Derby & West Kimberley

The oldest town in the Kimberley and the western start of the Gibb River Road, with the huge tides of Derby Jetty, the Boab Prison Tree and scenic flights over the Buccaneer Archipelago.

Derby lies in the western Kimberley region of Western Australia, on the southern shore of King Sound, about 220 km from Broome. It is the oldest town in the Kimberley, founded in 1883, and the seat of the Derby-West Kimberley Shire. It is also the western starting point of the famous four-wheel-drive route, the Gibb River Road. The town is small, with boab trees lining its streets.

Key sights are the Boab Prison Tree and Myall's Well with its long water trough, both to the south of town; Derby Jetty, which reaches out across the mudflats where tides can rise up to 11 m (sunset is most beautiful here); the old gaol; the Dinner Tree; and the Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre. All of it can be seen in a day.

The classic experience from Derby is a scenic flight over the red-rock islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago and the tidal channels of the Horizontal Falls. You can also drive east along the Gibb River Road, then take a dirt road to Tunnel Creek National Park, where you wade through a natural tunnel. This trip is about 180 km and is often combined with gorges along the way in a single day.

The best season is May–September, the dry season, with days around 30°C and cool nights. November–April is the wet season, hot and humid, with dirt roads often closed by floods and fewer flight options.

Getting there: Derby has an airport with flights from Perth and Broome. By road it is about 2.5 hours from Broome. Saltwater crocodiles live by the water, so never swim there. When driving in the bush, carry enough fuel and water.

Top sights

• Boab Prison Tree – A giant hollow boab tree just south of town. Legend says Aboriginal prisoners were temporarily held inside it in the 19th century, and near…
• Derby Wharf – A long jetty reaching out into King Sound, where you can see one of Australia's largest tidal ranges (about 11 metres). It is a favourite s…
• Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek) National Park – A natural tunnel where a creek flows through a limestone ridge of Devonian-era fossil reef. Wading through about 750 metres, you may see fr…
• Buccaneer Archipelago – Some 800 red rock islands north of Derby, linked by emerald channels and powerful tides. The finest view is from a sightseeing plane depart…
• Mowanjum Aboriginal Art & Culture Centre – An arts centre for the Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Unambal peoples, famous for its Wandjina spirit paintings, where you can buy authentic Indig…
• Old Derby Gaol – A small stone gaol built in 1906, one of the oldest buildings in town. Its iron-barred cells bear witness to the colonial-era imprisonment…
• The Dinner Tree – An old boab tree south of town, where drovers and wagon teams once rested and cooked. It is a symbol of Derby's pastoral history.
• Norval Gallery – A gallery converted from an old corrugated-iron shed, showing Kimberley landscapes, Indigenous art and works by artist Ian Norval.

Where to eat

• Jila Gallery Café – A family Italian restaurant that grew out of an art gallery. Its wood-fired pizza is Derby's most acclaimed meal, serve…
• Neaps Bistro – An Australian bistro inside Derby Lodge serving breakfast and dinner, with steak, barramundi and arancini well liked by…