Broome to Derby
From Broome we headed north for Derby, a fairly easy drive up the sealed road. Just out of Derby we called into the Prison Boab Tree where Kimberley aborigines who had been kidnapped by “blackbirders” were chained and held while waiting to be put to work in the pearling industry. Derby was to be our starting point for the Gibb River Road. Derby is a fairly small town which until recently was decreasing in size after some of the earlier mining companies pulled out of the area. In 1984 the port was closed but after a lot of community involvement, it reopened in 1997 and now the town is starting to pick up again, mainly due to increase in the tourist business and renewal of interest by mining companies. It is also the home of the Curtin Air Base, and the strip there is used for larger planes. Derby also has the highest tides in Australia. While we were there, the tides were 8 metres, but they can get up to 12 metre tides.
From Broome we headed north for Derby, a fairly easy drive up the sealed road. Just out of Derby we called into the Prison Boab Tree where Kimberley aborigines who had been kidnapped by “blackbirders” were chained and held while waiting to be put to work in the pearling industry. Derby was to be our starting point for the Gibb River Road. Derby is a fairly small town which until recently was decreasing in size after some of the earlier mining companies pulled out of the area. In 1984 the port was closed but after a lot of community involvement, it reopened in 1997 and now the town is starting to pick up again, mainly due to increase in the tourist business and renewal of interest by mining companies. It is also the home of the Curtin Air Base, and the strip there is used for larger planes. Derby also has the highest tides in Australia. While we were there, the tides were 8 metres, but they can get up to 12 metre tides.
One of the big tourist businesses is visiting the King Sound and the Horizontal Falls. We were able to book a flight and went out by sea plane getting an aerial view of the tidal flats, part of the coast line of the Sound and the Horizontal Falls. The falls are not over rocks, but formed by the huge tides rushing into the bays of the Sound through three gaps, all differing in width, and the two smallest – 22 metres wide and 7 metres wide where they are most spectacular. We landed on the bay and were picked up by a high powered boat, purpose built to ride the rapids. As the falls are at their best a little after mid tide, we were transferred to a house boat for a couple of hours and to have lunch. Some of the guys went off in a tinnie to try and catch some fish (not all that successful), while the rest of us enjoyed the surroundings. When the fishermen came back there were quite a lot of local sharks swimming around the pontoon so the boatman fed them for a while, at one time picking them up by the tail, which makes them turn over and become quite docile. He still didn’t recommend we went for a swim! After a bbq barramundi lunch it was time to go and “ride” the falls. The boat had two huge outboard motors and you sit on saddle seats. Our boatman Andy was very capable and gave us quite a few thrills, particularly in the 7 metre wide gap where we had a few runs and at one stage he “parked” the boat in the middle. By “parking” it meant he was running the boat at 27 knots per hour and it was just holding in the force of the water coming through. After this thrilling ride it was time to go back on the sea plane, where our pilot Adrienne, then flew much lower over the coastline with plenty of opportunities for photos. The day was certainly one of the highlights of our trip.
After last minute fresh food shopping, topping up the petrol tank and spare tanks, and a another trip to the wharf where we saw the sign about crocodiles and a visit to the Information Centre for road conditions and advice, it was time to head out along the Gibb River Road, destination Kununurra. To travel this road was one of the main aims of the trip, and a big test for the Toyota Kluger AWD. Most of the vehicles are 4WD and off roaders, and towing caravans and standard trailers is not recommended. The Gibb River Road is some 660 km from Derby to the Kununurra turn off and only the first 60 km are sealed.
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