Kimberley from the air

As the Kimberley landscape dries mid-year, it seems to crave the refreshment of the wet season.

And during the thrumming, hot, often oppressive wet season, the people of the Kimberley seem to crave the cooler days and clear, blue sky of the dry season. So, this is the time of year to start thinking about planning your big Kimberley experience in 2025.

+ I can’t count the number of times I have travelled the Kimberley by land … following dusty red tracks and remote corrugated roads to outcrops and billabongs. The “big lap” is worth doing — from Broome along the bitumen to Fitzroy Crossing and Mimbi Caves, ducking in to Purnululu National Park, seeing the art at Warmun, staying in Kununurra, then heading back along the 700km of the Gibb River Road to Derby, adrift in the mudflats, watching sunset at the jetty.

+ I’ve sailed the Kimberley coast many times. Most itineraries include Hunter River and the Mitchell Falls, King George River and Falls, Raft Point and Montgomery Reef. But look for itineraries with Jar Island and Bigge Island, too.

+ But it is the Kimberley from the air that I’m reflecting upon at this moment, as the land is sucking in water, plumping and replenishing ready for the dry season. I’m thinking about the many times I have flown with Kununurra companies like Aviair and HeliSpirit, over the red earth, shardy ranges and ribbons of waterways. Every now and then I can see a road I know, a remote camp that I recognise — but mostly it is just a pastiche of remote land, ticking away as it has since the Kimberley drifted in and ground itself onto the continent. The “weld” is the Fitzroy Valley.

There is no better way to see the river systems, waterfalls and to follow the coast.

I keep every notebook I write in, and this is what I once wrote on an air safari in the Kimberley, just as it came to me …

“The land is spread beneath me like a great, relaxed body — arteries of rivers glint as the sun drops into them, green veins of trees follow underground water and, at this moment, it looks like a soft, green sheet has been draped over it, the pink of its flesh showing only barely through. I get lost in this reverie, submerged in country.”

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+ Kimberley Coast HeliSafari has a six-day, six-night private helicopter safari along the Kimberley Coast. The HeliSafari, in a private helicopter, lands guests on the top of ranges to watch, to fish untamed rivers, and to remote rock art galleries. They fly over gorges and cool off in springs and waterfalls. The trip is from Kununurra, and includes accommodation at Kimberley Coastal Camp and El Questro Homestead. It is $28,230 per person, twin share, fully inclusive. kimberleyexperiences.com.au and 0419 023 833.

+ Kimberley Experiences pulls together a lot of options for seeing the Kimberley in 2025, from self-drive to luxury and eco accommodation. It has a guide to Kimberley waterfalls, coastal cruises and tours. Its website is a “one stop shop” for planning and booking, with its providers and experiences categorised by destinations, experiences and itineraries, and with a search facility. kimberleyexperiences.com.au

+ Stephen Scourfield has written two novels set in the Kimberley. One won the WA Premier’s Award for fiction.