Cable Beach doesn't look like anywhere else in Australia. Twenty-two kilometres of flat, hard-packed white sand run north from Broome, meeting the impossibly clear turquoise of the Indian Ocean on one side and, on the other, the burning red pindan cliffs that give the Kimberley its colour. At low tide the beach becomes a mirror; at sunset the whole sky turns molten orange and the famous camel trains string along the sand in silhouette. It is where the desert red of the outback runs straight into tropical blue — a collision of colour you simply don't get anywhere else.
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That red-and-turquoise contrast is exactly why Cable Beach makes such striking wall art. Most coastal prints work in cool blues and soft whites; Cable Beach brings warmth, drama and a genuine sense of remote, wild Australia. This guide covers what actually creates the Cable Beach palette, why it works so well on a wall, and how to choose the art type, size and frame to carry that unusual colour.
The Colours That Make Cable Beach Unmistakable
Cable Beach faces due west into the Indian Ocean, and that western aspect is everything — it is one of the great sunset beaches on earth. As the sun drops, the sky and the wet sand ignite in orange, coral and gold, and because the beach is so flat and the tidal range so extreme (up to nine or ten metres), low tide leaves a vast reflective sheet of wet sand that doubles the sky.
Then there is the pindan. The Kimberley's iron-rich soil stains the cliffs and the earth a deep rusty red-ochre, and where that red meets the pale sand and the turquoise shallows you get Cable Beach's signature three-part palette:
- Red pindan — the burnt-ochre cliffs and dune edges, unmistakably Kimberley.
- White-gold sand — vast, flat and hard-packed, mirror-like at low tide.
- Indian Ocean turquoise — clear, warm and tropical, deepening to sapphire offshore.
Add the sunset silhouettes — camel trains, four-wheel-drives on the sand, a lone figure against the glow — and you have some of the most cinematic coastal imagery in the country. The west-facing light is why Cable Beach photographs so differently from Australia's east-coast beaches; our piece on why east and west-facing beaches photograph differently explains the science.
Why Cable Beach Works as Wall Art
Cable Beach brings something most coastal art can't: warmth. That red-ochre and gold sits against turquoise to create a print with real depth and emotional heat — it feels like adventure and endless horizon rather than gentle seaside calm. On a wall it reads confident and a little wild, which makes it a wonderful counterpoint to the cool blues and whites that dominate coastal decorating.
It also earns its place because it tells a story. A Cable Beach print carries the whole Kimberley with it — the camels, the pearling history of Broome, the sense of the far north-west. That narrative weight is what separates a memorable piece from generic beach filler; our piece on why most beach art looks generic is a good read on exactly that. Because the sunset and the painterly colour are half the appeal, Cable Beach also translates beautifully into softer, painterly work — the beach painting prints collection is where those live.
Choosing the Right Art Type for Cable Beach
Every Salt & Sol piece is Australian-made and printed to order — nothing is ever out of stock — so you're choosing the format that best carries Cable Beach's warm, high-contrast colour.
Photographic and Framed Prints
The drama of a Cable Beach sunset, the camel silhouettes, the mirror-sand reflections — these are photographer's images, and a Framed Print holds their richness and detail crisply. Browse the photography collection to see how they read framed.
Stretched Canvas
A Stretched Canvas gives those warm oranges and reds a soft, glare-free glow and makes a large statement piece feel relaxed rather than glossy. Canvas suits the earthy, lived-in mood of Cable Beach beautifully.
Floating Frame
A Floating Frame in Oak echoes the warm ochre tones and gives a finished, contemporary edge — a lovely pairing for a Cable Beach sunset.
Not sure which to pick? Our canvas vs framed guide lays out the trade-offs. And if the deep turquoise of the water is what draws you, the blue art prints collection is worth a look alongside.
Getting the Size Right
Cable Beach imagery — those long horizontal sunsets and camel trains strung across the sand — is almost always at its best in a wide landscape format. A few pointers:
- Above a sofa or bed: a landscape 110×81 cm or 81×61 cm lets the horizon stretch. Aim to span about two-thirds the width of the furniture below.
- A wide feature wall: go as large as the space allows — a sweeping sunset panorama earns every centimetre.
- Narrower walls: a 61×46 cm landscape or a square 60×60 cm crop of the pindan-meets-turquoise edge works where space is tight.
Salt & Sol sizes run: SQUARE 30×30 / 40×40 / 60×60 / 80×80 cm; LANDSCAPE 40×30 / 61×46 / 81×61 / 110×81 cm; PORTRAIT 30×46 / 46×69 / 60×90 / 76×112 cm. For a full walkthrough by room, see our room-by-room sizing guide, and if you're weighing one big piece against several small ones, this piece on why one large print usually wins is worth reading.
Frame Colour: Black, White or Oak?
- Oak is the natural match — the warm timber echoes the pindan red and ochre sand, keeping the whole piece harmonious and earthy.
- Black gives a sunset silhouette a dramatic, gallery edge and deepens the contrast against a pale wall.
- White keeps things light and airy, letting the warm colours glow without competition — good for a soft, coastal-minimal room.
Our framing decision tree maps each choice to room type.
Styling Cable Beach's Warm Palette at Home
Cable Beach's red-ochre, gold and turquoise mix is unusual for coastal art, and it opens up a warmer, more grounded way of decorating. A few things that work:
- Lean into the earthiness — pair a Cable Beach sunset with terracotta, warm timber, jute and natural linen for a relaxed, outback-coastal feel.
- Let the turquoise be the one cool accent that lifts an otherwise warm room.
- Keep walls in warm white or soft sand tones; a cool grey wall fights the ochre.
Because Cable Beach brings such strong colour, it also pairs well with the wider mood of Western Australian light. Our upcoming guide to coastal wall art for Western Australian homes covers styling for the Indian-Ocean coast, and if you love a rich, painterly beach look, this explainer on why some prints glow at sunset will help you pick one that keeps its warmth.
The Camel Trains, the Cliffs and the Cars: What to Look For
Cable Beach gives you a few very different signature images, and it's worth knowing which one you're actually drawn to before you buy — because they set completely different moods.
The Sunset Silhouette
The classic Cable Beach shot: the camel train strung across wet sand against a burning orange sky, everything reduced to silhouette and reflection. This is the most romantic, storytelling image — it reads as travel, adventure and a specific golden memory. It suits a warm living room or a bedroom where you want atmosphere.
The Pindan-and-Turquoise Edge
A tighter crop where the red pindan cliffs meet the pale sand and the clear turquoise shallows. This is the most graphic, colour-forward image — all about that unique red-white-blue contrast. It works beautifully as a square and holds its own in a modern, minimal room.
The Long Empty Beach
Twenty-two kilometres of hard-packed sand curving into the distance, often with a lone four-wheel-drive or figure for scale. This is the most serene, minimalist option — quiet, wide and calming. It suits a hallway or a large feature wall where you want space and stillness.
Knowing which of these you respond to makes the buying decision far easier — the strongest pieces have a clear point of view rather than trying to show everything at once. If you're weighing a photographic shot against a softer painterly interpretation, our note on aerial photography versus traditional seascapes is a helpful tiebreaker.
Caring for Coastal Art in Broome's Climate
Broome is hot, humid in the wet season and drenched in intense UV. A few honest notes for anyone hanging art in the far north-west:
- Keep prints off walls in direct, unfiltered sun — Kimberley UV is fierce, and even quality pigment inks fade over years of it.
- In the humid wet season, a Framed Print under glass copes better with airborne moisture than open canvas.
- Avoid hanging directly opposite a west window where the afternoon sun blasts in — ironically the very light that makes Cable Beach beautiful is hardest on the print.
See our guides to why canvas fades in Australian sun and canvas vs framed in humid homes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gives Cable Beach its red-and-turquoise colour?
The red comes from pindan — the Kimberley's iron-rich soil, which stains the cliffs and dunes a deep rusty ochre. Against that sits the pale, hard-packed sand and the clear turquoise of the Indian Ocean. The beach faces west, so at sunset the whole scene turns molten orange and gold, and the extreme tides leave a mirror of wet sand. That three-part contrast is what makes it unlike any other Australian beach.
Does Cable Beach art suit a mostly-blue coastal room?
It can be a beautiful counterpoint — the warm ochre and gold add depth to a room that would otherwise be all cool blues. If your scheme is very cool, choose a print where the turquoise water is prominent so it ties back to your existing palette. Or lean the whole room warmer with terracotta and timber and let Cable Beach lead.
Should I choose a landscape or portrait Cable Beach print?
Landscape almost always. Cable Beach's beauty is in its width — the long horizon, the camel trains strung across the sand, the sweep of sunset colour. A landscape 110×81 cm or 81×61 cm lets that horizon breathe. Reserve portrait formats for tight walls or a cropped detail of the pindan cliffs.
Will a Cable Beach print fade in Broome's strong sun?
Our prints use quality pigment inks, but Kimberley UV is intense and no wall art survives years of direct, unfiltered sun unchanged. Hang it on a wall that avoids the blast of the west window, or choose a Framed Print under glass for extra protection.
How is my Cable Beach print made and delivered?
Every piece is Australian-made and printed to order — never out of stock — in our Noosaville (QLD) studio, with a second studio in Booragoon (WA) closer to the west coast. Because it's made on demand, allow a few days for printing and finishing before dispatch. Questions? Call 1300 632 332.
Cable Beach is where the red heart of Australia runs straight into the tropical blue of the Indian Ocean — and that collision of warmth and cool is what makes it such singular wall art. On a wall it brings drama, depth and a real sense of the wild north-west into a room. Choose a warm Oak frame, size it wide, and let that ochre-and-turquoise sunset carry the space. To explore more of the WA coast, see our upcoming guide to Ningaloo and the Coral Coast, or browse the beach house collection.
Related coastal guides
- Coastal Wall Art for Western Australian Homes: Indian-Ocean Light
- Fremantle and Cottesloe: Perth Beachside Wall Art Style
- Ningaloo and the Coral Coast: WA Reef Wall Art
- Coastal Wall Art in Perth: Indian-Ocean Light and the Blues That Suit It
- Bondi Beach Wall Art: Capturing Sydney's Most Famous Shore at Home
- Wineglass Bay and the Tasmanian Coast in Wall Art
- Whitehaven Beach Wall Art: The Whitsundays' Silica-Sand Blues
- Margaret River Coastal Homes: Wall Art for WA's Wine and Surf Coast
- Bells Beach and the Surf Coast in Wall Art
- Cape Byron and the Northern Rivers Coastline in Wall Art
- Twelve Apostles and Great Ocean Road Wall Art
- Coastal Wall Art in Adelaide: Gulf St Vincent Tones for South Australian Homes
Written by Sally Kirchell of Salt & Sol — Australian-made coastal wall art, printed to order in our Noosaville (QLD) and Booragoon (WA) studios.