Gibb River Road
Encyclopedia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n town of Derby
Derby, Western Australia
Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
and the Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
and Wyndham
Wyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...
junction of the Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
. Like its namesake
Gibb River
The Gibb River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise between the Caroline Range and the Gibb Range and then flows in a northerly direction until it merges with the Drysdale River of which it is a tributary....
, which does not actually cross the road but runs nearby at 16°06.108′S 126°31.075′E, it is named after geologist and explorer Andrew Gibb Maitland
Andrew Gibb Maitland
Andrew Gibb Maitland was an English-born Australian geologist.Maitland was born in Birkby, Yorkshire, England and studied civil engineering at Yorkshire College of Science, Leeds where he was influenced by the professor of geology Alexander Henry Green.In 1888 he was assigned Second Assistant...
. The Gibb River Road is one of the two major roads which dissect the Kimberley region—the other being the extreme northern section of Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
which runs further to the south.
The road is often closed due to flooding during the wet season
Wet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
, which is typically November through March, although delayed openings have been known to happen, frustrating the tourism industry as well as locals who rely on the road. Since the mid 2000s, the road has been upgraded to a formed gravel two-lane road including bitumenised sections, but 4WD vehicles are still recommended.
The Gibb River Road has scenic views of geological formations and natural scenery, aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and pastoral history, as well as rare and unique fauna and flora. Attractions along the Road include Windjana Gorge National Park
Windjana Gorge National Park
Windjana Gorge National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia , 1855 km northeast of Perth and 355 km east of Broome....
, Tunnel Creek National Park
Tunnel Creek National Park
Tunnel Creek National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, northeast of Perth and east of Broome. The natural cave through which Tunnel Creek flows is a major attraction of the park....
, Adcock Gorge, Manning Gorge, Galvans Gorge, Lennard Gorge, Bell Gorge, and King Leopold Ranges
King Leopold Ranges
The King Leopold Ranges are a range of hills in the western Kimberley region of Western Australia. Crossed by the Gibb River Road about east of Derby, part of the ranges are covered by the King Leopold Ranges Conservation National Park, managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation...
. Accommodation is offered by several cattle stations in the area including Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge, Mount Elizabeth Station, Drysdale River Station, the El Questro Station, and Charnely River Station.
History
From 1948, an Air Beef SchemeAir Beef Scheme
After World War II, pastoralists from the Western Australian Kimberley region sought to develop the local beef export industry by encouraging infrastructure development there...
operated between Glenroy Station and Wyndham. An abattoir, freezing works, and airstrip were built on the station and the meat airfreighted twice a day to the coast before being shipped to the southern cities. To develop the beef industry further, a Commonwealth Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
grant to build a road was given in 1949 and the following year construction of a road to Derby commenced, one of a number of roads built as part of the so-called "Beef Roads Scheme". This southern section, which is sometimes referred to as the Derby-Gibb River Road, was completed in 1956 at a cost of £713,677 and was used for trucking live cattle.
The northern section of the road was under the control of the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley until 1996 when Main Roads Western Australia
Main Roads Western Australia
Main Roads Western Australia is an agency of the Government of Western Australia that is responsible for implementing the state's policies on road access and main roads. It operates under the Main Roads Act 1930 ....
took over control and upgraded the full length of the highway.
Further reading
- Gordon, Malcolm (1991) Gibb River Road - history of the road, road conditions, features along the road, roadhouses etc.at page 425 of Gordon, Malcolm. Outback Australia at cost : a traveller's guide to the Northern Territory and Kimberley Crows Nest, N.S.W : Little Hills Press. ISBN 1863150234 (pbk.)
- Hayden, Vanessa. (1998) KTA AGM addresses Gibb River Road concerns. (summary) Local tourism operators call for better management of the Road due to perception usage has reached 'saturation point' and is losing its wilderness appeal due to overuse. Kimberley Echo, 5 November 1998,p. 9
- Knapinski, Ben.(2001) Kimberley, Western Australia's Gibb River road Bunbury, W.A. : Envisage Publishing. ISBN 0646415093 (pbk.)