The history
Established by BirdLife Australia in 1988 as a base for shorebird researchers, today, Broome Bird Observatory is dedicated to raising awareness of Roebuck Bay’s extraordinary birdlife through research and education. It’s also one of Australia’s top birding sites and among the best places in the world to see shorebirds year-round.

The Clive Minton Discovery Centre, an interactive visitor centre at Broome Bird Observatory
Located just 25km from Broome, visitors to the Broome Bird Observatory can choose from on-site accommodation and camping, as well as tours and educational courses run by the friendly staff.
There’s also a natural history library and shop – as well as the brand-new interactive visitor centre, the Clive Minton Discovery Centre, named after a founder of the BBO and long-time patron of BirdLife Australia, Clive Minton.
The birds of Broome Bird Observatory
Known as the shorebird capital of Australia, Roebuck Bay is one of Australia’s 66 Ramsar-listed Wetlands of International Importance. Here, tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds – including the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew – feed on the bay’s rich tidal flats in preparation for the long journey home to their breeding grounds in the Northern Hemisphere.
From March until May annually, Broome Bird Observatory staff and guests watch as adult shorebirds depart for their northern breeding grounds thousands of kilometres away – sometimes in flocks of hundreds.
But with a bird list boasting over 330 species within a 70km radius, the Broome region is home to incredibly diverse birdlife – and many species can be found within a stone’s throw of the observatory. Highlights include:
- Yellow Chat
- Australian Bustard
- Far Eastern Curlew
- Black-necked Stork
- Oriental Pratincole
- Common Redshank
- Great Bowerbird
- Brolga
- Eastern Yellow Wagtail
- Dusky Gerygone
- Flock Bronzewing
- Asian Dowitcher