Winch needed for Kimberley?

not if you have another vehicle with you.
I've been to places like Munja-Walcot inlet, Crystal Creek - Port Warrander, King George Falls, and Berkley River and the hilux went through just as easy as Cruisers and Nissans (Sometimes better).
If travelling alone (heaven forbid) to these types of places a winch would be piece of mind.
moss

Different places different years, last trip was a couple of years back, places east of Kalumburu can be visited via Carson River Stn with a permit from Kalumburu.
Track in as far as Striker Mine upkept by mine but from there and other tracks are poor and rarely used.

10 years would be close, we went in via Beverly Springs. You can also go via Mt Elizabeth (I think from mem Mt Elizabeth are related to tour operater from Derby who goes to Bachstan and Munja). Track is rough. Not much at Munja which is junction of Charnley and Isdel rivers if mem is correct. I believe more to see at Bachstan (think thats how it is spelt) CALM used to do landscope expeditions there so they might have more info (and up to date).
moss

Electric winches and/or any permanently mounted winch restrict you to going in one direction and that usually deeper into the quagmire. Whereas a come-a-long / Tirfor type winch allows removal in any direction. All right you gotta work a bit but it'll probably do ya good.

Perhaps if you were going very remote, by yourself, in the wet, but in the dry for the Gibb river road, Purnululu, Old mornington etc. I wouldn't bother with a winch. Use the space/weight capacity for other stuff like spare tyres etc. I wonder if anyone could post if they have ever needed a winch in the Kimerley in the dry season.

Lived in the Kimberley for 25 years. Never used a winch, do have a high lift jack which can winch slowly in an emergency and is great for unbogging - never used that either.

For peace of mind I carry an HF radio - bought second hand for $650 and belong to VKS737 radio network.

The older you get the more cautious you become about boring into boggy places - hasn't restricted my travel though.

regards GB

Never been to the Kimberly so cannot comment on that area but we do not carry a winch and ask ourselves some questions before we attack a questionable piece of road.

1. Do I really need to do this road?

2. Is there an easier alternative?

3. Is my vehicle suitable for this road?

4. What are the chances of getting through OK?

5. How far to the nearest help if I do get stuck? Can I radio for help or do I have to walk for help, etc

We have not been stuck yet in the Troopy but have turned back a couple of times. I know that the Kimberly is a long way away and you may want to do questionable tracks so my opinion is like some others - get a good hand winch and the gear that goes with them, Shackles, snatch block, winch extension cables, etc. A good hand winch is on our shopping list before we do much more by our selves.

We have been down the track with a front mounted electric winch on a Landrover and quite often, we have winched ourselves further into the S***t because you are limited as to which direction you can winch.

Stevesub

NO. In the dry season there are few tracks I would say are difficult enough to warrent a winch & in the unlikely event you did get stuck just boil the billy by which time another tourist will be along to snatch you out.
Cheers Craig..............

I live and travel extensively in the Kimberley. Only time needed to use winch on our OKA was when i bogged it down behind the outside dunny on our own property!

The locals are still laughing.
Collyn Rivers

We planned a trip to the Kimberley several years ago. The advice I was given by a reputable 4WD shop was to invest in the following rather than recovery gear for that trip:

A second spare tyre on a rim
A spare tyre casing
Tyre tubes
Tyre Repair kit
Bead breaker or similar
A Compressor

Do you see where I am coming from..........

No winch needed, Kimberley is pussy stuff.

Earlish can mean anything when it comes to the end of the wet season. Can be dry in early April or not till late May. Now days if wet enough to need a winch on the road then the road will still be closed, same applies to the rivers if they are over about 750/ 800 mm deep they won't open road.
High lift, shovel and know how ( and time & work) will get you out of 95 % of bog holes, but to get that bogged it will need to be one big wet season and you will need to be off the beaten track.
If still wet and you take to the scrub, yes by the time you dig it out you might wish you had a winch, otherwise as the others say very unlikely to miss having one.
cheers, Anne