Ale house in Cable Beach, Broome gets the go-ahead

One of Western Australia’s most popular holiday destinations is set to have a new hospitality venue that is designed to be family friendly.

Works to build the Cable Beach Spinifex Ale House, at Cable Beach, Broome, are expected to begin in October-November. It is anticipated it will be operational by the end of 2023.

The venue will have a capacity of 400 plus, and will include extensive landscape and lawn areas, a large playground, a forest of Gubinge also known as Kakadu plums and a giant outdoor LED screen and stage.

An artist’s impression of the Cable Beach Spinifex Ale House outdoor playground. Picture: Supplied by Spinifex

Spinifex Brewing Company chief executive officer Adam Barnard said the venue has been attracting interest from local residents as it’s designed to be a family friendly venue.

“Knowing that a significant amount of tourist traffic comes through the season, but to create a space where in the mornings you can have mother’s groups there – they just don’t have a place where you can take kids,” he said.

“Talking to people in real estate up here, they think this will absolutely transform Broome because it creates a meeting space that allows kids.

“It’s a central meeting space, it’s a place where we can watch sports outdoors.

“We really want to be doing good things in great beer.”

A boon for Broome

Broome Visitor Centre general manager Mel Virgo said the ale house would enhance the Cable Beach area.

“It’s a game changer for the town with all facilities that it’s able to cater for with all demographics, [it will be] especially popular with the playground,” she said.

An artist’s impression of the inside the Cable Beach Spinifex Ale House which will have the capacity for over 400 customers. Picture: Supplied by Spinifex

Mr Barnard, who is a long-term local Broome resident, said it was great the project had finally achieved the approvals necessary to commence construction.

“I am very much familiar with the area and what the area is lacking, so what we have done is brought all of that into this build because there hasn’t been a major facility like this built for 25 years now,” he said.

“Pubs are no longer as relevant to society as a craft brewery, and the space that creates for a family unit. When you go back and look at pubs they traditionally were built for everybody to go after work, and men in some respects.

“So we have looked at everything that this town is lacking and incorporated that into this craft brewery ale house.”

The ale house will be located just 100m from the proposed Sanctuary Road Caravan Park, Key Worker and Over 55’s village that is designed to provide 420 additional short term cabins and caravan sites, long-term park homes for workers, long-term park homes for those aged over 55 and long-term caravan sites.

Indigenous supply chain a vital element

Craft brewing equipment company Flying Foam will commission a six hectolitre steam fired brewery and Spinifex plans to brew low and mid-strength beers for consumption onsite only.

A Gubinge and Boab Indigenous bush foods packaging facility is also included in the plan for local Robert Dann and his Bindam Mie enterprise.

Mr Barnard said having Bindam Mie onsite is part of a commitment to “a local first policy” to ensure partnerships with Kimberely businesses “wherever possible.”

An artist’s impression of the outdoor LED screen and stage area at the Cable Beach Spinifex Ale House. Picture: Supplied by Spinifex

Head brewer John Gibbs said unique Australian beers with native botanicals, including Geraldton wax, honey and lemon myrtle and wattleseed, will be available.

“We’ve been working really hard on actually identifying and developing the best flavoured varieties of many of the botanicals,” he said.

“The Indigenous supply chain is really important to us.”