Beyond the Boabs - Derby 3 day itinerary

Derby is located on an ancient sand dune, dotted with magnificent boab trees and surrounded by intriguing mudflats. This 3-day itinerary will help you make the most of your time in the Kimberley's first town!

Accommodation:

Activities/Tours:

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures
KAS Helicopters
Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek Bus Tour
Mowanjum Art Centre
One Tide Charters

Horizontal Falls Boat, WA

Day 1

With 12-metre tides a visit to Derby is not complete without seeing high and low tides from the Derby Wharf. It’s also the closest town to the Buccaneer Archipelago - known as the Thousand Islands and home to the Horizontal Waterfalls.

Join a half-day scenic flight in a seaplane then a boat tour of the Horizontal Waterfalls at Talbot Bay. Take a fixed wing flight over the Buccaneer Archipelago with a stopover at Cape Leveque for a swim and refreshments. Or to catch some inland scenery, take a flight that incorporates the Buccaneer Archipelago and Mt Hart Wilderness Lodge.

Windjana Gorge - view - TWA

Day 2

Join a one-day four-wheel drive tour or self-drive route to the National Parks of Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. Discover the wonders of this amazing Devonian Reef system or visit the ruins of the Lilimillura Police Station.

Along the way, check out the Boab Prison Tree, believed to be 1,500 years old, the tree was once used as a staging point for Indigenous prisoners being walked into Derby. Take a look at Myall’s Bore and Cattle Trough, a huge 120-metre long trough that could handle 500 bullocks at one time. Or visit the modern Mowanjum Art Centre off the Gibb River Road.

Derby Jetty - Aerial View

Day 3

If you enjoy fishing, you have plenty of options around Derby. The Wharf, Langi Crossing, Telegraph Pool, Pelican Pool, Willare Bridge, and the Fitzroy River are all good stops for catching cod, groper, salmon, mulloway, golden grunter, sharks, cat fish, barramundi, mud crabs and cherabun. Limited one-day fishing tours are available depending on tides, contact the Derby Visitor Centre for details.

Check out the many Derby attractions, including Old Derby Gaol, Derby Pioneer Cemetery, Royal Flying Doctors Base, Kimberley School of the Air and Joonjoo Botanical Trail. Anyone for golf? Derby Boabs Golf Course is an 18-hole composite course, grassed from tee to green and dotted with boab trees.