Broome Cable House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Broome Cable House /Broome Court House |
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The building and grounds in 2019
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| Location | 8 Hamersley Street Broome WA 6725 |
| Built | 1889 |
| Governing body | Government of Western Australia |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 28 August 2001 |
| Reference no. | 296 |
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The Broome Cable House is a very old building in Broome, Western Australia. It first opened on April 9, 1889. Today, it is known as the Broome Court House. This building was originally a special station for underwater communication cables. It worked as a cable station until March 1914. It is now a protected heritage site in Western Australia.
By November 1889, people were living and working in the building. It had special rooms for the cable equipment and separate homes for the staff. They even grew their own vegetables in gardens nearby! Cooking happened in a separate kitchen building. That kitchen is gone now, but its old floor is still there. It is now used for toilets and a storage area.
The cable station was a fancy place back then. It had a tennis court and a billiard room. Staff looked after the British workers and their guests. It was an important spot for social events in early Broome. Cable Beach got its name because this is where the underwater cable came ashore. This cable connected Broome to Java.
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Building the Cable Station
In the late 1880s, Broome was a small settlement. It was located on Roebuck Bay in the north of Western Australia. The town only had two stores and a few scattered houses. There were no roads or railways connecting it to the south. Broome relied on ships for supplies and communication.
Why a New Cable Was Needed
Australia first connected overseas by underwater telegraph cable in 1872. This cable went from Banjoewangie in Java to Darwin. A second cable was laid in 1880. However, these cables often broke. This happened because of underwater volcanoes. So, there was a big need for a third cable. This new cable had to be laid away from the volcanic areas.
In February 1889, a new underwater telegraph cable was laid. The ship CS Seine laid this cable. It connected Banjoewangie, Java, to Australia. The cable came ashore at what we now call Cable Beach.
How the Building Arrived
Between March 3 and 9, 1889, the parts for the cable station arrived. The building was made of pre-built iron and timber sections. These parts were carried on the deck of the CS Seine ship. Roebuck Bay was not deep enough for the big ship. So, the materials were moved onto a smaller pearling vessel. This smaller boat was sheltering in Broome during cyclone season.
The building parts were then taken up Dampier Creek. At high tide, they were thrown overboard. When the tide went out, workers retrieved the sections. They dragged them manually across the mud. Then, they stored them on the beach. After that, they were moved to the station site. The site is now bordered by Frederick, Hamersley, Stewart, and Weld Streets.
An engineer wrote that it was a shame to treat polished teak wood this way. But there was no other option. The wood's look suffered a little, but no real harm was done. Chinese laborers had collected the teak in Singapore. They traveled with it to build the house. These same workers had to carry everything across the muddy flats.
Cable House and Station Connection
An underground cable connected the Cable House to the cable station. This cable was laid on the south side of MacPherson Road. This road was built just for this purpose. The cable then ran down Barlee Street. It entered the northwest corner of the cable station. This was at the corner of Frederick Street and Weld Street.
Today, only a small part of MacPherson Road remains. It is the road that leads to the Broome International Airport. Barlee Street no longer exists.
History of the Building's Use
The building has had several important uses over the years:
- Cable Station: April 1889 to March 1914
- Australian Army: July 1914 to 1918
- Court House: September 6, 1921, to present
The building was added to the Western Australian State Register of Heritage Places in 2001. It is the only original cable station building still standing in Australia.
How the Cable Company Worked
On April 9, 1889, the first paid cable message was sent. It went to London from Mr. E. Keane of Perth. Many employees of the Eastern Extension, Australasia and China Telegraph Company Limited (E.E.T Co) started working very young. Some were only 15 or 16 years old. They received strict training in cable telegraphy. After a trial period, they could be sent to any of the company's cable stations around the world.
The company expected high standards of skill and behavior. If workers did not meet these, they could be fired. This was especially hard given the strict rules of the time. The harsh tropical heat in northwest Australia also made it difficult. But despite the tough conditions, many operators stayed with the cable service their whole lives.
The Broome Cable Station Closes
In 1914, the Broome cable station stopped operating. It had been open for 25 years. The E.E.T. Company built a new station. This new station was in Cottesloe (near Perth, WA). It had a cable link to Africa through the Cocos Islands. Most of the old cables were later removed.
The year 1914 was tough for Broome. World War I started, which ruined the European market for pearl shell. Many men from Broome joined the army. People also worried that the German ship SMS Emden would attack Broome. They feared it would destroy the local wireless station. This station was built in 1913 for ship-to-shore communication.
After the war, there was little interest in buying the property. The government's buildings for justice were no longer good enough. So, the cable station was bought to become a courthouse. It opened as a courthouse on September 6, 1921.
The telegraph company sold the cable station for 3000 pounds. Another 1100 pounds were spent to turn it into a courthouse. The building's size and structure were not changed. Today, it stands in 3 acres of beautiful tropical gardens. It is a magnificent iron and timber building. It is a great example of 19th-century Colonial Architecture. This building is the oldest cable station still standing in Australia today.
What It's Used For Now
The building is currently used as a courthouse. It is managed by the Western Australian Government's Department of Justice. The grounds around the building are used for community markets. These markets happen every Saturday during the wet season. They are held every Saturday and Sunday during the dry (tourist) season.
