Important: Chinatown access changes

It’s time to get excited… Carnarvon Street North is officially reopening on Monday! Stay tuned for more updates and photos on our Chinatown social media pages.

The corner of Dampier Terrace and Short Street East will be closed from Monday 28 June for approximately two weeks to allow for asphalting and to tie the pedestrian crossing in with the rest of the works. Cars will still be able to turn in and out of Short Street but access to Dampier Terrace North will be closed from this direction. Mitre 10 customers and residents will be able to access parking via Carnarvon Street North.

A section of Carnarvon Street South will be closed for approximately two weeks from Tuesday 29 June to complete asphalting works. Please refer to the updated parking map below for more information. Cars will be able to complete a U-turn at the closure and Paspaley Plaza customers can access the plaza via Short Street.

The Broome Explorer Bus stop on Carnarvon Street South will be closed temporarily while we complete these important works, and the Broome Visitor Centre bus stop will be used instead.

Thank you for your patience – the project is nearing completion!

*Updated map showing parking areas within Chinatown, re-opened roads and how to access each.*

Construction update

The Chinatown Revitalisation Project finish line is getting closer and closer! More major milestones have been completed in the last couple of weeks, and there are more to come in the imminent future! We ticked off a major road renovation with Short Street East now fully open to traffic and pedestrians.

The landscaping looks fantastic and two pieces of public art – the Divers Quarters and Sam Male statue – complement the new streetscape.

The deck and associated landscaping works in front of the old Runway Bar aren’t too far away and are the final piece to be completed on the Short Street East revitalisation.

Here is a closer look at what we are working on over the next few weeks as we edge nearer to full project completion – on time and to schedule!

Short Street West

While this road has been open to two way traffic for some time, there is still plenty of construction activity happening around the edges on footpaths and landscaping. The last of the garden beds have now been excavated and irrigated, and the site fencing has been taken down making the street look a lot less like a construction site! The garden beds will be planted out, and custom concrete benches installed over the next week or so, while the stairs by Bushy’s Pizza should be open in the next few days.

Carnarvon Street North

We’re getting close to re-opening this section of road – and this milestone will signify the end of the major road closures for the project! We can hear you cheering! Concrete pouring and completion for footpaths and kerbs is also nearly finished, and then we will be installing Kimberley rock walls and bench seats for the shade structures and breakout spaces, and installing reticulation and planting out the new garden beds.

Napier Terrace West

The new car park in front of Chicken Treat is coming on nicely and is nearly finished. We’ll be able to take down the site fencing and open the road to two way traffic again very soon!

Napier Terrace East

Construction of the footpaths including the new ramp to Broome Doctors’ Practice is nearly finished. There is a temporary ramp in place at Som Thai to get to the Doctor’s Surgery while the permanent ramp is being constructed. It won’t be long until we can get started on the landscaping in this area and finish the revitalisation.

Carnarvon Street South

Light pole upgrades are underway in this section and will result in much better and brighter lighting throughout the area. We’ll also be asphalting the road and upgrading some of the footpaths in this area over the next couple of weeks.

There may be some very short term road and footpath closures over the next few weeks as we complete the project. Information regarding these temporary closures will be announced on our social channels as well as on the Chinatown website. Traders can contact Julia, Chinatown Coordinator on 9191 8738 or by email at julia.mikhlik@broome.wa.gov.au to find out more.

*Richard Male with the statue of his great grandfather Sam Male.*

Artworks tell Chinatown’s story

Beautiful major pieces of new public art are now installed at various locations in Chinatown, reflecting the diversity of Broome’s history. Following on from the much-anticipated installation of the Fusion entry statement last month, the spectacular carved Divers Quarters by Nic Compton is now taking pride of place on the corner of Short and Carnarvon St, outside Paspaley Pearls.

At the other end of Short Street, an amazing statue of Sam Male looks out across Streeters Jetty and the bay beyond. This artwork was commissioned with support from the Male family and is a beautiful life-size tribute to one of Chinatown’s icons.

On Napier Terrace, it won’t be long before the Japanese themed lights designed by Tomoko Yamada start to be installed once their production is complete by a local manufacturer.

Finally, the Yawuru artwork at the start of the Pearling Timeline on Dampier Terrace, close to Streeters Jetty has recently been installed as well.

The new pieces of public art have also inspired local tourism operators Salty Plum Social to develop a new tour called ‘Big Art Breakfast Walking Tour of Chinatown’. Walking through the outdoor art gallery of Chinatown with tour guides Chris and Robyn Maher you will hear all about the history of Chinatown and how its reflected in the large public art works in the historic precinct – whilst taking you to their favourite artworks and of course breakfast at one of their favourite Chinatown’s cafes.

Busy Chinatown Discovery Festival weekend a hit

Broome celebrated an action-packed three days of fun, culture and togetherness as the Chinatown Discovery Festival drew in big crowds of residents and visitors over the festival weekend last month.

This year’s theme was ‘Growing up in Chinatown’ and included plenty of activities celebrating Broome’s amazing history and heritage. The festival concluded with the ever-popular Pearlers’ Games on Dampier Terrace, with plenty of fun and frivolity keeping the sizeable crowd entertained.

Shire of Broome deputy president Desiree Male said that with the first race round also taking place at the Broome Turf Club on Saturday, it was a big weekend for the town.

“Given that last year’s Discovery Festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 and associated restrictions, it was wonderful to see our community come together over a big weekend of celebrations,” she said.

“The program had something for everyone, with most of the events free to the community and lots of family-friendly activities.

“Different community groups and businesses rallied together to provide events and festivities for attendees – Chinatown was truly alive with activity. I’d like to say a big thank you to all the event sponsors for helping make the 2021 Festival a reality, and well done to the event team, storeowners and our community – it was a great weekend.”

*Fun at the Pearlers’ Games Flipper Races .*

Wear Art returns to Chinatown

Ruth’s locally designed Wear Art clothing range.

After a spell down south at her other outlets in Toodyay and Donnybrook, designer Ruth Roberts has brought her iconic Wear Art label back to Chinatown, opening a new outlet on Dampier Terrace.

First founded in Broome in 2007, Ruth’s trademark style is evident in the beautiful locally designed clothes made from natural fibres that fill her new boutique. She takes her inspiration from the Broome and Kimberley environment, which leads to bold and striking colours being used in most of her designs.

“My main aim is to make women of all sizes feel confident in the clothes they wear. I use natural fibres which suit the local climate, and help you feel more comfortable – even in the wet season!”

“I’m passionate about providing rural, regional and remote women with access to unique well-made clothing, which they would otherwise have to head to the city for,” Ruth said.

Ruth has a diverse range of tops, dresses, skirts and pants in store ready to add to your wardrobe for all occasion. Wear Art can be found at 19 Dampier Terrace (across from Mr Saigon), or online here.

CHINATOWN REVITALISATION PROJECT FAQS

If you have a question about the Chinatown Revitalisation project, we’ve created a page on our website dedicated to answering commonly asked questions. Simply click here to find out more, and if you still have questions, please send them to us!

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