Sunday History Photo / WA

Derby's claim to fame is having the highest tides of any Australian port. 11 m (36 feet) of tidal difference means there is an enormous amount of water rushing in and out every 6 hours... Add to that the silty outflow of the Fitzroy River... It means muddy waters.

During World War II, Derby was bombed by Japanese planes because of an air base and jetty that was steadily used by Australian forces.

Derby was famous in the 1920s as the terminus of the first scheduled aviation service in Australia, West Australian Airways Ltd. They began their service with a first flight on 5 December 1921. At one time the Perth to Derby service was the world’s longest passenger airline route.
In 1968 the town had a population of approximately 1,500 many employed at the meatworks.


A A$900,000 beef road was completed from Glenroy Station to Derby was completed the same year to assist with the development of beef processing. A A$2 million steel and concrete jetty was built in 1965 to provide adequate port facilities for the shipment of live cattle
Derby calls itself the "Home of the Boab Tree". Boabs are used as street trees and give the town a special character.



Considering its remote location the town is surprisingly big. It's also very spread out, which makes it seem even bigger than the population of about 4500 would suggest. The town center is, well, it's hard to identify. ... When you reach Derby and just keep driving you eventually reach the other end of town where the tourism information, the post office, police station etc are located.
At the Kimberley School Of The Air you can see during a free tour how children in remote communities and cattle stations are distance taught. Originally the classes were conducted via two way radio, but today computers have replaced the old radios...

Derby is the Kimberley base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Their base can also be visited (the visitor centre has the opening times).

During the second world war troops were stationed in the Derby area. In 1944 Corporal Frost came up with the idea of building a swimming pool. With the help of two others it was built and although small, mainly due to the lack of suitable materials, was very popular. Filled with water from the bore it catered for officers during part of the day and other ranks for the balance of the day. The pool, though now in poor condition, is one of the few remaining reminders of those years when the troops were stationed in the area.