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Fly Ted Down Under Journeys through the land of Oz

Broome & Cable Beach

Close up on the Intombi. Back in Broome's pearling heyday, from the 1880's to around the 1920's, the town had a fleet of dozens of these small boats which would comb the coast, sending off divers to look for mother of pearl shell. The diver, their air pump tender, a sheller and the pilot would live on board for weeks at a time, pulling up thousands of dollars worth of shell for the master pearlers in Broome.

AUSTRALIA | Sunday, 5 June 2011 | Views [398]

Close up on the Intombi. Back in Broome's pearling heyday, from the 1880's to around the 1920's, the town had a fleet of dozens of these small boats which would comb the coast, sending off divers to look for mother of pearl shell. The diver, their air pump tender, a sheller and the pilot would live on board for weeks at a time, pulling up thousands of dollars worth of shell for the master pearlers in Broome.