The best campervan stops Kimberley self-drivers actually use

The sensible first plan is the sealed spine: Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra, then Lake Argyle or Wyndham. It still feels wildly remote — because it is — but it keeps most hired campervans on roads they are actually allowed to use.

Distances are the trick. Broome to Derby is about 220 km, Fitzroy Crossing to Halls Creek is about 289 km, and Halls Creek to Kununurra is 359 km if you do it in one run. That is not a coffee-and-croissant wander; that is a water-in-the-fridge, fuel-before-lunch sort of day.

• Do: top up fuel whenever you drop below half a tank, especially outside the dry-season rush.
• Do: carry at least 10 litres of drinking water per person for remote legs, more in October heat.
• Don’t: assume every roadhouse is open late or has your fuel type after a busy long weekend.

Broome is where many Big Lap dreams meet their first practical problem: you have the keys, the bedding, the excitement — and no clue where the dump point is. Spend your first night in a powered site around Broome or Cable Beach if you can. You’ll sort the fridge, check the water hose fittings, learn the van’s battery quirks and discover which cupboard makes that mysterious clunk.

Derby, 220 km east, is more than a fuel stop. The wharf at sunset is properly good, the tides can swing around 10 metres, and the wide streets are friendlier for longer vehicles than Broome’s beach traffic. If you are wondering where to stay campervan Kimberley style before deciding on the Gibb, Derby is the decision point.

• Good for: powered sites, laundry, dump point planning, groceries, tyre pressure checks.
• Watch for: road trains on the Broome-Derby run; give them room and do not sit in their dust.
• Don’t: camp on beaches or town verges unless signage clearly allows it; council rangers do patrol.

This is the stretch that rewards people who stop before they are tired. Danggu Geikie Gorge near Fitzroy Crossing is sealed-access and usually works well for standard campervans, though wet-season flooding can change everything. The limestone walls glow in the late afternoon and the Fitzroy River looks deceptively lazy — which is Kimberley code for do not freestyle the swimming rules.

Between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, rest areas such as Mary Pool and Ngumban Cliff are popular with grey nomads because they break the drive neatly. Free camping Kimberley options like these can be brilliant, but they are not caravan parks in disguise: no power, no guaranteed water, and no excuse for leaving rubbish or grey-water puddles.

• Mary Pool: roughly 108 km east of Fitzroy Crossing; dry-season favourite, can close after rain.
• Ngumban Cliff: roadside views, big-sky sunsets, generally easier for self-contained vans than tents in the wind.
• Do: arrive by mid-afternoon in peak season; the best flat spots disappear before sunset.
• Don’t: swim unless a local sign says it is safe. Freshies, salties and flood debris are not brochure props.

The Gibb River Road is one of Australia’s great self-drive tracks, but it is not a casual shortcut between Derby and Kununurra. It is roughly 660 km end to end, mostly unsealed, often corrugated, and commonly restricted to 4WD campervans only under hire conditions. A 2WD campervan on the Gibb is not adventurous; it is an insurance problem on wheels.

If your booked vehicle and rental terms allow it, the stops are superb: Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Bell Gorge via Silent Grove, Manning Gorge and El Questro country further east. Fuel may be available at places such as Imintji, Mount Barnett and Drysdale River Station depending on season and supply, but you should never plan the Gibb with a skinny fuel margin.

• Allow: at least 4 to 7 days, more if you dislike rattles, dust and rushing waterfalls.
• Pressure: lower tyre pressures only if you know the vehicle, pump them back up before bitumen, and follow hire guidance.
• Season: May to September is the usual window; the wet can shut crossings and stations completely.
• Don’t: take a long-wheelbase motorhome into tracks, creek crossings or campground loops that signage says are unsuitable.

After days of red dust, Kununurra feels like a metropolis because it has supermarkets, mechanics, bottle-o shelves, dump points and enough shade to make you emotional. It is a very practical base for Mirima National Park, Ord River trips and the run out to Lake Argyle, about 70 km each way.

Lake Argyle is one of the best campervan stops in the Kimberley for a final slow day: water views, powered sites, hot showers and the rare feeling that the van floor might stay clean for more than four minutes. Wyndham is about 100 km from Kununurra and the Five Rivers Lookout is a cracker at sunset, but check access and conditions before sending a large vehicle uphill.

• Do: book powered sites ahead in June-August; the grey nomad migration is real.
• Do: check national park booking rules online before arriving; many WA campgrounds are not pay-at-the-gate.
• Don’t: drive Ivanhoe Crossing in a hired campervan. If it is flowing, it is not your moment.