The North Kimberley by 4WD - Britz

Three nights and 874 kilometres off the Gibb River Road into the north Kimberley in a 4WD camper, out to Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu and back to the junction.

The Kalumburu Road is unsealed for its entire length and heavily corrugated, which is the defining feature of this trip rather than an inconvenience along the way. Drysdale River station comes first, supplying fuel, food and a campsite, and it is the last reliable stop for a long way in either direction.

Mitchell Falls follows, reached down a rougher spur track and then a walk of several kilometres, and the falls themselves drop in four tiers over the sandstone; a good many visitors walk in and take a helicopter out. Kalumburu is the northern end, a coastal Aboriginal community on the Timor Sea that requires a permit, with beaches and fishing that almost nobody sees.

Britz supply the camper and the day-by-day plan, and the hire is priced live per vehicle rather than per person; campsites, fuel, ferries, park fees and activities are all extra, with a nil-excess insurance pack available at booking. This is among the most demanding drives in Australia for a hire vehicle, and tyre damage is the usual result of pressing on too fast over corrugations. Permits for Kalumburu and the Mitchell River park need arranging in advance, fuel is available only at Drysdale and Kalumburu, and the roads close entirely in the wet. Four days is the minimum rather than a comfortable allowance. The reward is the least visited corner of the Kimberley: Mitchell Falls at full flow early in the dry is among the great sights in Australia, and very few people are standing next to it.