Kimberley Australia

The Kimberley Ranges

With the Indian Ocean to the West, the Timor Sea on the North border, Northern Territory on the East and, to the South, the Great Sandy Desert; the Kimberley Ranges sit in the Northern area of Western Australia.  The Kimberley Ranges is a vast area that spreads over 423,000 square kilometres, and is home to 41,000 people.

The Kimberley Ranges has a monsoon weather patterns.  From the months of April to November is the “wet season”, receiving 90% (1,270 millimetres) of the yearly rainfall and some cyclones.  The best time to travel to the Kimberley Ranges would be in the “dry season”, from May to October; with a south easterly breeze bringing day temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and cool nights to below 12 degree Celsius (54 degrees Fahranhiet).

In ancient times, when what we call the Kimberley Ranges, was a barrier reef; parts of this original barrier reef are still seen at Tunnel Creek, Windjara and Geikie Gorges of the Napier and Ningbing Ranges area.  As the sea resided it left the soil fertile and rich in minerals; and was so named the Kimberley after the rich diamond mining area of South Africa.  Today the Kimberley Ranges are used as farming land and mining of diamonds, pearls, oil and gas, as well as some minerals including Zinc and Lead.

Amongst this rich, fertile land, the Kimberley Ranges have a number of diverse National Park areas.  Geikie Gorge National Park, Mitchell River National Park, Pumululu National Park and Tunnel Creek National Park are the larger national parks of the Kimberley Ranges.  With smaller, harder to access National Parks including Drysdale River National Park, Windjana Gorge National Park, Wolfe Creek Meteorite National Park.

Geikie Gorge National Park is located 420 kilometres East of Broome and was created by the Fitzroy River.  You can see the level that the river rises to on the limestone edges of the gorge, where it has turned it white.

The Mitchell National Park is not just known for its beautiful Mitchell Falls and Surveyor’s Pool, but also the many species of birds’ mammals and amphibians, not forgetting the Saltwater Crocodiles and the King Brown snakes.

Pumululu National Park is famous for it’s sandstone domes, which are striped with stunning oranges, reds and greys.  This area is named the Bungle Bungle Range by the Aboriginal tribe of the area, the Kija people, and means sandstone.

However beautiful the Kimberley Ranges and the national Parks that lie within it are, the main attraction to the Kimberley Ranges lies underground, in the Tunnel National Park.  This tunnel stretches for 750 metres, is 12 metres high and, at some points, is 15 metres wide.  The Aboriginal people of the area have decorated the inside with rock paintings.  The river only flows during periods of high rainfall.

There are various tours companies that operate short and long tours through the Kimberly Ranges; include boat trips, 4WD trips and backpacker tours, catering to all needs and likes.

The Kimberley Ranges has four main centres; Broome, Derby, Halls Creek and Kurunarra.  The biggest one is Broome, with just over 16,000 people. And is today a pearling town.  Rembrandts of the old pearling days, where Japanese divers were killed when harvesting the pearls, are now laid at the cemetery.  There are several beaches at Broome, which have white sandy beaches and crystal blue water.  However, Cable Beach has a reputation as a nudist beach, which is optional, and 4WD vehicles can be driven on the beach, there are also sunset camel rides on offer.  Roebuck Beach is a red sand beach that, during the summer months, is a nesting ground for many species of migrating birds.

Derby has a population of just over 4,000 people, half of which are Aboriginal and speak three different tribal languages.  There is a Boab Festival every year in Derby around July.  Among other events, there is a watermelon seed-spitting contest, Mardi Gras and a game or two of mud football.

Nearby the Pumululu National Park is the small town on Hall Creek.  With the versatile swimming hole of Caroline pool that transforms from a swimming spot in the wet season to a picinic place in the dry season, and other natural swimming holes, such as Palm Springs and Saw Pit Gorge.  Another attraction is the Mount Bradley Mine and Buck Hut, built in the19th Century, and later used by the native tribal Aboriginal people of the area as a trading post.

Another good place for swimming in natural springs and waterways in the Kimberley Ranges is near Kununurra.  With a population of around 4,000, and farming industries of sugar cane, melons and mangoes, Kununurra has various watering holes.  Along with various waterfalls, there are popular swimming holes including Valentine Spring, Black Rock Creek and Middle Springs.