Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hot showers, basic camp sites, and shearers rooms. Another 30km towards Halls Creek
brings Yiyilli with its Laarri Gallery (see boxed text,
Click here
).
On the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, Halls Creek is a small town with communities
of Kija, Jaru and Gooniyandi people. The excellent
visitor centre
( 08-9168 6262;
www.hallscreektourism.com.au
;
Great Northern Hwy; 8am-5pm; )
books tours to the Bungles and
tickets for Mimbi Caves. Check email next door at the
Community Resource Centre
(
8.15am-3.45pm Mon-Fri)
and across the highway, Yarliyil Gallery (see boxed text,
Click here
)
is definitely worth a look.
The
Kimberley Hotel
(
08-9168 6101;
www.kimberleyhotel.com.au
;
Roberta Ave; r from $172, restaurant
)
is your best lunch option and you can find a bed there or at
Best
mains $16-42;
)
. There's a caravan park, but
Western
(
08-9168 9600;
www.bestwestern.com.au
;
d $260;
you're better off heading out of town.
Skippers flies from Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek to Broome, and Greyhound
passes through daily.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
DUNCAN ROAD
Snaking its way east from Halls Creek before eventually turning north and playing hide and seek with the North-
ern Territory border, Duncan Rd is the Kimberley's 'other' great outback driving experience. Unsealed for its en-
tire length (445km), it receives only a trickle of travellers compared to the GRR, but those who make the effort
are rewarded with stunning scenery, beautiful gorges, tranquil billabongs and breathtakingly lonely camp sites.
Technically it's no harder than the Gibb, and while there are several creek and river crossings, the fords are
concrete lined and croc free. It also makes a nice loop if you've come down the Great Northern Hwy to Purnululu
and want to return to Kununurra and/or the NT. There are no services on the entire Duncan, so carry fuel for at
least 500km and watch out for road trains. Enquire at Halls Creek or Kununurra visitor centres about road condi-
tions.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Wyndham
POP 900
A gold-rush town fallen on leaner times, Wyndham is scenically nestled between rugged
hills and Cambridge Gulf, some 100km northwest of Kununurra. Sunsets are superb from
the spectacular
Five Rivers Lookout
on Mt Bastion (325m) overlooking the King, Pentecost,
Durack, Forrest and Ord Rivers entering Cambridge Gulf.
