To the outside world the Kimberley remains a bit of an enigma, overshadowed by Red Centre and Top End all-stars like Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Park. We\u2019d like to remedy that, so here for your wanderlusting pleasure are our five\u00a0favourite spots in Australia\u2019s last frontier.<\/p>\n
1. Bungle Bungles<\/h3>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/kimberley-bungle-David.jpg\")
<\/a>The red slopes of the Bungle Bungles. Image David, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
To give you an idea of just how impenetrable the Kimberley can be, a film crew only stumbled on its biggest natural wonder, the Bungle Bungles, in 1983. Of course the local Kija Aboriginal people and other tribes had known about it for thousands of years. The sheer scale of the enormous sandstone massif, hundreds of \u2018beehive\u2019 and multi-hued rock formations, can only really be appreciated from the air, but a day\u2019s walking along 7km Piccaninny Creek track is still one of the most incredible experiences in the country.<\/p>\n
2. Gibb River Road<\/h3>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/kimberley-gibb-Jurriaan-Persyn1.jpg\")
<\/a>This isn’t the place for a smart car. Image Jurriaan Persyn, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They say you haven\u2019t seen the real Australia until you\u2019ve left the bitumen behind, and the Gibb River Rd is about as wild a stretch of red dust as you\u2019ll find. It cuts through the heart of the Kimberley, and is one of the country\u2019s truly great drives, passing through savannah planes, back-of-beyond cattle stations and past river canyons in the Windjana Gorge National Park. Parts of the road have been paved since the mid 2000s, but a 4WD is still recommended for the more corrugated stretches.<\/p>\n
3. El Questro<\/h3>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/kimberley-chamberlain-NeilsPhotography.jpg\")
<\/a>The rocky banks of the Chamberlain River at El Questro, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
This is one of our favourite stops in the Kimberley. Sitting in a vast and arid desert of red rock and grassland, it feels a little like coming home. El Questro is a former cattle station, a quaint 400,000-hectares (practically a hobby farm up this way) of scenic gorges like Amelia and El Questro and the Zebedee thermal springs, with the mighty Chamberlain River running through the lot. There\u2019s a range of accommodation options, ranging from swags and eco-tents on the ground to an exclusive luxury homestead, and enough adventure activities to keep you busy for weeks.<\/p>\n
4. Lake Argyle<\/h3>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/kimberley-argyle-Jon-Connell.jpg\")
<\/a>The Ord River flowing into Lake Argyle. Image Jon Connell, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They call it the Jewel of the Kimberley, which is fair enough considering it\u2019s one of the few sizeable patches of water in the whole place. Lake Argyle is massive. It\u2019s Australia\u2019s second biggest reservoir, equivalent to about 18 Sydney Harbours, and provides the nearby town of Kununurra with irrigation year round. For travellers, it\u2019s paradise: fiery red ridges plunging into the cool blue waters of the dammed Ord River. Migrating birds, local marsupials and a lot of crocs are all attracted to the Lake, making it a hotspot for wildlife watchers.<\/p>\n
5. Cape Leveque<\/h3>\n
<\/a>The red slopes of the Bungle Bungles. Image David, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
To give you an idea of just how impenetrable the Kimberley can be, a film crew only stumbled on its biggest natural wonder, the Bungle Bungles, in 1983. Of course the local Kija Aboriginal people and other tribes had known about it for thousands of years. The sheer scale of the enormous sandstone massif, hundreds of \u2018beehive\u2019 and multi-hued rock formations, can only really be appreciated from the air, but a day\u2019s walking along 7km Piccaninny Creek track is still one of the most incredible experiences in the country.<\/p>\n
2. Gibb River Road<\/h3>\n<\/a>This isn’t the place for a smart car. Image Jurriaan Persyn, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They say you haven\u2019t seen the real Australia until you\u2019ve left the bitumen behind, and the Gibb River Rd is about as wild a stretch of red dust as you\u2019ll find. It cuts through the heart of the Kimberley, and is one of the country\u2019s truly great drives, passing through savannah planes, back-of-beyond cattle stations and past river canyons in the Windjana Gorge National Park. Parts of the road have been paved since the mid 2000s, but a 4WD is still recommended for the more corrugated stretches.<\/p>\n
3. El Questro<\/h3>\n<\/a>The rocky banks of the Chamberlain River at El Questro, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
This is one of our favourite stops in the Kimberley. Sitting in a vast and arid desert of red rock and grassland, it feels a little like coming home. El Questro is a former cattle station, a quaint 400,000-hectares (practically a hobby farm up this way) of scenic gorges like Amelia and El Questro and the Zebedee thermal springs, with the mighty Chamberlain River running through the lot. There\u2019s a range of accommodation options, ranging from swags and eco-tents on the ground to an exclusive luxury homestead, and enough adventure activities to keep you busy for weeks.<\/p>\n
4. Lake Argyle<\/h3>\n<\/a>The Ord River flowing into Lake Argyle. Image Jon Connell, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They call it the Jewel of the Kimberley, which is fair enough considering it\u2019s one of the few sizeable patches of water in the whole place. Lake Argyle is massive. It\u2019s Australia\u2019s second biggest reservoir, equivalent to about 18 Sydney Harbours, and provides the nearby town of Kununurra with irrigation year round. For travellers, it\u2019s paradise: fiery red ridges plunging into the cool blue waters of the dammed Ord River. Migrating birds, local marsupials and a lot of crocs are all attracted to the Lake, making it a hotspot for wildlife watchers.<\/p>\n
5. Cape Leveque<\/h3>\n
<\/a>This isn’t the place for a smart car. Image Jurriaan Persyn, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They say you haven\u2019t seen the real Australia until you\u2019ve left the bitumen behind, and the Gibb River Rd is about as wild a stretch of red dust as you\u2019ll find. It cuts through the heart of the Kimberley, and is one of the country\u2019s truly great drives, passing through savannah planes, back-of-beyond cattle stations and past river canyons in the Windjana Gorge National Park. Parts of the road have been paved since the mid 2000s, but a 4WD is still recommended for the more corrugated stretches.<\/p>\n
3. El Questro<\/h3>\n<\/a>The rocky banks of the Chamberlain River at El Questro, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
This is one of our favourite stops in the Kimberley. Sitting in a vast and arid desert of red rock and grassland, it feels a little like coming home. El Questro is a former cattle station, a quaint 400,000-hectares (practically a hobby farm up this way) of scenic gorges like Amelia and El Questro and the Zebedee thermal springs, with the mighty Chamberlain River running through the lot. There\u2019s a range of accommodation options, ranging from swags and eco-tents on the ground to an exclusive luxury homestead, and enough adventure activities to keep you busy for weeks.<\/p>\n
4. Lake Argyle<\/h3>\n<\/a>The Ord River flowing into Lake Argyle. Image Jon Connell, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They call it the Jewel of the Kimberley, which is fair enough considering it\u2019s one of the few sizeable patches of water in the whole place. Lake Argyle is massive. It\u2019s Australia\u2019s second biggest reservoir, equivalent to about 18 Sydney Harbours, and provides the nearby town of Kununurra with irrigation year round. For travellers, it\u2019s paradise: fiery red ridges plunging into the cool blue waters of the dammed Ord River. Migrating birds, local marsupials and a lot of crocs are all attracted to the Lake, making it a hotspot for wildlife watchers.<\/p>\n
5. Cape Leveque<\/h3>\n
<\/a>The rocky banks of the Chamberlain River at El Questro, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
This is one of our favourite stops in the Kimberley. Sitting in a vast and arid desert of red rock and grassland, it feels a little like coming home. El Questro is a former cattle station, a quaint 400,000-hectares (practically a hobby farm up this way) of scenic gorges like Amelia and El Questro and the Zebedee thermal springs, with the mighty Chamberlain River running through the lot. There\u2019s a range of accommodation options, ranging from swags and eco-tents on the ground to an exclusive luxury homestead, and enough adventure activities to keep you busy for weeks.<\/p>\n
4. Lake Argyle<\/h3>\n<\/a>The Ord River flowing into Lake Argyle. Image Jon Connell, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They call it the Jewel of the Kimberley, which is fair enough considering it\u2019s one of the few sizeable patches of water in the whole place. Lake Argyle is massive. It\u2019s Australia\u2019s second biggest reservoir, equivalent to about 18 Sydney Harbours, and provides the nearby town of Kununurra with irrigation year round. For travellers, it\u2019s paradise: fiery red ridges plunging into the cool blue waters of the dammed Ord River. Migrating birds, local marsupials and a lot of crocs are all attracted to the Lake, making it a hotspot for wildlife watchers.<\/p>\n
5. Cape Leveque<\/h3>\n
<\/a>The Ord River flowing into Lake Argyle. Image Jon Connell, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n
They call it the Jewel of the Kimberley, which is fair enough considering it\u2019s one of the few sizeable patches of water in the whole place. Lake Argyle is massive. It\u2019s Australia\u2019s second biggest reservoir, equivalent to about 18 Sydney Harbours, and provides the nearby town of Kununurra with irrigation year round. For travellers, it\u2019s paradise: fiery red ridges plunging into the cool blue waters of the dammed Ord River. Migrating birds, local marsupials and a lot of crocs are all attracted to the Lake, making it a hotspot for wildlife watchers.<\/p>\n
![\"Cape](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/kimberley-leveque-roger-smith.jpg\")
<\/a>