Gibb River Road

The Gibb River Road was built to move cattle from Kimberley stations to the ports and has become the region's defining road trip: about six hundred and sixty kilometres of dirt between Derby and Kununurra, crossing rivers, ranges and cattle stations the size of small countries. Along it and on side tracks lie the gorges that give the route its reputation, Windjana, Bell, Galvans, Manning, Adcock, Barnett River and Emma Gorge, most with waterholes to swim in below waterfalls that run hardest early in the dry. Stations along the way offer camping and meals. The road closes entirely through the wet season and reopens progressively from around April.

What you actually see

• The gorges - Bell, Manning, Galvans and Emma among many along the route.
• The river crossings - the Pentecost and other fords, deepest early in the season.
• The cattle stations - working properties offering camping and fuel.
• The Cockburn Range - the escarpment above the Pentecost crossing.

When to go

May to September; the road is closed through the wet, usually from November to April, and reopens in stages. Waterfalls run best early in the dry, from May to June. By September many falls have stopped and the heat is building.

Honest expectations

Four-wheel drive is required and tyre damage is routine; two spares are standard advice and hire agreements often exclude the road. Fuel stops are far apart and expensive. Freshwater crocodiles are in most gorges and estuarine crocodiles in some rivers. There is no phone coverage for most of the route.

Nearby

Derby is the western end; Kununurra and El Questro lie east.