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Kimberley
North West of Kununurra are rugged sandtone ranges, ancient volcanic rock, open woodlands and mangrove swamps while the west is marked by ancient limestone reef that has eroded to form gorges and caves that finally blend into the sandy plains of Broome.
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Description
Region Feedback
Weather & Climate
Related Pages
Treks
Recommended Reading
Road Conditions
In this Region
Description
The Kimberley in the far north-west corner of
Australia
of WA. is three and half times bigger than Texas although less than 30,000 people live in the region. In the early 1930s there were less than 10,000 people in the Kimberley and the buzzing cosmopolitan town of Broome was the focus. Hundreds of boats worked out of Broome searching for pearls. In 1963 the Ord River was dammed to formed the massive Lake Argyle, now
Australia
's largest lake. In the 1970s diamonds put Lake Argyle on the world gemstone scene and other important mineral finds such as bauxite, oil and gas were also significant. There are vast cattle stations and an incredible 30% of land is Aboriginal owned.
To travel the Kimberley you have a choice of routes, either the bitumen of the Great Northern Highway linking Kununurra to Broome via Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing or the very rough and challenging
Gibb River Road> requiring 4WD that ends in Derby 236km north-east of Broome.
The area that lies north of the
Gibb River Road> is referred to as the Northern Kimberley, whilst the area traversed from Halls Creek to Kununurra is called the Eastern Kimberley, where the great beehive domes of the Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) lie.
The highlights of the Kimberley region are the many gorges and incredible rock formations in the 800,000 year old landscape. This region is ravaged by a tropical wet season from late October - mid April and cyclones are common from January - March. Each season varies and brings a unique beauty to the landscape. 4WD travellers get the best out of a trip through the Kimberley with fairly easy access to some great swimming holes, gorges, walking trails, lookouts and
fishing
locations. Crocodiles are prevalent around the coastline of
Mitchell Plateau
and
Kalumburu
areas but not in the gorges along the
Gibb River Road
.
The major centres of the Kimberley today are Kununurra and Broome but each township has a long and colourful history that makes each place worthy of a visit.
The Derby region was the first part of the Kimberley explored by early visitors and if you visit the Derby jetty you will notice a bicentennial monument to mark his arrival in 1688 but it wasn't until 1879 that any European settlement of the area occurred. In the late 1800's trouble broke out between white pastoralists and aborigines and today, a major highlight of a visit to the region is to visit the Boab Prison Tree, which was actually used as a lock-up of aboriginal prisoners during this time. Whilst Derby has long been supporting the regions development with the first port that has had varied use from livestock transport to mining shipments, it is Broome that has attracted the attention of tourism in the region.
However, Broome didn't begin so glamorously, being mostly an itinerant town for pearlers, and a local aboriginal population in 1883 when it the township was named. Broome changed when the submarine telegraph cable was rerouted through Broome bringing the need for buildings for the telegraphists. The town grew rapidly and so did the the search for pearls. Broome's port facilities were also used by the pastoralists who were settling the harsh interior. The population of the town reflected the multicultural mix of itinerant works in search of wealth and freedom and included Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Malays, Filipinos and Aborigines. During WWII, Broome was attacked by nine Japanese Zero fighters which destroyed 16 flying boats and 7 aircraft on Broome airstrip. It has been estimated that 70 people were killed in the raid. Three of the flying boats can still be seen in Roebuck Bay at very low tide.
Although the Kimberley is one of the most remote and undeveloped regions in
Australia
, you will be one of many thousands who visit the region each season.
Much of the Kimberley is affected by the monsoonal wet seasons from November - March, with the northern Kimberley being seasonally closed to traffic from 1st November along the
Kalumburu Road>, and rarely opens before April. See our
Kimberley Road Conditions> report for access and track grading reports.
Conditions can vary so significantly as the season progress that it is impossible to predict what you'll come up against. Roads can be all of the following: flooded, badly chopped up, deeply rutted, heavily corrugated with beds of bulldust, or not so bad if recently graded.
Although this area is commonly travelled by 4WD tourists, the region is very hard on vehicles and humans. Extensive vehicle preparation, emergency equipment and some critical spare car parts should be the main priority in your trip preparation. Please review our advice in
Trip Planning> for more details.
Kimberley Weather & Climate
Closest Weather Station
Kununurra Airport at 22:00 19 Jul WST
Distance from Kununarra 3.21km W
Temperature
Feels Like
Rel. Humidity
Dew Point
Pressure
Rainfall
Wind Direction
Wind Speed
Gusts
21.2°C
20.6°C
57%
12.4°C
1011.8hPa
0.0mm
W
7km/h
4knots
9km/h
5knots
Closest Climatic Station
Kununurra Aero
Distance from Kununarra 3.21km W
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mean Max. °C
36.1
35.1
35.8
35.4
33.0
30.5
30.6
32.6
36.5
38.7
39.0
37.2
Mean Min. °C
25.1
24.8
24.2
22.3
19.0
16.2
15.2
16.2
20.4
23.8
25.4
25.5
Mean Rain mm
190.3
200.4
152.6
27.6
5.9
4.0
1.9
0.0
3.4
19.4
67.1
127.4
Kimberley Treks
Gibb River Road
The Gibb River Road is the 4WD option of the 2 main routes crossing the Kimberley from east to west (or vice versa) and provides access to the numerous gorges that are the main highlight.
Kalumburu
Kalumburu is a unique aboriginal settlement in the far northern Kimberley. With an entry permit, the Kalumburu community welcome visitors to visit their beaches and to enjoy superb reef and river fishing.
[Feature Story]
Mitchell Plateau
The major attraction of the northern Kimberley region is the majestic Mitchell Falls. Access by 4WD is challenging on both vehicle and occupants as this is a remote area. No food, fuel or mechanical services are available at Mitchell Falls itself.
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Related Pages
Western Australia
Western Australia, the largest state, comprises 2.5 million sq km. With a population of 1.8 million it is the 4th most populated state in Australia. 40% of the state is located within the tropical zone - the rest is in the temperate zone where the capital city Perth is located. WA is 8 hours ahead of GMT.
Kimberley Road Conditions
Road conditions information for: Broome Shire, Bungle Bungles/Purnululu National Park, Derby/West Kimberley Shire, Gibb River Road, Great Northern Highway, Halls Creek Shire, Kalumburu, Wyndham
[Feature Story]
Recommended Reading
Raster 50K Kimberley WA - DVD
The map images on the DVD are digital scans of the Defence Departments 1:50,000 topographical map series that covers most of the Kimberley region of north-west W.A in addition to major offshore islands and reefs.
$119.00
[Add to Cart]
Natmap Raster 2005: Premium - DVD
This new NATMAP Raster was released in April 2005. This is a 2 DVD set that contains all 1:250 000 scale NATMAP topographic maps covering Australia, published to December 2004.
$119.00
[Add to Cart]
Kimberley
Thoroughly field-checked using Hema's GPS Mapping System, The Kimberley map clearly differentiates between roads and tracks and shows all road distances, points of interest, and facilities. The reverse side comes alive with photos capturing the essence of this rugged landscape.
$8.95
[Add to Cart]
Kimberley - StreetSmart
Excellent, detailed map including camping areas, caravan parks, picnic areas and covers major towns and attractions. Covers Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra, Wyndam and includes the Gibb River Road.
$7.95
[Add to Cart]
Kimberley CD Rom
The Kimberley CD-Rom Map offers Hema’s Kimberley paper map in a format you can use with your GPS tracking software, plus all the text and photos from the original map in an easy-to-use webpage format. Each map is packed with facility information, GPS waypoints and tourist points of interest
$29.95
[Add to Cart]
North-West Australia
This map includes a map covering the northwest of Australia from Perth to Darwin. It includes a small amount of information on locations covered by the maps, as well as climate profiles and a road distance chart. Comes in a Plastic Wallet.
$7.95
[Add to Cart]
Pilbara - Kimberley
As well as covering the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, this map also has a small amount of infomation on the towns, distance chart and climate profiles. Comes in a plastic wallet.
$5.95
[Add to Cart]
Top End & Gulf
Another beautiful map publication showing enormous detail of the Top End and Gulf region of Australia. The map shows all major and minor roads and tracks, most of which have been extensively field-checked using Hemas GPS mapping system. Aboriginal land is highlighted as are fuel and food stops.
$8.95
[Add to Cart]
Raster 50K Kimberley WA - DVD
Kimberley CD Rom
Natmap Raster 2005: Premium - DVD
North-West Australia
Kimberley
Pilbara - Kimberley
Kimberley - StreetSmart
Top End & Gulf
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