Campervan guide Kimberley Australia: for self-drivers, not bus windows

A Kimberley campervan holiday usually means one of two very different drives. The sealed version runs Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek and Kununurra along the Great Northern Highway — roughly 1,050 km one way. It suits most 2WD campervans and motorhomes, with sensible sealed-road access to big-ticket stops and plenty of places to sleep legally.

The other version is the famous Gibb River Road loop. That is about 660 km of mostly unsealed road between Derby and the Kununurra/Wyndham end, with corrugations, creek crossings, sharp stones and seasonal closures. Standard 2WD motorhomes are generally not permitted there. If your hire agreement does not clearly allow the Gibb, do not 'just have a look'. The track has a talent for converting optimism into tyre sidewall damage.

• Do: choose the vehicle to match the road before you book.
• Do: assume May to October is the practical dry-season window.
• Do not: take a sealed-road motorhome onto unapproved dirt because a bloke at the servo said it looked fine yesterday.

Broome to Kununurra can be driven in two long sealed days if you are transporting a campervan, not enjoying one. For an actual motorhome Kimberley trip, allow 10 to 14 days for the sealed highway and side trips. If you have an approved 4WD camper and the Gibb is open, 16 to 21 days is more realistic, especially if you want gorges, washing, dump points, and the occasional afternoon where nobody has to say 'we should keep moving'.

Road trains up here can be 50 metres or more. Give them space, keep your headlights on, and let them overtake on straight sections. Avoid dusk and night driving: cattle, wallabies and wandering stock are not reflective, and a bull on the road is a poor way to test your excess.

• Easy sealed pace: Broome to Derby 220 km, Derby to Fitzroy Crossing 258 km, Fitzroy to Halls Creek 290 km.
• Big sealed day: Halls Creek to Kununurra 360 km, with Warmun roughly halfway.
• Gibb pace: 150 to 250 km can still be a full day once corrugations, swims and tyre checks join in.

Top up fuel whenever you pass a proper town: Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek and Kununurra. On the sealed highway the longest normal gaps are around 290 to 360 km, but roadworks, closures and roadhouse hours can stretch a day. On the Gibb, availability is seasonal and expensive by city standards, so carry a conservative fuel range and do not rely on every map pin being open.

Dump points and potable water are generally available in the main towns and many holiday parks, with public dump points commonly found around Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek and Kununurra. Empty the cassette before you head into national parks or remote campgrounds; nobody wants to be the person doing toilet maths beside a boab tree at 39°C.

• Fuel rule: fill at half a tank, not when the warning light starts nagging.
• Water rule: leave town full; use 10 to 15 litres per person per day as a planning number in hot weather.
• Waste rule: cassette toilets go in dump points only, never bush, creek beds or roadside bins.
• LPG: swap or refill in larger towns where available; do not assume small roadhouses can help.

The best things to do Kimberley campervan travellers can reach depend heavily on the van. Broome is the gentle start: Cable Beach sunsets, Chinatown supplies, a last big supermarket shop and a powered site to learn which cupboard rattles. Derby gives you the jetty tides, boabs and the decision point for the Gibb.

On the sealed route, Danggu Geikie Gorge near Fitzroy Crossing, Mimbi Caves, Halls Creek history, Lake Argyle and Kununurra all fit a 2WD campervan itinerary. Purnululu National Park, Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Bell Gorge, Manning Gorge and El Questro country are brilliant but generally require an approved high-clearance 4WD camper and road conditions to be open.

• Broome: stock up, book a site, and reset your watch to Kimberley pace.
• Derby: check Gibb conditions, tyre gear and whether your vehicle is actually allowed.
• Fitzroy Crossing area: good sealed-route base for gorge country when access is open.
• Kununurra: Lake Argyle, Ord River, supermarkets, repairs and a very welcome dump point.

Free camping exists in the Kimberley, but it is not a licence to pull up anywhere with a view. Use signed rest areas, approved roadside stops and legal low-cost camps, and obey time limits, often 24 hours. Beaches, riverbanks, Aboriginal land, pastoral leases and national parks have rules; if there is a 'no camping' sign, the debate is over.

WA national park campgrounds usually need to be booked online before arrival, and many are unpowered with drop toilets at best. In the dry season, powered sites in Broome, Derby and Kununurra can fill with grey nomads, Big Lappers and people who suddenly discovered they like air-conditioning. If you need power for medical gear, CPAP, refrigeration or just sanity, book online early.

• Powered sites: best in towns when it is hot, dusty or laundry has become urgent.
• Unpowered sites: fine if your battery, fridge and solar are coping.
• Free camps: arrive before dark, keep noise down, take rubbish out.
• National parks: book ahead, stay in marked sites, and leave generators off where restricted.

The dry season, roughly May to October, is the main campervan season. June and July can bring pleasant 28 to 32°C days and cooler nights inland. September and October can push 38 to 42°C, which turns a lovely free camp into a slow roast if you cannot get shade or airflow. The wet season can close roads completely, including the Gibb, park access roads and creek crossings.

Saltwater and freshwater crocodiles live in Kimberley waterways, including places that look inviting after a hot drive. Swim only where local signs and rangers say it is safe. On dirt, slow down, check tyre pressures within your hire-provider rules, and stop regularly to inspect tyres, water leaks, stone damage and anything that has tried to unscrew itself.

• Do: carry offline maps; mobile coverage drops quickly outside towns.
• Do: keep at least one full day spare for closures or mechanical delays.
• Do not: cross flooded roads; even shallow water can hide washouts.
• Do not: stand near the edge of rivers for a better look. Crocs are not impressed by travel insurance.