Derby.... and the journey to.

We left Kununurra in the east Kimberley to travel across the top of WA to reach the west coast at Derby. It's quite a long journey, and we needed 3 overnight stops where we free camped (along with about 30 other caravans also free camping). There are only 2 major towns along this route - Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing - and while we fuelled up at each, the general impression was not somewhere you wanted to stay. One of the few camps we stayed at was Mary's Pool and we actually saw several freshwater crocs on the banks of the river.

Arriving in Derby it was nice to have a decent shower (we had to conserve water not knowing how long it would last free camping) and also be hooked up to power so we could use our 240V appliances. There is not a great deal to see in Derby but there were a few points of interest - the prison Boab tree, long water trough, the jetty and the sculptures on the marsh.

The prison Boab was reported to hold Aboriginal men who were stolen / kidnapped from East Kimberley to work as pearl divers on the coast. The sign board gives information about this. Nearby is a long water trough (120m - longest in the Southern Hemisphere) that could water almost 1000 bullocks at a time.

The jetty is horseshoe shaped and is a place that experiences huge tides of 11m. It was nice enough to look at during the day, but at sunset it was just spectacular. Along with the sculptures that depicted different aspects of life/people/animals of the area, it really was a highlight of our visit to Derby. Hope you enjoy the photos.Read more