Travelling The Gibb River Road
A Kimberley Adventure Trip From Derby To Kununurra
The legendary Gibb River Road, a 660 km dirt track right through the wild heart of the Kimberley, is one of the Kimberley's main attractions.
"The Gibb" takes you from Broome/Derby on the west coast to Kununurra/Wyndham on WA's eastern border...
...through a spectacular landscape of intensely coloured ranges, dramatic gorges and lush rock pools and waterfalls, everything the Kimberley is famous for.
The trip is still touted as one of the last serious adventures in Australia, a drive through a very remote area where all sorts of dangers loom, an undertaking that requires guts and four wheel driving experience...
Well, not any more!
There is absolutely nothing to be nervous about.
Your Gibb River Road trip can be an adventure, if that's what you want it to be. Or it can be an enjoyable and relaxing scenic drive. (Well, except for the corrugated parts...)
Anybody can drive the Gibb River Road. You need no special skills and experience at all.
Below you find a list of articles with more information. They tell you more about the road conditions, the distances, attractions, accommodation, the possible detours, the real adventures along the way...
You can also browse through questions (plus answers) from other readers.
Don't worry, you will be well prepared.
Driving The Gibb - Plan Your Trip
Maps of the Gibb
Get an idea where it is, and where everything along it is located.
The Road Conditions
Really, you don't need any 4WDing experience...
Fuel Stops on the Gibb
... but you may need a jerry can or two.
What You Need To Know
I said above that this drive is by no means the risky adventure it used to be. However, it still requires some travel planning and equipment. Also, a good measure of common sense never hurts...
Gibb River Rd. Route Description
This gives you the kilometres from/to all the turn offs, side tracks, attractions, accommodations, supply points etc. coming from Derby (west to east). The description for a Gibb River Road trip in the other direction is here.
Accommodation on the Gibb Road
All the places where you can buy a cooked meal, have a hot shower and sleep in a real bed!
Kimberley Gorges
The gorges and waterfalls are the main attractions and the reason for travel along the Gibb River Road. Here they are, with photos, descriptions, and comments (which should always be taken with a grain of salt...).
Gibb River Road Australia Pictures
If you just want to look at photos, here is a bunch of big ones.
Videos
Driving the Gibb: Broome to Wyndham and Kununurra to Broome
Reader video: Darwin to Broome via Gibb River Rd.
Adcock Gorge
Did you drive the Gibb River Road?
Or know someone who did? Do you have a good story about this? Some tips? A great photo? Come on, share it!
Other readers would love to hear your tips and read about your experiences, so please share them with us.
It's easy! Just fill in the form below.
See existing reader pages and trip reports.
(If you have questions please see the questions page. Thank you.)
Questions And Trip Reports From Other Readers
Click below to see what others had to say.
Gibb River Road with the whole family Dear Birgit, hereby some links to our website and the route we did in Sept/Oct 2009 from Darwin to Perth via Kakadu, Purnululu and the Gibb River Road ...
Gibb River Road with minimal baggage?
Great site Birgit!
Our family is planning to travel from Darwin to Broome, taking in Kakadu, the Gibb River Road and the Bungle Bungles. We are travelling ...
Should we attempt the Pentecost River Crossing? We are planning a road trip to Kununurra next year. We won't be doing the entire GRR on this trip given the vehicle we will be in, however we were hoping ...
Gibb River Road Adventure with Jayco Outback Swan We completed our Kimberley Adventure in mid August this year as part of our long service leave trip (with 3 children) around Australia. When I mentioned ...
The Crocs 2009 - Gibb River Road We drove the Gibb River Road in August 2009 in a hired 4wd which we hired in Broome. We are country people used to dirt roads and we were suprised at the ...
How much time at Mornington Wilderness Camp? We have 12 days to travel from Broome to Broome via Gibb River Rd and Great Northern Highway, we have two children 9 and 12, how important is Mornington ...
Charnley River Homestead We spent just on 3 weeks doing the Gibb River Road which included lots of walks and gorges. One of our favourite gorges was Dillie Gorge at Charnley River ...
Experience Kimberley Tour Guide You make it sound so so easy. Please remind people about the different driving technique required for dirt road driving eg; loose gravel, corrugations ...
Bicks and Bickess (Gibb River Road 2007) My partner and I traveled the Kimberley in 2007. While I agree you do not require much knowledge or skill for driving the Gibb River Road. If you want ...
Our trip with a van down the Gibb Just completed a Gibb River Road trip (July 09) with our van and the corregations are the worst of it. We enjoyed all the river / creek crossings and had ...
Adventurous Kiwi's take on the Gibb My husband and I travelled the Kimberley and Gibb River Road May 2009. What a great holiday. We arrived in Broome and picked up our 4wd Camper and set ...
Female and single? Go for it! From Shark Bay to Kununurra and everywhere in between... We (my 8yo son and I) have just arrived home from 6 weeks on the road; starting from Shark Bay (WA) through Karijini NP, up to Kununurra via the Gibb ...
King Edward River Crossing (and great Kimberley slide show) Hi Birgit, thanks for all the great info in your guide . As part of our Kimberley trip we went up to the Mitchell Falls in late May and our Jeep Cherokee ...
Gibb River Road with small kids
We are planning a trip in June with our 8 month old and 2 year old in hired 4WD bush cruiser.
Since our initial excitement we have had many people tell ...
Mobile, internet reception along Gibb River Road
My parents are travelling the Gibb River Road leaving Kempsey NSW 10 May. They would like to watch ABC news and speak to us occasionally.
Can you tell ...
Standard caravans on the GRR Have read all the advice given about caravans and the Gibb River Road. But didn't find the one I wanted. We intend doing the GRR this year in mid to late ...
Spare Tyres We are heading to the Kimberley in May, exploring Gibb River etc. and have a question about spare tyres. We intend to have All Terrain tyres and carry ...
4wd snorkel needed for Gibb River Road?
Does our 4wd need a snorkel to go along the Gibb River Rd at the start of season?
Dogs on the Gibb River Road
G'day B, just wondering about the Gibb River Road and if it's ok to have our dog come with us?
I know that the King Leopold Rangers Conservation Park ...
Main points of interest on the Gibb River Road I'm Eric from Tahiti. Mid-May 2009, I'll drive along the Gibb river road. I planned to spend 4 days and 3 nights between Kununurra and Derby. Do you think ...
Hazard on Gibb River Road
My reason for putting up this note is to point out what I believe is the major hazard of driving the Gibb and which I have not read about elsewhere.
The ...
The Gibb River Road is well worth it! My husband and I have just returned from a trip on the Gibb River Road. Absolutely awesome. I am 67 ys old, my husband is 69, and we are both well traveled,...
Gibb River Road by sports car Back in 1992 I drove the length of the Gibb River Road (Derby to Wyndham) in a 1990 Celica (semi-sports car, low clearance etc). I broke parts of the ...
Off-Road Caravans on the Gibb River Road I'm contemplating towing a 16 foot Regal Off-Road van (single axle - independent suspension)on the Gibb River Road, with the option of heading out to the ...
Wheelchair accessibility of attractions on Gibb River Road I am thinking of taking the family on the Gibb River Road and was wondering if the attractions along the way are accessible by wheelchair as I have MS ...
Taking a dinghy along? I've planned to travel the Gibb River Road next April for fishing as well as for sight seeing. You mentioned a few times that bringing a camping trailer ...
El Questro I am writing in response to the negative comments regarding El Questro. The impression given is that the Homestead is the only style of accommodation ...
Buying a car for Gibb River Road We're in the process of buying a new car, and we were interested in getting a medium sized 4WD like a Suzuki Grand Vitara, so we could get about the NT ...
Towing a caravan on the Gibb River Road We are planning a trip from Darwin to Perth in July 2009 and have been told we could tow our 20ft full van with our Prado on the Gibb River Road. We would ...
Video: Darwin to Broome via Gibb River Rd
Aboriginal art sites
My wife is an Aboriginal art junkie (used to teach dot painting to Japanese exchange students) but knows xray art and studied Bradshaw and Wadjina.
We ...
Mobile phone communication along Gibb River Road Hi, we are travelling to the Kimberleys next week, including the Gibb River Rd. Due to the illness of a family member I would like to know how good mobile ...
Silent Grove - Bell Gorge camp sites Birgit, I have your excellent ' Destination Kimberley ' (I wish I'd known about it years ago ... I can now throw away all the printouts from tens of websites ...
Taking dogs along Gibb River Road Can I take my dog along the Gibb River Road? Or are there too many national parks?
Travelling the Gibb River Road in May 2009 We are thinking of booking self drive 4WD itinerary from Darwin to Broome via the Gibb River Road with stops arranged. We are concerned that the river ...
Which direction of the Gibb River Road is better? If we only travel the Gibb River Road one way, is it better to travel from Broome to Kununurra or vice versa? Please consider also the accommodation because ...
Motorhoming the Gibb River Road
We own a 10.5 meter motorhome based on a bus chassis. Behind it we tow a Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 4WD. We are hoping to travel to the area next year.
I ...
Gibb River Road in Subaru Forester TNT magazine just had an article about a couple of backpackers who did the Gibb River Road in a VW Combi. I'm planning to do it this July (I'll have 3 ...
Towing Jayco Outback to Gibb River Road In reading the stories I see you are saying it is accessible to most areas. Does that include the Mitchell Falls area or would it be advisable to leave ...
Vehicle Suitability for Gibb River Road My question relates to the suitability of our vehicle for the Gibb River Road, particularly as you point out the importance of your vehicle's clearance....
Gibb River Road: additional insurance for rented 4wd needed? Renting a 4WD is not cheap and the standard level of insurance leaves a very large excess. Damage to the underbody doesn't appear to be covered. As reasonably ...
Gibb River Road with camper trailer? We are thinking to do the Gibb River Road in June next year, towing a camper trailer. We are travelling from Victoria around Oz with a Jayco Outback trailer ...
Travelling through the Gibb River Road area with dogs We plan to do the Gibb River Road with our dogs. Do you see many people travelling with a dog through the Gibb River Road area? I know our plan will have ...
Caravans On The Gibb River Road Obviously you would not want to take a caravan on the Gibb River Road. However, is there place to leave our van on the eastern end as we make our way across ...
Gibb River Road: A Great Trip We traveled the Gibb River Road during June 2006. What a great trip!! We were led to believe that the road was in really bad condition but were pleasantly ...
Sunset in Sir John Gorge A sunset at Sir John Gorge, 12km off the Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary camp (90km off the Gibb River Road). This is the place where we had one of the most ...
Creek crossing on the Gibb River Road The picture shows one of the many creek crossings that we've done on the Gibb River Road. We started our trip in Derby. This particular crossing is on ...
Bell Gorge Camp We stayed at the last camping ground near Bell Gorge. It was peaceful, there was nobody but us, the landscape, and the sandflies... It was OK, although ...
Mornington Wilderness The safari tents at Mornington Wilderness Camp were fantastic - own toilet and shower - veranda out the back to sit out and watch the numerous birds (and ...
Favourite places to watch the world go by
Diamonds & Pearls, Derby
Among the shops, just round the corner from the campsite. Perfect for breakfast or daytime relaxing; closes at 4 – just ...
Brisbane to Broome on bicycle via Gibb River Road My husband, father in law and step brother are planning on riding their push bikes from Brisbane to Broome , leaving in 7 days. They are considering riding ...
2wd for road to Drysdale River Station? My wife & I will be leaving Victoria in 4 weeks time to begin an around Australia adventure lasting 18 months. We will be travelling in a 2wd bus (Nissan ...
Adventure of a lifetime: the Gibb River Road
Adventure of a lifetime: the Gibb River Road
We started our August three week journey along the Gibb River Road in Broome. We hired a Land Cruiser and ...
Do I really need a 4WD for the Gibb River Road? Hey, I just have a really simple question. Is it possible to drive with a two wheel drive through the Gibb River Road or is it really necessary to have ...
First night at Windjana Gorge Camp Our first stop coming from Derby was Windjana Gorge (which you can see in the background). This photo is taken while we were unpacking, getting ready for ...
Gibb River Road In June We're nervous about doing the 4WD roads - the Gibb River Road itself and all the roads off it - given that we're 4WD virgins! We are thinking about coming ...
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