Kununurra 101: Best things to do in the gateway to the East Kimberley

It's the first stop for many on their way to the Bungle Bungles, Lake Argyle and El Questro

Just 40km from the Northern Territory border on the eastern edge of the Kimberley, Kununurra is the first stop for many on their way to the Bungle Bungles, Lake Argyle and El Questro. The town of about 7500 people can double in size in the dry season as visitors head north for outback adventures.

Best bar

Home to Western Australia’s oldest continuously operating (legal) still, the Hoochery is where Kimberley rainwater and locally grown ingredients are turned into rum, whisky, gin and liqueurs. Step through the swinging saloon doors and pull up a seat in the old shed or grab a spot outside where kids can play in the cubby house. From May to September the café kitchen options can include wild barramundi tacos, Ord River rum cake and other homemade temptations.

Best rocks

The Bungle Bungle Range is about 300km from Kununurra in the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. Hike through the domes at Cathedral Gorge or opt for a sightseeing plane or helicopter flight. If you don’t have enough time to go big, go for the “mini Bungle Bungles” – Mirima National Park – just a couple of minutes outside of town. You can hike through 350 million-year-old sandstone rock formations with striking colour variations.

Best drive

The Gibb River Road stretches 660km from Kununurra to Derby. Can’t do it all? It takes only an hour to drive to the spectacular Cockburn Range and see ancient sandstone cliffs rising 600m above the plains. The range is part of the El Questro Wilderness Park, where you can stay in one of the Luxury Lodges of Australia at the Homestead, go glamping at Emma Gorge or stay in a cabin or camping at The Station.

The Hoochery is home to Australia's oldest continuously operating still. Picture: Amanda Woods

Best coffee

Whether their preference is hot or iced brews, coffee lovers are covered at the Wild Mango, where refreshingly delicious mango granitas are also an unexpected touch of Sicily.

Best beds

The Kimberley Grande has 73 rooms including spacious spa suites, three dining areas and a 25m swimming pool to cool off, croc-free. Just outside town, the pet-friendly Lake Kununurra Discovery Park offers a mix of camping sites and cabins, including waterfront stays overlooking Lake Kununurra.

At Waringarri Aboriginal Arts you can watch the artists at work. Picture: Tourism Western Australia.

Best art

At Waringarri Aboriginal Arts you can watch the artists at work, see traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art in the gallery and join a cultural tour with local Miriwoong tour guides. At Artlandish Aboriginal Art Gallery, you can find more than 1000 pieces of Aboriginal art from both the Kimberley region and around Australia in one of the world’s largest Aboriginal art galleries.

Best ice cream

Cool down with a decadent ice cream or a sweet sorbet. At the Kununurra Ice Creamery the flavours include all of your classics along with banoffee pie, pancake and maple syrup, and a Matso’s Ginger Beer sorbet.

This one is best left to high-clearance 4WDs, and no matter what locals are doing, make sure you stay in your car and out of the croc-inhabited water. Picture: Tourism Western Australia.

NEED TO KNOW

Stay street smart

Driving onto a road that’s concealed by water is usually a bad idea but in dry season it’s a fun one at the Ivanhoe Crossing. The concrete causeway over the Ord River has water flowing over it year round, and while it’s too dangerous in the wet season, when the water level is right, you can make a splash as you drive across. This one is best left to high-clearance 4WDs, and no matter what locals are doing, make sure you stay in your car and out of the croc-inhabited water.

Getting there

Qantas, Air North and Virgin Australia fly to Kununurra via Darwin, Broome or Perth.

Travel all the way from the Diversion Dam in Kununurra to the Ord Top Dam 55km upstream at Lake Argyle with Triple J Tours. Picture: Tourism Western Australia.

DON’T FORGET

Take to the water

Travel all the way from the Diversion Dam in Kununurra to the Ord Top Dam 55km upstream at Lake Argyle with Triple J Tours. Enjoy wildlife and birdlife spotting as the landscape changes along the river with the option for picnics along the way.

Visit the PumpHouse

This bar and restaurant in the Ord River Scheme’s original pumping station has the best sunset views in town and uses native ingredients in delicious Asian and Central American-inspired dishes.

The writer travelled as a guest of G’Day Group.

Originally published as Kununurra 101: Best things to do in the gateway to the East Kimberley