Cruises From Broome

Broome is where Kimberley expedition voyages start and finish. Ships berth at the Port of Broome, at the end of Port Drive, and sail the coast to Darwin or Wyndham, or back. No mainstream big-ship line turns around here; the ships are small expedition vessels. For US travelers it’s a fly-in-to-join port: you fly to Australia, connect to Broome, and the line usually picks you up.

This page is for starting or ending a voyage. Our Broome and Kimberley port guide covers the town and the two terminals, and our Kimberley guide covers what to do around the flight. For the regional calendar, see Australia & New Zealand Cruises.

The season runs opposite the rest of Australia. The Broome Visitor Centre puts the dry season at May to October; Coral Expeditions starts sailing in March. Book well ahead — these ships carry between 18 and roughly 260 guests.

Most voyages run one way along the coast. Coral, Ponant, Silversea, Seabourn and APT sail between Broome and Darwin. True North and Kimberley Quest end at Wyndham, with transfers to Kununurra. A few long Seabourn voyages start or end here from Fiji or Papeete. The stops below are ones we cover.

Before or after the ship: Broome itself is easy on your own. Cable Beach, Chinatown and Town Beach are a short ride apart, and our Kimberley guide has the picks. Time a night ashore for a Staircase to the Moon date if you can; the 2027 dates are in the FAQ below.

Ships use the Port of Broome on the northwest shore of Roebuck Bay, at the end of Port Drive. Kimberley Ports Authority runs Terminal 1: an outer berth of 331 m and three 170 m inner berths. The KMSB floating jetty, Terminal 2, is 265 m long and lets ships berth regardless of the tide, per the WA government.

The tide is the story. KPA puts the spring range at about 9.4 m. Our port page quotes “over 10 metres”; we use the port’s own figure here. When ships can’t come alongside they anchor and tender. Ponant’s Le Jacques Cartier tendered guests to the slipway during August’s strike, per Deep Arrival.

That strike is suspended, not settled. KPA said on 24 August 2026 that an in-principle deal was reached and all industrial action suspended, pending a vote. We couldn’t find a later KPA notice confirming the result. By our pins the jetty is about 5.4 km from Chinatown in a straight line. Nobody walks it: the lines we read run the transfer.

You won’t need it. Almost everyone sailing from Broome flies in, and nobody publishes cruise parking at the port. Several of our ten hotels offer free parking for your stay, not for a voyage.

Plan the bags instead. The airport has lockers for up to 7 days, per the Broome Visitor Centre, and several hotels hold luggage after check-out.

There are no nonstop flights from the US to Broome. You fly to an Australian gateway, then connect. Qantas flies to Broome from Perth all year and seasonally from Sydney and Melbourne; Virgin Australia flies from Perth, about 2 hours 35 minutes; Airnorth comes from Darwin daily, via Kununurra, per the Broome Visitor Centre.

Fly in the day before. True North recommends arriving the day before or by noon on departure day, and Kimberley Quest says land before noon and recommends a night either side. With an overnight long-haul and a domestic connection, take the full night.

US citizens need an Australian ETA before they fly. Apply in the free Australian ETA app; the Australian Embassy in Washington lists an AU$20 service fee and says no visa charge applies. The State Department rates Australia Level 1, exercise normal precautions.

The night before, ranked: we’ve scored ten hotels for the night before a Kimberley voyage, from Chinatown to Cable Beach, on what each one publishes. None runs its own ride to the ship; most lines collect you. Five worth knowing: