The Kimberley Overview

Known as one of the world’s last great frontiers, the Kimberley is dominated by expansive natural preserves and enormous swaths of land with no signs of human development besides the occasional road. The first European visitors to the region thought they had discovered Australia’s great freshwater source, a floodplain of seemingly endless waters; what they didn’t realize was that they were only witnessing half the story. They had arrived during the Wet (Nov.-Mar.), the region’s sticky summer, when monsoonal rains wash out roads and turn the region into a muddy mess. These frontiersmen must have thought they had misread their own directions when they returned during the Dry (Apr.-Oct.) to find a parched, dusty landscape extending in all directions. During the winter months, the lack of rain transforms the region into the arid scrubland now most commonly associated with the Australian Outback.

Today, the Kimberley is traversed west to east by two major roads: the Great Northern Highway and the highly enticing—but highly impractical—Gibb River Road. The latter offers few service stations and amenities but is the best way to truly experience the region; numerous turnoff paths can carry you to beautiful, remote gorges, waterfalls, and other natural wonders.

Tourists generally flock to the Kimberley during the Dry, when its dirt roads are more passable, and the perpetually hot air loses its suffocating humidity. However, the area’s many pristine beaches remain appealing year-round, so the thrifty, adventurous tourist in search of surf and sand should take advantage of lower-priced accommodations throughout the Wet.