Shinju Matsuri - Festival of the Pearl

Friday 4th September 2009 is the start of the Shinju Matsuri.

This Festival is a showcase of Broome's cultural diversity and runs

for 10 days until Sunday 13th September.

One of the highlights is Sammy the Dragon. Here is a photo from

BroomeCam when Sammy made an appearance at Cable Beach

in 2003.

The focus of this years festival is "Women of Pearling"

Go to http://www.shinjumatsuri.com.au/ for more info.

Fantastic Moonset

We are use to viewing beautiful sunsets at Cable Beach so it came

as a bit of a surprise when I received an email from

Ed, Yuma Arizona USA, to say he'd witnessed a stunning

moon setting in the west as the sun rose in the east. From the

timelapse I was able to capture some stills of that event.

Thanks Ed.

Birds on BroomeCam

A wide variety of birds can be spotted on BroomeCam.

The most common is the Seagull, such as the one that

is getting upclose and personal with the Webcam.

Other birds that are sometimes seen are the Brown Booby,

Brahminy Kite, Square-tailed Kite, Fork-tailed Swift and Terns.

A trip to the Broome Bird Observatory situated on

Roebuck Bay is a great way to find out about the amazing birdlife

around Broome. wwwbroomebirdobservatory.com

See the vast Kimberley

Beautiful Broome is located on the south west corner

of the vast region called the Kimberley. Many consider

Broome to be the starting point for exploration of this 

timeless land. Here is a picture a tour vehicle that can been

seen around Broome before it heads off to explore 

this amazing landscape. Adventure Wild is a company 

that is fast gaining a reputation for fantastic tours through

out the Kimberley. See their website www.adventurewild.com.au

Everbody should experience at least a few nights under the stars 

in the Kimberley outback.

Spring Tides

Tides are the rising and falling of the Earth's ocean surface caused by the forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the oceans. Today we have photos from BroomeCam of the Spring Tides as the Moon is in the New Moon phase. Spring Tides also occur when there is a Full Moon. These spring tides make for plenty of room for a game of beach soccer!

Dinosaurs once walked here.

Gantheaume Point to the south of Cable Beach is one of the locations 

around Broome where dinosaur footprints can be seen. These were 

left by three toed Megalosauropus broomensis over 100 million

years ago. For most of the year these prints are under water and only

exposed during the King tides that occur several times during the year. 

There are other footprints on the shore of Roebuck Bay that can be seen

all year round. These were made by the plant eating Sauropods.

Broome Hovercraft does a fantastic tour across the bay to the prints.

These prints are another reminder of the ancient landform that is the 

Kimberley and our need to protect it  from short term destructive 

development such as the proposed Gas Industrial Hub just to the 

north at James Prices Point.

Bugs on BroomeCam

The change of Season from Wet to Dry usually brings a burst of insect

activity. The appearance of Dragonflies is seen by many locals as a sign

that the weather will become cooler and the easterly winds start blowing.  

Pindan - What is it?

Don’t be alarmed, this photo isn’t evidence of an attack by crocodile or shark on the waiting surfers, even though there appears to be blood in the water. This is caused by the very high tide washing the famous and very distinctive red soils of Broome into the bay. Locally known as Pindan, these glorious stretches of scarlet meet the white sandy shores and turquoise blue waters to create a visual masterpiece. The interplay of colour and texture is one of the most unusual and dramatic sights to be seen in Australia.

Broome Tides

Many a time has an unwary visitor (and yes, occasionally the unwary local!) found him or herself returning from a leisurely walk on the beach or a fishing outing only to find their beloved car submerged by the massive Kimberley tides. Broome tides, which are among the largest in the world, can exceed 9 meters. The speed at which the tides move should not be underestimated. A trip to the coast on a spring tide (at new or full moon, when the tides are at their highest and lowest) is worth it just to enjoy watching Mother Nature at work.

Sand Balls. What makes them?

Late in the afternoon as the tide goes out there are patterns that appear on the beach.
They are shown in this BroomeCam photo as the dark areas on the sand. Looking up
close you will see tens of thousands of tiny sand balls. These balls are the work of
Sand Bubbler Crabs. They are almost the same colour as sand, and as round as the sand balls they create. They emerge as soon as the tide recedes. You can almost tell how long the tide has been out by the patterns of their sand balls. The more intricate the pattern of sand balls, the longer the tide has been out. They bolt into their burrows at the slightest sign of danger. To observe them, stay still and avoid casting a shadow over them. Then look out for a moving ball of sand!
Sand bubbler crabs eat the thin coating of detritus on sand grains. They scrape up sand grains with their downward pointing pincers and bring these to their mouthparts that then sift out any tiny food particles. The sifted sand is then discarded in a little ball making these amazing patterns.

Change of Season

                     Gone is the threat from passing cyclones much to the disappointment of the ever hopeful surfers. The weather now becomes predictable with clear blue sky and flat seas. 

The two photos, from the archives, show the amazing contrast from the Wet Season to the Dry Season.

Cable Beach Sunsets

A highlight of any visit to Broome must be watching the sunset at 

Cable Beach.

With the added reflections from the wet beach due to the low tide 

there is a changing kaliedoscope of colours that captivate tourists

and locals alike.

Welcome to the BroomeCam blog

Hi , This blog was created for the visitors to the BroomeCam website to leave
their comments with anything regarding Broome and the Kimberley.
If you have had a fantastic holiday and want to tell people, this is the place
to do it. Any complaints, please also leave a post but remember to keep it civil.
If there is some thing you you like to see on BroomeCam please let me know
through this blog.

I hope visitors to BroomeCam will be able to use this blog to interact and
pass on information and points of interest for all to benefit.

Shayne
BroomeCam Team

www.BroomeCam.info

Start of the Busy Season

Easter is traditionally the start of the busy tourist season and by all reports the weather has been perfect, though slightly hot, and the numbers of people about town is increasing.

Broome has a permanent population of around 15,000 increasing up to 40,000 at the peak of the season (June/July)

Here is a family enjoying the views at Cable Beach