Located a couple of hours (180km) North of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula is Lombadina. An aboriginal community who welcomes visitors with open gates, indigenous tours, crafts, history & stunning beaches.
From Broome, head out on Cape Leveque Road, a sealed bitumen road. Look out for a blue sign and take a left towards Lombadina on a red sandy road. 2WD accessible is weather dependent.
Entry to the community is just $10 per vehicle. Ensure you stop where sign posted at the office to pay fees and collect information, maps and where you are allowed to visit. Camping & accommodation is available also for reasonable fees. There’s plenty of things to do, explore and is a very safe community. I’d recommend staying the night to allow plenty of time to explore the community.
Lombadina is a very safe inviting community, has won Kimberly Tidy towns awards and is well established.
Take a wander along the red dirt, find the paperbark church, built in 1934 by the local Bard People. A remarkable display of craftsmanship, history and indigenous art.
A range of artefacts, jewellery, paintings, prints and carvings by the local people are available to purchase in the crafts shed. If you visit on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday you can visit the bakery where they make fresh bread in their wood fired oven.
The beaches are pristine white sand and turquoise waters and accessible by 4WD over the sand dunes. Remember, you’re in the Kimberly, so if you head in the water for a swim, be very vigilant and look out for Crocodiles & Jellyfish.
Various tours with local guides are on offer at quite reasonable prices. Fishing charters, mud crabbing, kayaking adventures & historical tours are all on offer. If you’re in the area throughout whale season a whale watching boat charter is also an exciting option.
I visited in June 2022, on a Saturday and was pleasantly surprised to find such an inviting community, I didn’t get a chance to camp the night or head out on any tours but it’s a place I would absolutely visit again in the future and allow a couple of days to explore. I visited Cygnet Bay for a few days about 23km north of Lombadina. There’s also Willie Creek Pearl Farm, a few other communities, fishing spots & beaches to visit on the Dampier Peninsula if you have a chance.
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