The Kimberley for kids

Landscape

An ancient land

The oldest rocks in Western Australia's Kimberley region formed more than 2 billion years ago. The region has spectacular mountain ranges, gorges with towering cliffs and waterfalls.

The Kimberley coastline includes large bays and peninsulas, sandy beaches, mangrove forests, coral reefs, and thousands of islands. It attracts tourists from across Australia and the world.

Plants and animals

Flora and fauna

The Kimberley is home to many birds, mammals, reptiles and fish and the coastline is a major breeding grounds for humpback whales. It is also one of the few places in the world where boab trees grow naturally.

Animals introduced from overseas have had a negative impact on the landscape.

Aboriginal culture

Connection to land

The Aboriginal communities of the Kimberley have a deep and continuing connection to the land and sea that goes back thousands of years. They are guardians of stories handed down over countless generations, and have a deep understanding of the region's landscape, plants and animals. Today, as traditional owners, many Aboriginal people are employed in roles that allow them to continue to care for their country.

Jandamarra's story

War of resistance

Jandamarra's story is of great significance to the people of the Kimberley. Jandamarra was a Bunuba man born in 1873. He worked as a police tracker before he began a war of resistance against the white settlers who had invaded his people’s lands.

Jandamarra earned a reputation for superhuman powers after avoiding capture by the police for more than two years. Eventually he was tracked and shot dead on 1 April 1897.

Agriculture

Cattle country

The Kimberley was one of the last regions where European people settled in Australia. Its rugged landscape and extreme weather conditions made it a difficult place to survive. Sheep and cattle were introduced from the 1800s and despite causing conflict between Indigenous people and settlers, agriculture remains important in the Kimberley. Today, some stations are owned and run by Aboriginal people on their traditional lands.