Roads & Travel Tips
(plus Vehicle Breakdowns & Accidents - link Here)

Important Advice
Each year our rainy or (wet) season varies in length and intensity. The roads into this area are all dirt and the large rivers can remain uncrossable for a time after the rains cease. We open as soon as the Kalumburu Road is legally opened. Please check with SWEK on (08) 9168 4100. If the road is closed, you should not be here so regretfully you will not be served with fuel. The roads are all dirt and can be very good or very rough, it depends on when last graded, and your perception of 'rough'. Regretfully, there is no way anyone can tell you in advance what the road will be like at any time, so there is little point in asking us. We have been open in early April, BUT it has also been June before we could open.

If you are planning to travel in April or May, it is important that you do check with Main Roads or SWEK on the state of our region's roads , prior to your departure. Visitor Centres can also advise about the availability of vital fuel supplies in this region, because supply trucks may not have yet got through. Checking avoids disappointment; and the same issues can apply in November !

It is simply not possible to estimate weather & road conditions in advance. All road travel times given are only a very rough guide and can vary a great deal depending upon road conditions, your  normal driving habits and experience, type of vehicle and if towing or not.   A  4WD vehicle is recommended for clearance height.

Old literature often says the Kalumburu road is just a track from the junction North but this is simply NOT the case. It is in fact for the 59 km as far as Drysdale, normally as good or better than most of the Gibb River Road. North past the Mitchell Plateau turn off heading for Kalumburu it does deteriorate to varying degrees.

'Bash' drivers at Drysdale. Turning into Drysdale, from the Kalumburu Rd.

Note: Any travel times quoted here are a rough guide only ! None of the times given allow for the stops you will wish to make at other properties, gorges and places of interest, or for meals and  travel breaks.

Drysdale River Station to Mitchell Falls car park.   4  to 6 hours. Then 3 km walk or chopper ride (see Heliwork below).
Kununurra to Drysdale River Station    5  to  8   hours.
Derby to Drysdale River Station         6.5 to  10 hours.
Broome to Drysdale River Station    9  to  12.5  hours.
The roads are all dirt and can be very good or very rough; it depends on when last graded and your perception of 'rough'.

Heliwork WA offers the choice of four scenic helicopter flights over the Mitchell Falls and surrounds. Our flights range from a 6 minute “taxi” trip to or from the falls, up to a 48 minute coastal flight which includes the Lower Falls, Mitchell River and the Admiralty Gulf.

Wet Season damage, Mitchell Plateau track. Fuelling up at Drysdale.

You can gain more information on travel and other accommodation
opportunities in our region, via our Links page.



Vehicle Breakdowns & Accidents - North Kimberley

(you can go back up to Roads and Travel Tips HERE)

A vehicle breakdown can happen to anyone anywhere, but accidents are almost entirely preventable - with well prepared vehicles and trailers, drivers simply need to slow down and drive well within safety limits for the prevailing conditions.
Vehicle Breakdowns
If you breakdown along the Gibb River Road or the Kalumburu Road there are very few places you can get mechanical help. While some places offer tyre repair, only two places offer tyre / vehicle / mechanical / welding repairs. These are:

Drysdale River Station
(on the Kalumburu Road, 60 km North of the junction of the GGR and the Kalumburu Road)

Over the Range Tyre and Mechanical repairs: Neville - Phone 91 917 887
(on the Gibb River Road at Imintji, 425km from the Great Northern Hwy and 221km from Derby).

 

Asking For Our Help - Accidents and/or Repairs

So you have broken down and need help. If you carry a Sat Phone or HF Radio then call the nearest repair place; they will advise the best options. If you don't have those long distance communications options then you have to wait and flag down someone who can send, or take a message for you.
What we often get here at Drysdale is totally unreliable and frustrating verbal messages; the content of such information is usually muddled in the passing as well.

Carry paper and pen and carefully write out.

(1) Your full name and home contact details.

(2) Your exactly location.

(3) The vehicle or trailer details: year, make, model, in fact the more info the better, especially if you want a part.

(4) Exactly what happened or what you think the problem may be. If you have run out of spare tyres then exact tyre size is required. If you need U bolts then the axel size and set up detail if possible. If need be draw a mud map sketch of the broken set up.

(5) State that you are willing to pay for whatever you are asking for and actually sign the paper to prove this.

(6) If you want to be guaranteed that help will be sent, then it would be advisable to include your bankcard number and a note saying you agree to pay for all costs.

(7) If it's a hire vehicle we must have the rego, the contract number, the company name and a 24 hour breakdown phone number. We are unable to do work on any hire vehicle without the owner's approval and a company order number.

As a result of bitter experiences in the past that have often cost us a lot of time and money WE WILL NOT respond to relayed verbal / anecdotal messages for roadside assistance. As we are sure you can appreciate, unverified information regarding the location and the nature of the problem virtually ensures that we will be wasting our time in just 'driving out' to assist someone. Of course, to find that someone has fixed their own problem, or been assisted by a passer-by and then moved in is quite devastating to us, considering the distances and time that is often involved !
Given the correct information and required assurances, we will try and attend as soon as possible, but there may be delays if our staff are already attending to other travellers' repair needs here at the station.

As for $ costs; be aware that if you formally request for a call out, it WILL cost a lot of money.

FUEL & SUPPLIES
Fuel and groceries are available along the Gibb River Road at the Mt Barnett Roadhouse and the Imintji Store, and along the Kalumburu Road at Drysdale River Station and Kalumburu. The Imintji Store sells diesel only, while the others have diesel and unleaded. The size of each store varies and some do not have fresh vegies and other perishable produce.

Top of the Page - Roads and Travel Tips HERE