Broome’s Freshwater Swimming Holes
An idyllic natural swimming hole provides the ideal way to unwind after an exhausting day, offering beautiful scenery and relaxation opportunities. The best ones also provide stunning photos.
Here are five of the best in and around Broome, making sure to keep an eye on tide movements before visiting these limited space spots.
1. Cable Beach
Cable Beach attracts visitors from across the globe. This 22 kilometre stretch of white sand, fringed with sand dunes and ochre red cliffs, provides an idyllic view of turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Unwind on warm sand as waves lap against its shoreline!
Cable Beach’s breathtaking sunset will stun and impress, offering stunning hues from golds to purples as the sun descends toward its destination in Broome’s sky. What better way to conclude your day while experiencing one of nature’s treasures that Broome offers!
If you’re feeling active, try your luck at swimming, fishing, kayaking, or surfing (when swells increase). Or take a leisurely walk along the soft sand. Additionally, rental bikes or deckchairs may be found at stalls at either end of the beach – four wheel drive vehicles may even be permitted north of rocks for driving!
If you need a break, there are numerous restaurants and bars to choose from in Broome – Zanders at Cable Beach, Cichitte Club and Bali Hai Cafe are great places for that! Or why not sample some craft beers at Matso’s Broome Brewery with spicy chicken wings or kangaroo skewers as an extra special treat?
2. Town Beach
Nothing beats an authentic natural swimming hole to help ease the strains of an otherwise hot day. These idyllic pools, often found at the base of waterfalls, offer serious relaxation that’s enjoyable by all ages – the Northern Territory even hosts several of these idyllic bodies of water, while Kimberley region hosts even more.
Ormiston Gorge, an idyllic Outback swimming hole tucked between towering red cliffs, offers refreshing waters perfect for splashing about and discovering unique rock formations made by dinosaur footprints from 120 million years ago. Here you can dive in for some refreshing fun in its refreshing waters or explore unique rock formations formed from dinosaur footprints!
Town Beach offers the ideal place for leisurely reflection, with its patrolled swim area ideal for relaxing with a good book and taking in stunning ocean and sunset views. To amp up the experience even further, why not book a sunset camel ride along Cable Beach – truly iconic Broome experience!
The peaceful Pool of Lesmurdie offers another ideal spot for relaxation after taking a short hike along a path lined with wildflowers. Best visited during an 8.5 metre or higher tide, make sure to wear a wetsuit if planning on snorkelling nearby and visit on an 8.5-metre or higher tide for optimal experience!
On the Dampier Peninsula, nature at its most breathtaking and exquisite is on full display. Discover stunning red pindan cliffs contrasted by impossibly blue waters; cruise past Horizontal Falls’ dramatic rapids or view them from above on a scenic flight over Kimberley; venture into Narlijia mangrove forests to listen to bush tucker tales while viewing native Australian animals in their natural environment with an Indigenous guide; visit Horizontal Falls itself or cruise its waters from a scenic flight; experience all this on and more!
3. Gantheaume Beach
Gantheaume Point Beach in Broome is truly special and cannot be missed during a visit to Broome. With its red soil and towering rocky cliffs contrasting beautifully with Roebuck Bay’s calm blue waters, this beach must be seen!
At low tide you can explore rock pools and look for dinosaur footprints left by Megalosauropus broomensis during the Cretaceous period – leaving behind dinosaur footprints dating back over 150 million years! There are tours that give visitors access to this incredible site, typically including full days on the water with meals included.
These rocky, shallow water pools serve as natural aquariums that host all sorts of marine creatures such as fish, crabs and even an occasional octopus! But be wary at high tide as a 9+ metre tide is necessary for Anastasia’s Pool to fill. If you want to visit these natural bathtubs and swim in them be sure to bring extra clothing as well as waterproof sunscreen.
Reddell Beach lies not too far from Gantheaume, off the beaten track and frequented more by locals than tourists. Offering calm waters ideal for swimming and boasting incredible mini red cliffs with bizarre rock formations.
This beach is an excellent spot to view some of the finest coastal bird life around, such as Pied Oystercatchers, Grey-tailed Tattlers, Great Knots and Bar-tailed Godwits roosting there as well as Whimbrel and Lesser Sand Plovers roosting nearby.
This beach is unsuitable for swimming during the wet season between November and May or June as it is home to dangerous Chironex box jellyfish and Irukandji; however, it makes an ideal place for family and friend gatherings under its shaded palm trees.
4. Minyirra Beach
Un natural swimming hole with breathtaking views can be one of the most refreshing ways to unwind after an exhausting day, especially one hidden among mountains or white sandy beaches. Although access may require some effort, these serene places promise relief from any worries on a hot day – from hidden treasures among mountains to secret coves on beaches – these tranquil pools make an excellent way to cool off during tropical vacations.
One of Broome’s most renowned swimming holes can be found along Cable Beach itself – the 23 km stretch where sand meets an unimaginably blue ocean. During the dry season, this surf lifesaving patrolled area is perfect for enjoying some sunbathing, sipping cocktails or eating ice-cream while watching sunset. There are also plenty of shady places under palm trees as well as spots where water flows directly into pools or waterfalls.
If you prefer more isolated swimming spots, Gantheaume Beach (with careful tide considerations) offers several remote areas. Or try heading northward to Minyirra Beach where there’s an accessible rockpool via Nagula Walk Trail over dunes in the park – providing an unhurried way to access Cable Beach without all the tourists; perhaps even spot one or more Pied Oystercatchers, Red-capped Plovers or Migratory Waders here!
At Camp Creek you’ll find numerous ideal swimming spots, especially during the wet season. Its gushing waters vary between torrential flood and gentle trickle depending on season and rainfall levels; nestled amidst paperbark trees this swimming hole makes a beautiful place for swimmers, bird watchers and photographers to come together.
5. Coconut Well
Coconut Well (Goolarabooloo Millibinyarri in Kimberley’s indigenous dialect) is an idyllic coastal community boasting rock pools and an iridescent blue lagoon that changes with Kimberley’s spring tides. Both beaches and lagoon are popular swimming spots while its rugged landscape boasts myriad small rock pools filled with marine life during high tide. Coconut Well is also an ideal location for fishing; local and visiting anglers often target species like tuskfish, queenfish, bream and trevally from shore and creeks alike.
Coconut Well is easily reached by car from Broome; just 25 minutes’ drive along sealed roads will get you there. To see its lagoon and rock pools at low tide, a 4WD is necessary as only four-wheel drives can navigate this road. At high tide, when ocean waters fill the lagoon upstream of it and creates an amazing natural phenomenon: an unexpected tidal pool appears seemingly out of nowhere!
At the very top of these cliffs, there lies an ancient Aboriginal rock art site that can be explored. These cliffs form part of Dampier Peninsular, listed by UNESCO World Heritage.
Cable Beach and Gantheaume Point offer fresh waters renowned for their nutrient dense properties – offering a healthy alternative to sugary soft drinks or cocktails for an enjoyable tropical holiday experience. However, keep in mind that these beaches also act as breeding grounds for sea turtles, whales and crocodiles – so please abide by ‘Cross the Tide’ safety guidelines by always wearing a life jacket in the water!
