Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
through October/November. Respected operators include
East Kimberley Tours
(
&
08/9168 2213;
www.eastkimberleytours.com.au);
Kimberley Wilderness
Adventures
(
&
1800/804 005
in Australia, or 08/9192 5741; www.kimberley
wilderness.com.au);
Adventure Tours
(
&
1300/654 604
in Australia; www.
adventuretours.com.au); and
Australian Pinnacle Tours
(
&
1800/999 069
in
Australia, or 08/9417 5555; www.pinnacletours.com.au).
Broome Aviation
(
&
1300/13 66 29
in Australia, or 08/9192 1369; www.
broomeaviation.com) and
King Leopold Air
(
&
08/9193 7155;
www.king
leopoldair.com.au), based in Broome, and
Alligator Airways
(
&
08/9168 1333;
www.alligatorairways.com.au) and
Slingair Heliwork
(
&
1800/095 500
in Aus-
tralia, or 08/9169 1300; www.slingair.com.au), based in Kununurra, run a range
of flight-seeing tours all over the Kimberley, lasting from a couple of hours to
several days. Some involve sightseeing on the ground, hiking, four-wheel-drive
trips, overnights at fishing camps, or calls into cattle stations.
KUNUNURRA
827km (513 miles) SW of Darwin; 1,032km (640 miles) E of Broome
Given the arid conditions in the Kimberley, it's quite a surprise to swoop over a
field of sugar cane as you come in to land at Kununurra. This rather ramshackle
little town (pop. 5,000) is an agricultural center created by the damming of the
mighty Ord River to form
Lake Argyle.
Kununurra itself (the name is Aboriginal for “Meeting of Big Waters”) has
little to spark your interest, but it is the gateway to several outstanding attractions.
A cruise or canoe trip down the
Ord River
to see wild birds, dramatic cliffs, and
crocs is a must. So is a flight over, or a hike into, the
Bungle Bungles (Purnululu
National Park)
, monumental orange domes of rock that look like giant bee-
hives. The world's biggest diamond mine is not in South Africa but out in the
rugged Kimberley wilds near Kununurra, and it can be visited by air every day.
The town is also a gateway to
El Questro Wilderness Park
, a million-acre
cattle station (ranch) where you can hike magnificent gorges, fish, cruise rivers,
ride horses, and see some of Australia's most breathtaking Aboriginal art. It is open
from April to early November, closed over summer due to the wet season.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
There is no train to Kununurra.
Greyhound Pioneer
(
&
13 20 30
in Australia) serves the town daily from Perth via Broome and
daily from Darwin via Katherine. From Perth the trip takes about 34 hours,
from Broome about 15 hours. The one-way fare from Perth is A$468 (US$304).
From Darwin, the trip time is around 9 hours, and the fare is A$129 (US$84).
Kununurra is 512km (323 miles) west of Katherine on the Victoria Highway.
The Great Northern Highway from Broome connects with the Victoria High-
way 45km (28 miles) west of Kununurra. The Gibb River Road is an alternative
four-wheel-drive scenic route from Derby near Broome; it connects with the
Great Northern Highway 53km (33 miles) west of town.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Kununurra Visitor Centre
is at Coolibah
Drive, Kununurra, WA 6743 (
&
08/9168 1177;
kununurratb@bigpond.com).
The hours change with the season, but it's usually open from 9am to 5pm every
day from April to September, and from 9am to 5pm weekdays and 9am to noon
Saturdays between October and March (closed Sun and public holidays during
this time).
