The Kimberley and Broome
The Kimberley and Broome
Halls Creek
Often referred to as the oasis of the Kimberely, Halls Creek sits on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. In all directions the landscape is vast and harsh. Rumours of a gold find at the Elvire River in 1885 had colonial tongues wagging and by the end of the year there were 2,000 miners leaving the makeshift sheds and calico tents around old Halls Creek. The rush lasted only four years but Halls Creek never quite died. With the end of the gold rush, the town became a small service centre for the growing pastoral industry where its location made it the last stop before stock drovers commenced the legendary cattle drive called the Canning Stock Route, 2,000 km through some of the most isolated country in the world!
On completion of the Great Northern Highway, the town was moved 15km to the west and is now a service centre for pastoralists, mineral exploration, Aboriginal communities and a booming tourism industry surrounding the Purnululu and Wolfe Creek Crater National Parks.
The Russian Jack Memorial is a tribute to a gold mining character who actually pushed his sick friend and their supplies 300km in a wheelbarrow from Halls Creek to obtain medical help in Wyndham. The statue serves as a reminder of the remarkable displays of courage and comradeship which were so much a part of early days in the Kimberley. Other attractions include Caroline Pool, a natural waterhole and ideal swimming spot; the Kimberley Language Resource Centre; the China Wall which is a large subvertical quartz vein and the popular swimming and picnic spots, Sawpit Gorge and Palm Springs. Marella Gorge is also a beautiful spot within reach of Halls Creek however permission is required to enter from the manager of the Nicholson Station. Halls Creek is the town closest to the Purnululu National Park with its astounding Bungle Bungle rock formations, contrasts of unique vegetation and rich Aboriginal heritage.
