Celebrating 20 Years at Cable Beach Club Resort

From the first time Lord Alistair McAlpine visited Broome, he had his heart set on the magnificent stretch of land bordering the beautiful Cable Beach. After much discussion and deliberation with local and Commonwealth Australian departments, Lord McAlpine bought the land. The contract was signed on the back of a beer coaster in the Pearlers’ Bar of Broome’s Roebuck Bay Hotel.

Inspiration for the design of the resort was taken from the region’s 19th century ‘pearl rush’. The pearling industry left a cosmopolitan and colourful legacy, despite Broome’s isolation.

Lord McAlpine's dream was finally realised. The resort opened its doors in May 1988. In the beginning it was a collection of Broome-style bungalows, a reception area, dining area and a small area for functions.

From these humble beginnings, Cable Beach Club Resort has grown in the past 20 years to become an integral part of the Broome experience and one of Australia’s premier resorts.

Twenty years ago Cable Beach Club was the biggest development the town had ever seen – and at a cost of $18 million for stage one - certainly the most expensive. The budget for the whole project was in excess of $34 million.

The resort opened to a fanfare of approval.  ‘The Club would have to be the most unique resort in WA’, wrote the West Australian Newspaper just before the opening. ‘The architecture of the bungalows is based on the shuttered houses of the master  pearlers … they draw on the Creole culture that has made Broome unique. The resort is entirely hedonistic - as it ought to be.’

In 1989, Lord Mc Alpine bought the Western Australian Government’s share of the resort and six years later sold off the resort and his other Australian interests. The Perth-based Hawaiian Management Group acquired Cable Beach Club Resort in 1999 and wholly-own and manage the resort today.

Cable Beach Club Resort is now a Western Australian tourism icon - and continues to receive accolades and awards against the toughest competition having won in 2007 the;

Australian Travel & Tourism Awards – Best Resort Accommodation
WA Tourism Council Awards – Luxury Accommodation
AHA National Awards for Excellence – Best Resort Style Accommodation
AHA WA Awards for Excellence – Deluxe Accommodation

Not bad for a place Lord McAlpine first described as ‘a caravan park with a rather large sewer’.

Here’s to the next twenty years - and may the Shiva Temple Lion Guards at the resort’s entrance continue to bring us all good fortune.