Broome is a town in the Kimberley region of the far north of Western Australia, and it is one of the most remote coastal towns in the state (or the country, for that matter). Broome is actually closer to Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, than it is to Perth, the capital of Western Australia. (Darwin is about 1,875 kilometers to the northeast by car, while Perth is over 2,200 kilometers to the southwest.) Broome is over 200 kilometers away from the next town of any size at all. Despite its extremely remote location, Broome has a population of about 14,000, which makes it a large town by Western Australian standards. Broome is also a popular tourist town, and its airport has at least seasonal service to all six mainland state/territorial capital cities. Broome has a tropical climate, with seasonal variations in weather but not much variation in actual temperature. The tourist season extends from April to November, when the weather is hot and dry. July, which is the middle of winter in Australia, has the mildest temperatures. Most travelers avoid the sweltering heat of rainy summer months (December through March).

Cable Beach is an immense, broad beach that begins in Broome and extends northward, and altogether it is more than 22 kilometers long. A small rocky outcropping located just north of the large beach parking lot is an important divider. The beach on the south side of the rocks, which is over 5 kilometers long, is textile, and vehicles are not allowed on that part of the beach. The much longer segment of beach on the north side of the rocks is open to four-wheel drivers, and that part of the beach is considered clothing optional.

Getting to the nude beach is pretty straightforward. From the far end of the large Cable Beach parking lot, a paved road and an adjacent brick walkway lead a short distance to the beach. The road is the access ramp for four-wheel-drive vehicles. As you near the beach and are facing the water, you will see the previously mentioned rocky land mass to your immediate right (north). If you are on foot, you can hike over the rocks or skirt around them. If you are driving, just follow the sign that directs all vehicles to proceed to the other side of the rocks. Note that is not possible to drive around the rocks at high tide (but there are other access tracks through the dunes farther north that connect to minor unpaved roads on the north side of Broome should you get trapped by the tide).

Once you are beyond the rocks, the nude area is virtually endless. It is possible to go north for 17 kilometers before the beach ends at the Willie Creek estuary, and all of that stretch is generally regarded as the domain of nudists. Of course, most nudists who hoof it are likely to be found within the first few kilometers north of the rocks. Speaking of hoofing it, one thing Cable Beach is quite famous for is the camel rides along the beach. A couple of tour companies conduct these rides, starting north of the rocks. That means the camel rides go along the nude beach. Tourists on camelback seem to take nudists in stride, and the camels tend to stay on the wet part of the sand (the beach is quite broad), so they are not likely to come too awfully close to where you are sunning. Furthermore, tours occur only at limited times of day. The most popular ones are the evening sunset rides, and there are also rides in the early morning hours and in the late afternoon. From mid-morning to mid-afternoon, the beach is likely to be free of camels and textile tourists riding on them.

Near the end of the four-wheel-drive ramp, there is a large sign with a number of posted prohibitions, including "No Nudity." There is an addendum, seemingly official (i.e., not graffiti), that appears to have been added later, so the prohibition reads "No Nudity, Except North of Rocks." Several sources claim that Cable Beach is a legal nude beach (perhaps based in part on that sign), but local officials dispute such assertions in a 2011 newspaper article, stating that there is not a provision in local laws that specifically permits nudity on any part of the beach. Whatever the case, the north-of-the-rocks area is well known and well established as a nude beach, but nudists tend to be very spread out on the beach. Beach amenities (restrooms, showers, food) are located next to the parking lot.

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GPS: -17.9222, 122.2107

town, state, country
  Broome, Western Australia, Australia

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