12 reasons you should visit the Kimberley

The Kimberley is found in the northern most part of WA, and covers some 423,000 square kilometres. It’s often referred to as Australia’s last frontier, and is a remote region covering some of the most spectacular sights Australia has to offer.

From stunning beaches through to beautiful inland gorges and swimming holes, the Kimberley is an incredible place. It’s almost impossible to convey its true beauty in words, so I’ll let the photos do most of the talking in this post.

If you are considering visiting the Kimberley, we’ve written an amazing guide that’s free, and covers everything from what’s worth seeing, where you can get fuel, water and other supplies, places you can camp, what permits are needed, itinerary suggestions and the list goes on.

You can check it out here; The Ultimate Guide to the Kimberley.

Scenery

It doesn’t matter where you go in the Kimberley; the scenery is always spectacular. Whether its the beautiful beaches north of Broome with their red sand cliffs and crystal clear water, the incredible hills around Kununurra, the many swimming holes along the Gibb River Road or the stunning Lake Argyle, you’ll never feel disappointed at what the region has to offer.

Saddleback Ridge 4WD Track at El Questro — Saddleback Ridge inside the beautiful El Questro Station

One of the harder 4WD tracks off the Gibb River Road — Wunnumurra Gorge at Mt Elizabeth Station

Reflections from a Lake Argyle tour — Lake Argyle reflections

Warla gorge Mount Elizabeth — Warla Gorge at Mount Elizabeth, best time to visit near sunset!

Wildlife

Whether its birds, mammals, marine life, snakes, frogs or lizards, the Kimberley region is renown for its amazing range of wildlife. Mornington Wilderness Park is at the forefront of conservation in the region, and has several animals that are very rare.

Soldier Crabs Kimberley — Soldier crabs at Middle Lagoon, Cape Leveque

Mornington Wilderness Park birds — Baby birds at Mornington Wilderness Park

Cape Leveque Mud crabs from Hunter Creek — Mud crabs for lunch at Cape Leveque

Salt water crocodiles are a serious threat to human life — Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park in Broome with a big salty

Frogs at El Questro — El Questro has a wide array of beautiful frogs

Cape Leveque wildlife — A beautiful lizard at Cape Leveque

Wallaby in the Kimberley — A little Wallaby

Kimberley green tree frog — Green Tree frogs are all over the Kimberley

Mornington Wilderness Park Cockatoo — Red and Black Cockatoo at Mornington Wilderness Park

Dolphins chasing fish at Cape Leveque — Fish jumping at Middle Lagoon, being chased by Dolphins

Weather

The most popular time to visit the Kimberley is in between May and October. This is the ‘dry season’, where the weather is pretty much perfect.

Blue skies every day, with temperatures ranging from around 15 degrees at night to 33 degrees during the day. September and October the temperature during the day averages around 36 and 38 degrees, so if possible visit from May to the end of August.

In the Kimberley, you can literally go months without seeing a cloud in the sky; it really is a spectacular sight to see. For more information, check out How to get the best Weather in WA.

Blue skies are common in the dry season of the Kimberley — Blue skies for days!

Kimberley Camping

Watching the sun set over the amazing gorges, with the moon rising and stars coming out while sitting around a camp fire is a special way to finish the day.

There are plenty of camp sites in the Kimberley, ranging from right on the beach through to the Department of Parks sites that have running water and toilets.

Camp fire at Silent Grove Gibb River Road — Relaxing at Silent Grove around the camp fire

Red cliffs at Kooljaman — Camping at Kooljaman overlooking the beautiful red cliffs

Hiking

A 4WD will get you into many area’s that the Kimberley offers. However, to get right up to the gorges and various swimming holes, your legs will have to do the work. This becomes pretty obvious when you get on your way; the region is not suitable for any 4WD to get right up to the gorges.

El Questro has some incredible walks — Hiking through El Questro

Beaches

Australia has some pretty amazing beaches, but you probably already know that. What if I told you the Kimberley has some of the best that Australia has to offer?

Whether you are wanting your own perfect slice of Cable beach, or some red cliffs north of Broome, there’s a beach that will suit everyone in the Kimberley

West beach at Kooljaman, Cape Leveque — Kooljaman’s west beach

Cable Beach has some epic sunsets — Enjoying the sunset on Cable Beach, Broome

80 mile beach sunset and shells — Collecting shells and watching the sun go down at 80 mile beach

4WD tracks

I’ve long enjoyed the technical aspect of 4WDing, but the truth is, journeying through a magnificent area in a 4WD is even better. Majority of the Kimberley can be accessed in a fairly standard 4WD; you don’t need huge lift kits, lockers and the works to explore the Kimberley.

There are a couple of tracks (Munja, Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu) which can be a bit more technical and require further preparation, but there’s something for every style of 4WD in the Kimberley.

Cape Leveque road condition — Letting the tyres down on the way out to Cape Leveque

Land Cruiser 4WD on the Gibb River Road — Turning back onto the Gibb River Road in our Land Cruiser

Mount Elizabeth 4WD Tracks — Exiting Wunnumurra Gorge at Mount Elizabeth

Hunter Creek 4WD Tour with Brian Lee — Hunter Creek 4WD Tour

Geography

Righto, so probably not the most inspiring word for most of us, but I guarantee you will be impressed with the amazing landscapes in the Kimberley.

The red rock, incredible freshwater streams and swimming holes are just out of this world.

Mitchell Falls, Gibb River Road, Kimberley — The Mitchell Falls

Lake Argyle is truly massive — Lake Argyle; part man made

Windjana Gorge on the Gibb River Road — Windjana Gorge reflections early in the morning

Bungle Bungle, or Purnululu National Park — The Bee hives from a helicopter at the Bungle Bungle National Park

Swimming

There’s something about lying in a crystal clear stream or pond, watching the world go by. With more waterfalls, rivers, ponds and streams than you can poke a stick at, the Kimberley has some amazing freshwater swimming opportunities.

There are places you can swim in the salt water, but you MUST be crocodile aware, as salt water crocodiles are a serious threat. For more information, check this post out – Crocodile Safety.

Bell Gorge is truly epic for swimming in — Bell Gorge Swimming; an awesome place

Mornington WIlderness Park Swimming — One of Mornington Wilderness Park’s many swimming holes

Tranquillity

With around 1 person per square kilometre, its no wonder tranquillity isn’t hard to find in the Kimberley.

In the dry season the population grows substantially and many of the main attractions get busy, but its still not hard to find your own slice of paradise.

Bungle Bungle National Park Sunset — Watching the sun go down over the Bungles is something we won’t forget

Lake Argyle Sunset — Lake Argyle’s sunsets are spectacular too

Stations

The Kimberley region is home to some 20 odd stations, which primarily run cattle with a focus on tourism. These stations are some of the most scenic places in WA, and many offer fantastic camping options.