Australia's North West

THE PILBARA

One of the oldest geological regions in the world, the Pilbara has an amazing colourful landscape of rugged, colourful gorges, spectacular, pristine, wide sandy beaches and some of the world’s largest-known deposits of iron ore and natural gas. The Burrup Peninsula is home to more than 700 aboriginal archaelogical sites believed to be up to 30,000 years old and considered to be amongst the earliest examples of art in the world.

Port Hedland, 1,638kms north of Perth, is one of the largest, busiest, mineral ports in the world, and makes a great base for exploring the region. Karratha is the youngest and fastest-growing town in the region, with warm winter temperatures and hot summers. Dampier is the port that services the iron ore mines in the inland Pilbara and also where the natural gas from the North West Shelf project comes ashore for processing. The town of Newman services Mt Whaleback, the largest open cut iron ore mine in the world.

Ideal months to visit are from April to November as the summer months can be extremely hot and subject to cyclone activity. There are regular air services from major regional centres and scheduled coach services operate to Port Hedland from both Perth and Darwin. Tour operators offer a range of tours including cruises, diving, fishing and camping safaris as well as scenic flights. Towns in the region include Onslow, Karratha, Port Hedland, Tom Price and Newman.

THE KIMBERLEY

The Kimberley is untamed and vibrant and its mix of national parks full of nature-created wonder, magnificent gorges and tempting beaches give it a pure character. Ancient in age and vast in area, the Kimberley is full of natural beauty. Many of the national parks in the Kimberley are part of a 350 million year old coral reef which once dominated a sea covering much of Australia’s north west. As the waters receded, the reef was left to fossilise in the open and has since been carved into spectacular gorges by millions of years’ worth of flood waters.

Warm sunny days with balmy nights and white sandy beaches have made Broome a mecca for tourists. 2,230kms north of Perth and 1,860kms south west of Darwin, this unique and exotic town is the southern gateway to the magnificent wilderness area of the region. Broome is well-serviced by regular flights and coaches from Perth and most major centres. Originally established in the 1880s as a pearling port, the town of Broome enticed many foreigners to its shores, creating a distinctive multicultural society. Broome has benefited from this international influence and buildings throughout the town reflect a mix of colonial and Asian design and the farming of cultured pearls continues today as a major industry.

Situated 3,206kms north east of Perth, Kununurra is a wondeful gateway to the exciting East Kimberley region where you can marvel at the Ord River and the vast inland sea of Lake Argyle. One of the biggest towns in the Kimberley with a population of 6,000, the town is the main administrative centre for farmers, pastoralists and tourism industries.

There are regular air services into the area from major regional centres, and scheduled coach services operate from both Perth and Darwin. Tour operators offer a wide range of tours from both Broome and Kununurra including luxury cruises, diving, fishing and 4WD safaris as well as scenic flights. You can explore the history of Australia’s indigenous people with day or extended tours conducted by local aboriginal guides, journey along the Gibb River Road for a true outback adventure, or you can drive the Warlu Way, an indigenous drive trail linking the icons of Ningaloo Reef, Burrup Peninsula, Millstream Chichester National Park, Karijini National Park and Broome. Many areas in the north west are subject to cyclones and flooding so it is recommended you travel during the dry season from May to November.

Destinations in the region include Broome, Derby, Kununurra, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and the Gibb River Road as well as Cocos (Keeling) Islands which are 2750 kms north west of Perth in the middle of the Indian Ocean.