Japanese Cemetery

Broome, Western Australia 6725

Relics of Broome's multicultural past can be found at the Japanese Cemetery, Australia's largest Japanese cemetery dating back in the early pearling days in 1896. There are 707 graves with 919 people and most of them have headstones made of coloured beach rocks, inscribed in Japanese. This cemetery, rather than a spooky sensation, serves as a tribute to the contribution of Japanese to Broome. Many men lost their lives due to drowning or diver's paralysis. A large stone obelisk commemorates those who were lost in the 1908 cyclone. Most causes of death resulted from the bends and drowning.