Roebuck Bay

Roebuck Bay is a tidal bay located near the town of Broome in Western Australia, opening into the Indian Ocean. It sits on the Kimberley region's western coast and is one of the most ecologically significant coastal wetlands in Australia.

Roebuck Bay is internationally recognized as a major shorebird staging area on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, hosting hundreds of thousands of migratory waders each year. Species such as bar-tailed godwits, great knots, and red-necked stints use the bay's rich mudflats as a critical feeding ground.

Roebuck Bay has an extreme tidal range exceeding 9 metres, which exposes vast mudflats at low tide. This dramatic tidal variation creates the extensive feeding grounds that support the bay's internationally significant shorebird populations.

The 'Staircase to the Moon' is a natural optical illusion visible from Roebuck Bay and the Broome coastline, occurring when the rising full moon reflects off the exposed mudflats at low tide to create the appearance of a staircase. It typically occurs between March and October each year.