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Birthday Broome
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By: Jenny Caspersonn, Issue 35 – Winter 2008
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(Cable Beach Club Resort – Broome, Western Australia, Australia)
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HOW TO LOOK GOOD 20 YEARS ON? IT’S A SECRET WE’D ALL LIKE TO KNOW. CABLE BEACH CLUB RESORT IN BROOME IS HAPPY TO SHARE THE SECRET.
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MAY 2008 marked the 20th anniversary of this iconic Broome property and after twenty years, it’s looking better than ever. The resort’s inauspicious beginnings are well known. When Lord Alistair McAlpine famously signed the contract on the back of a beer coaster in the Pearler’s Bar of Broome’s Roebuck Bay Hotel, it marked the beginning of the biggest development in the history of the remote Western Australian pearling town. The construction of Broome’s Cable Beach Club Resort was a joint venture between Lord McAlpine and the State Government, with a budget in excess of $34million. When it opened in 1988 it consisted of a reception area, restaurant and function centre and a cluster of bungalows.
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Cleverly, the style of the resort was very much in keeping with the history of Broome evoking the charming mix of exotic Asian and colonial influences of the region. The design of the bungalows with their distinctive corrugated metal interior cladding, shuttered windows and timber flooring reflected the style of the original master pearlers’ cottages while red painted lattice work, green timber joinery and a range of oriental artefacts paid tribute to the impact of Asian culture in Broome.
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Today the award-winning Cable Beach Club Resort is recognised as a Broome landmark and a Western Australian tourism treasure. Perth-Based company Hawaiian acquired the resort in 1999 and now wholly own and manage the resort. After a recent $20million refurbishment guests now have a choice of four restaurants, bars and cafés as well as four varieties of accommodation: studio rooms, bungalows, villas and the impressive deluxe suites. Each of the three deluxe suites are named after celebrated artists Humphrey Price-Jones, Sir Sidney Nolan and Elizabeth Durack and feature their original works as well as exotic antiques and artefacts. With the new additions the original style has carefully been retained and the bold mix of colonial and Asian influences still works.
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This is the secret. Other notable hotels built in the 1980s that made very modern statements then have not aged well. Cable Beach Club Resort was always classic charm rather than modern statement and therefore these days doesn’t look or feel dated. Even better, the resort’s exceptional 10 hectares of landscaped gardens, which Lord McAlpine helped plan and design have matured to provide a lush and inviting backdrop. A forest of frangipanis, palms, bougainvillea and hibiscus, carefully maintained by a small army of staff, beautifully complement the buildings. A new fitness facility and spa due for completion in late 2008 will be an added dimension in comfort and luxury. All of which proves that true landmark properties can stand the test of time.
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Happy Birthday, Cable Beach Club Resort. You’re looking good.
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Details:
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Cable Beach Club Resort
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