Broome and the Kimberley family-friendly travel guide

Broome’s climate doesn’t feature summer and winter but is instead defined by dry and wet seasons.

Generally, dry season lasts from April/May until September/October and brings ideal weather: warm days, balmy nights and blue skies.

Wet season starts around October/November with hot days, isolated thunderstorms and occasional torrential downpours. Between the months of January and March there is monsoonal activity and a possibility of floods.

There are a few different visas available for travelling to Australia. You can find out more information about which might be best for you here.

Broome International Airport services the regional hub of North West Australia. A number of airlines service Broome and the Kimberley, including Airnorth, Qantas, Skippers and Virgin Australia.

To cover plenty of ground and make the most of your holiday, the best option is to hire a car. Many of the attractions around Broome are not easily accessible by public transport, if at all, and it is a destination best experienced with freedom and flexibility. Europcar, Hertz and Avis all have rental desks at the airport.

Integrity buses runs a service between Perth and Broome twice a week. Greyhound runs a service from Broome to Darwin daily, excluding Sundays.

There is also a local bus service called Broome Explorer Bus which runs services seven days per week, year round, with bus stops near all major accommodations through to Town Beach, Chinatown, Boulevard Shops and Cable Beach. A great option if you don’t plan on exploring beyond the outskirts of town.

Barramundi and steak are a staple across Kimberley menus. Broome, Derby and Kununurra offer an array of great dining options, but options outside of these towns can be limited. If leaving town centres, it’s best to stock up at the supermarket and enjoy a picnic lunch or dinner.

If staying in Broome, there’s a number of local favourites to try out. The Aarli is always popular for its outdoor dining and tapas share plates, while Runaway Bar and Restaurant in the heart of town is the place to go for an extensive seafood menu. For the best wood-fire pizza in town and a quirky collection of plastic chairs sitting in the red dirt, make sure to stop by The Mango Place.

For a truly unique shopping experience, spend an afternoon perusing Broome’s local indigenous art, pearl jewellery and bookstores – especially the brilliant Magabala Books, Australia’s leading Indigenous publisher.

Wander around the shops in Chinatown for some funky souvenirs or attend the Courthouse Markets, which in the dry season hosts up to 115 creative stalls full of local arts, crafts, music, hawker food and bohemian wares.

The main shopping centres for all your general needs are the Paspaley Shopping Centre and the Boulevard Shopping Centre.

Tipping is appreciated, but not expected in Australia.

Broome is a very warm place and you will most likely be doing a few outdoor activities during your visit so be sure to pack thongs, hats, singlets, comfortable walking shoes and swimmers.

In general, cultural customs are pretty laid back in Australia and there are no strict guidelines on clothing.

Australia is renowned for its laid-back, egalitarian culture. By and large, friendliness is equated with good manners. Smile, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and locals will usually be happy.

If you’re visiting Indigenous cultures, it is best to check the individual customs of the region as Australia’s many cultures can vary greatly.

Main voltage in Australia is 230V AC, 50Hz. Use a three-pin adaptor (different to British three-pin adaptors).

No special immunisations or vaccinations are required to visit Australia unless you have come from, or have visited, a yellow fever-infected country within six days of your arrival. However, regulations and medical advice can change at short notice, so check with your doctor and the Australian Department of Health before you leave home.

Tap water is generally safe to drink in Australian cities.

The isolation and ruggedness of this region may be exciting, but it also carries risks. Always carry adequate supplies of water and a first aid kit. In addition, always let someone know where you are planning to go and keep them updated if you are heading into the outback.

There is a risk of bush fires in Australia’s North West, so always follow fire warnings and never leave a campfire unattended.

In the coastal and inland communities during the summer months (usually from December to March) there is a chance of cyclones. Tune in to local television and radio stations for updates.

Box jelly fish are potentially lethal marine stingers found along the Kimberley coast. Although they can be present year round, they are most prevalent from November until April.

At the southern end of Cable Beach you will find Gantheaume Point, a scenic area of red sandstone cliffs covered in the footprints of dinosaurs that once roamed the area. The fossilised footprints are located on flat rocks 20 metres out to sea, so can only be seen at low tide. There are walking trails leading down to the dinosaur footprints.

More than a century old and located in the centre of town, this open-air cinema is as outback as they come. Its weathered tin facade makes for the perfect Instagram snap to break up your feed of beaches and sunsets. Inside, you’ll find deckchairs and old film projectors: great for little film buffs.

As the King George River winds it way north on its way to the Timor Sea, it drops more than 200 metres in elevation. The most dramatic part of this drop is 12 kilometres from the river mouth where the waters part way to flow around a peak of orange sandstone, forming twin waterfalls and cascading more than 80 metres over the cliffs. King George Falls are Western Australia’s highest single-drop falls and even caught the attention of director Baz Luhrmann, who featured them in his film Australia.

Between March and October each year, when conditions are just right, visitors to the Broome and Kimberley regions are treated to an incredible natural spectacle: the Staircase to the Moon. Best seen at Roebuck Bay, the full moon rising over the exposed mudflats at peak low tide creates an other-worldly optical illusion of stairs reaching to the moon. This may be one for the tripod owners, a normal camera phone just can’t quite capture the magic.