Australia Kimberley Wilderness Drive

Kimberley, Western Australia · Australia

Challenging7 daysOceania~£3,500 est.

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Overview

The Gibb River Road runs 660 kilometres of corrugated dirt from Derby to the Pentecost crossing near Wyndham, straight through the heart of the Kimberley - 420,000 square kilometres of sandstone ranges, boab trees and cattle stations the size of small nations. Your days find a rhythm: drive the corrugations early, then walk into a gorge - Bell, Manning, Galvans - and swim beneath a waterfall in water the colour of dark tea. Wandjina and Gwion Gwion rock art galleries wait in the escarpments, and Horizontal Falls, where 10-metre tides force the sea sideways through twin cliff gaps, is reached by seaplane from Derby. The season is the variable that catches people out: the road opens around May as the wet-season floodways drop and shuts again by November, and even in the dry a single storm can close crossings for days. Two spare tyres are standard Kimberley practice, fuel stops run up to 300km apart, and there is no mobile signal - carry a satellite communicator. Around £3,500 per person covers a week of 4WD hire from Broome, fuel, station camps and park fees; the Horizontal Falls flight is a worthwhile splurge on top.