Editing Broome, Western Australia (section)

==Geography==
Broome is located on Western Australia's tropical [[Kimberley coastline (Western Australia)|Kimberley coast]] on the eastern edge of the [[Indian Ocean]].

===Roebuck Bay===
{{Main|Roebuck Bay}}
Being situated on a north–south peninsula, Broome has water on both sides of the town. On the eastern shore are the waters of Roebuck Bay extending from the main jetty at Port Drive to Sandy Point, west of Thangoo station. Town Beach is part of the shoreline and is popular with visitors on the eastern end of the town. It is the site of the "Staircase to the Moon", where a receding tide and a rising moon combine to create a natural phenomenon that resembles a staircase reaching for the moon. On "Staircase to the Moon" nights, a food and craft market operates on Town Beach. The phenomenon only occurs in one other location in the world, the Nile River in Egypt.{{sfn|Trevor|2000|page=183}}

Roebuck Bay is of international importance for the millions of migrating [[wader]]s or shorebirds that use it seasonally on migration through the [[East Asian – Australasian Flyway]] from their breeding grounds in northern Asia. They feed on the extensive intertidal [[mudflat]]s and roost at high tide on the red sand beaches of the bay. They can be seen in the largest numbers in summer, but many of the younger birds remain throughout the first and second years of their lives. The [[Broome Bird Observatory]], sited in [[pindan]] woodland close to the northern shore of Roebuck Bay, was established by [[Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union|Birds Australia]] in 1988, and formally opened in 1990. The purpose of the observatory is to study the birds, learn how to protect them and educate the public about them.

A mixed [[black flying fox]] and [[little red flying fox]] colony of around 50,000 [[megabat]]s lives all year in [[mangrove]]s next to Broome township's small Streeter's Jetty. They chatter and socialise loudly before flying out at dusk each evening. The bats are key pollinators and seed dispersers for native trees and plants.

===Cable Beach===
{{Main|Cable Beach}}
[[File:Cable Beach Panorama.jpg|870px|thumb|center|Panorama of Cable Beach]]
[[File:Cable Beach Sunset Camel Ride.JPG|thumb|Tourists riding camels at Cable Beach in Broome at sunset]]
Named for the Java-to-Australia undersea telegraph cable that reaches shore there, Cable Beach is situated {{Convert|7|km|abbr=on}} from town along a bitumen road. The beach itself is {{Convert|22.5|km|abbr=on}} long with white sand, washed by tides that can reach over {{Convert|9|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/mar_rb_broome-12-08.pdf Broome Boating Guide] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303224217/http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/mar_rb_broome-12-08.pdf |date=3 March 2009 }}</ref> Located directly east of Cable Beach over the dunes is Minyirr Park, a coastal reserve administered by a collaboration of the [[Shire of Broome]] and the [[Yawuru]] people.