Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia

About the Kimberley
• The Kimberley in Australia is one of the last true wilderness areas on Earth, with rustic unique outback landscapes and landmarks billions of years in the making. Covering app 423,000 square kilometres in north Western Australia and with a population of less than 40,000 people, it’s here you’ll encounter some of the most extraordinary outback adventuresand folks in Australia. Discover ancient gorge country with hikes and trekking a must in planning your Kimberley vacation to enormous cattle stations, pristine coastline and sandy beaches, to one of the oldest cultures on the planet and the world’s only horizontal waterfalls.

About Fitzroy Crossing
• Fitzroy Crossing lies on the fertile floodplains of the Fitzroy River, downriver from the striking Geikie Gorge National Park and south of the ancient canyons and caves of Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge, where you can spot native wildlife in abundance.

Fitzroy Crossing is just an 18 kilometre drive to reach Geikie Gorge. The soaring cliffs of Geikie Gorge are part of a 350 million year old Devonian reef system, carved over thousands of years by the Fitzroy River. When in flood, it's believed to be one of the largest rivers in the world, in terms of volume, and a cruise on its waters or a bushwalk along its tree-lined banks will reveal a staggering variety of fish and birdlife.

The region is just as rich in history and heritage. Fitzroy Crossing is one of the oldest occupied locations in Australia, with 20 significant cultural sites, including ancient rock art of the Gooniyandi who inhabited the nearby Mimbi Caves. Indigenous tours will lead you through the labyrinth of caves and Geikie Gorge, sharing stories, bush tucker and traditional medicines of one of the oldest surviving cultures on Earth.

To the north, you're also within reach of the Kimberley's stunning Windjana Gorge - where you can cruise the Lennard River and marvel at the sheer 100 metres walls carved over hundreds of millions of years. Continue on to Tunnel Creek and take a torch-lit walk through Western Australia's oldest cave system, venturing 750 metres into a subterranean world of bats and freshwater crocodiles.

While in town, it's worth the short drive to the original town site and causeway crossing to visit the legendary Crossing Inn or hook a barramundi from the Fitzroy River.

Motel-style and caravan park accommodation is available. Visit between May and October, and enjoy warm, dry days and cool evenings. From December to March, you're likely to see storms transform the surrounding landscape into a sea of green.
© source | courtesy of westernaustralia.com