WEST KIMBERLEY PLACE REPORT - Department of Sustainability ...

Shinju Matsuri Festival which continues today. Some traditions have not continued
but may still inform, through memory or writing. The traditional lugger race is an
example of these changes.
The Australian play and film Bran Nue Dae also features aspects of the region's
distinctive character, beauty and history.
The history of Broome is an important anchor for the Australian community's
association. There is also the 'flip side' (Kaino 2005) to the romanticism associated
with the place because the history of pearling also has a harsher side including
extensive hardship and abuse in the pearling industry, the deeply embedded
segregation and the tragedies experienced by many as a result of deaths at sea, diving
accidents or cyclones. The Japanese Cemetery in Broome is particularly moving in
this regard.
Further evidence of the Australian community's association with the Broome region
can also be measured by the heritage listings within the area. Broome has 17 places
associated with the pearl shell period (1880-1940) which are listed on the Western
Australian State Heritage Register. The State heritage protection and recognition of
these places indicates that they are valued by communities beyond the local area and
as such can be used as a proxy indicative measure of the Australian community's
association for social value. Similarly 17 out of 20 registered historic places on the
Register of the National Estate (in Broome) are listed for their associations with the
pearling history of Broome. The value statements reflect the social value these places
have for both the Broome community and the wider community of Western Australia.
In particular these pearling places are noted for their ability to provide a sense of
place and mark a link with the past.
In summary, the Australian community has a special association with Broome as an
iconic place, once the pearling capital of Australia. This association has in part an
idealised aspect relating to the romance of Old Broome, its pearling luggers and its
location on a remote and beautiful coast. Today the Australian community continues
to be drawn to Broome and the nearby region because of the romance of Broome, its
pearling history, its remote and beautiful location at the gateway to the Kimberley's
outback and pearling coast, its association with pearls and the town's stories
associated with the development of a unique Australian community with a distinctive
cultural diversity. The people of Broome celebrate and recognise their pearling history
and diverse cultural heritage today in the annual Shinju Matsuri Festival.
Definition of signficant elements
The literature reviewed for this assessment has not revealed any social values survey
reporting to identify specific features within Broome and the wider region which
represent the Australian community's iconic and idealised association with the place.
While heritage fabric relating to the pearling history within Broome illustrates in part
the history associated with this social value there is no evidence to clearly identify
which elements, if any (in Broome and along the pearling coast) are recognised by the
Australian community as symbolic references. It is noted in this regard that the
Australian community's recognition of Broome as a pearling capital is more likely to
be based on historical writing about Broome. The more iconic and idealised aspect of
the Australian community's contempory association is also expected to be shaped in
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