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Submitted by: Birgit

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Hi Marc, Thanks for the kind words. Glad you find the free guide so useful. And good to see you understand that weather can't be predicted. It's amazing how few people do understand that! Well, the Broome operator is right. The wet season could last longer. That's as true this year as it is every year :-). It could always last longer... The weather bureau has indeed forecast a wetter than normal season. (You can predict that kind of thing from the ocean temperatures). But that still doesn't tell us when and where exactly the rain will fall, which path exactly the cyclones or monsoonal troughs will take, when the last one will move through... A couple of late cyclones on the west coast could even suck cloud and moisture away from the east Kimberley... Bottom line, the road opening dates are as unpredictable as ever. Yes, the highway will be open in May. It really only gets cut off during major rainy periods and cyclones. Starting in Kununurra is not an option as you can't hire a 4WD campervan from here, only a standard 4WD. Broome is not too bad in early May, but do book all your <a href="http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/broome-accommodation.html">accommodation in Broome</a> ahead. I think your schedule is good. You start on the highway and leave the Gibb River Road till last, that gives you the best chance to get across it. The Bungles track is the first to open, the Gibb next and the Kalumburu Road and the track up on the <a href="http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/mitchell-falls.html">Mitchell Plateau</a> last (can well be June). If you arrive in Broome and it is obvious that the Durack or Pentecost River will not drop low enough to do the whole length of the Gibb River Road, you will still be able to see the western half of it and El Questro on the eastern side. Whatever happens, it should be a great trip!

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Submitted by: Birgit

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I thought I'd update this thread with some observations. The 2009 wet season did NOT last long at all. It was a good wet season with lots of rain, but it started very early (with the first cyclone hitting us early December) and it finished early (no substantial rains after February). On the other hand the 2010 wet season was a rather dry one. It seemed to end very early again. And then, at a time when nobody expected it, after all the roads had opened already, it returned! During the second half of May it rained on and off, with same very heavy downpours, for a full two weeks. The Gibb River Road remained open for the whole time for vehicles under 3T. The highway of course also stayed open as I indicated it would in my original answer. But all the national parks were closed. So there you go... When it comes to our wet seasons, the only thing we can predict for sure is that they will again be unpredictable.

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