Broome Guide: Glen Chidlow
Glen Chidlow has seen plenty of change during his 25 years in the Kimberley — 15 of those spent living in Broome and nine as chief executive of Australia’s North West tourism. But it’s the things that have stayed the same that he finds most striking.
“The population has grown a lot but I think what’s more noticeable about Broome is what hasn’t changed,” he says.
“Flying into Broome, as I do regularly, the contrasting colours you see out of the windows of the plane — and even more so if you fly from the east coast; you spend four hours flying over the big expanse of red and you get to that coast and the colours just blow you away, and the contrasting nature of them.”
And though Broome’s multicultural feel, the Courthouse Markets and the races are all favourites, it’s the natural attractions of the coastline that he misses most when he’s away.
“Cable Beach is a fantastic beach, to go walking there in the morning, you’re going to see something different all the time. The different tides — that doesn’t change. The ebb and flow of the tides is so linked to the Broome lifestyle and that’s beyond normal time that we normally associate everything else with. That helps make living in Broome different to living in other parts of Australia.”
Gantheaume Point is another favoured spot — “it really encapsulates what Broome’s about” — but, when the tides are right, Glen also loves to take guests out on to Roebuck Bay to see the remains of the Catalina flying boats that were destroyed by a Japanese air raid in 1942.
“That’s something that’s a really different experience and not only does it bring back the links with World War II and the impact it had on the town, but also just walking on Roebuck Bay at that time of the morning is fantastic. You can see turtles and starfish and all this other amazing array of life.”
Australia's North West tourism has information about visiting Broome and the Kimberley at australiasnorthwest.com.
