As early as 1882, fortune seeking pastoralists and farmers have been drawn to pin their hopes on the Ord River and the wide open plains around it. The Ords potential was first identified by explorer Alexander Forrest in 1879. He encouraged graziers in search of new land to the area and subsequently built his empire on leases of 51 million acres. The most well known of these pastoralists was the Durack family, who in 1882 drove 7,250 head of cattle and 200 horses overland from [wiki=a5242c1436be2b5a277885df78be6b01]Queensland[/wiki] to establish the Lissadell, Argyle, Rosewood and Ivanhoe stations. At Ivanhoe station, north of the present Kununurra townsite, the potential of growing crops on the rich alluvial soils of the Ord Valley became apparent and after early experiments literally bore fruit, many acres of cattle country were turned over to agriculture. It was soon realised that the full potential of the Ord to grow thirsty crops could only be achieved with more water.
Begun in 1958, the Ord Irrigation Scheme was an ambitious idea to capture the huge volume of water flowing down the Ord during the monsoon for irrigation of the fertile plains along the river's lower reaches and to develop a productive agriculture industry and create a food bowl for Western Australia.
The first stage was completed in 1963 with the construction of the Diversion Dam, creating Lake Kununurra and feeding a network of canals that supported 31 farms by 1966. Spurred on by this success, the second stage saw the building of the Ord River Dam further upstream, subsequently creating Lake Argyle, Australia's second largest artificial Lake. Construction of the 335 metres long, earth wall dam was completed in 1971 and ceremoniously opened a year later. The reservoir's initial capacity of a hefty 5,641 gigilitres (equivalent to 11 Sydney Harbours by some peoples estimate) was increased in the early 1990s, when the wall was raised by 6 metres to double its current capacity to an oceanic 10,763 giglitres. The extra capacity enabled a hydroelectric power station to keep spinning and provide the towns power.
In the early days, farmers experimented with a range of crops and had variable results. Crops such as cotton and rice were dismal failures as pests and birds ate it quicker than it could grow. But sugar cane, bananas, melons and mangos became a very successful cash crop. In recent years, sandalwood plantations became more abundant. A trial of commercial hemp proved to be viable and production is tipped to be expanded once the states draconian laws can be modernised.
There are a few explanations for the etymology of the town's name, the most popular being a mangled English pronunciation of Gunanurang - "Big River" in the local Miriwoong people's language.
Many scenes from the movie Australia were filmed in the area surrounding Kununurra.
Kununurra has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons; the monsoonal ‘wet’ season and the touristy ‘dry’ season. The wet season starts around October, typified by heavy rain, 40°C days and uncomfortable humid nights, and ends in April. The rest of the year is the milder, dry season, bringing 30°C highs, blue skies and the bulk of tourists.
Though the dry is typically the peak tourist season, the wet is arguably the best time to see Kununurra. The monsoonal weather brews up billowing thunderclouds flashing with electrical storms that make for some beautiful sunsets. The ensuing downpours create rushing cascades to usually dry waterholes and bring a flush of new green growth to the landscape. If you can endure the humidity and incessant rain, you will see a Kununurra that many miss.
* Your best source for free pamphlets about services in Kununurra, maps and Kimberley themed knick-knacks. Staff are quite helpful in answering your questions and even provide a free tour booking service. This not for profit visitor centre receives commissions to fund their fantastic services.
Kununurra is a mere 30km from the [wiki=b19aa8ce8070b6012633afc284e5f569]Northern Territory[/wiki] border, but a long way from anywhere else. The drive over vast distances, through some very isolated country to get there should not be taken lightly, though with a bit of forward planning the getting there can be a great trip in itself.
Kununurra airport , is 4km outside of town and has flights to regional centres as well as some charter and scenic flights. The airport is small but modern and the runway has one of the most scenic approaches you are likely to find. Taxis wait for every arriving flight and cost around $10 to town. Some hostels/hotels offer a free courtesy bus if you are staying with them. There isn’t a local bus or airport bus service into town.
From Broome. Greyhound [http://www.greyhound.com.au] runs daily services virtually flying there in 14 hours.
*From Darwin, it's only about 9 hours.
*From Perth is theoretically possible, but if you are not insane before taking on the 48hr journey, you may be afterwards.
Established in 1984, the park displays different species of trees planted by famous people during their visit to Kununurra. Despite the eminent provenance of the trees' placement here, they are really just trees in a park.
* This antiquated looking dam holds back Lake Kununurra on one side and feeds a steady trickle into the irrigation channels on the other. All kinds of massive iron pulleys, levers and mechanical doodads from an erstwhile grand engineering age can be seen as you drive slowly over the wall. A spray on white water continuously surges through one of its 20 gates next to a shady picnic area and boat ramp. A good place to cast a fishing line into the churning water during the dry season, but is sometimes submerged in the wet.
* Permanently submerged crossing over (or under) the Ord River. Popular with locals fishing for Barramundi, it's also a nice spot to have a BBQ or explore along the waters edge. As inviting at the water looks, taking a dip isn't advisable as freshwater crocs got in first, and they don't like to share. Crossing in a 4WD is possible when water levels are low, but during the wet season, the river swells to a torrent and makes the way impassable for all but the most foolhardy.
* Visible from anywhere in town, Kelly's knob is the highest point (191m) for miles, making it the ideal place to get a wide view of the valley and surrounding ranges. A railed lookout area next to the carpark is a suitable vantage point to see all the main features. Those itching to see further can hop over the pitiful fence uphill from the carpark and follow a well worn trail along the hill face to the service stairs that lead to TV tower and the knob's peak. Sunset is the best time to visit.
* Literally the reason Kununurra is on the map; this enormous man made lake is about 70km out of town. Any superlative you care to think of fails to do justice to the size and beauty of what is here, but the odd four letter word usually enters the mind of most on arrival. Besides being dumbstruck with the spectacular landscape, you can also swim, hike or fish around the myriad of islands, bays and beaches. Cruise and fishing charter boats ply the waters and are a good way to explore the less easily accessible parts of the lake.
* The smaller brother to lake Argyle. The middle of the lake is littered with the ghostly drowned trees poking their limbs above the water, but the outer edge wet lands support a huge range of plants, birds, fish and other animals. There are a few picnic spots (some with barbecues) where you can swim, off Victoria Hwy. A cruise boat does a tour around the lake and up to the Ord Dam.
* Though the park itself is huge, a small area close to town has been developed with walkways, information boards and a viewing platform. Often described as the mini Bungle-Bungles by marketing types in tourist brochures, it offers more diversity than just striped domes. It’s worth visiting at sunrise or sunset when the orange colour of the rock is at its most intense. An entry fee is payable into an often out of order ticket machine, but can be avoided by either walking in from town or parking out front (next to the cemetery) and walking the 500m into the park.
* Named Carlton Ridge on maps, but fancifully called the Sleeping Buddha by locals, this meandering outcrop is said to resemble a slumbering Buddha or an elephant depending on your viewpoint. Kelly's Knob lookout or Celebrity Tree Park are ideal spots for a good view of the Buddha, and the elephant with its trunk dipped into the water is best seen from Packsaddle Rd or a boat on the river.
The outlying areas hide many interesting sights that emerge fleetingly during the wet season, when water flows and brings waterfalls, waterholes and creeks to the normally arid landscape. Only a 4WD will get you to most places and access to some may even be cut off by floods. A visit might be less of a hassle in the dry, but you won't be seeing them in their full splendour.
* Well hidden in the hills northwest of town is a deep waterhole at the base of a 30m waterfall popular with locals in the know. The waterfall only comes to life in the wet season, when monsoon rains flush out the waterhole and temporarily creates a cool place to swim between the sheer rock faces. It's not the easiest spot to find or get to, but if you have the means and get a long enough gap in the wet season rain, its a worthwhile visit.
* Partly shaded by overhanging trees is a large sandy bottomed pool fed by a small waterfall gently tumbling down the rock face. A climb up the side of the falls will bring you to smaller secluded swimming holes and a great view over the valley.
An annual festival held over two weeks in May that brings some big names (and big money) for two weeks of art, music, dance and culture events in and around Kununurra and Wyndham. The festival's finale is the Kimberley Moon Experience dinner, featuring a performance by the headline act and lots of corporate schmoozing. Events change each year, but past years have had rodeos, Kimberley inspired artwork and the frantic Diamond Dig.
* Held on a weekend in July each year, the Ag Show is a chance for local farmers to meet and see who has the biggest vegetable. It's a good insight into the local way of life, there are displays of prize cattle, local produce, preserves and homecrafts, plus competitive equestrian and lawnmower racing events.
The two supermarkets in town are your only option for stocking up on groceries and your last chance for many hundreds of kilometres if you're travelling onwards. Between them, they have most staples and a limited range of gourmet products.
* The usual range of products you would expect, plus some cheap-o camping and fishing equipment. Almost everything is trucked in frozen and then defrosted on the shelf, so freshness of products like bread can be sub-par. Staffed by some of the surliest check out chicks in the state.
* Less slick looking than the other place, but they do have fresh vegetables and bread from local producerse and are the only place in town that you can get Sindhiya SoapNuts, PLUS you get a friendly smile at the checkout.
Good budget food is hard to find. If the fast food chains don't appeal, you may be better off heading to a supermarket and eating DIY.
* You may be asking how food from a petrol station could possibly be worth eating, but this place has decent home-made take away food that's consistently raved about by visitors and locals alike. If burgers and pies are too ignoble for your tastes, try some lasagne or beef stroganoff.
* Taking an influence from a mixed bag of Asian cuisines, their menu is a welcome variance in your dining options. The Asian-style dishes are not particularly authentic, but are nonetheless spicy in the right way.
* Despite the fancy name, Rumours is more of a sandwiches and pies place that does a decent fry up breakfast that is a popular hangover cure. Freshly made burgers are of a hunger busting size and the cakes, slices and muffins taste like something your mum used to make. Avoid going there after 3PM, when school children descend like a flock of crows to eat the last sausage roll in the warmer.
These two restaurants operate at different times of the year from the same property. Carnivores will feel right at home at the steakhouse with an animal heavy menu and a decor that feels like you're in someone's lounge room. Sails has a large outdoor dining area and offers pretty standard breakfast, lunch and dinner fare. Steakhouse open Mar-Dec, Sails open May-Sep.
* Keeping an Aussie theme right through to the menu, they serve up simple pasta, steak and seafood dishes, plus some genuine vegetarian options. Breakfast buffet and limited lunch dining are available on weekdays, but for a truly Australian feed, get to the $20 BBQ on Sundays.
* Light meals. Fresh produce. Specialties of the house include (in season) Corned beef sandwiches, mango smoothies, mango fruit cake and mango cheese cake. Gluten-free morcels available. Garden setting by the river. Children's playground. Chill out under the mango trees by the river while you feed the fish at the jetty on the Ord.
* Choppys Chinese Restaurant on Konkerberry Dve provides excellent food and a half-price lunch menu. Valentines Pizza is close by. The Mango Tree (next to Choppys) on Konkerberry Dve. and a restaurant, that has been there for ever and a day, next to the butchers close to the NAB bank.
There is also a cheap eat restaurant associated with IGA. Ivanhoe Cafe is a good moderate eat, located on Ivanhoe Rd at the top of the Town Centre Map near the “r” of “Crossing”
An upmarket place that offers fine dining in the Argyle room and more casual bistro eats out in the courtyard. The menu, albeit limited, is spoken of by many in the same favourable terms as the service. Offering among the usual modern Australian dishes, a buffet, daily specials of local produce and wood fired pizzas. The buffet breakfast can be hit and miss - some days, you may get fresh pancakes and hot food and on others, a loaf of bread and a toaster.
* Popular with locals trying hard to emulate sophisticated city folk, the restaurant's cramped indoor seating area forces most diners to the tables on the spacious deck outside. The menu changes with the seasons and features local produce. The choices can be variable interestingness wise, but it's worth ignoring the usual run of the mill dishes and trying out a unique local style meal such barramundi and crocodile risotto. They also have a decent selection of wine and fancy beer.
* Recently opened in a decommissioned pumphouse built in early days of the Ord River irrigation scheme. This stylish place overlooks the Ord River and serves modern Australian dishes made with produce from all over the Kimberley and WA. If the reverberant seating inside the cavernous space dampens your appetite, a table on the riverside deck makes a nice place to simply have a beer and watch the crocs swim past.
A kitschy Aussie themed place with a corrugated iron bar and other rustic paraphernalia on the walls. Beer aficionados would be well advised to try one of ales from Matso's Brewery of Broome they have on tap. A band or DJ provide the tunes on Fridays or you can belt one out yourself at Karaoke on Wednesday.
* A nice place to hangout in the courtyard with some of the less haggard looking locals. They can fill up a pint mug with a half a dozen beers on tap or give you a bottle of something more boutique. Some patrons speak effusively about the friendliness of the bar staff.
* A weirdly minimal styled interior with boxy wooden tables and tree trunk stools. Of course, the big attraction here is the huge TV surrounded by glazed eyed males, glued to the cable sport channel while sipping on one of the wide range of ales the bar has on tap. You might want to bring a cushion for those hard wood seats if you plan on staying till the final whistle.
This is about as sophisticated as it gets here, with fresh coffee, tea, cakes and a limited menu of light meals. The coffee is great so if you need something with more kick than the free instant coffee in your hotel, this place might be your best option.
Discovery Holiday Parks - Lake Kununurra is the only park situated on the lake itself and is set on over 10 acres of Australian bush. There is an abundance of wildlife around the park as well as plenty of in-park facilities such as swimming pools, camp kitchen,BBQ's and boat hire. The relaxed waterfront setting offers a real holiday freedom.
* On the outer edge of town, this caravan park and campground has numerous sites that spread to the local football oval to meet demand in the peak season. The Barra cabins are basic but clean and comfortable for the price, but the two bedroom Ivanhoe Suites look like a bargain if you bring friends.
* Bang in the middle of town, 600m away from the Greyhound bus stop, this hostel is the best of the backpacker options. It has everything you expect, plus a pool and a nice communal kitchen. Pickups from bus station or airport can be arranged in advance.
* One of the best places to stay at the cheapest price would have to be here on the edge of Lake Argyle. Even though it's 70km from town, you won't need to do without any conveniences as a small shop, restaurant, laundry and camp kitchen are on site. There's some upgrading going on, so it might be even better by the time you visit.
This was once the best place in town, but now the rooms could do with a style update. Nonetheless, they are clean, comfortable and quiet, making it one of better bargains in town. The garden provides a pleasant walk to the pool.
* Hidden away in town are shady grassed caravan/tent sites and air-conditioned studio or villa rooms. Facilities to make use of include the shaded swimming pool, plentiful hot water showers, internet and a campers kitchen with possibly the cleanest BBQ in the entire top end.
* Domesticated couples and families or business travellers might find these 1-3 bedroom self contained apartments suitable to their style. The rooms surround a shaded swimming pool with spa next to a BBQ area. Guests have been impressed by the friendly owners helpfulness.
* What the rooms lack in style, they make up for in views. Though it's right on the edge of Lake Kununurra, it is nonetheless somewhat inconveniently located in a residential area, a lengthy walk from the useful part of town.
A fairly upmarket place, but the quality doesn't quite match the premium price. Modern rooms scattered through a tropical garden with a pool and popular but overrated restaurant. A courtesy bus can take you to/from the bus station or airport if you arrange in advance.
* This is about as upmarket as Kununurra can offer. But the large modern rooms have enough style to satiate your expectations if you want some luxury to take refuge in after a day in the sun.
A thin community newspaper that's a good source for upcoming event listings, job ads, classifieds and news reports on whatever local incidents the editor deems newsworthy. Available on the counter at supermarkets and service stations.
* Stocks a good collection of Kimberley and Aboriginal culture books, plus a selection of currentish local and interstate newspapers. Don't even think about Internet as faster connections can be found elsewhere at far less exorbitant prices. You may borrow books if you have a current WA public library card. Everyone else can get the same privileges with a cash deposit.
Payphones are scattered throughout town, but some on the street side suffer from vandalism and may be inoperable. It might be best to try the one at your hostel or at the tourist centre. Phones are coin-operated or use prepaid Phonecards, available from most supermarkets or newsagents. International calling cards are also available at these outlets.
Mobile phone coverage can be sketchy. The Telstra, Optus and Vodafone networks have a good signal within town, becoming variable to non-existent the further away you get. Other networks are hit and miss, but those with 3G/NextG phones might have more luck.
If you intend to spend any amount of time off the beaten track, it is advisable to rent a satellite phone to call for emergency services should anything happen.
Most hotels and hostels will have wireless or terminals for you to get your Internet fix. There are a few other options in town though.
* Half a dozen computers with headphones for VOIP and grotty keyboards you might not want to touch for too long. They can also put your photos on a disk.
* Wireless internet and possibly some terminals.