Broome’s beaches are abundant with natural treasures that date back centuries, from pioneer fortune hunters looking for pearls during the early pearling industry, to mother of pearl buttons made from pinctada maxima shells punched into mother of pearl buttons crafted by skilled pearlers during its peak years.
Roebuck Bay features a statue to honor these forgotten women – both divers and land workers – with whom many tales remain to be told at Pearl Luggers Museum.
Town Beach
If you’re visiting Sanibel Island for vacation, planning a day of shelling can be a great activity that the whole family will enjoy and leave you with beautiful souvenirs to take home as keepsakes. Here are some tips for making the most out of your shelling experience:
First and foremost, set aside a container specifically for your collection. This will enable you to sort through and choose those shells which best meet your interests without overpicking – something which would otherwise harm the environment.
Avoid picking up shells that contain sea creatures; these shells often serve as homes to small sea life and it is against the law to remove them from the beach. Before taking any shell from its location, be sure to look inside for signs of life; check whether any exterior structures may have been broken off; as well as inspect for damages and cracks in each one before moving it along your journey.
Once you’ve collected shells, be sure to wash them before returning home. This will remove any residual from inside of the shell and decrease its likelihood of developing an unpleasant scent over time.
Clean your shells using mild bleach or vinegar water in a bucket, using either a simple scrub brush to get rid of stubborn dirt, or leaving them outside to dry in the sun for several hours.
Sanibel Island boasts plenty of places for shelling, but Town Beach stands out as a favorite among both locals and visitors. Centrally located in Newcomb and featuring parking, picnic areas, certified lifeguards, certified lifeguards and boat launch, Town Beach is sure to please visitors of both stripes.
As an advanced sheller, you may wish to venture outside Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel to find larger shells; Turner Beach in Captiva’s north end boasts an abundance of rare finds.
Shelling tours or cruises are another fantastic way to find treasures – they take you directly to some of the top shelling spots on an island and teach valuable tips on finding more shells than ever! Plus, this way of exploring also allows you to socialize with like-minded individuals who share your enthusiasm for shelling!
Barred Creek
Now is an ideal time to enjoy one of the region’s favorite summer pastimes: shelling. For optimal results, plan shelling trips around low tides (which expose more beach area). Before venturing out on any shellfishing expeditions, familiarize yourself with local regulations for shellfishing such as those published by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s shellfish guide or your town harbor master or health officer for information regarding any local rules and restrictions for shellfishing in your waters.
The beach north of the jetty is popular for sunbathing and shell collecting. Additionally, it provides excellent views of passing dolphins as they pass overhead, as well as deer grazing on dunes nearby. Meanwhile, its rocks make it an excellent location for fishing Bream, Trevally, and Queenfish in an incoming tide – small hard body lures work best here.
Campers will find plenty of space on both the beach and creek, though 4WD vehicles are absolutely essential due to soft sand that could trap 2WD vehicles easily and rapid tidal fluctuations that range up to 10 meters between low tide and high tide.
Broome is well known for its pearls. The pearling industry was instrumental in giving rise to Broome from an obscure outpost into a bustling multicultural metropolis, as the pearl harvest was harvested by hard lugger owners who treated aboriginal skindivers like slaves for harvesting. Only with the invention of hard hat diving suits was this industry eventually dismantled.
Broome is home to numerous endangered species, such as Beach Stone-curlews, Western Black Oysters and Western Rock Lobsters. Furthermore, its indigenous people are celebrated for their cultural diversity; having created several arts centers and galleries. A visit to this remarkable town should be on every visitor’s itinerary when touring Australia’s Kimberley region; you won’t forget this incredible experience for years!
Cape Leveque
Few places showcase more contrast between danger and beauty than Western Australia’s north-west corner, where cerulean waters attract visitors to beaches populated with saltwater crocodiles, stingrays and lethal box jellyfish. Yet it also boasts exquisite beaches teeming with exquisite beaches characterized by exquisite beaches with reddish sand and ancient footprints like those found along Dampier Peninsula’s stunning coastline – drawing adventurers along its route; Aboriginal communities that call this home welcome them in sharing their rich cultures that host adventurers as an invitation from Aboriginal communities that call this home; until recently only 4WD enthusiasts could access this gem but now the 205km Broome-Cape Leveque Road is being fully sealed to allow more people to discover its incredible wild beauty!
From Broome to Cape Leveque is only two or three hours’ drive north along the coast; but it’s well worth your while. While you could drive yourself, we strongly advise joining an organized tour with multiple stops along the way for maximum immersion into this remarkable part of Australia.
Beagle Bay, an Aboriginal community located just offshore from Perth, is home to the exquisite Sacred Heart Church adorned with mother-of-pearl shells and built during World War One using handmade bricks made of sand and clay by local workers – an example of their hard work that now draws thousands of pilgrims each year.
Pender Bay, further up the coast, is one of the best humpback whale watching spots. Between June and the beginning of September, thousands of these magnificent mammals converge upon this area to give birth and nurse their calves before drifting south for their annual migration ritual – providing unparalleled viewing from Kooljaman Beach directly in front of Whale Song Cafe!
Kooljaman is an incredible Aboriginal-run business that operates a solar-powered wilderness camp with safari tents, cabins and campsites as well as a restaurant serving dishes such as crocodile and barramundi. You can visit its pearl farm, enjoy cultural spear fishing or mud crabbing or simply relax on its beautiful beach.
There are also fishing charters operating off Cape Cod’s reefs where you can try your hand at catching snapper and coral trout. For an especially relaxing experience, venture out at night under a blanket of stars to cast your line into shallow waters. Your experience fishing on Aboriginal land should be rewarding even if the catch is small, provided you remember their culture and respect their traditions when fishing. Also avoid entering areas marked with no entry signs as these could contain protected law grounds or burial sites. Experience this remote and rugged coastline at its full potential by joining a tour that combines all its activities and natural wonders, such as four-wheel driving, cruises around Buccaneer Archipelago and stays at Kooljaman.