Sunday, June 22, 2008

Building Broome



Broome is full of 'interesting' buildings. Because it has had a lot of people from Asia working in pearling since its creation, Broome has tried to incorporate a pseudo-Chinese type architecture. Most of it is tacky and some places only go as far as painting things red and green and having a few dragon statues (See Broome Motel below). Central Broome is called 'Chinatown', my guess is because it was largly developed by Chinese store owners (or perhaps they just made it for the tourists). I must take a photo of the phone boxes and bus stops - ultimate tacky way of trying to make Chinatown look more like a 'chinatown'.

Broome is built out of corrugated iron - a wonderful invention for up here because it's too far to bring wood from the southwest. But there is only so much you can do with corrugated iron. Or so I would have thought.

The stunning drive-through in Chinatown. I wonder if they store things inside that huge roof...

<-- Council Offices - very tropical


strange Chinese-influence building at the Civic Centre (or maybe it is the Civic Centre - who knows)

Shops and Chinese thing at the entrance to a laneway


Broome Retravision!

Westpac Bank


Shopping in Short Street, Chinatown:



Decking and tropical trees at the youth hostel, and palms and chinese-esque decor of Broome Motel (I don't think you can see the dragon statues)

Some interesting new houses. Lots of purple in this estate.


2 comments:

Jayne said...

I love me some corrugated iron and these are great architectural ways to use it :)
Waiting for The Spouse to clad the bathroom in it one day....waiting...waiting...

Anonymous said...

Even if there are some tacky features I like the way they are sticking to the more traditional building designs. I love weatherboards and gables - not the flat roofed concrete garages with houses attached that are springing up today