Take in the view from new Roebuck Bay Lookout
Latest Broome Chinatown Revitalisation construction project completed.
New Roebuck Bay Lookout provides a scenic viewing platform linking Roebuck Bay with Chinatown.
Collaborative design celebrates rich Aboriginal history of significant cultural site.
The new Roebuck Bay Lookout at the intersection of Dampier Terrace and Frederick Street in Chinatown is open to the community from this weekend.
Co-funded by the Shire of Broome and the Australian Government through a grant administered by Tourism WA, the project will help to activate an underutilised corner of Chinatown by providing a shaded tourism and resting point with sweeping views over Roebuck Bay and Dampier Creek.
Construction was carried out by local contractors and sub-contractors following several years of planning, consultation and heritage approvals. The Lookout has been built within the Shire Road Reserve and Yawuru Cultural Monitors were on site throughout construction.
Features of the Lookout include artwork and interpretive information created by Yawuru Traditional Owners in conjunction with Broome Senior High School students, materials including weathering steel panels, timber seating benches and handrails, Kimberley sandstone, native plants for landscaping and LED lighting.
Broome Shire President, Harold Tracey, said the Roebuck Bay Lookout was an impressive structure that provided an even more impressive panoramic view of Roebuck Bay, Dampier Creek and Chinatown.
“I’d encourage everyone to head up there for a look as this is an exciting project that’s created a new attraction to bring more people into Chinatown and keep them there longer, and has also injected more than $700,000 into our local economy during construction,” Cr Tracey said.
“It will also help to create new opportunities for local business and the community by activating a pocket of Chinatown that’s home to retail, office and residential properties, and builds on the progress made when Dampier Terrace and Frederick Street were connected and new parking, street lighting and footpaths installed.”
The opening of the Roebuck Bay Lookout marks another sub-project successfully completed under the Chinatown Revitalisation Project initiative.
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About the Chinatown Revitalisation Project
The $12.7 million Chinatown Revitalisation project is being delivered in partnership by the State Government and the Shire of Broome, with $10 million funding from Royalties for Regions, $2 million from the Shire of Broome, and $700,000 from Tourism WA.
The project includes 10 sub-projects all designed to reinforce Chinatown’s position as the ‘Heart and Soul’ of Broome – the historic, cultural and hospitality centre of our town.
These sub-projects include feasibility studies for larger, potentially transformational projects, as well as design and construction of significant street and landscape upgrades to Carnarvon Street and Dampier Terrace to make the precinct more attractive and encourage activity.
Implementation of the projects and oversight of the feasibility studies is being undertaken jointly by the Shire of Broome, Kimberley Development Commission and LandCorp. A Community and Stakeholder Reference Group has been established by the Shire and consultation with the wider community and key stakeholders will continue throughout the process.
