The Kimberley and Broome
The Kimberley and Broome
Derby
Situated on the edge of King Sound, Derby is ideally located for exploration of the West Kimberley. The Port of Derby was established in the 1880s as a landing point for wool shipments and Derby was proclaimed a town site. It was the first town to be occupied in the Kimberley. Over the years, Derby became the centre for the pastoral and mining industries and a regional centre for Kimberley medical services. Today, it still provides a provisioning point for travellers where you can find dining variety, good prices and friendly service.
The streets of Derby are reminiscent of the more leisurely days of the past - wide enough to allow a mule or a horse drawn tram to turn easily and they feature ancient shapes of the extraordinary boab trees. Derby has many interesting places to visit including the Prison Boab which introduces the story of the Aboriginal outlaw, Pigeon and the conflict between the Aboriginal people and the pastoralists of the 1890s. Other attractions include Myall's Bore, which is the longest in the Southern Hemisphere; the Pioneer Cemetery; Old Gaol and Police Yard; Wharfingers House Museum; Derby Botanic Gardens and Ngunga Designs which features the work of numerous Aboriginal artists.
King Sound features the unique phenomenon of low and high tide contrasts and fishing is a popular pastime at the jetty where numerous varieties are caught including golden grunter and silver cobbler. The large brown mudcrab is a particular delicacy. Charter boats and crabbing and fishing tours are available.
Derby is only a short cruise away from the magnificent Buccaneer Archipelago where you'll see the amazing tidal feature, the Horizontal Waterfall and a paradise of deserted islands just waiting for discovery. A variety of scenic flights and adventure tours are also available to visitors to the area.
Derby offers a selection of meals from a la carte to takeaway from a variety of outlets. Dine in air conditioned comfort or al fresco and enjoy local seafood delicacies or a more traditional menu. Major shops are open seven days with resticted hours on weekends and public holidays and a local market operates on Saturday mornings (May-Oct).
