Make 2023 the year for travel to the Kimberley, the most awe-inspiring wilderness adventure on the planet.
The spectacular natural landscapes of the Kimberley and its gateway towns of Broome (Rubibi) and Kununurra (Goonoonoorrang) welcome travellers to embrace their spirit of adventure this season from April to September 2023 with new attractions, accommodation and experiences on offer.
The pearling capital of Australia, Broome is the western gateway to the Kimberley wilderness.
It’s home to Cable Beach (Walmanyjun), one of the world’s best beaches with a snow-white, 22-kilometre stretch of coastline set against striking rust red cliffs.
Broome is home of the South Sea pearls among the largest and most coveted commercially harvested cultured pearls in the world, and dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point (Minyirr) estimated to be more than 120 million years old.
In the turquoise water of Talbot Bay, the fast-moving tidal current squeezes through two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range, pushing the water into rapid-like formations, which rush through the twin gaps at an astonishing rate, producing Australia’s only Horizontal Falls (Garaanngaddim).
The eastern part of the Kimberley is home to some of the world’s most unique attractions including the astonishing formations of the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, believed to be 350 million years in the making; and Lake Argyle, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Southern Hemisphere where visitors can join a fishing cruise or canoe tour from Ivanhoe Crossing.
For road trip enthusiasts, the iconic Gibb River Road is a 660-kilometre epic journey across the Kimberley from Kununurra to Derby, and one of Australia’s classic four-wheel-drive adventures.
It cuts through some of the most rugged country on Earth and provides access to spectacular wildlife, stunning red gorges and pumping waterfalls.
NEW EXPERIENCES
The recent revitalisation of Broome’s historic and nationally iconic Chinatown precinct has breathed new life into the town’s cultural and historical heart.
Broome’s Town Beach precinct has transformed with a $24-million redevelopment, including a new 112-metre fishing jetty grassed terrace for Broome’s popular night markets and Staircase to the Moon viewing as well as a children’s playground and waterpark.
STAYS
Adjacent to Town Beach and overlooking Roebuck Bay (Yawuru Nadulagun) with prime waterfront views, Discovery Park’s Broome Holiday & Caravan Park is undergoing a $15-million redevelopment with 15 new deluxe studio cabins and a new resort pool now open.
New in 2022, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm on the Dampier Peninsular opened 15 glamping eco tents featuring private ensuites and king-sized beds. Air-conditioned tents allow Cygnet Bay to extend its season and operate year-round, with access to the famed Waterfall Reef and pearling experiences.
TOURS
The Kimberley is one of the best destinations in Australia to have an authentic Aboriginal experience to connect with 60,000 years of living culture.
Visitors can take guided tours, discover ancient rock art and hear Dreamtime stories. Mabu Buru Tours in Broome is the town’s first and only Aboriginal corroboree experience on Yawuru Country.
Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures has introduced a luxurious new way to enjoy the changing directional tides at this sideways waterfall.
The newly refit Jetwave Pearl is a floating hotel’, offering an exclusive base for a maximum of 20 guests to enjoy 24 hours of pure excitement with helicopter flights, a mix of adrenaline power boat and relaxing cruises, and a guided fishing charter.
Broome Tours offers a new Mud Crabbing Adventure, inviting visitors on a catamaran cruise to experience the thrill of catching a prized Kimberley mud crab and finishing with a feast of freshly cooked chilli mud crab on the sail back through Roebuck Bay.
Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, Dampier Peninsula
Bungle Bungle Range, Purnululu National Park
FOOD AND DRINK
Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm has partnered with Broome’s Moontide Distillery to release the first gin in the world to use pearl oyster as a botanical.
The Pearler’s Gin is distilled with juniper berries, Burdekin plum, lemon myrtle, mint and oyster mantle, a by-product from the cultured pearling process, giving the gin a unique minerality and umami taste.
Spinifex Brewing Co is Australia’s first part Aboriginal and veteran-owned craft brewery, with construction ongoing of a new multi-million-dollar alehouse venue at Broome’s iconic Cable Beach for up to 600 guests.
Its pop-up bar and restaurant Zookeepers by Spinifex Brewing Co, offers a casual dining experience overlooking the new ale house development.
In Kununurra, the Kimberley Experiences Group purchased the iconic PumpHouse Restaurant and reopened its doors early this year on the famous Ord River.
EVENTS
On certain dates from March to October each year, visitors can take in a once-in-a-lifetime sight known as the Staircase to the Moon at Roebuck when the full moon coincides with the low tide.
In May each year, the Ord Valley Muster showcases some of Australia’s most acclaimed performers, musicians and artists in an immersive festival on the banks of the Ord River.
Between August and September, visitors can join locals in celebrating Shinju Matsuri, a cultural and culinary festival that celebrates Broome’s pearl-diving history and Aboriginal heritage.
GETTING THERE
To Broome: A two-and-a-half-hour flight north or three-to-four-day road trip from Perth. Direct flights are available from Sydney and Melbourne via Qantas and Virgin Australia.
To Kununurra: A three-hour flight direct from Perth, or flight from Broome or Darwin.
Travellers can make it a road trip to remember by exploring Kimberley’s picturesque and rugged beauty by car, taking a few days to a few weeks or more.
For more information and inspiration, visit:
