Kununurra is an oasis for travellers in the vast Kimberley region ... a green belt surrounded by an ancient and rugged landscape.  Situated about 80KM from the coast on the Ord River, this tropical town is home to over 5,000 people.

Nearly 50km upstream from Kununurra is Lake Argyle, a man-made lake which is over 20 times larger than Sydney Harbour.  The picturesque lake was created by the construction of Argyle Dam, which was completed in the early 1960's to supply irrigation water for the Ord River Development Scheme.  Regarded as a project of national importance, this massive reservoir provides an abundant water supply year-round to the irrigation district as well as generating electricity by way of a hydro generation plant.

The township of Kununurra, the centre of the scheme, was founded in 1963.  Intensive farming in the district produces crops such as maize, peanuts, sorghum, sunflowers, cotton, sugar cane, tropical fruits, vegetables and melons.

One of the 5 major rivers leading into the Cambridge Gulf, the Ord River is best experienced by taking a twenty-kilometre drive through lush farmland to Ivanhoe Crossing.  Watching the vast volume of water rushing over the barrage gives an observer an understanding of the scale of these great northern rivers. Once there, you may decide to throw in a line and try your luck at landing a barramundi … but don’t even think of swimming, as you may attract the attention of a large salt water crocodiles.