The eastern gateway to the Kimberley is Kununurra. A lot of fun to say, but even better to visit and explore. As a town, my personal preference would be Kununurra over Broome, there’s a lot more locally to see and explore; however, it technically doesn’t have a “beach” like Broome. We spent a few days exploring near and far while basing ourselves in Kununurra, some highlights are below.
Mirima National Park
Nicknamed the mini Bungle Bungles, this national park is a hype of activity early in the morning, even if it’s a Sunday. There’s a few different options in regards to hike, we decided to do the smaller loop and then up to the lookout to overlook the park and Kununurra.
Kelly’s knob lookout
We drove to the car park and just took the short walk to the lookout, there is another look out at the top of the hill which is a hike, but given our hunger by this stage of the morning we decided to not complete it.
Diversion Dam
To the west of Kununurra is the Diversion Dam, completed as the first stage of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme in 1963. You can head down to Lions Park for a close look at water flowing through the dam, and you may see a crocodile if you keep your eyes peeled. Unfortunately on two visits we still didn’t see a crocodile.
Ivanhoe Crossing
The original crossing was part of the first road from Katherine to Wyndham, now it’s a place to watch the locals fishing and the tourists drive across the causeway.
Swim beach
Last stop for the day was Swim Beach. Located just upstream from Diversion Dam, this is apparently where the locals go to swim. The following morning, we heard the news of a child being bitten by a freshwater crocodile within hours after we left.
The Wayfarers Lens 