Camping at Honeymoon Bay, WA
Travellers on the Gibb River Road can extend their adventure with a sidetrack to Kalumburu. But should you take a van?
Kalumburu, located in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, is an Aboriginal community with around 400 residents from the Wunambal and Kwini language groups. It is the most northerly settlement in Western Australia. Due to seasonal conditions in the tropical savanna, it is only accessible by road during the dry season, so the best time to travel is between May and October.
Founded as a Christian mission in 1908 by Benedictine monks 30km away at Pago on Mission Bay and known as the Drysdale River Mission, the community moved to its present location in 1937, closer to a more secure water supply at Kalumburu Pool on the King Edward River. Access was by sea or air until 1954, when a road was built connecting to Kununurra, 550km away.
The Kalumburu Mission Church
An air and radar base was established during World War II to defend the north from attack, and in 1943, the town was hit by Japanese bombers with the loss of six lives, including the head monk and a child. Subsequently, the RAAF moved 32km away to Truscott on the Anjo Peninsula, which now operates as a discreet military facility and a service centre for offshore oil rigs. Truscott hit the news last year when a boatload of Chinese men walked into the base, seeking asylum.
World War II wrecks
The Catholic Church administered the community until 1982, when the local Kalumburu Aboriginal Corporation took over management. The community features a store, a primary school, a Kira Kiro Art Centre, a remote health centre and a police station. Supplies are delivered by a fortnightly barge from Darwin. Visitors need a free permit to travel to the area and another $50 town access permit.
Getting there
You reach Kalumburu from the Gibb River Road, which connects Derby and Kununurra and is one of Australia's most iconic outback drives — to read more about it, check out that part of our adventure here and in issue 656. A T-intersection on the main road leads you to the free camp on the picture-perfect Gibb River. From here, you can either explore deeper into the wilderness or continue to Derby or Kununurra, depending on your travel direction.
Information about the conditions between Gibb River and Kalumburu was concerning. We learned that the track was quite rough, including the 50km to the first stop at Drysdale Homestead. Nevertheless, we decided to check it out for ourselves and although nasty corrugations persisted for five or six kilometres at a time in a few spots, we made it to Drysdale River Station well in time for lunch. Spanning a million acres, the working cattle station is a family-run operation that welcomes travellers during the dry season.
The fuel stop and cafe experienced steady trade from couples travelling in rooftop tents and campers, though there were few caravans. There’s open-air dining in a beer garden and plenty of space for camping. You don’t need to book unless you want a powered site or a room, and it offers free caravan and trailer storage for those heading to Mitchell Falls. There are scenic flights over the Plateau and Prince Regent River for an easy way to see this remote area.
From Drysdale River Station, it’s another 100km to the turnoff for Mitchell River National Park along the Port Warrender Track, and along this section, the corrugations were as rough as you’ll find. It was difficult to establish a rhythm because the road surface varied significantly, with deep potholes and dust traps.
The sign to Kalumburu
We travelled late in the season, so we decided against trekking to Mitchell Falls. Those who visited in previous days told us that only a trickle of water was flowing and that the road conditions were grim. Perhaps next time. However, we drove the short distance to the Munurru rock art site on the other side of the King Edward River, where there’s an impressive gallery of Wandjina paintings. This art style is unique to the Kimberley region and features dramatic representations of a creator spirit responsible for bringing rain. Visitor permits are required.
Kalumburu is 100km from the Port Warrender Road through low hills with views across rocky escarpments and low-lying billabongs. Gibber-strewn sections of the track slowed things down, but the travelling was better than expected. Rocky crossings at Carson River and Corackerup Creek were about 400mm deep to keep things interesting.
Crossing Coondilla Creek
Arriving in Kalumburu
The town sits on high flat ground above the river, and the bitumen roads are a happy relief after the kilometres of gravel. The old Benedictine mission dominates the southeastern corner of town. Groups of young teenagers walked the street, and there was a laid-back vibe in the late afternoon. Follow Carson Street to the end, and the community store is on the corner at the ironically named Kalumburu Boulevard. The local shop is well stocked, but I was reminded of an ABC report I had recently seen that used Kalumburu as an example of the high cost of groceries and staples in remote locations. After paying for our permit, we were advised that the best place to camp was at Honeymoon Bay, about 35km away.
It is a dry community
Kalumburu lagoon
Hard road to Honeymoon Bay
As it turned out, that last section of the journey was the roughest and slowest of our Gibb River Road experience. Much of the road to Honeymoon Bay is narrow and deeply corrugated, making it unsafe to travel quickly to get any floating effect over the corrugations. It was dark when we arrived at the camp, but we were welcomed and settled in for the night near the reception area.
The informal, Aboriginal-owned camping ground was established in the 1990s by Les French as a fishing camp. These days, it is managed by his grandson, Lancho Davey, and his wife, Joy. Sites can be booked upon arrival at $25 per person per day, as they don’t take reservations due to many prospective campers often giving up their travel plans when they realise how tough the road can be. Amenities include flushing toilets and a wood-fired heater for the showers.
Camping at Honeymoon Bay
We moved closer to the beach among some boab trees the following day, and although we had been warned about midges, none were around during our stay.
I booked one of Lancho’s charters on his 8m boat. We were a group of five fishos heading to Niiwalarra Island, about 10km offshore. Large imprints in the sand reminded us that this is croc country, and we were told there’s evidence of Indonesian fisherman on the beach. Lancho gathered bait with a cast net before we drifted over the reef, trying to haul it aboard before the sharks attacked. We brought home some solid red emperor and golden snapper, which went into the car freezer for dinners over the next couple of weeks.
You have to be quick to beat the sharks
McGowans Island Camping Ground is another Aboriginal-run campsite about 10km along the coast, offering similar facilities but with some grassy areas close to the beach. Contract hosts run it, and although we didn’t stay, they seemed friendly and accommodating. Neither camp is five-star, and you need the degree of flexibility and self-sufficiency that all remote travellers should possess. Some campers stay in the Kalumburu beach camps for months at a time, enjoying the fishing and serenity.
Casting for bait
Take a tour with Clarrie
The area around Kalumburu is steeped in Aboriginal history and art, and we found that a tour with local guide Clarrie Djanghara was the best way to experience it. Clarrie upholds his father’s legacy by sharing the richness of his culture, introducing us to galleries of paintings, including the mysterious wraith-like Gwion Gwion or Bradshaw style. Clarrie treated us to several galleries and highlighted paintings that we would have struggled to find on our own.
We learned about bush tucker and the medicinal properties of various plants, and he explained when they were in season, demonstrating different traditional painting methods. Finally, we explored WWII wrecks of a Beaufighter fighter bomber, radial engine and rusting parts scattered in the bush near the old airfield.
Kalumburu art tour with Clarrie
Learning about bush tucker
On a mission
Father James manages the Kalumburu Mission with the assistance of volunteers organised through the Broome diocese of the Catholic Church. Visitors are invited to stroll among the shady trees in a peaceful, nostalgic atmosphere. Materials for the corrugated iron church were sourced from the original structure in Pago, and the interior design showcases a captivating blend of Aboriginal and Christian cultures.
Among the many buildings is the monastery, which boasts intricate stonework and a long veranda joining wings at each end. The museum has a valuable collection of historic memorabilia, indigenous artwork and artifacts, so it’s worth tracking down someone to show you around. Interestingly, the complex preserves two tin shacks closer to the river, the remains of accommodation for aboriginal families, as a reminder of different times. Some rooms have been converted to accommodation, and there’s also a camping area and caravan park with powered sites. The mission is the only place to fill up with fuel, and it’s only open between 8am and 10am on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You need to buy a prepaid voucher at the store for the amount of fuel you think you will need for the trip back to Drysdale River Station.
Clarrie told us our visit coincided with Foundation Day or ‘Kalumburu Day’. The community was planning a celebration later in the week, including a corroboree and a barbecue, and he invited us along. The annual event marks the establishment of the original Pago mission and the continuing importance of aboriginal culture. It was a special night of dance and music that we will long remember.
Traditional dance
Even though we heard there wasn’t much to see at the old Pago Mission, we decided to go and have a look. It’s marked on Hema Maps’ map, so finding it wasn’t difficult, but the track is rocky and overgrown in places. We discovered the remains of a larger building, a stone oven, and a well, and we took some time with a cuppa to reflect on life at the mission a century ago.
Pago Mission well and oven
So, should you take a van to Kalumburu?
We knew what to expect when we got back to Gibb River Road, so we settled in for a bumpy ride and took it easy. We camped halfway along the track and were just getting comfortable when a patrol of North-West Mobile Force (NORFORCE) soldiers arrived atop open six-wheel Mercedes G-Wagons, resplendent in helmets and dust masks. I don’t think we’ve ever felt more secure camping in the Australian bush.
Should you take a van? That depends. If you haven’t had experience on unmaintained, corrugated outback tracks, you are in for a shock. Speaking of which, we ruined a Pedders caravan shock absorber, and that seemed to add to the rough ride inside because the door fell off the oven, and that’s never happened before.
If you are well prepared and have a suitable offroad style van, it’s worth the extra miles as a detour off the Gibb. You need to watch tyre pressures, take plenty of fresh water, and suitable spare parts. A satellite phone or personal locator beacon (PLB) might be a good idea. There aren’t many places where you can experience the sites and history of the remote WA northern coast, and that’s reason enough to risk the rough ride.
Sunset at Honeymoon Bay
Fast facts
- Purchase Kalumburu permits at Uraro Store Kalumburu.
- Free transit permits
- Kalumburu Road report
- Drysdale River Station
- Honeymoon Bay
- McGowans Island Camping Ground:
P: 08 9161 4748 -
Kalumburu Mission
P: 08 9161 4333
THE NEXT STEP
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Detour off the Gibb River Road to Kalumburu, WA