Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DARC
(
http://darcinc.wordpress.com
)
Online resource listing everything arty going down in Derbs.
Derby Visitor Centre
( 1800 621 426;
www.derbytourism.com.au
;
30 Loch St; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri,
9am-4pm Sat & Sun)
Recently relocated, this super-helpful centre has the low-down on road
conditions, accommodation, transport and tour bookings.
)
Internet; first five minutes free.
Library
(Clarendon St;
closed Sun;
8
Getting There & Away
Skywest heads to Perth Monday to Friday. Skippers flies to Broome, Fitzroy Crossing and
Halls Creek several times weekly. There's an
airport shuttle
(
08-9193 2568; per person $30)
to/
from Curtin.
Greyhound buses to Darwin ($350, 25 hours) and Broome ($68, two hours) stop at the
visitor centre.
Derby Bus Service
( 08-9193 1550;
www.derbybus.com.au
;
one way/return $50/80; Mon, Wed & Fri)
runs to Broome three times weekly, leaving early and returning the same day.
For a taxi, call
13 10 08.
HORIZONTAL WATERFALLS
One of the most intriguing features of the Kimberley coastline is the phenomenon known as 'horizontal water-
falls'. Despite the name, the falls are simply tides gushing through narrow coastal gorges in the Buccaneer Ar-
chipelago, north of Derby. What creates such a spectacle are the huge tides, often varying up to 11m. The water
flow reaches an astonishing 30 knots as it's forced through two narrow gaps 20m and 10m wide - resulting in a
'waterfall' reaching 4m in height.
Many tours leave Derby (and some from Broome) each Dry, by air, sea or a combination of both. It's become
de rigueur to 'ride' the tide change through the gorge on a high-powered speedboat, but this is risky at best, and
accidents have occurred. Scenic flights are the quickest and cheapest option, and some seaplanes will land and
transfer passengers to a waiting speedboat for the adrenalin hit. If you prefer to be stirred, not shaken, then con-
sider seeing the falls as part of a longer cruise through the archipelago. Book tours at Derby and Broome visitor
centres.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Gibb River Road
Cutting a brown swathe through the scorched heart of the Kimberley, the legendary Gibb
River Road ('the Gibb' or GRR) provides one of Australia's wildest outback experiences.
Stretching some 660km between Derby and Kununurra, the largely unpaved GRR is an
