The Kimberley

Western Australia's far-north wilderness: Broome's Cable Beach, the 4WD Gibb River Road, and the beehive domes and Horizontal Falls of the Bungle Bungle Range.

The Kimberley is a vast wilderness in the far north of Western Australia, about 1.6 times the size of the United Kingdom. Sparsely populated, it is one of Australia's last frontiers and spans several local government areas, including Broome, Derby and Kununurra. The western gateway, Broome, is known for sunset camel rides on 22-km-long Cable Beach, its pearl industry and the "Staircase to the Moon" tidal phenomenon. Near the eastern gateway, Kununurra, are Lake Argyle and the Ord River. Between them runs the Gibb River Road, about 660 km long and regarded as Australia's classic 4WD route, passing Windjana Gorge, Bell Gorge, El Questro Station and many waterfalls and swimming holes. In Purnululu National Park (a World Heritage Site), the Bungle Bungle Range is famed for its orange-and-black banded, beehive-shaped sandstone domes. On the coast, the Buccaneer Archipelago has tide-driven "Horizontal Falls", and Mitchell Falls is usually reached by seaplane or expedition cruise. Allow 10–14 days for a 4WD self-drive or an expedition tour; if time is short, take a scenic flight from Broome or Kununurra. The routes are remote, so carry plenty of fuel, drinking water and satellite communications, and be careful with river crossings and crocodiles.

Destinations

• Broome
• Kununurra & East Kimberley

Itineraries

• Gibb River Road: Broome to Kununurra – A 4WD adventure across 660 km of unsealed roads in the Kimberley, from Indian Ocean beaches to eastern gorges and beehi…
• Darwin to Broome Highway Crossing – Traverse the southern edge of the Kimberley from the Northern Territory along sealed highways, fly over the beehive dom…
• Perth to Broome: Coast & Karijini Gorges – Head north along the West Coast, transition from Ningaloo to the gorges of Pilbara, and arrive at the gateway to the Ki…