jo durbridge | broome, australia.
spotlight on jo durbridge | broome, australia.
Name: Jo Durbridge
Age: 48
Starsign: Gemini
Hometown: Broome, Western Australia.
Describe yourself in 3 words or less: Talks too much.
What brought you to Broome, and when? I visited for a few days for a friend’s wedding at Gantheaume Point in 2000 and was wowed by the colours of Broome and the coastline. I felt a real connection to the place and knew I had to move here. It took me three years but I returned to live in 2003. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
What do you do here? When I ‘m not walking my dog along the beach, or relaxing in my hammock sipping a cold drink under the palm trees, I work in tourism marketing, promoting what I love!
Describe Broome in 3 words or less: beautiful, friendly, relaxing.
If we only have 24 hours in Broome, what should we do? The great thing about Broome is that everything is within a ten minute drive away (or catch the Town Bus) so you can pack a lot into one day. Be sure to wake up early to see the sun rise over Roebuck Bay at Town BeachIf it is extremely low tide walk to the rusted remains of the flying boats shot down in WWII and see them silhouetted against the glowing sky. Drive out to Gantheaume Point and walk the track to view the spectacular red cliffs and vibrant blue water of the Indian Ocean. There are dinosaur footprints at the foot of the cliffs which are only visible at low tide, however you can check out the cast at the end of the track. Head to the Zookeepers Store for breakfast and don’t forget to grab one of their delicious cronuts for a snack later on. Drive into the town centre known as Chinatown from pearling days past and walk along Streeters Jetty out into the mangroves where pearling luggers were once a common sight on the bay. Broome is renowned for its high quality pearls so stroll through the showrooms and drape yourself in gorgeous pearl jewellery. Time for lunch! Enjoy modern Australian dishes at The Aarli or 18degrees. Next stop is Matso’s Broome Brewery for a cold beverage. This microbrewery housed, in a historic tin building, is known for its alcoholic ginger beer but do try the mango and chilli beer too. In fact go ahead and order their paddle of samples including lagers and ales and sit back look over the turquoise bay from their shady veranda. Broome has a fascinating hard hat diving history and you can hear all about it, accompanied by artefacts such as heavy dive helmets and monster pearl shells at Pearl Luggers in Chinatown. Head to Cable Beach, take a swim and relax on the pristine white sand. Walk north of the rocks for your pre-booked sunset camel ride and take in the changing colours of the sky as your camel carries you across the sand. Enjoy a mambo mango cocktail at the Cable Beach Club’s Sunset Bar and as the sunlight fades, you can either stay where you are and have dinner at the Sunset Grill (great steaks!) or make your way back into town and enjoy the casual atmosphere of the Mangrove Hotel’s The Bay Club and eat (my favourite) goat’s cheese and chorizo pizza while relaxing on comfy couches outside overlooking the moving tides of the bay. Finish your evening by lying back in the deck chairs and watching a film at the historic outdoor picture garden of Sun Pictures. Don’t forget to look upwards and take in the wide expanse of the Kimberley’s star filled skies before heading to bed.
Favorite place for coffee? I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but I’m partial to a lemongrass and ginger tea at the Aarli, conveniently located a few steps from my office.
Favorite place for a swim? Cable Beach, of course! With 22 kilometres of pristine white sand there is always room to spread out a towel.
Favorite place for a sundowner? That’s a tough one! It’s a toss-up between the Mangrove Resort relaxing on lounges overlooking the turquoise water of the bayor
Top 3 places you recommend seeing in the Kimberley? Only 3 that’s tough! The Dampier Peninsula, Horizontal Waterfalls and the Bungle Bungles inPurnululu National Park.
Best time to visit? May to October, blue cloudless skies and the weather is perfect day after day. While the humidity creeps up I also love the tropical season too as we get incredible lightning storms, everywhere is green and you see more lizards and frogs.
Who is inspiring you right now? Maya Angelou. She was a poet, author and activist. I only realised what an inspiration she was to me when I kept pinning her quotes on pinterest.
What’s on your stereo? I’m all over the place with my music – everything from Fleetwood Mac to Pitbull.
Words you live by…Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible – Dalai Lama
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