Willie Creek Pearl Farm and the Perfect Pearl.

Have you ever heard the expression, 'you don't choose the pearl, the pearl chooses you.' At first blush it sounds like just another advertising slogan - except this time it's true. On our first trip to Broome in Western Australia, way back in 2004, David gave me an Australian South Sea Pearl. Out of hundreds of pearls on display, that pearl was the one I fell in love with. It remains my most treasured piece of jewellery. A single, tear-drop shaped white pearl on a simple gold chain - I wear it everywhere.

David decided to buy it for me when he saw me admiring the pearls in the showroom of Willie Creek Pearl Farm.  With not a lot of time to see the sights of Broome on this trip, the one thing we did not want to miss was a return to Willie Creek and its tour of how these exquisite gems are produced.

The History of Pearl Farming in Broome

Europeans first began collecting pearl shell, mother of pearl, in Western Australia in the 1850s. In 1861 the world's largest pearl producing oyster, Pinctada maxima, was discovered at Nickol Bay south of Broome. This discovery began an association between Broome and the pearling industry which continues today.

By 1910 Broome was the largest pearling centre in the world. At first pearls themselves were an extremely rare and valuable find and the industry concentrated on harvesting pearl shell. The shell was used to manufacture buttons, cutlery handles, buckles and furniture inlay.

In 1904 two Japanese scientists invented a technique for 'seeding' oysters and in 1916, with the involvement of Kokichi Mikimoto, the cultured pearl industry was born.

In the 1950s, when plastic replaced many of the uses of pearl shell, the first cultured pearl farms were established in West Australia. Today pearl farming in Broome is a thriving industry producing some of the world's finest gems.

It is not hard to see why mother of pearl was prized.

Growing a Cultured Pearl 

The delicate process of growing an Australian South Sea Pearl begins with divers collecting mature oysters off the coast. The oysters are rested for 4 months while they acclimatise to their new location. They are then 'pegged' open and a technician creates a small incision in the oyster's reproductive gland, or gonad. The technician inserts a piece of material which will become the nucleus of the pearl and couples it with nacre secreting mantle tissue. Nacre secretions look a bit like thick saliva but harden to form a protective pearl casing around the nucleus, in order to prevent it from irritating the oyster.

Oysters pegged open.

Once seeded the oysters are housed in a wire panel which is placed on the floor of the ocean. The panel is turned at regular intervals to encourage the development of the round shape of the pearl. Then the panels are transported to nutrient rich waters off the coast where they are suspended from longlines several metres below the surface. After two years of regular inspections, cleaning and even x-raying a pearl is (hopefully) harvested. The same process is repeated several times with the resultant pearl a bit bigger each time.

Not every oyster produces a perfect pearl - oooppps!

The Willie Creek Pearl Farm Tour

Willie Creek Pearl Farm is about an hour north of Broome. Over the course of a very enjoyable two hour tour we were given a wealth of information about pearls and the pearling industry. The tour began in an open-air classroom where Donya, our guide, explained the process of pearl farming showing us how the oysters are collected, seeded and harvested. This was a hands-on lesson with lots of opportunities to handle the oyster shells, the pearls and even the disgustingly gooey pearl-producing nacre. Next time I might give the nacre the miss!

The highlight was when Donya opened up an oyster to reveal a stunning, perfectly round, large pearl. Not all pearls come out as perfect as this one and Donya was as delighted and surprised as we were.

This gorgeous pearl was in the oyster Donya opened.

After a short break for refreshments we boarded a boat for a tour of Willie Creek. The skipper pulled up alongside a longline, hauled in a wire panel housing half a dozen oysters and demonstrated how the divers turn, inspect and clean each panel. This is saltwater crocodile country and I couldn't help thinking that whatever the divers are paid, it isn't nearly enough. The water was deep and murky, and the habitat along the mangrove lined banks and sandy beaches reminded me eerily of the crocodile habitat we had seen again and again in the Kimberley. Although the high tide meant we didn't see any actual crocodiles, the skipper assured us they were there.

The skipper hauling in a wire panel of pearl producing oysters.

What to look for in a pearl?

Back on dry land and now gathered around the showcases in the Willie Creek Pearl Farm showroom Donya held a quick quiz on our new found expertise in selecting the perfect pearl. Pearls are graded according to five characteristics -

• Lustre 
• Size
• Shape
• Colour 
• Surface

A pearl with a perfect score will have an excellent lustre, a large size, a perfectly round shape, a white colour and an exceptional surface with no blemishes. (See Donya, I was listening). Of course a pearl like this will also have a perfect price. Luckily my perfect pearl falls down on a few of these virtues. It has a tear-drop shape, a silver-white colour and a small blemish on the reverse side of the setting. In the end though, the perfect pearl is like the perfect wine - don't listen to anyone else - just go for the one you love.

In case you were wondering, this is my perfect pearl.

Fast Facts and My Tips:

• The Willie Creek Pearl Farm Tour takes about two hours. Allow yourself an extra hour each way to reach the farm from Broome.

• When we first did the tour in April 2004, the wet season had only just finished and getting there was half the fun. We went in convoy with a group of other 4WD vehicles over a challenging track, which was sometimes more river than road. Our boys loved it! David and I were just glad there were others in the convoy who could help us out if we got stuck. We are both fairly useless when it comes to 4WDs.

• This time it was June, the middle of the dry season, and the dirt road had only just been graded. We still had a 4WD. I wouldn't try to get through without one.

• Don't panic if you don't have a 4WD there is a coach tour option with hotel pick-ups, or if you really want to arrive in style you can get there by helicopter.

• The 11 a.m. tour has a lunch option. I can recommend the pearl meat, if only for the experience of trying something which normally retails for more than $150 per kilo. Pearl meat, which is a muscle, is the only edible part of a Pinctada maxima oyster.


• Leave yourself time to browse the showroom - you might find your perfect pearl! 

Lunch. The pearl meat is the white meat in the middle.

For up to date information on tour times and prices click - here

Note: David and I received complimentary tickets to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm Tour.

Click on the links below for my previous posts on the Kimberley region: -

• Berkeley River Lodge: A wilderness resort in the Kimberley.

• Amalia Gorge: Would you go swimming with a crocodile?

• Zebedee Springs and Chamberlain Gorge: Disappointment in the Kimberley

• Emma Gorge: There is something you need to know.

• El Questro Station Bungalows: The best kept secret in the Kimberley

Click on the links below for posts on the Coral Coast and  south-west of Western Australia, from Perth to Esperence:- 

The Coral Coast
• The Abrolhos Islands Fly & Flipper Tour
• Where to stay in Geraldton: Mantra Geraldton
• Hutt Lagoon: A pink lake you can drive to
• Pinnacles and Stromatolites: Ancient formations and living fossils


The South West: Perth to Esperance

• Springtime tulips at Araluen Botanic Park, Western Australia
• Wildflowers in Western Australia: Kings Park, Perth
• Fraser Suites, Perth - a review
• The National ANZAC Centre, Albany
• Albany Harbourside Apartments and Houses
• 7 things to do in Amazing Albany
• 2 Weeks in Western Australia: A road trip itinerary

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