Efficient Sightseeing in the Kimberley

I figured since I made the trip all the way out to the northern part of Western Australia to swim with the Whale Sharks, I'd take a few extra days and head even farther north to Broome to spend a few days on the beach and exploring the remote Kimberley Region.  As with just about every place I've been in Australia, there is an infinite amount to do, but most of it doesn't get much coverage in guide books.  I did a bit of research to try to find the most efficient way to see the most of the region.  I knew I was going to miss a few things, but it seemed like the best way to see it was from the air.

I booked a half day trip with Kimberley Aviation to get a the best view possible.  We flew north past Derby and were told stories about the crocs and the unfortunate and sometimes lucky stories that have made it out from those that camped in the area.  We continued north past areas where the Australian military would drop soldiers off for days at a time to teach them survival techniques.  Being able to look around and see what was out there, or not as the case may be, that's not something I'd look forward to.

We started to descend from 2,500 feet to about 1,200 to get a close of view of the Horizontal Falls.  It's a unique occurrence that happens only in this one spot.  Basically, when the tides are rising or falling, the water is forced between two small openings and from the sky, it looks like a waterfall.  It was quite the site seeing the tiny boats try to get as close as possible to the opening.  The plane was the newest in the fleet as well.  It was only a week old and loaded with all the latest in electronics.  I got a bit of a chuckle as we were descending to get a closer look at the falls to see the GPS start flashing "TERRAIN ADVISORY" as we got closer to the mountains.  There were too many hands in the way to get a picture of that, unfortunately.

After the Horizontal Falls, we turned west towards the Buccaneer Archipelago.  This is an area made up around 1,000 small islands that dot the coast.  It was quite a stunning sight with the mid-morning sun shining down.  The itself area was formed over millions of years as the water started rising up on the previous coastline.  Our pilot for the day would help point out islands that were or are still the home of aboriginal communities.

We eventually came in for a slightly bumpy landing at Cape Leveque.  It's a small camp area suited for camper vans.  It was a nice feeling knowing that we wouldn't have to drive 3 plus hours through red dirt roads to get back to Broome later.  They set up a nice breakfast for us overlooking the Indian Ocean and then we had some free time to water around.  The biggest attraction there was probably the beach.  With the amount of Iron Ore in the ground, the sand is a deep red.  But on the beach, there was a distinct line where the red dirt and sand of the road merged into the white sand beach.  The rock formations on the beach were a brilliant red.  Seeing this stretch on for miles makes you understand why Australia was able to survive most of the GFC through the mining boom.

After a quick dip we took off again and headed back along the coast for Broome.  We got more history of the area and a few humpback whales as they came up for air.  Seeing them from 4,500 feet made me appreciate their size even more when they popped up next to us in the water just a few days prior.

The one thing I would have liked to have seen but would have required a drive was on the Dampier Peninsula.  There is an aboriginal community who has built a church with much of the insides apparently made from mother of pearl.  The Kimberley Region has a deep history in pearl mining.  With jewelry shops on every corner selling the local treasure and the age old cemetery dedicated to those that died while pearling, there are deep ties to the Japanese and Chinese who were some of the first to dive for pearls.


The rest of trip was spent relaxing at the beach and at the pool.  I went to check out the town a bit, but having only 15,000 people, the downtown was pretty sparse.  Mainly backpacker hostels, jewelry shops and the typical tourist shops.  Luckily they also have a local brewery so I was able to get some decent pub curry and beers.  Though I stayed away from their mango and lychee beers.  Even on the hottest of days, those wouldn't sound too appealing to me.

The only bad thing about the weekend was having to take the red eye straight into work on Wednesday.  Well, and my decision to not get a hotel room the first night in Perth, but rather try and parlay what I would have paid for a hotel room on the blackjack tables.  It didn't come out too bad, but I certainly didn't fund the rest of the trip between when my plane landed at 11pm and the next one took off at 6am.  But on the bright side, I only have to find a casino in South Australia and I can say I've played blackjack in every Australian state.