Kununurra - What a fantastic part of the world

by Phil
(Sunshine Coast Qld)

Aerial view over Kununurra

Aerial view over Kununurra

We first went to Kununurra and the rest of the Kimberley in 1995 as part of a round Australia trip. My wife and I went back about 6 years ago to do all the "tourist" things that we could not afford the first time and to check out the place for raising kids. It was just as good the second time and I have been trying on and off ever since to find a great job there so I could convince my wife (and 3 kids) that we should move there.

I don't have any one thing I love about the place but it is the whole package, what I like to call a civilised wildness. I figure it is fate that I belong there, my wife's name is Kim, I have a Kimberley stove, my wife bought a Prado "Kimberley pack" and now my youngest girl's middle name is Kimberley and it is the only place we came across that I have any chance of convincing my wife to leave the Sunshine Coast for.

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Fantastic Kununurra
by: Birgit

Thank you for posting that, Phil.
I think I know exactly what you mean :-). Civilised wildness...
That's exactly what I love about it. You can have a "normal" civilised life, yet you are still in one of the wildest places on earth and every day is an adventure. Especially now, that another wet season is starting...

Your first visit here was around the same time as mine. For me it was a wet season though, 94/95.
I had no family and needed no super job so I could stay :-).
Mind you, I had one little stumbling block: I wasn't Aussies then and only had a tourist visa.

If I can make it happen, so can you. And it sure sounds like you are meant to join us up here. Just keep your eyes firmly on the goal. You always get what you REALLY want in life.

Good luck with it all, and next time you're up here say hello :-).
Kununurra
by: Ann

Yes, I loved that town too
Hidden Valley camping ground
Kimberlet Asian Centre
Mango cheeks
Good luck!
And merry Xmas
Here in Provence it's snowing
Kununurra alure
by: Jimbo

Hey Phil / Birgit / Ann,

I know what you all mean about Kununurra. I first felt drawn to the Kimberley from Ireland in '94 thanks to watching Bush Tucker Man on tv. It took me until '97 to get there but I came for a year. Worked at Bonza Bananas down Packsaddle Road in Kununurra, did the Gibb River Road from K over two weeks, a 3-day Ord River self-guided Canoe Safari, turned native by going barefoot for the first time, bought my groceries in Charlie Carters (now yet another Coles supermarket), I wandered around the edges of town exploring places like Hidden Valley and soaking up the timeless spirit of the place, letting the Kimberley seep into the soul...and once it's there, you're hooked.

I've been back a couple of times since then, and the appeal just grows and grows. The Kimberley, and particularly around Kununurra, has an irresistible charm. I'm convinced that there are certain people (from all over the world) suited to this place, and those who are will be inexorably drawn to it - it's just a matter of time before we end up there, so keep up the dream and make it a reality.
Charlie Carters...
by: Birgit

Haha, thanks for reminding me of the days of Charlie Carters, Jimbo :-).
And buying breakfast at the 24 hr Hot Bread Shop. No roundabouts back then. Or footpaths. Or light industrial areas...

The town has changed a lot since.
The appeal of the country surrounding it however is timeless. It sure gets under your skin. And like you say, once it's there, you're hooked :-).

Hope to see you back here soon!

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