Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 9 . PERTH & WESTERN AUSTRALIA
the Broome Visitor Centre (which appear later in this chapter) also handle
inquiries on things to see and do across the entire Kimberley, and you can drop
into their information offices once you arrive.
GETTING AROUND Enormous distances, high gas costs (often A$1 per liter
or more, equivalent to US$2.45 per U.S. gal.), Wet Season floods, and very limited
roads and other facilities can make traveling the Kimberley expensive and
time-consuming. The place has lots of attractions that are so remote that only aerial
tours or charter boats can reach them. Many more sights are accessible only
on unpaved roads, for which your 2WD rental car is not insured and probably
can’t handle, so if you do not want to rely on tours, rent a 4WD. Allow for an
average speed of 60kmph (38 mph) on the area’s rough unsealed roads, and never
exceed 80kmph (50 mph), as unexpected dips and smooth patches can take drivers
by surprise. Most rental outfits will allow one-way rentals between Broome
and Kununurra, or vice versa, at a ball-park surcharge of A$350 to A$550
(US$228–US$358). Review the “Road Conditions & Safety” and “Tips for
Four-Wheel Drivers” in section 17 of chapter 2 before setting off. Kimberley
Camping & Outback Supplies, Shop 1, 1642 Frederick St., Broome (& 08/
9193 5909), sells and rents every piece of camping equipment you need, from
tents and mozzie (mosquito) nets to cooking utensils. A complete set is around
A$50 (US$33) per day for two people; weekly rates are available.
Taking a guided 4WD camping or accommodated safari is a neat way to sidestep
the challenges of Kimberley travel. Safaris depart Broome, Kununurra, or
Darwin, and last between 2 days and 2 weeks. A popular route is the cross-Kimberley
journey between Broome and Kununurra, or vice versa. If you opt for this
route, look for tours that traverse the adventurous Gibb River Road, rather than
the less interesting highway via Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing. Most safaris
only run in the Dry Season from April/May to October/November. Respected
operators include East Kimberley Tours (& 08/9168 2213; www.eastkimberley
tours.com.au); Kimberley Wilderness Adventures (& 1800/804 005 in Australia,
or 08/9192 5741; www.kimberleywilderness.com.au); Adventure Tours
(& 1300/654 604 in Australia; www.adventuretours.com.au); and Australian
Pinnacle Tours (& 1800/999 069 in Australia, or 08/9417 5555; www.pinnacle
tours.com.au).
Broome Aviation (& 1300/136 629 in Australia, or 08/9192 1369; www.
broomeaviation.com) and King Leopold Air (& 08/9193 7155; www.
kingleopoldair.com.au), based in Broome, and Alligator Airways (& 08/9168
1333; www.alligatorairways.com.au) and Slingair Heliwork (& 1800/095 500
in Australia, or 08/9169 1300; www.slingair.com.au), based in Kununurra, run
a range of tours all over the Kimberley, lasting from a couple of hours to several
days. Some involve sightseeing on the ground, hiking, 4WD trips, overnights at
fishing camps, or calls into cattle stations.
BIRD-WATCHING & BUSHWALKING WITH CAMELS
More than one-third of Australia’s bird species live in the Kimberley. The blue,
green, yellow, and violet Gouldian finch, Nankeen night heron, tawny frogmouth,
and hundreds more get “twitchers”—as locals affectionately dub birdwatchers—excited.
The Broome Bird Observatory research station (& 08/9193
5600; fax 08/9192 3364), 25km (16 miles) out of town on Roebuck Bay, monitors
the thousands of migratory wetlands birds that gather here from Siberia. It
offers 2-1/2-hour tours from Broome of shorebird, mangrove, and bush species