee shop and cafe (and later on, bar).
From the start of the morning rush until about 9am though, there is a guy (usually a foreign backpacker working in Broome for the season) who sets up a little table, sun umbrella and all, and takes your coffee order in his little till as you pull up.
All you need to do is order, pay, take a park and they run out and HAND DELIVER you your coffee or morning smoothie without ever needing to leave your cool, cushy air-conditioned car!!! Whaaaaaat! I was so impressed.
Another favourite in town is the Mollie Bean caravan barista coffee – they pull up out the front of the cemetery and do a roaring trade in the morning rush hour.
So much so they have a double lane system going on and there is always at least 20 cars waiting! Come afternoon, the place is empty of all cars, coffee cups and truck as if they were never there – I love it! It’s really, #SoBroome
Broome Time
Broome time is definitely something any visitor should be aware of. Broome time is that curious thing, where the entire town seems to be synced on some internal clock which seems to run about 10 -15 minutes later than the rest of the worlds.
Have an appointment to get your nails done? Expect to go in 10 minutes late (actually make that 15 for me)
Grabbing a takeaway coffee? Expect to wait at least 5 more minutes than you’d expect or think acceptable.
More than stuff just going at the pace you might expect, Broome Time is something a lot deeper than that. It’s a relaxed, self paced way of going through life, which quite honestly, I think a lot of us can take something from.
Broome Time to me means letting things go, not worrying about the way things should be, and sitting back to relax and watch a beautiful sunset whilst sipping on a Matso’s alcoholic Ginger Beer. It’s just so magnificently #SoBroome
The Tides
In Broome, life is dictated by the tides. Whilst I was there in August and September, it was Spring Tides. Which meant big big tides, and ridiculously small low tides. It would go from 10 metres at the peak of day to half a meter by the early morning.
Some mornings we could walk far out onto the sand of the beach, where normally you would be waist deep in water! The water would pull away, leaving the roots of the mangroves exposed. Want to go swimming? Make sure its not at low tide!
Low tide = time for hunting dinosaur footprints, looking for aircraft wrecks out in the Roebuck Bay, seeing little crabs bury their way into the sand. Going mudcrabbing out in the mangroves, and if you time it right, witnessing the incredible Staircase to the Moon phenomenon. Also a good time to visit the tidal pools of Coconut Wells.
High tide = time to go fishing and go cliff jumping off Gantheaume! And maybe if you time it right, find a natural rock pool or two.
It’s also important to know the tide times so your 4wd doesn’t get washed away on the beach!
Which we’ve heard from many Broome locals can be a regular occurrence for tourists who park up their hire cars on the beach without realising how quickly the tide can change and in the wrong direction.
In summary, these are just a few observations I found curiously unique from experiencing life in Broome for a few short weeks – and I hope you did too!
Heading to Broome for your next holiday?
Read my guide on the top five beaches in Broome or the top free things to do in Broome.
4 thoughts on “Some Curious Observations about Broome”