Broome sunset cruise: what to bring

From your door to the beach

The booking includes pick-up and drop-off at your Broome accommodation, so there is no dock to find and no car to park. A courtesy bus collects you, with a short tour of town on the way. Pick-up times vary by season and by where you are staying; your confirmation carries the exact time and is updated a few hours before departure. Cable Beach lies about seven kilometres from the town centre along a sealed road, so allow for the drive when you check the time.

Boarding: sand, shallow water and a tender

There is no jetty. You step out of your shoes, walk across the sand and wade to a tender that takes you out to the catamaran. The operator describes the water as a little above the ankle and suggests slip-on shoes, which you can leave on the courtesy bus. The tender runs to a schedule: arrive on time at the pick-up point and at the tender, because a missed tender is treated as a no-show. The same tender brings you back to the shore at the end. The operator lists two sessions, 2:30 to 6:30 pm and 3:00 to 7:00 pm, and your booking confirms yours. If you are unsure about the wade, say so to the crew: boarding from the beach may need assistance.

What to pack

A short list covers it. Swimwear and a towel are for the boom net, and a hat and sunscreen cover the afternoon sun before sunset. A camera or phone is worth having, in a bag you do not mind getting a splash. Take a card or some cash for the bar: a beer or wine and the canapés come with the ticket, but further drinks are bought on board. Chilled, filtered water is free on board, so you do not need to carry your own.

• Swimwear and a towel
• A hat and sunscreen
• A light jacket or jumper for June to August
• A card or cash for further drinks
• A camera or phone

What to wear by month

Broome's dry season, from April to November, has clear skies and highs around 30 °C. The sea is warmest in March, at about 30 °C, and coolest in July and August, at about 25 °C. The days are hot, so wear light layers that you can add to later. In the cooler months the evening turns chilly once the sun is down, which is why the bring list asks for a jacket: the operator recommends a light long-sleeved top or jacket between June and August. From December to March, expect heat, humidity and the risk of thunderstorms.

The best months for the light

April to early October covers the boom net season and nearly every day clear. Sunset falls around 5:22 pm at the earliest, in early June, and about 5:50 pm in the middle of October, so the cruise leaves in the afternoon whatever the month. Through October the sunset moves from about 5:48 pm on the first to about 5:57 pm on the last day. The wet season runs from December to March, when about three-quarters of the year's rain falls between January and March, with tropical downpours and cyclones possible. The operator's own site gives a cruising season of April to early December.

Read next: Broome boom net: when it runs

Wind, weather and the route

The cruise sails when the weather permits, and the route follows the wind. A strong breeze can keep the boat inside Roebuck Bay, along the town coast, instead of out from Cable Beach, and a very light breeze can leave the catamaran under power. Guests describe both as good evenings, with the boom net and the bar working as normal. The operator says sailing happens only if the weather permits, so it is never guaranteed. If you are set on sailing, accept that the wind makes the call. If you are set on sunset, the open ocean and the bay both give you a western horizon.

Tides and the water's edge

Cable Beach is washed by tides that can top nine metres, and Visit Broome advises checking tide information before visiting any Broome beach. Lifeguards patrol the flagged swimming area in front of the Surf Life Saving Club every day in the dry season, and Broome's beaches are not patrolled in the tropical season, usually from late October to early April. Box jellyfish may be present from November to April, and crocodiles have been sighted off the shore, so read the warning signs before you wade in.

If the route moves to Roebuck Bay

Roebuck Bay lies on the town side of Broome, a 550 square kilometre bay of red sandy beaches, mangroves and tidal mudflats. Its tides expose about 160 square kilometres of flats, and it is one of the most important shorebird sites in Australia, with more than 300,000 waders using it each year. On a windy evening the catamaran may cruise its coast instead of Cable Beach. Guests describe the sunset as just as good from the bay.

Money, water and food

The fare includes a beer or wine, and the licensed bar sells everything after that: more beer and wine, cocktails and mango daiquiris, so take a card or some cash. Chilled, filtered drinking water is free on board, though it comes from a desalination plant and may taste different from tap water. The only food in the ticket is canapés, with the beer or wine, so have an early snack if you are hungry, and plan dinner for after the drop-off rather than before.

Children, mobility and group size

There is no minimum age, but adults must supervise children at all times, and life jackets for children and infants are available on request. Boarding from the beach can need a helping hand, and the water is shallow but moving. Tours carry up to 36 guests, so the boat is shared with other travellers, and a minimum of five guests is needed for a tour to run. Anyone who cannot manage the wade, the tender and the step onto the boat without help should not book, because wheelchair users cannot be accommodated.

Who this isn't for

Do not book the cruise as a dinner: canapés and one beer or wine are all that is included, and further drinks cost extra. Do not book it for the swim between November and March, because the boom net is an April to early October feature. If you dislike wading through salt water or standing on soft, wet sand, the beach landing will annoy you. For a quiet seat with a drink, a sunset watched from Cable Beach itself costs nothing, and camels walk the beach around sunset.