The Kimberley
Gibb River Road, Cape Leveque and the toughest, most rewarding touring country in WA.
1 caravan park · 2 tracks & drives · 1 touring route
The Kimberley is why the "Can My Van Do This?" rig-rating exists. The Gibb River Road runs roughly 660km between Derby and Kununurra, corrugated for most of its length, with several unbridged river crossings that can be axle-deep or worse depending on the season and how recently they've been graded. It is dry-season-only (May–September/October) — attempt it in the wet and you risk being stranded for days by flooded creek crossings, if the road hasn't been closed outright by the shire.
Cape Leveque Road (Broome to the Dampier Peninsula) is the gentler introduction — corrugated but shorter, and passable for a well-set-up off-road van without the Gibb's river crossings. Broome itself is fully sealed and a comfortable base with a proper caravan-park scene; it's the launch point for both routes and worth a few nights before you head bush.
Fuel and water gaps on the Gibb regularly exceed 300km between reliable sources — carry more than you think you need, book gorge-adjacent camps ahead in peak season (June–August), and always check current road and river-crossing conditions with Main Roads WA before departing Derby or Kununurra.
Caravan parks in The Kimberley
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Tracks & drives in The Kimberley
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Touring routes through The Kimberley
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Guides & articles about The Kimberley
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Common questions about The Kimberley
- Can any caravan do the Gibb River Road?
- No — you need a genuine off-road-rated van or camper behind a capable 4WD. Corrugations, unbridged river crossings and remote fuel gaps rule out standard road-going caravans.
- What months is the Gibb River Road open?
- Typically May to September or October, dry-season dependent. It closes completely in the wet and reopens only once graders have been through — always check current status before you commit fuel and time to it.
Bec travels solo in a Troopcarrier with a camper on the back, chasing empty free camps and dark skies across the top end and the Kimberley. She writes about self-sufficiency: water, solar, staying legal and staying safe a long way from the nearest town.
Solo traveller; Troopy + off-road camper; 5 years remote WA/NT