Cycling in Broome, Western Australia, is easy and fun because of the flat terrain and many bike paths.
The day after we arrived in Broome, we saw a game of polo being played on Cable Beach.
Apparently the huge tides that wash the beach and the highly compacted sand make an excellent polo playing field.
I was reflecting on this as I was riding early the next day towards Cable Beach. Surely this beautifully compacted sand could also make a great surface to cycle on, IF the tide was low.
Riding on Cable Beach
You can imagine my joy when I arrived at the beach and saw a wide expanse of flat sand stretching between the cliff and the ocean. The tide was out!
Already a few joggers and walkers were on the beach.
It was a matter of “seize the day” so I turned down the vehicle track that led to the beach. Fortunately, although a few cars dotted each end of Cable Beach, none were driving along it.
As soon as I was on the firm sand, I felt confident that I would be able to ride the whole length of the beach and come up the other side.
I headed south-west. I loved the early morning colours, although it was hard to get a good photo with the sun still so low in the sky.
The beach seemed to stretch on forever. I kept stopping to take photos, so a female jogger was almost keeping pace with me.
A cyclist rode past heading north.
After five kilometres, I began to near the end of the beach. I looked towards the sand dunes and three horses were galloping flat out on the softer sand.
My beach ride was almost over. I slowed down to look at the horses being loaded into their floats.
From the southern end of Cable Beach, I rode a short distance further to Gantheaume Point and then crossed the peninsula and headed north to the town centre. Derek, Renate and Paull met me at The Good Cartel for coffee.
I had cycled 22 kilometres and climbed 277 metres.
Bike paths in Broome
I noticed there were quite a few people cycling in Broome. As the lady in the Broome Visitor Centre told me, Broome is quite “well endowed” with bicycle paths.
Add to this the flat terrain and you have an ideal environment for riding your bike.
You can get a map of the cycling paths from the Visitor Centre.
Riding a bike is always a great way to get to know a place and Broome is no exception.
Bike hire
If you don’t have your own bike with you, Broome Cycles offers bikes for hire.
Another great beach town in Western Australia which is excellent for cycling is Jurien Bay, with its Turquoise Way shared trail.
