New tagalong tour just the ticket for exploring the Kimberley
If you like your travel a little on the wild side, Western Australia’s Kimberley region is calling. This ancient, untamed landscape offers adventure in spades — and a new tagalong tour just might tick all your boxes.
The news was delivered gently, almost sheepishly, after a campfire dinner we were still raving about.
Our bellies were full, our ‘cups’ near overflowing having just watched the sun dip below the western face of the Bungle Bungle Range deep in the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park.
We’d edged further into Western Australia’s outback that day, bouncing along red dirt tracks and watching the scenery grow wilder with every kilometre.
By the time we reached camp, the moon had risen, the stars were beginning to spill across the sky, and the Milky Way was draped overhead like a glowing sash.
We set up our rooftop tents in the dusty half-light.
Hints were dropped during dinner prep — something about some news to share about the next day’s itinerary.
Still, when our guide Jacob finally broke it to us that we’d be leaving camp at 4.30am, there were a few stunned faces around the campfire. A couple of double takes. Was he serious?
He was.
After a moment of silent calculation (just how many hours away was that?), the group sprang into action, packing up, scurrying off to our campers and crawling into bed — the kind of scramble you only see when both excitement and mild panic are involved.
Sunrise in the Bungle Bungles
We were already getting used to early starts, but this one felt different.
As we clambered into our vehicles before sunrise — headlamps strapped on, clutching a piece of fruit to tide us over — there was a quiet buzz of anticipation in the air, and sleep in our eyes.
We knew we were in for something special.
After a short drive in the dark, we scrambled out, shouldered our backpacks, filled our water bottles, and set off on foot.
The trail led us over rocks and into shadowy valleys, the kind of path that made you feel like an explorer discovering it for the first time.
As we reached Piccaninny Creek, the first light of dawn arrived with us. Its dry riverbed, sculpted by powerful wet season waters, stretched out in surreal, rippled formations. Then — as if on cue — the sun began to rise behind us.
The beehive-shaped domes of the Bungle Bungles lit up in a slow, spectacular reveal.
Their distinctive orange and black stripes glowed in the morning light, and suddenly, the early wake-up call made perfect sense.
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Some wandered off in silence to sit and take it all in. Others pulled out cameras, hoping to capture a little of the Kimberley’s magic to take home. The scene was so breathtaking, it felt like the land itself was performing just for us.
As we turned to head back, we began passing other walkers coming in.
“Is it worth the walk?” they asked.
We smiled and replied, “It sure is”.
But there were knowing glances among us. What we didn’t say — because how could you? — was that they may have already missed the best part. That golden-hour hush, the silence of first light, was a moment that could not be recreated.
And yet, the day was not done.
Cathedral echoes and aerial views
A short hike further brought us into Cathedral Gorge, a natural amphitheatre curving in around a tranquil pool and a slender waterfall.
It is the kind of place that is so peaceful, you almost feel like you’re intruding just by speaking.
Despite its reputation for acoustics, none of us dared to sing — and rightly so, in my case, if you ask my kids who have endured years of car karaoke. Instead, we crane our necks in awe, and let the sheer scale of it all soak in.
By mid-morning, it already felt like the day had peaked. But there was more.
We drove on to Bellburn Airstrip, where most of the group opted in for a doors-off helicopter ride. Up in a HeliSpirit R44 chopper, wind rushing through our hair, the full scope of the Bungle Bungles came into view.
From above, the scale is staggering — ancient ridgelines, winding canyons, and those surreal domes stretching into the horizon.
Looking down, I was struck by how small we are in the scheme of this landscape. Just one more unforgettable moment in the Kimberley — where every day feels bigger than the last.
The adventure tour
My husband and I are on a 10-day, 2500km tagalong tour with Kimberley Adventure Tours.
Each participant is provided with a fully kitted-out four-wheel-drive ute, complete with rooftop camper, and led by two expert guides. The itinerary, meals, national park passes, and campsites are all organised — you just show up ready to explore.
It is not the cheapest way to travel the Kimberley, nor the most expensive — but if you are drawn to remote camping, jaw-dropping landscapes, and self-drive adventure with expert backup, this is an unforgettable way to do it.
Sure, you could tackle the Kimberley solo — and one day we might — but at 423,000 square kilometres, it is vast and remote. You need serious prep, a tough vehicle, and the right gear to do it safely.
This tagalong model is a relatively new offering for the region, although Kimberley Adventure Tours has been running outback expeditions since the mid-1990s. Founders Tim and Bianca Grigg have deep connections here, which means we accessed places many tourists never reach.
“It’s for anyone with a strong sense of adventure,” Tim tells me.
“People who’ve dreamed of doing this, but don’t know how to go it alone.”
Waterfalls, gorges, and rock art
We set off from Broome in early May, at the tail end of the wet season and the beginning of the dry. Most days hit the low-to-mid 30s — warm enough that every swim at a waterfall was a refreshing reward.
The highlights? Too many to count.
We stay at private campsites off the beaten track, and visit the pastoral cattle stations Larrawa, Glen Hill – and its magical, ‘secret’ waterhole – and Mount Elizabeth where we swam in Warla Gorge and Wunnamurra Gorge, on Wilinggin country, where ancient Indigenous rock art told stories older than memory.
We visit El Questro Station, again set up in a private campsite away from the crowds, soak in the warm pools of Zebedee Springs, and hiked into Emma Gorge and El Questro Gorge.
At Ellenbrae Station, we eat their famous freshly-baked scones, lavished in jam and cream.
We packed our gear into plastic drums and swam across the river before hiking to Manning Gorge, its waterfall crashing around us. At Adcock Creek, we camped beneath a boab tree, a scene so picturesque it could have been painted.
There was Bell Gorge, Windjana Gorge, and a final morning wading through Tunnel Creek on Bunuba land — headlamps lighting our way, water splashing at our ankles, a short and mostly ungraceful swim while juggling backpacks above our heads, and a freshwater croc keeping its distance…we hoped.
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Challenge and reward
The hiking was not always easy — up and over boulders, through rivers, scrambling over rocks — but every sweaty step felt worth it. And the reward, floating in a cool gorge, staring up at cliffs carved by time, I felt myself let go of everything but the moment.
There was a real sense of achievement, none moreso than at the end of our hike into El Questro Gorge. I was hot, tired, soaked from a spontaneous plunge into a chest-deep pool (in a race to beat the fading light), and feeling like a proper swamp creature. But as I peeled off wet socks back at the car, all I could think was: I did that. And – especially once I had refreshed with a warm shower – I could not help but feel proud of myself.
Evenings brought meals cooked over the fire, and chats with fellow travellers from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and other parts of Australia. Shoes drying by the fire, dingoes howling in the distance, a gentle stream nearby — this was the outback at its most real, and most magical.
Driving the Gibb River Road
Yes, we could have done a similar trip on a 4WD coach tour, bounced along with dozens of others and camped side-by-side in awaiting tents.
But there is something exhilarating about gripping the wheel yourself, being able to say “We drove the Gibb River Road”, and feeling like you really earned the title of outback adventurer.
Having experienced guides makes all the difference. Over the two-way radios, they talked us through four-wheel-driving across river crossings, rocky climbs, and which waterways were safe to swim in — or definitely not (we gave the saltwater croc zones a wide berth).
You did not have to have four-wheel-driving, or even camping, experience, they were there to take us through it.
Our guides, Jacob Fisher and Marjorie Eber, split their year between Tasmania and the Kimberley. Jacob tells me he used to hear about the Kimberley in almost “hushed tones” from other guides — like a well-kept secret.
“The thing about the Kimberley is, it’s so vast, so empty of what we call civilisation — but so full of culture, of stories, of small beautiful moments in the bush,” he says.
“So much of it still feels like a blank canvas — and you get to come here and write your own story on it.”
The writer was a guest of Kimberley Adventure Tours and HeliSpirit.
Need to Know: Kimberley Adventure Tours Tagalong Tour
What:
Self-drive tagalong 4WD tour through the stunning Kimberley region in Western Australia with Kimberley Adventure Tours. Travel in convoy with experienced guides and fellow adventurers.
When to Go:
The best time to visit is during the dry season — May through October.
What to Pack:
- Sturdy hiking shoes and/or water shoes
- Wide-brim hat and fly net
- Swimsuit and quick-dry clothing
- Head torch and waterproof bag
- Warm layers for cold desert nights
- Phone/camera for those epic shots
- A healthy sense of adventure!
What’s Included:
- Fully equipped 4WD/camper hire
- All camping equipment
- Bedding and towels
- Meals and snacks
- Experienced tour guides (invaluable!)
- National park and campground entry fees
Getting There:
Fly into Broome and spend a couple of days soaking up the laid-back vibes before your adventure begins.
Don’t miss: Sunset camel rides on Cable Beach, the beach cafés, some casual drinks and a bite to eat at Spinifex Brewery or Matso’s (try the famous ginger beer!).
Browse pearl shops or book a tour of a working pearl farm.
Hot tip: Grab a bus pass (local drivers share great tips!) or hire a small runabout car to explore at your own pace.
Cost:
- $16,500 per couple (tagalong tour in supplied vehicle)
- Groups of up to five per vehicle welcome
- Note: Fuel costs extra
Add-Ons:
Make it unforgettable with a HeliSpirit helicopter flight over the majestic Bungle Bungles.
18-minute Bungle Bungle Domes Special: $349pp
Book through Kimberley Adventure Tours or visit helispirit.com.au for more options.
Information and bookings:
kimberleyadventures.com.au
