Water, Weather and Wildlife: Discover Western Australia’s Kimberley

The Kimberley, located in the northernmost part of Western Australia, is a region of unspoiled natural beauty that beckons adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike. With its rugged landscapes, rich Indigenous culture, and diverse ecosystems, the Kimberley offers an array of awesome sights and experiences.

Embarking on a journey to Australia’s Kimberley region is like stepping into a living canvas, where the Earth itself tells stories of ancient times, and the creatures that roam its landscapes whisper tales of survival. Rugged red cliffs stand as sentinels, ancient rock art best known for its depictions of Wandjina, cloud spirits associated with rain, and waterholes that nurture an astonishing array of life.

Water—from the coastline to rivers, flooding to waterholes—shapes everything from land formations to cultural rituals and everyday life across the Kimberley. Travelers on Nat Hab’s Australia North: Kakadu, Kimberley & the Outback itinerary are welcomed to the region by a local Gija guide with a traditional water ceremony. This article explores how water shapes Western Australia’s Kimberley region’s landscape and wildlife.

Where is the Kimberley?

Due south of Timor-Leste, on the shores of the Timor Sea, lies Australia’s Kimberley region—a vast, ancient landscape on the northwestern tip of Australia. The Kimberley is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, and on the east by Australia’s Northern Territory.

Roughly three times the size of England and home to fewer than 100,000 people, the Kimberley is renowned for its dramatic and diverse natural beauty, including rugged ranges, expansive cattle stations, tidal rivers, and stunning gorges.

The northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia, the Kimberley boasts rich indigenous history, evident in its ancient rock art, and is recognized for its unique flora and fauna, contributing to its status as a significant ecological and cultural treasure.

The Kimberley: Sculpted by Water

The Kimberley’s dramatic landscape has been sculpted over millennia by the powerful forces of water. The region’s geology tells a story of ancient rivers that once flowed across the Kimberley Plateau, depositing layers of sedimentary rock around 1,800 million years ago.

These sandstones and quartzites, along with basalt lava flows, form the backbone of the Kimberley’s iconic escarpments and plateaus. Water continues to shape the land through the region’s extreme tidal movements, which can reach up to 36 feet during spring tides, creating a dynamic and ever-changing coastline.

The Kimberley coast is characterized by its steep rocky cliffs, dissected by creeks and rivers. These waterways have etched deep gorges into the sandstone, creating a labyrinth of channels that support a rich array of wildlife. The tidal ebb and flow have also given rise to unique marine ecosystems, with mangrove colonies developing where the rivers meet the ocean.

Landscape photographers will have a field day with the colors and ways light falls in the Kimberley’s varied topography: from ancient sandstone plateaus to limestone ranges, dark gorges, and rugged escarpments, a variety of habitats that support a diverse range of species that will thrill wildlife photographers too.

The Kimberley’s waterways carve through the landscape, creating gorges that are home to freshwater crocodiles, turtles, and a myriad of fish species. The surrounding vegetation provides food and shelter for a host of bird species. Rock formations and cliffs offer nesting sites for birds of prey and shelter for rock wallabies and other small mammals. The region’s complex ecosystems are a result of millions of years of geological activity, which has created a sanctuary for its endemic and diverse wildlife. The Kimberley’s river systems are the lifeblood of the region and form the backdrop for unforgettable Kimberley river cruises.

The geology of the Kimberley not only shapes the physical landscape but also dictates the distribution and abundance of wildlife, making it a unique destination for nature lovers, conservationists, and travelers eager to learn about indigenous cultures.

On a Bungle Bungles Safari

The Bungle Bungle Range is the defining geologic feature of the Kimberley’s Purnululu National Park tours. The distinctive beehive-shaped towers are made up of ancient seabed sandstone, conglomerate, and dolomite deposited into the Red Basin 375 to 350 million years ago.

In its Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee stated:

“The Bungle Bungles are, by far, the most outstanding example of cone karst in sandstones anywhere in the world and owe their existence and uniqueness to several interacting geological, biological, erosional and climatic phenomena.”

The combined effects of wind from the Tanami Desert and rainfall over millions of years shaped the domes.

On Nat Hab’s Australia North: Kakadu, Kimberley & the Outback itineraries, you can see the Bungle Bungles by plane, helicopter, and on foot with your Expedition Leader and a local Aboriginal guide.

Mitchell Plateau and Falls

Created in 2000, Mitchell River National Park covers an area of over 440 square miles on the Mitchell Plateau, Ngauwudu is the Wunambal people’s name for the Mitchell Plateau. The plateau’s wildlife has remained unchanged for close to 50,000 years.

Three main features of the park are the dramatic vistas across the plateau, Mitchell Falls, and Surveyors Pool, known as Aunauyu, in the traditional lands of the Wunambal. The park is known for distinctive plants, such as a species of fan palm, and is home to several threatened species, including the tiny rock wallaby known as the monjon and the black grasswren.

Mitchell Falls, known as Punamii-Uunpuu to the Wunambal people, is an exquisite setting where the Mitchell River has been carved through sandstone to create four-tiered pools of clear emerald water. Nearby rock art galleries showcase some of the world’s oldest pictographs, dating back 45,000 years.

A 2015 Pew Trust article shared:

The Mitchell Plateau is known for its spectacular views, such as Mitchell River Falls and a vast savanna of endemic fan palms, which can grow for centuries.  The plateau is home to 50 mammal species, 220 species of birds, and 86 reptiles and amphibians as well as prolific 40,000-year-old Indigenous rock art.

“The Mitchell Plateau is one of the last places on Earth where native wildlife has remained unchanged for almost 50,000 years and is the only part of mainland Australia where no native species extinctions have occurred,” said Barry Trail, director of Pew’s Outback program.

Mitchell Plateau helicopter tours offer a bird’s-eye view of the cascading Mitchell Falls. A helicopter’s vantage point allows visitors to appreciate the scale and grandeur of these waterfalls, which are especially spectacular during the wet season when they swell with rainwater.

Wild Weather of the Kimberley

The Kimberley’s weather is characterized by two distinct seasons: the wet and the dry. The wet season, from November to April, transforms the landscape into a lush, green paradise, with thunderstorms and torrential rains that replenish the land. This is the time when the waterfalls are at their most majestic, and the wildlife is most active.

Conversely, the dry season, from May to October, reveals a different side of the Kimberley. The reduced rainfall and cooler temperatures make it the perfect time for exploring the region’s natural wonders.

In the Kimberley. Aboriginal communities recognize six distinct seasons:

• Mankala, the rainy season, occurs between December and March, during which as much as 90% of the region’s annual precipitation will fall.
• Marul (April), when the rains cease and the land begins to dry.
• Wirralburu (May) arrives with drying winds that blow in from the southeast, and the nights become cool. Barrgana (June-August) marks the cool winter dry season sets in, and temperatures drop to annual lows around 54 F – though parts of the Kimberley Plateau can drop below freezing at this time.
• Wilburu (September) marks a warming time when seafood is particularly abundant in the coastal reefs and mangroves.
• Larja (October – November) delivers hot, humid days, humid, and temperatures can soar up to 104°F (40° Celsius) until the northwest winds of Mankala bring the rains again. In the Kimberley, wet and dry seasons rule the calendar. Bordering two deserts in Australia’s remote north, channels that usually lay dusty and dormant turn green after monsoon rains.

Weather is anything but mild in Western Australia’s Kimberley. A once-in-a-century flood swept across the region in early January 2023. Tropical Cyclone Ellie dumped 31.5 inches of rain over seven days, closing roads and washing out bridges.

2024 has delivered the best wet season locals remember in decades and means remote Kimberley desert lake systems are in full flow. Local fish swim in places that were dry. Paruku, or Lake Gregory, has risen dramatically, and the environment is verdant and thriving. As the water dries, desert grasses grow underneath, regenerating the country and providing habitat and food for wildlife.

Spot Wildlife in the Kimberley

The Kimberley is a haven for wildlife, with species that have adapted to the extreme conditions of the region, including approximately 65 species of endemic wildlife: native vertebrate fauna found nowhere else in the world. The region’s remoteness means its ecosystems and species assemblages are relatively intact compared with the rest of Australia. Diverse habitats, from the savanna woodlands to the mangrove-lined coasts, support an array of fauna, including the elusive saltwater crocodile, the regal sea eagle and the iconic barramundi.

More than 80% of Australia’s mammals, reptiles, frogs and plants can’t be found anywhere else on Earth. From prehistoric crocodiles and platypuses to koalas and kangaroos, the geological isolation of the continent for millions of years allowed a unique biodiversity to develop that must be conserved. In northern Australia, you are helping those species just by visiting the national parks and preserves that were created to protect their habitats.

If you’re lucky, you may spot smaller rock wallaby species while hiking rocky slopes or on the cliffs of the gorges. Rock wallabies are easier to spot on an Ord River cruise or a cruise on Lake Argyle.

Wildlife in the Kimberley has developed remarkable adaptations to thrive in its unique landscapes, characterized by rugged terrain, extreme weather, and diverse habitats. Here are some of the unique wildlife adaptations you might spot in the Kimberley:

• Rock Wallabies: Their powerful hind legs are adapted for leaping among the steep cliffs and rocky outcrops, allowing them to navigate the rugged escarpments with ease. Kangaroos are uncommon in the Kimberley, but you may spot nine species of wallaby! The West Kimberley black-flanked rock-wallaby or wiliji, listed as endangered in Western Australia, is found in only three isolated ranges in the Kimberley region of northern Australia. A population once thought to be 2,500 strong has plummeted to an estimated 500, and this gorgeous creature could be extinct within a decade. WWF’s assessments supported uplisting this West Kimberley subspecies of rock wallaby to Endangered.
• Saltwater Crocodiles: These apex predators have adapted to live in both salt and freshwater environments, and their ability to travel long distances across land enables them to move between river systems. Saltwater crocodiles are likely the Kimberley’s most famous native animal.
• Dingos are one of the few placental mammals that existed on the Australian continent before the arrival of Europeans, but they are believed to have been introduced only 4,000–5,000 years ago by Indonesian seafarers. They are a taxonomic mystery, currently listed as a subspecies of the gray wolf. Some taxonomists see them as descendants of domesticated dogs, though, while others believe they warrant their own species, Canis dingo.

• Scaly-tailed Possums, known as yilangal by the Wunambal people of Mitchell Plateau, are secretive, nocturnal marsupials found exclusively in the Kimberley’s rocky landscapes. Their prehensile tails are covered in scales adapted to grasp branches, aiding in their movement through the trees in limestone ranges.
• Goannas (Monitor Lizards): Nine species of goannas or monitor lizards make their home in the Kimberley. With sharp claws and strong limbs, they are well-adapted for climbing and digging, which is essential for hunting and escaping predators in the diverse Kimberley terrain.
• Echidnas are unique, spiny anteaters and one of the only two egg-laying mammals (monotremes) in the world. Echidnas have a spiny coat, a snout used for both breathing and eating and a specialized tongue for catching insects. Adapted to hot, dry climates, they can dig into the ground to escape the heat, and their spines provide protection from predators.

• Birdwatching in the Kimberley: Many bird species have adapted to the seasonal changes in the Kimberley, with some migrating long distances to take advantage of the wet season’s abundance. All Australian species of birds of prey have been recorded in the Kimberley. The Australian Atlas of Birds lists 760 species; over 300 of those have been spotted in the Kimberley.

The Kimberley is a region that promises adventure, discovery, and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. Whether it’s cruising along the serene rivers, flying over the dramatic landscapes, or encountering the unique wildlife with local guides, a Kimberley wilderness tour offers an experience that is both profound and exhilarating.

Are you looking to embark on the journey of a lifetime? Luxury Kimberley expeditions such as Nat Hab’s Australia North: Kakadu, Kimberley & the Outback itinerary provide the perfect blend of adventure and comfort. Pack your bags and binoculars, set your sights on the horizon, and prepare to explore the water, weather and wildlife of Australia’s Kimberley.