The Berkeley River is nestled on the gentle curve of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf on Australia’s remote north Kimberley coast. A stone’s throw from some of the most spectacular untouched coastal wilderness on Earth, this is truly God’s country.
The closest town, Wyndham, lies 150 kilometres south to south east, but there is no road or trail leading you here. The only access for the privileged few is by air and ocean.
Getting there is half the adventure
Departing from Kununurra by float plane, your one-hour flight will take you soaring over epic Kimberley landscapes, from gorge and cattle station country to lush, rainforest-covered escarpments and wild extraordinary coastlines. Be sure to have your camera ready.
Scheduled transfers run every Monday and Thursday, but other days can be arranged on a private charter basis.
Through the eyes of early explorers
The Berkeley River remains virtually untouched since early explorer Charles P. Conigrave visited the area in 1912 and named the river in honour of his brother. So many of the landscapes you explore are much the same as when Mr Conigrave traversed them a century ago.
“The scenery thereabouts is, perhaps, as wild as any to be seen in Australia, and years ago I prophesied that some day, when the Far North becomes generally known to the world at large, this great gorge will be the haunt of tourists.
“The great chasm mentioned is a feature of a large, previously unknown river, that we discovered and named the ‘Berkeley River’ – the mouth of which is some 10 miles due east of Mount Casuarina, a lonely mark on that very lonely coast. The Berkeley Gorge, which extends for 15 miles inland, is guarded by precipitous walls over 300 feet in height, and the waterway in the gorge is about 200 yards wide, patently very deep … All the rivers on this section of the far northern coast, and there are several in addition to those that I have mentioned, are characterised by gorge-like ravines, but that of the Berkeley is infinitely the wildest and the most stupendous.”
Charles P. Conigrave
