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Saturday, June 25, 2016

The Kimberley

West Australia is quite simply one huge chunk of planet earth; an ancient landscape forged and tempered by millions of years of sun and rain. Like the newcomer it is, Australia's newest town Kununurra, sits tentatively just inside the State's north eastern boundary. To illustrate the vastness of the Australian West, it is almost the same drive time to cross the continent to Brisbane on the east coast from Kununurra, as it is to motor south to West Australia's State capital of Perth.

"The Kimberley" is what locals define as Western Australia’s sparsely settled northern region. It comprises large swaths of wilderness, rugged mountains, dramatic gorges, outback desert and isolated coastlines. The region has a wonderful history from the ancient civilisation of the Australian Indigenous people, to European explorers such as the Durack's from Ireland who paved the way for today's pastoral industry. 

Bazflyers always enjoy unearthing snippets of war history and appropriately it was the Kimberley coast that witnessed the only Japanese force to land in Australia during World War II. A small reconnaissance party came ashore in January 1944 to investigate reports the Allies were building large bases in the region. They investigated the York Sound area before returning to Kupang in Timor. 

Tidal river systems are like arteries feeding water from the hinterland down to the sea.

In the wet season these waterways spill over and fill the landscape from horizon to horizon 

Eye catching mountain ranges are almost as old as time itself

Wild life inhabitants are as facinating as the geology



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