Kununurra
Gateway to the East Kimberley
On the lands of the Miriwoong people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Jun 2026
The largest town in the east Kimberley, founded in 1961 as the headquarters for the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. Kununurra is the launch point for trips to Lake Argyle, the Bungle Bungles, and the Mitchell Plateau.
Kununurra was built from scratch in 1961 to support the Ord River Irrigation Scheme, the largest agricultural water project in Australia. The Ord Dam was completed in 1972 and created Lake Argyle, the second largest artificial lake in the southern hemisphere by volume (around 18 times the volume of Sydney Harbour at full capacity). The lake is a destination in its own right, with cruise boats, freshwater crocodile encounters, and the surrounding Carr Boyd Range.
The town is the main service centre for the east Kimberley and is the launch point for tours into Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) National Park, the Mitchell Plateau and its famous tiered waterfalls, and the the local wilderness parks wilderness park. The Gibb River Road, the iconic 660 kilometre 4WD route through the Kimberley, can be tackled from either Kununurra or Derby on the western side.
The town sits on Miriwoong country and is one of the few places in northern Australia with a substantial traditional language program still operating.
Tourist locations
Places to visit in Kununurra.
6 locations to explore
El Questro Wilderness Park and Zebedee Springs
Raw Kimberley wilderness
From $15 per adult (day pass)
Full guide arrow_forwardLake Argyle
Kimberley's vast inland sea
Free (cruise tours from $89 per adult)
Full guide arrow_forwardMirima National Park
Hidden valley at Kununurra's doorstep
$17 per vehicle
Full guide arrow_forwardOrd River Cruise
55 kilometres of river wilderness
From $257 per adult
Full guide arrow_forwardPurnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungle Range
Ancient domes, world heritage wonder
$17 per vehicle
Full guide arrow_forwardThe Hoochery Distillery
Kimberley rum from the source
$20 per person (distillery tour)
Full guide arrow_forwardOn the itinerary
Trip plans that include Kununurra.
Scenic views
Lookouts near Kununurra.
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Attribution
Sources & credits
Content (1)
Images (2)
- 00 2091 Western Australia - Kununurra.jpg · W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
- East Kimberley Regional Airport, Kununurra, WA, 2022, 07.jpg · Kgbo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Images sourced from Wikimedia Commons under licenses that permit commercial use. If you are the rights holder and believe an attribution is incorrect, please contact us.