Is October too late for the Kimberleys?

I wonder if you could help us please. I purchased online today your guide to the Kimberley region.
We are planning on arriving in Darwin on 15th October & then making our way to Kununurra via Katherine on 18th October, but after reading your guide we're beginning to have doubts if this time would be too late in the season. But as we're also going on down to Sydney we didn't want to get there when the weather is cool!

What would your advice be please.

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Is October too late for the Kimberleys?

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October IS hot...
by: Birgit

Well, it depends what you want to do and see, how you travel, what you like and dislike and so many other things. It is not the best time of the year...

I would never say, "This or that date is too late to visit the Kimberley". That's nonsense. We live here 12 months round, and every time of the year has advantages and disadvantages.

But late October WILL be stinking hot. There is no way around that. So you really need to think about what you may want to do, how the heat will affect that, and how you think you may cope. Or not.

So, what is it you plan to do while in the Kimberley, and how, and what do you most worry about? Tell me a bit more then I can advise you a bit better!

Thanks for your quick response!
by: Anonymous

We're 2 couples coming to Oz in Oct. My husband & I are both in our 60's & our friends in their 70's - so we won't be doing anything too strenuous!!

We haven't booked any flights or accommodation at all yet, but we really must start to get something organised.
These are our plans so far:

16th Oct - arr Darwin - pick up 4WD
17th Oct - o/n Darwin
18th Oct - Drive to Katherine & stay o/n somewhere
19th Oct - Drive to Gibb River Rd, maybe down as far as Home Valley & stay there the night
20th Oct - drive to El Questro & stay in Station Townhouse
21st Oct - Drive back to Kununurra - o/n Kununurra
22nd Oct - o/n Kununurra. Have a look around town
23rd Oct - o/n kununurra. Take a trip on the Ord River & to Lake Argyle
24th Oct - o/n Kununurra. Go on an organised air tour to the Bungles, maybe having a chance to walk to Cathedral Gorge.
25th Oct. o/n Kununurra. Have a relaxing day.
26th Oct - Drive back to Katherine & o/n there.
27th Oct - Drive back to Darwin
28th Oct - Fly to Cairns

Does all this sound crazy to you B? We'd planned on getting a 4WD so don't have a problem driving on the Gibb River Road.

We were in Kalgoorlie at the beginning of last year & I found it very hot there & didn't have much energy, but then there's not too much to do there!

What do you think - are we wasting our time & money coming to the Kimberley in October?

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Submitted by: Anonymous

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We're 2 couples coming to Oz in Oct. My husband & I are both in our 60's & our friends in their 70's - so we won't be doing anything too strenuous!! We haven't booked any flights or accommodation at all yet, but we really must start to get something organised. These are our plans so far: 16th Oct - arr Darwin - pick up 4WD 17th Oct - o/n Darwin 18th Oct - Drive to Katherine & stay o/n somewhere 19th Oct - Drive to <a href="http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/gibb-river-road.html">Gibb River Rd</a>, maybe down as far as Home Valley & stay there the night 20th Oct - drive to El Questro & stay in Station Townhouse 21st Oct - Drive back to <a href="http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/kununurra.html">Kununurra</a> - o/n Kununurra 22nd Oct - o/n Kununurra. Have a look around town 23rd Oct - o/n kununurra. Take a trip on the Ord River & to Lake Argyle 24th Oct - o/n Kununurra. Go on an organised air tour to <a href="http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/bungle-bungles.html">the Bungles</a>, maybe having a chance to walk to Cathedral Gorge. 25th Oct. o/n Kununurra. Have a relaxing day. 26th Oct - Drive back to Katherine & o/n there. 27th Oct - Drive back to Darwin 28th Oct - Fly to Cairns Does all this sound crazy to you B? We'd planned on getting a 4WD so don't have a problem driving on the Gibb River Road. We were in Kalgoorlie at the beginning of last year & I found it very hot there & didn't have much energy, but then there's not too much to do there! What do you think - are we wasting our time & money coming to the Kimberley in October?

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Kimberley in October
by: Birgit

I'll tell you a bit about what to expect, but at the end you have to decide if it there is any sense in visiting at all or not.

Ok, the driving and staying in places is not a problem. You just turn on the air conditioner.
You're not camping so the nights are not a problem.

If Cathedral Gorge is the only hike you do, as long as you do that in the morning you should be fine. However, the Bungles will be cruel after 10 am. (The sun comes up at about 5 am here. 10am sounds earlier than what it is.)

You could do a scenic helicopter flight, but any other hiking would be too hard.

At El Questro you could go to Emma Gorge early in the morning. The pool at the end is cool and shady, but it's a difficult walk over rocks and boulders and it's in the sun, so you need to do it real early (or real late).

You could also do the walk up El Questro Gorge. That's a shady walk nearly all the way.

You just have to be aware that after the early morning it will be very, very hot. Looking around Kununurra for a whole day is not really something worth doing in October. It's too hot to bother...

And then you have another relaxing day in Kununurra. Not sure what that would entail, but I guess if you spend it by the poolside it'll be fine :-).

Anyway, you have air-con in the car and at night. Get up VERY early and schedule anything involving walking so that you're done with it before 10 am the latest, and drink, drink, drink. Stay in the shade and near water in the afternoon (there are still places where you can swim) and you should be fine.

The only good thing about that time is that you'll see few other tourists here :-).

If you will enjoy that kind of trip, and even more so if your friends will cope, is something you have to decide. Most people do not enjoy anything in those temperatures, but others don't seem to mind at all.

And I can't emphasize enough just how hot it might be. It can vary, it might stay around 37/38, but if you are unlucky the temperatures can go up to 45 and higher.

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Submitted by: Birgit

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I'll tell you a bit about what to expect, but at the end you have to decide if it there is any sense in visiting at all or not. Ok, the driving and staying in places is not a problem. You just turn on the air conditioner. You're not camping so the nights are not a problem. If Cathedral Gorge is the only hike you do, as long as you do that in the morning you should be fine. However, the Bungles will be cruel after 10 am. (The sun comes up at about 5 am here. 10am sounds earlier than what it is.) You could do a scenic helicopter flight, but any other hiking would be too hard. At El Questro you could go to Emma Gorge early in the morning. The pool at the end is cool and shady, but it's a difficult walk over rocks and boulders and it's in the sun, so you need to do it real early (or real late). You could also do the walk up El Questro Gorge. That's a shady walk nearly all the way. You just have to be aware that after the early morning it will be very, very hot. Looking around Kununurra for a whole day is not really something worth doing in October. It's too hot to bother... And then you have another relaxing day in Kununurra. Not sure what that would entail, but I guess if you spend it by the poolside it'll be fine :-). Anyway, you have air-con in the car and at night. Get up VERY early and schedule anything involving walking so that you're done with it before 10 am the latest, and drink, drink, drink. Stay in the shade and near water in the afternoon (there are still places where you can swim) and you should be fine. The only good thing about that time is that you'll see few other tourists here :-). If you will enjoy that kind of trip, and even more so if your friends will cope, is something you have to decide. Most people do not enjoy anything in those temperatures, but <a href="http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/the-gibb-river-road-is-well-worth-it.html">others don't seem to mind at all</a>. And I can't emphasize enough just how hot it might be. It can vary, it might stay around 37/38, but if you are unlucky the temperatures can go up to 45 and higher.

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Thanks for all your help & advice.
by: Anonymous

What we've decided to do is to put the trip off until next June/July & go to New Zealand instead. We feel it would be a waste of time & money to have to stay in a/c places to be comfortable, but I shall keep all your info & use it for next year.

Excellent decision
by: B.

Now New Zealand instead is a very good idea!

Good decision. I didn't realise that you also had the option to be here next year. If the choice is to see the Kimberley in October or to not see it at all, then it is a much harder decision to make.

October or June is a no brainer!

By the way, next year, before you leave for the Kimberley, make sure you email me for a fresh link to the updated version of the guide (best a few weeks beforehand in case I'm not around). Many things and prices and other details change and I update it all the time.

And anybody who buys it so long before they travel can of course get the freshest update when they need it.

Have a great time in New Zealand!
B.

Kimberly in Jan
by: Sally

Is it possible to do or see anything in the Kimberleys in January? We may be would like to leave Darwin for Broome around that time but don't know if it is firstly possible and secondly possible to view any of the Kimberley's along the way? if not then we may have to come back another time to do it. Also where is the best place to hire a 4wd from?
Cheers, sally

Kimberley wet season.
by: Birgit

Hi Sally,
To get a good idea what to expect I suggest you start by reading my free Kimberley guide.

Is september as bad as october?
by: Janneke

Hi,

I've been reading your guidebook and all the information on this website (both are excellent!!) and I would like to know if September is as bad as you discribed october to be.
We have no way out of traveling in september (as early in september as we can get). And we're going straight from Darwin into the Kimberley's.

We (husband and wife) will be traveling with our son who's three years old. We really want to do this trip b4 he's obligated to go to school and we won't be able to go for as long as we're planing now. (We're traveling from the Netherlands and as it's a long way, we want to make it worth our wild and stay 6 weeks). But as you will know, temperatures here are never that high, so i'm wondering if he's going to cope.

Ty,

Janneke

September/October in the Kimberley
by: Birgit

Hi Janneke,
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you like the site and guide.

While the free guide does not answer the question if your kid will cope (only you can answer that), it does tell you everything there is to say about the weather. You even have temperature tables for all the different areas, you have my detailed comments. Maybe you should have another look at that chapter.

Is August as hot as July in the Netherlands? I bet sometimes there are hot days in July, and sometimes in August. Same here. From August until November it gets warmer and warmer. Just as Europe warms up from Spring to Summer. Which day or week will be the hottest I can't tell you ahead.

It's a pretty safe bet that the last October week will be warmer than the first September week. But late September could be warmer than early October. We have normal ups and downs just like every other place in the world.

If you travel the Kimberley during the hotter time of the year, plan your days so you make use of the early mornings and late afternoons, and avoid being outside during the middle of the day. Yes, that applies September as well as October. For some people that applies even August. Or May. Some think 30 is too hot to do stuff.

How well you'll cope depends on any given day, where exactly you are then, what you do, and how much you let the heat bother you.

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Submitted by: Birgit

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Hi Janneke, Thanks for the kind words. Glad you like the site and guide. While the free guide does not answer the question if your kid will cope (only you can answer that), it does tell you everything there is to say about the weather. You even have temperature tables for all the different areas, you have my detailed comments. Maybe you should have another look at that chapter. Is August as hot as July in the Netherlands? I bet sometimes there are hot days in July, and sometimes in August. Same here. From August until November it gets warmer and warmer. Just as Europe warms up from Spring to Summer. Which day or week will be the hottest I can't tell you ahead. It's a pretty safe bet that the last October week will be warmer than the first September week. But late September could be warmer than early October. We have normal ups and downs just like every other place in the world. If you travel the Kimberley during the hotter time of the year, plan your days so you make use of the early mornings and late afternoons, and avoid being outside during the middle of the day. Yes, that applies September as well as October. For some people that applies even August. Or May. Some think 30 is too hot to do stuff. How well you'll cope depends on any given day, where exactly you are then, what you do, and how much you let the heat bother you.

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Is september as bad as october?
by: Janneke

Thank you for your reply.

I think my son will cope, but I won't be sure untill we're there. He's much like his father and he doesn't let the heat bother him at all. I think heatwise I'm the biggest worrie for the group. And if he (or I) doesn't cope we'll have to amend our plans when we're there.

I bought the Kimberley Travel Guide and right after we check out the Vacation Trade Show, that's on here in the next week, we'll be booking our flight and filling in the details :) (Hopefully there will be some nice sales on flights.) We'll be heading over to Darwin on or around september 10th. Hopefully it won't be too scorching.

I'm telling you, this planing stuff is half the fun :) Specially when you have good guidebooks to lead the way.

Guide Books
by: Birgit

Thanks, Janneke!

Darwin is a lot cooler. Broome should be fine, too. The further inland you go, the hotter it gets. The Bungles will be the worst since you are stuck between all those rocks that heat up like nothing else.

On the topic of guide books, I hope you are on the newsletter list. I'll be sending out some updates this week or next, and there will also be a new guide book for the trip between Darwin and Kununurra, out in January or very early February.

If you downloaded the free Kimberley guide you are automatically on the list. If not, you can sign up in the top right corner of every page.

Wow
by: Debbie

What a great site, we were planning on coming to Broome October/Nobember, after reading your site plans have now changed. We will make the trip April next year and instead of driving Broome to Darwin. We will make our trip to Darwin October which will give us more time April for Broome and the Kimberleys.
Thank you