The Gibb River Road

The actual GRR runs 660km from Wyndham to Derby. For our road trip story, we’ve described the longer Kununurra to Broome route, a distance of more than 930km (excluding side-trips). For those with time, the three-to-fourday side-trip up the Kalumburu Road (4WD-only) leads visitors through some amazing and truly remote country.

For those towing a camper trailer or caravan, Drysdale River Homestead offers a safe place to leave it for the rugged drive further north.

You can also camp at the Drysdale River Station. The oft-photographed four-drop Mitchell Falls, and its small campground, is found along an 85km side-trip from Kalumburu Road, with the cooling waters of the upper pools reached via a challenging 6km bushwalk. (Don’t swim at the bottom pool as it is home to saltwater crocs.) If you don’t want to tackle the challenging drive to Mitchell Falls, there are helicopter flights from Drysdale River Station.

Other highlights in this northern section include Surveyors Pool (again, don’t swim here) and the many beaches north of the Aboriginal community of Kalumburu that offer good fishing and other activities. Permits are needed to visit here.

It’s a big side-trip but, if you’ve travelled all the way from the eastern seaboard for that once-in-a-lifetime Kimberley adventure, we’d recommend tacking on a few days to experience it.

The Gibb River Road is suitable for well-equipped 4WD vehicles only.

The Pentecost River weaves its way across the GRR at a number of points along the road’s length. Most water crossings are straightforward during the touring season. Maintain a steady speed; splashing through at high speed can force water into...