Travel Guide to The Kimberleys

Best things to do and see in The Kimberleys

The Kimberleys: Why go

As large as California, The Kimberleys remain Australia's least explored wilderness in the far North-West. You're here for the beautiful remote landscapes that include rugged limestone and sandstone gorges, such as Windjana and Geikie Gorges, and extraordinary formations such as the beehive Bungle Bungles in the Pernululu National Park (best seen from the air). Venerable rocks are a mecca for geologists, with ancient fossils and dinosaur footprints.

The Kimberleys also offer distinctive and rich wildlife and flora. Open savannah woodland hosts termite mounds and boab trees (there's one near Derby which was used as a prison in frontier times). Birders are in paradise here, with endemic species like Purple-crowned Fairywren and rare Gouldian Finch to spot; and towers of kites and eagles accompany you along the road at all times. Salt-water crocodiles are on the increase along rivers and in mangrove swamps; frogs and bats are plentiful too. Lake Argyle has been stocked with barramundi, while fishing in the rivers and creeks is also popular.

Broome is a town like no other, with its fabulous Cable Beach (take a camel ride along its white strand and marvel at the turquoise seas), its cosmopolitan inhabitants, and its well-known pearling industry. With the biggest tidal drop in Australia, make sure you time your visit for the "Stairway to the Moon" - where the full moon rises over shimmering strands. Roebuck Bay is internationally important for hosting millions of migrating waders every year.

Kununurra, the gateway to the Kimberleys, was built to service the Ord River Irrigation Scheme in the 1960s, which has transformed the red earth to provide agricultural bounty. Explore its charming Hidden Valley National Park right next to the town, as well as the scenic Ord River and Lake Argyle.

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