The Unique Boab Trees of the Kimberley

Boab trees are one of the most famous icons of the Kimberley region in North Western Australia.  Their squat, bulbous trunks and spindly, often leafless branches lead them to being called the ‘upside down’ tree, as it looks as though it is the branches that are driving into the earth and the roots that are reaching up to the sky.  The Aboriginal legend concerning the boab tells that they were once destined to be the most beautiful tree ever created, with the tastiest fruit and the prettiest of flowers. But as the tree grew, its flowers were unattractive and the fruit tasted bad and gave off a bad smell.  The Tree God was very angry at this, so he pulled the boab out of the earth by its roots, and rammed it back into the soil upside down.

Boab Tree, The Kimberley

They are deciduous trees, losing their leaves in the dry season (March to October) and growing new leaves and large white flowers in the early part of the wet season.  Their binomial name is Adansonia gregorii and they are a member of the Malvaceae family.  The ‘gregorii’ part of the their name is to honour the Australian explorer Augustus Gregory, who undertook four major expeditions between 1846 and 1858 into the Australian interior, including one to try and find out what had become of the famous explorer Ludwig Leichhardt.   The Aboriginals have various names for the boab, including gadawon, larrgadiy and larrgadi.  They are also colloquially referred to as ‘bottle trees’, ‘gouty stem trees’, and ‘dead rat trees’. 

The Aboriginal people had uses for several parts of the boabtree.  Water was obtained from the tree’s hollows, the leaves had medicinal uses, the fruit was used to carve or paint on, and the white powder found in the seed pods was used for food.  Some parts of the tree, including the seeds, contain very high levels of vitamin C.  They are now grown commercially in the Kimberley as a food source, and it is the roots that are used.  They are harvested at between six to eight weeks of age when the root is roughly the same size and shape as a large carrot.  They are then sold in bundles like carrots and then after peeling can be sliced or grated.  Apparently they are crunchy and have a texture similar to a carrot or water chestnut.

They are very slow growing, eventually reaching a height of between 9 – 12 metres and developing a very squat, large trunk as they get older.  They can live to be many hundreds of years old, and it is estimated that some of the oldest are at least 1500 years old. The diameter of the trunk has been known to exceed five metres.  Some trees also appear to be split and it looks as if they have two trunks, which is caused by the young tree originally throwing out two shoots.  The trunks can also hollow out with age, and have been known to be used as dwellings or hiding places.

Boab Tree, The Kimberley

Boabs are the only species of Baobab that is endemic in Australia, and its range extends from the Kimberley into the eastern part of the Northern Territory.  Boabs that you see in other places in Australia have been transported there, such as the specimens that you can see in Broome and the boab in Kings Park in Perth.  All the other baobabs are endemic to the African continent, with six species coming from Madagascar and one from mainland Africa.  It is not known how the boab came grow in Australia, but it is believed that the seeds could have been washed over from Africa by the currents of the Indian Ocean, brought by sea birds or even early human visitors.  There is also a theory that they are a remnant species that has survived since Australia and Africa were both part of the ancient continent of Gondwana over 65 million years ago.

Boab Tree, Courthouse in Broome

There are several famous boab trees, and probably the most well known is the Boab Prison Tree, just south of Derby.  This is a large hollowed out tree that was used in the 1890’s as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners, as they were being transported to gaol.  It is now a major tourist attraction and has been fenced off to deter vandalism.  The site has excellent information boards that tell the story of the Prison Tree and the Aboriginal prisoners, and of the natural history of the boab.

So while you are travelling through the Kimberley, look out for these beautiful and unique trees, and marvel at the natural icon that is the boab tree.

Exploring Lake Argyle and the Ord River in the Kimberley

Travelling the Kimberley

If you are planning your dream Australian vacation, then be sure to include the Kimberley region in your holiday itinerary. The Kimberley covers an immense area in the north west of Australia and encompasses a huge variety of different habitats and scenery. The Kimberley is an ancient landscape, and it is thought that the first Aboriginal peoples walked this land as long as 40,000 years ago, leaving behind them in their unique rock art, haunting and evocative images of our long-ago past. The thing that you will notice first when travelling into the Kimberley is how empty it is; it is still a region where you can easily escape any signs of other people and modern living. Then there are the stunning red-hued hills, dramatic gorges, pristine pools of crystal clear water fringed with lush green vegetation, the endless silver sand beaches and the amazing variety of wildlife. The sunrises and sunsets in the Kimberley are sensational, and it is one of life’s real privileges to watch the fruit bats fly out across the darkening sky to start their night’s foraging for food and then watch the stars come out and light up the night sky. I have never seen a night sky as big as it is in the Kimberley, or stars that are so bright.  The best time to visit the Kimberley is during the Australian winter months from April to October, as this is the dry season. During the rest of the year the Kimberley experiences the wet season, with violent rainstorms, high temperatures and humidity and with roads being frequently flooded.  However, there is one part of the Kimberley that even in the middle of the baking hot dry season has plentiful supplies of water, plenty of greenery and productive farmland. This is the area around the town of Kununurra that has been created by the Ord River Irrigation Scheme or ORIS.

Lake Argyle

Ord River Irrigation System

The vast majority of the Kimberley is uncultivated, open savannah, covered by low scrub and dotted with the iconic boab trees. Much of the region is divided into vast cattle stations, but in  1963 the Ord River Irrigation Scheme was started, and now much of this area is now fertile, productive farmland where over sixty types of crop including, perhaps surprisingly, a great deal of sugar cane. Initially, most of the farms grew cotton, but there were big problems with a pest caterpillar called Helicoverpa armigera. The farmers started to use a lot of chemical pesticides, but the caterpillars became resistant to them which caused the cotton yields to fall. This combined with a dramatic drop in world cotton prices, led to cotton farming being abandoned in the region. The Ord River Irrigation Scheme was formed by utilising the waters of the Ord River, which flows for 320 miles through the Kimberley, starting beneath Mount Wells and then skirting the Purnululu National Park, home of the famous Bungle Bungles, through Lake Argyle and past Kununurra before emptying into the Indian Ocean on the Cambridge Gulf. The creation of ORIS also led to the building of the privately owned Ord River Dam Hydro scheme, which provides some of the electricity needed in the eastern Kimberley.

Lake Argyle

Lake Argyle was also formed by the creation of the Ord River Irrigation System, and it is the second largest artificial lake in Australia. Lake Argyle covers an area of around 1000 square kilometres, and an important wetland area called the Lakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar site was also created under the Ramsar Convention.  Lake Argyle has rapidly become a haven for wildlife, and now contains thousands of freshwater crocodiles and many different fish species such as barramundi, bony bream, archer fish and sleepy cod. The huge saltwater crocodile is also occasionally found in Lake Argyle, although as experts disagree on how many are present it would be wise to be cautious. A less welcome addition to the native fauna is the cane toad, a destructive invasive species of amphibian that arrived in 2008, having spread from faraway Queensland.  Lake Argyle and the Ord River are also a birdwatcher’s heaven, as there are so many different species of birds that can be spotted, such as White Quilled Rock Pigeons, Gouldian Finches, Purple Crowned Fairy Wrens, and Yellow Chats.  You can also witness the amazing site of pelicans nesting in trees, as they have to protect their nests from the voracious freshwater crocodiles.

The Ord River

Things to Do On Lake Argyle and the Ord River

This amazing part of the Kimberley has a huge amount to offer the tourist.  If you like messing around on boats, you can book great cruises on either the lake or to travel down the river.  Taking a cruise on Lake Argyle is one of the best ways of drinking in the beauty of the lake, the clear blue skies and the rugged landscape. There is a wide range of different Lake Argyle Cruises to choose from, ranging from early evening lake cruises to watch the sun setting over the magnificent Kimberley scenery, daytime cruises lasting a couple of hours and fishing charters can also be arranged. On all of the Lake Argyle cruises the skipper gives an informative commentary about what you are seeing and how the lake and the Ord River Irrigation Scheme came about, and delicious refreshments are provided. If you prefer to go cruising down the Ord River, you can jump on a cruise that takes you down the river giving you the opportunity to spot freshwater crocodiles, birds and enjoy the beautiful scenery, returning to Kununurra as the sun drops down over the horizon, bathing the land in deep red and orange light.  If you prefer to take to the air, why not splash out and take a scenic flight to enjoy the panorama of seeing Lake Argyle from high in the sky. You can also take longer scenic flights that fly over the huge Argyle Diamond Mine, the truly unique Bungle Bungle range, and the stunning Carr Boyd Ranges. This part of the Kimberley has so much spectacular scenery to offer, that you are bound to fall in love with it and return time and time again.

The Durack Homestead

As Lake Argyle is an artificial lake, when it was created it flooded a large area of land, covering any sign of the scanty human habitation in the area. However, there was one historic homestead in the region due to be flooded that in 1971 it was decided to preserve. This is the amazing Durack Homestead that was originally built on Argyle Downs Station by the Durack family in 1895. The Durack family were one of the original pioneering families who opened up the Kimberley for cattle ranching back in the late 19^th century and if you want to know what life was like back in those times then Mary Durack’s famous book ‘Kings in Grass Castles’ is the book to read. The Durack homestead, a beautiful building constructed of limestone blocks, was dismantled and moved to its new position above the flood waters, and all of the original contents of the house have been placed back into the rebuilt house. Even the family graves have been saved and put into a quiet corner of the pretty garden surrounding the restored homestead.  The Durack Homestead is now open as a museum, to show how these early pioneering families lived, and a visit is included in several of the tours to Lake Argyle.

The Durack Homestead

How To Get To Lake Argyle and the Ord River

Lake Argyle and the Ord River are situated in a very remote part of Western Australia.  Many people visit when they are taking a year or so to travel around Australia in a camper and there are also many tours that include these destinations, ranging from simple backpacker camping tours through to luxurious escorted tours. The main town in the region is Kununurra, which can be reached by sealed roads, although you need to be prepared to drive a 1000 km from Broome or 500 km from Katherine in the Northern Territory. If you are travelling from the Northern Territory, please remember that there strict quarantine laws when entering Western Australia, so fruit, vegetables and other agricultural items cannot be brought over the state border. Kununurra also has a small airport, and you can get flight from Broome, Darwin, Argyle and Perth through Airnorth and Skywest Airlines.

Accommodation Around Lake Argyle and in Kununurra

If you want to stay right beside the lake, you will need to stay at the Lake Argyle Village. This great tourist facility has everything you need for your stay, including a general store, fuel, a licensed restaurant and a visitor centre.  There is an area set aside for camping and caravans or you can hire one of the comfortable Lake View cabins. And just to make it even more special there is a new infinity pool set on the hillside, where you can swim and enjoy the spectacular scenery of Lake Argyle. If you prefer to stay in Kununurra itself, then you can choose from a great selection of great accommodation, ranging from plush hotel resorts, to self-catering apartments, camping and caravan parks and basic, friendly backpackers resorts. Kununurra is a small town, but it offers you a choice of places to eat, a great coffee shop, and several art galleries featuring the work of local Aboriginal artists.

Sunset on the Ord River

So what is not to love about the magnificent landscape that is the east Kimberley? Lake Argyle and the Ord River offer you everything that a tourist could possibly want, whether it is beautiful views, swimming, fishing, boat cruises, scenic flights, hot sunshine, great food and stunning wildlife. Add Lake Argyle and the Ord River to your Australian travel itinerary and I promise that you will not regret it.

All images my own

Why Choose to Visit Western Australia?

Why Western Australia?

Australia is a dream holiday destination for many people, but most travellers are drawn to the hugely iconic Australian destinations of Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, the tropical paradise of the Whitsunday Islands, Uluru, or the majesty of the Great Ocean Road.  However, the often overlooked Western Australia, which is the largest state of Australia and occupies the whole of the Western third of Australia, has much to recommend it as the perfect holiday destination.  Western Australia covers an area of around 2.5 million kilometres, and is bounded by South Australia and the Northern Territory to the east and the Indian Ocean to the north and west.  Western Australia has a vast range of climates, habitats and geographical features.  There are miles of silver sand beaches to be enjoyed in Western Australia, abundant and diverse wildlife to be watched, forests to be hiked through and hot, burning deserts to camp in.

Perth, State Capital of WA

About Western Australia

The state capital of Western Australia is Perth, and of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of Western Australia, 85% of them live in Perth and the south western part of the state. The coastal region of the south west has a Mediterranean climate and was originally forested and is the home of the Karri tree, which is one of the tallest trees in the world.  This part of Western Australia is now an important area for agricultural production, and has many different eco-systems and a huge range of native species, many of them now, unfortunately, under threat.  The central parts of Western Australia are arid semi-desert or desert.  These desert regions have very few inhabitants and the major industry is mining. The temperatures in these desert areas can be very extreme, with the hottest temperature recorded in 1998 in the Pilbara being 50.5 degrees centigrade. In the extreme north of Western Australia, lies the ancient region of the Kimberley, which has a tropical climate with a rainy season and a dry season.

Windjana Gorge

Western Australia's First Inhabitants

There is a lot of academic controversy on when the first humans arrived in Western Australia, but estimates vary between 40,000 to 60,000 years ago.  The Kimberley region especially has many ancient Aboriginal rock art sites.  The first European believed to have first set foot in Western Australia is Dirk Hartog, a Dutch adventurer who made landfall in 1616.  The British and French started to explore the coast of Western Australia during the 18^th century and settlements were founded at what is now known as Albany and on the Swan River, later becoming known as the towns of Perth and Fremantle.  The growth of Western Australia was given an enormous boost in the 1890s when gold deposits were discovered around Kalgoorlie. Some of the major industries of Western Australia today are agriculture, mining and tourism.

Ord River

Travelling Around Western Australia

So how do you get to Western Australia and then travel the huge distances between destinations when you arrive?  International flights into Western Australia mainly arrive into Perth, with a few arriving in Broome.  Perth is a vibrant modern city, with a good public transport system and plenty of hire cars and taxis available.  If you want to travel on from Perth, there are domestic flights available to the other major tourist destinations in Western Australia such as Kalbarri, Broome, Monkey Mia, Kalgoorlie, Albany, Exmouth and Kununurra from Skywest, Virgin Blue and Qantas. For those who prefer to watch the scenery go by, Greyhound Australia runs frequent services between Perth and Darwin that stops at all major centres on the route, though be warned the journey from Perth to Broome takes around 34 hours!  Perth is also where the Indian Pacific Railway starts its long journey across the Nullarbor to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.  The more adventurous can hire a car, a four wheel drive or a motor home.  There are excellent campsites throughout Western Australia, and this is an excellent way of exploring the region.  There are also a wide range of organised tours that you can book on.  These tours generally depart from Perth or Broome, and can range from basic backpacker camping trips through to luxury accommodated tours.

Pinnacles Desert, WA

Tourist Attractions and Things To Do

So where can you holiday in Western Australia and what can you do?  Perth, the state capital, is a beautiful city situated on the Swan River.  Perth offers excellent shopping, dining and night life.  Walk through the beautiful King’s Park, take a boat trip down the river to Fremantle and Rottnest Island, or go and watch a major sporting event.  If wine is your thing, visit the beautiful Margaret River area and visit the wineries and revel in the stunning scenery.  Travel up the coast stopping of at the Pinnacles Desert and at Kalbarri for swimming, fishing and the natural wonders of the Kalbarri National Park.  Marvel at the dolphins at Monkey Mia and go whale watching or snorkelling in the pristine, clear waters of the Ningaloo reef at Exmouth.  Travel inland to explore the Pilbara and Karijini National Park.  Further north, relax in the tropical climate of Broome, the gateway of the Kimberley.  Learn about Broome’s pearling history, ride a camel on Cable Beach or take a trip to Cape Leveque.  Travel through the ancient landscapes of the Kimberley, to visit the Gorges, drive the Gibb River Road, take a boat trip on Lake Argyle or investigate the famous Bungle Bungles.

Cable Beach, Broome

There is truly something for everyone in Western Australia.  There is a huge range of accommodation to choose from, ranging from luxury resorts and hotels, to remote eco resorts, self catering apartments, basic backpackers, to camping and caravan parks. You can see crocodiles, kangaroos, whale sharks, emus, dolphins, whales, turtles and pelicans.  There is excellent hiking, fishing, diving, cycling and surfing.  Eating ranges from sophisticated restaurants with international cuisine in the towns to cooking dinner on a fire under the stars.  Learn about the indigenous aboriginal culture and visit the excellent museum and art gallery in Perth.  Western Australia is so vast that it is unlikely that you will ever be able to see it all, but it is never too soon to start!

Choose Broome For A Great Holiday in Western Australia

Have you ever thought of visiting Broome? If you are planning your dream trip to Australia and do not know which amazing destination to choose, this pearling town surrounded by turquoise seas and silver sand beaches is a brilliant place for a perfect, tropical vacation?  Broome sits 2200 north of Perth on Australia’s amazing western coastline. It combines blue skies and hot sun with amazing beaches.  The town also has an interesting history, is surrounded by beautiful scenery, has a wide range of accommodation to choose from and lots of activities on offer. The contrast between the colours of the pale turquoise seas, the silver sands of the beaches and the deep red of the pindan soil, create a visual feast and are a gift to the photographer looking for stunning images.

Pioneer's Cemetary, Broome, WA

Broome is an isolated town with a standing population of about 15000 people which swells to around 45,000 people during the tourist season, and is a gateway to the vast Kimberley region.   It has been home to the indigenous Yawuru aboriginal people for many thousands of years and the first Europeans to sail down the coast were Dutch traders in the seventeenth century who called the west coast ‘New Holland’.  The first documented land fall was by William Dampier in 1688 and 1699, and the Dampier Peninsula and Dampier Terrace in the town were named after him.

The area was visited by various ships and pearling boats in the following years and Roebuck Bay was put forward as a suitable port for the pearl luggers in 1879 by Charles Harper.  Broome officially became a town in 1883 and was named by John Forrest after the then Governor of Western Australia, Sir Frederick Broome.  The new town took some to grow and develop, but the arrival of the undersea telegraph cable in 1889 from Singapore and the burgeoning mother of pearl fishing industry soon saw the town expand and grow.

The pearl shell was initially fished for the mother of pearl it contained, which was used to make buttons, jewellery and decorative articles.  Initially the divers were Aboriginals who had been tricked or kidnapped and forced to dive without diving suits or equipment, in a practice known as ‘blackbirding’.  With the development and introduction of diving suits and heavy helmets and boots, the Japanese, Malaysians, Koepangers, and Chinese came to dive in Broome, with the Japanese being regarded as the most highly skilled. The onset of the First World War and the development of the plastics industry were major hammer blows to the industry, and it was at that time that the market in cultured pearls began to be developed and is still going strong today.

The region has two seasons, the dry season and the wet season.  The dry season from April to November is the best time to visit as the days are clear, sunny and warm.  The temperature rises in the wet season and the weather is very humid with heavy rainfall.  Many of the tour companies stop taking tours out in the wet season as the roads become impassable due to flooding and it can take several weeks for the waters to subside.

Pearl Luggers, Broome, WA

The easiest way to get to Broome is by air and Broome International Airport has services from most of the major Australian cities and a good local schedule operated by Qantas, SkyWest, Virgin Blue, Airnorth and Golden Eagle Airlines.  If you want to drive you can take the Great Northern Highway or the North West Coastal Highway from Perth or come from Darwin, via Kununurra and the Great Northern Highway.  If you have a sturdy 4WD and are experienced at driving on unsealed roads, you can travel the famous Gibb River Road.  The main thing to be aware of is that the distances you will have to cover are vast and it is likely to take you several days to reach your destination.  Greyhound Australia also runs regular daily services to Broome from both Perth and Darwin.

The town is also included in the itineraries of many tour operators and you will be able to find a tour to suit any budget.  The tours range from basic backpacker camping trips to luxury tailored trips in top accommodations and transport.  Many of the tours going out into the Kimberley also originate in Broome and again are designed to suit all tastes and budgets.  There are also various cruise lines that specialise in sailing through the gorges of the Kimberley coastline, which operate out of the town.

Camels on Cable Beach at Sunset, WA

Getting around the resort itself is easy, as there is an excellent and frequent local bus service that operates around town and out to Cable Beach.  For any information you need about the town and the surrounding Kimberley region and about all of the tours and activities that are available, you can go to the Visitors Centre.  There are many day tours that you can choose from, ranging from town tours, to tours going out to Cape Leveque, Tunnel Creek, Windjana Gorge, Geikie Gorge and the Horizontal Falls.

There are many types of accommodation that you can choose from, ranging from basic backpacker hostels, through caravan and camping sites, self-catering units to hotel rooms and five star resorts. The main tourist accommodation areas are out at Cable Beach and in the town itself around Roebuck Bay.  The first resort to start up in the Cable Beach area was the Cable Beach Resort and Spa which was opened in 1988 and is the only resort hotel that fronts directly onto the beach.

Town Beach, Broome, WA

There are many shopping opportunities in Broome.  As would be expected from a pearling town, there are many fine pearl showrooms, showcasing their luxurious pearl jewellery.  Look out for Paspaley Pearls and Willie Creek Pearl Farms, who also run tours to their pearl farm along the coast where you can learn about how cultured pearls are produced and the history of the pearling industry.  You can wander the historic lanes, such as Johnny Chi Lane, and shop for souvenirs or visit the modern Paspaley Plaza Shopping Centre or the new Boulevard Shopping Centre on Frederick Street.

If you enjoy eating out there are many cafes and restaurants to choose from.  They range from convenience food outlets like McDonalds through to fine dining.  One of the most unique restaurants in the resort is Matso’s Broome Brewery, which is an award winning microbrewery and restaurant.  You can enjoy great food while sampling the ‘Hit the Toad’ premium lager or their famous alcoholic Ginger Beer.  Most of the big hotels and resorts also have their own restaurants, and if you are out at Cable Beach you should give the Old Zoo Cafe a try.

Cable Beach is situated 6km outside of the town centre and offers around 22 km of soft, silver sand and warm turquoise waters.  It got its name from the fact that it was point where the undersea telegraph cable from Singapore reached the Australian shore and it is rated as one of the world’s top five beaches.  Apart from swimming, surfing, fishing and other usual beach activities, Cable Beach also offers the famous camel rides, watching and learning all about crocodiles at the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park and you can also search for the famous dinosaur footprints discovered in 1935 at Gantheaume Point.

Johnny Chi Lane, Broome, WA

There is also a smaller beach, called Town Beach, situated in Broome itself on Roebuck Bay.  The Pioneer’s Cemetery sits on a little promontory overlooking the ocean, and there is a cafe, toilets, showers and a camping/caravan park.  On a few days of the year the tide goes far enough out that the remains of the Flying Boats that were bombed in Broome in 1942 during World War II, with a great loss of life, are exposed.  If you want to know more about the town’s history then The Broome Museum is just around the corner from Town Beach in the little Seaview Shopping Mall.  It is situated in the building that used to be a general store called Newman Goldstein & Co and contains exhibits from the region’s colourful history, including local aboriginal history and culture, the history of the pearling industry and the role of Broome in World War II.

What is now The Courthouse started life as the telegraph cable station, which enabled this remote town to communicate directly with other major Australian cities as well as the rest of the world. The cable station was converted to a Courthouse in 1921 and is still used to this day.  On Saturdays and Sundays there is a popular market in the Courthouse Gardens, selling jewelry, souvenirs, local art and handicrafts.

Willie Creek Pearl Farm, Broome, WA

One of the things that Broome is most famous for is the natural phenomena known as the ‘Staircase to the Moon’.  The ‘Staircase to the Moon’ is an optical illusion that looks like a golden staircase of light is reaching up to the moon through the night sky and is caused by the full moon rising and reflecting off the mudflats in Roebuck Bay at low tide.  It occurs between March and October on different dates every year.  Good viewing spots are Town Beach and the garden of the Mangrove Grove Resort Hotel.

So if glorious sunny weather, stunning beaches, turquoise ocean, loads of activities to try, great tours, and a good selection of accommodation, eating places and shopping mixed with a big dollop of history is your thing, look no further than Broome.  It could be your vacation of a lifetime!