GUIDE: East Kimberley adventures
Cally Dupe finds adventure in the the Kununurra region of the East Kimberley.
Western Australia’s rugged East Kimberley has always been a favourite destination for those chasing adventure and excitement.
And while the landscape is visually breathtaking and a magnet for tourists from all over the world, it’s exploring it that really gets your adrenaline pumping.
Whether it’s saddling up for a tour of the remote landscape on horseback, canoeing down the picturesque Lake Kununurra or hooking that magic metre barramundi, there’s a whole world of adventure out there to be had and the East Kimberley is the place to have it.
FISHING
Reeling in a “barra” is a rite of passage for anglers in the Kimberley. And if there’s one man who knows how to catch a big one, it’s Greg Harman.
Hairy Dog, as he’s known to mates, founded his fishing camp on the banks of the lower Ord River more than two decades ago. With the help of wife Jane and son Levi, Ultimate Adventures has helped thousands of people hook their dream fish.
If chasing barra is not your cup of tea, wait until you see the crocs.
About an hour’s drive from Kununurra, the remote location is a stretch of wilderness virtually untouched by civilisation and Hairy Dog’s tours get you a front-row seat to an array of wildlife.
The water is teeming with prized barramundi but in the surrounds are also dozens of species of birds, wallabies and saltwater crocodiles.
Coming face-to-face with the ancient reptiles can be nerve-racking but at least you know you are in the right spot for catching fish.
Whether casting lures around snags or fishing live bait, the tours even offer a novice angler such as me the chance to catch my first ever barra. At 66cm, it’s not breaking any records, but it’s a keeper and not long afterwards, my companions on the tour, a Melbourne couple in their sixties, hook an even bigger prize.
Catching a barra should be near the top of every bucket list and there’s no place like the Kimberley to do it.
Back at the camp, the overnight bush bed and breakfast caters for all travellers with a kitchen, veranda dining, screened rooms and an ablution block overlooking the river.
Just up the road at the port town of Wyndham is a monsoon-lashed coastline of mud and mangroves rich in barramundi, salmon and jewfish.
Getting local advice is a huge advantage, and Andy Yardley started taking visitors to his special fishing spots off the Wyndham coast in the middle of last year, when he founded Northbound Charters.
The fishing expert takes up to four guests at a time to his remote fishing camp near the false mouth of the Ord River, and with a vessel named “Barra Boat”, what’s not to like?
HORSERIDING
Long before helicopters, utes and motorbikes, horses were a stockman’s most valuable asset for mustering cattle.
Today, they remain integral to cattle stations but they are also fast becoming a hit with tourists.
A born stockman, Roderick Woodland moved to a once- rundown property an hour’s drive from Wyndham in 1976, naming it Digger’s Rest.
The 4000ha property is small for this neck of the woods, with just 500 head of cattle, a handful of goats and more than 50 horses — but it’s building a reputation for guided horseback tours.
A horse trek from the homestead to the magnificent King River, which flows past the station and into the Cambridge Gulf, opens your eyes to the property’s fantastic scenery.
And if you think it looks familiar, it probably does.
Digger’s Rest was the setting for Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 epic Australia. The crew and stars, including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, camped at Digger’s for about six weeks while filming the box-office love story.
The horses at Digger’s are sure-footed and we hold on while they pick their way up rocky hills and down steep muddy banks into billabongs before scrambling up the other side.
This country has barely changed since the first cattlemen arrived early last century. There are magnificent boabs in all sizes — some said to be more than 1000 years old.
They look prehistoric with their bulging, grey, shiny trunks and, at this time of the year, almost no leaves.
There’s plenty of wildlife as well: on my drive out to the station I see wallabies and small kangaroos, a couple of dingoes, a freshwater crocodile and an array of birds.
Under the guidance of Roderick and his wife Alida, guests explore the magical landscape on two-hour or full- day rides. For seasoned riders, tours of three to 14 days cast you deep into the Kimberley bush through winding trails to mimic the cattle drovers of the past century.
Riders on the overnight journeys must be able to walk, trot and canter in the rough scrub and will spend up to seven hours in the saddle each day before sleeping rough.
A few hundred kilometres down the Gibb River Road, Home Valley Station also offers tours of the rugged landscape by horseback.
Guides take guests along trails which formed part of the original stock route in the 1800s. The breathtaking scenery is explained by commentary and, as you become more confident, you can enjoy the challenge of a river crossing.
Back in Kununurra, Yee Haa Trail Rides offers something a little closer to civilisation. Their tours lead riders through the heart of the bush along Elephant Rock and to the Ord River. It’s a unique view of the ancient rock formation and another slice of Kimberley paradise.
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CANOEING
With no roads in sight and no electricity, canoeing the mighty Ord River is one of the best ways to get up close and personal with the Kimberley landscape.
While paddling the 55km from Lake Argyle to Kununurra, you’ll hear only the birds chirping, the rhythmic “whoosh” of your paddle and the occasional plop of a freshwater crocodile sliding off the river bank.
While I opt for a day tour, for the same cost you can also opt to stay one or two nights at Maka’s campsites dotted along the Ord.
Maka, aka Adam McKay, is everything you’d expect an Aussie tour guide to be — cheery, in-love with the landscape and adorned with a bushman’s hat and pluggers like slippers.
He runs Kununurra-based eco-tourism company Go Wild Adventure Tours, and his Eco-noeing trip is one of the best.
The first 5km from Lake Argyle is easy paddling through gorge country with cliffs so impressive you’ll barely notice the faster water ahead.
These “rapids” are over in a heartbeat but I’m glad I took note when Maka mentioned to “paddle straight through” to avoid tipping over.
If you decide to camp, you’ll spend a night on the bank near Cooliman Creek — on a raised sleeping platform away from the crocs — before being picked up by Maka at Spillway Creek the following afternoon.
The paddle from Cooliman to Spillway Creek is shorter but the river is wider and the flow not as fast. Stay two nights and camp at Spillway Creek before paddling the remaining distance to Kununurra.
Eco-canoeing’s camp sites have camp kitchens and raised sleeping platforms.
HELIFISHING
While more easily accessible fishing spots in the Kimberley are rarely overcrowded, there’s joy to be found by fishing in solitude at remote locations not accessible by road.
Helifishing near Kununurra with Helispirit not only offers a bird’s-eye view of the stunning landscape but also an unrivalled wilderness experience.
The helicopter rises with a slight shudder and a cool breeze floats through the cabin.
Each passenger shares high hopes of catching a bounty of barramundi; they’ve heard the stories of past trips.
As the helicopter lands at the “secret” spot and the dust settles, the sound of the rotor blades is replaced by the splash of a lure as it creates ripples on the otherwise-still water.
Within two minutes there is a tug and pull as a wriggling barramundi is hoisted onto the shore. Splashing and yelling signal the catch of another fish.
The excitement of reeling in a barramundi is addictive and you will soon find yourself dreaming of catching one bigger than the magic metre mark.
Take to the waters near Home Valley Station and you can cook what you catch for dinner, or have a chef at Dusty’s Bar and Grill cook it for you. You’ll find Home Valley Station about 1.5km off the Gibb River Road, 120km from Kununurra.
Professional Helicopter Services’ four-hour helifishing tour takes guest to an isolated hotspot to fish for barramundi.
Take home one fish each and your guides will fillet your catch at the camp site for free, or for a fee you can take it to Dusty’s Bar and Grill and have the station chef cook it for you.
ADVENTURE SPORT
Each August, locals and tourists flock to Lake Argyle for the annual Adventure Race.
Tackled either solo or in teams of four, the race sees competitors swim 2km in Lake Argyle before running over the dam wall to the transition point and kayaking 13km down the Ord River.
From there they run 6km through rugged and rocky scrub before hopping on their bikes for the 21km mountain-bike leg, which finishes at the Lake Argyle Resort.
The brainchild of local sporting enthusiast Glenn Taylor, the event has grown in popularity in recent years and is one of a growing number of adventure sports Taylor wants to launch in the region.
Last year’s Adventure Race used part of a newly constructed mountain-bike track which it is hoped will attract more keen mountain-biking tourists to the region.
Starting at the gates to Durack Homestead, the track covers a spectacular 5km loop close to the edge of Lake Argyle.
But it’s not the only adventure course Taylor dreams of.
Last year, he was also pushing a bold plan to have Spillway Creek used for white-water rafting if the State Government decided to go ahead with plugging the overflow to increase Lake Argyle’s capacity.
He said the idea would create a world-class white-water venue at Lake Argyle.
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FACT FILE
Full-day Ultimate Adventures are from $340 per person or $530 with camp stay and Kununurra transfers. barramundiadventures.com.au.
Northbound Charters fishing tours start from $350. 0438 929 577 or northboundcharters.com.au.
Trail riding at Digger’s Rest Station is $100 for two hours, $240 full-day ride. The three to 14-day tours start from $1400. Stay at Digger’s Rest in a two-person Bush Hut for $110 or a Homestead Bunkhouse for $130. Swag stays are from $15. diggersreststation.com.au.
All standard canoe tours with Go Wild are $220, from a day trip to two-night adventure. gowild.com.au or 1300 663 339.
Helispirit’s half-day helifishing adventure is $850 including two landings, fishing gear, breakfast burger and Matso’s beer. Tours can be tailored. helispirit.com.au or 9168 1101.
Professional Helicopter Services’ Home Valley Station helifishing four-hour experience costs from $490. hvstation.com.au or 1300 134 044.
Two nights at Home Valley Station are from $199 in a guesthouse or $272 twin-share in a Grass Castle. Eco-tent stays are $150 per night with camping from $16 per adult. hvstation.com.au and 1300 134 044.
Lake Argyle Resort has powered and unpowered camp sites, grand lake-view villas, standard lake-view villas and outback safari huts. Prices range from $16 per person for an unpowered site to $959 for eight people in the grand villa. lakeargyle.com or 9168 7777.
Registrations for the Lake Argyle Swim open in November. lakeargyleswim.com.
Register for Lake Argyle Adventure Race at lakeargyleadventurerace.com.au. The entry fee is $150 per solo entrant or $360 for a team.
