WEST KIMBERLEY PLACE REPORT - Department of Sustainability ...

manage and reduce the impact of wild fires.
The Kimberley is one of Australia's least densely populated regions, with around
40,000 people living in an area almost twice the size of Victoria (the population of
Victoria is 5,000,000), and most of them in the towns of Broome, Kununurra and
Derby. Between 1996 and 2006, the Kimberley (including all four local council
shires) had one of the fastest growth rates of any region in Western Australia, and the
population is expected to more than double by the year 2031. About three quarters of
Kimberley residents are based in three major centres: Broome, Kununurra and Derby.
About half the residents of the Kimberley identify as being Aboriginal. The
population is relatively young, with a median age of 30, compared to the Western
Australian median of 36. The median age of the Indigenous population of the
Kimberley is only 22 (ANRA 2009; KDC 2008).
A significant addition to these numbers are those people who do not live permanently
in the Kimberley, but visit the region as tourists. Tourism WA estimated that, between
2005 and 2007, an average of 346,600 people visited the Kimberley each year, staying
a total of 2,808,300 nights and spending $257 million. These figures are expected to
increase in the coming years (WA Tourism cited in KDC 2008). While tourism offers
many benefits to the region, a rapid increase in visitor numbers also poses challenges
to land managers and Traditional Owners. Many places that tourists are attracted to
for their aesthetic or 'wilderness' qualities are also important sites for Aboriginal
people, and are connected to powerful creation beings and significant stories. As a
senior Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owner whose country includes Punamii–
unpuu (Mitchell Falls), said:
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'[W]e want (tourists) to understand how we want to manage that land, and they have
to respect. They have to respect what we say, even if it's a bit hard for them to
understand. The only thing we do not want in this Wunambal country is disrespect' (a
quote taken from Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation 2001).
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Traditional Owners want visitors to know how they should behave on country, and
which places or actions should be avoided. Throughout the Kimberley, Traditional
Owners are keen to have a greater involvement in the management of their country.
While the Kimberley has not yet been acknowledged for its Indigenous aesthetic
values, Kimberley Aboriginal people possess their own distinctive ideas about what
constitutes 'beautiful' or 'healthy' country. In the words of a senior Warawa man , 'a
beautiful country is an occupied country, where the right people tell the story and the
right story comes out' (KLC 2010).
From its inception in the second half of the nineteenth century until the cultured pearl
industry of the late twentieth century, pearling has forged a unique multicultural
community in Broome. This fusion of cultures is manifested in the architecture,
maritime traditions, community infrastructure and garden landscape of the town
(Sickert 2003; Akerman et al. 2010). Despite attempts to keep people separated,
Broome people have mixed and shared their lives and culture. One long-term resident
claims, 'I'm proud to be a Broome person…against adversities, we've made it.' And
speaking of other families that faced adversity: 'they're still got their grace…it's all
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