Discover the Discovery Centre!

We are very excited to announce that the Clive Minton Discovery centre is in the final stages of its construction!

We have been meticulously photographing the transformation as it really has been such an amazing process to watch unfold. To see it go from humble beginnings, a simple donga and skeleton construction to the absolutely beautiful interpretation centre that will be the new main information hub of the observatory.

The beginning, simple structures, cords, power tools, conversations a plenty, frustration, planning and re-planning, the process was definitely a steep learning curve but anyone who was involved in this massive project can attest to the fact that it was no simple undertaking.

Maurice and Nyil talking out some of the finer details..

All the exciting design elements being prepared for installation.

Walls waiting to be filled in with graphics.

Our new office looking fresh and clean! All of the staff are very keen to finally make the big move across to this new space!

Beautiful Plasma design cutting done by Georgia Morgan from Broome Plasma Cutting.

The centre is not only going to an information centre for all visitors but it also going to have lots of fun interactive experiences for kids of all ages to play with and learn from.

There is a huge list of people that need to be thanked for the massive amount of work that has gone into this project. The main man behind the scenes, Maurice O'Connor (our chairman) has completely driven this project, organised all the details and people from its conception to finished product and put in hundreds of hours of volunteer time to see this project through. As well as knowing when to delegate to volunteers, committee members and local talents from all over WA.

Of course we have to mention the reason we are all here today; Dr Clive Minton OAM, one of the founding fathers of the Bird Observatory itself and the research that is done here but also the namesake and inspiration for the new centre.

Our generous donors Mr. Charles Allen OAM and Brajkovich Demolition who funded the majority of the centre and internal fit-out.

We’ve made a point to utilise the incredible local talent that we have here in Broome, wherever possible. The BBO has been supported so kindly over its thirty years by the Broome community so it’s only natural to showcase our local artists and thinkers in the new centre:

Chris Hill for the incredible murals that depict the landscapes of BBO that are one of the main features and a beautiful addition to the centre.Georgia Morgan for the plasma-cut design that is a feature next to the main entrance. BK signs put in a great effort installing the graphics and panels. Water Corporation and Lions Club Kimberley Community Grants provided us with a grant to fund the landscaping of our drought-proof garden which is being completed by a local landscaper. A previous Water Corp grant has seen us place solar panels on our Discovery Centre too!

Our committee members and wardens have contributed to the writing and editing of the interpretive panels on the walls.

We really are so excited seeing this all come together and to finally be open to the public after the years of work that have gone into it. Keep an eye on our social media and website for the official opening date!
We hope to see you all there so we can share the world of migratory shorebirds with you.