Kununurra, Western Australia

Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern side of the Kimberley Region close to the border with the Northern Territory. It is the largest town in Western Australia north of Broome, with 5,485 inhabitants, many of whom are Indigenous Australians. It is 3040 kilometres from Perth by road.

"Kununurra" comes from the Miriwoong language and means "big water". The town is located close to the confluence of the Ord and the Dunham River. Lake Argyle, Australia's largest artificial lake, over 100 km² in size, is 72 km from the town. The town is relatively new and was gazetted in the late 1950s, at the time that the Ord River Irrigation scheme was set up.

The scheme involved damming the Ord River and building a diversion dam 50km downstream so that the waters can be directed to irrigate about 750 km² of land. By 1966 there were 31 farms on the Ord River plains. By 1972 the second stage of the scheme was completed with the opening of the Lake Argyle Dam.

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Kununurra Airport

The town also has a 'Celebrity Tree Park' with many trees planted by famous people including Rolf Harris. The town has many local attractions, including waterfalls, gorges and ranges. It was voted the second best town to live in in Australia for outdoor adventure by Outdoor Australia magazine in the March/April 2007 edition.

The landscape surrounding Kununurra includes features such as Valentine Spring, Black Rock Creek and Middle Springs along with many other waterfalls and swimming holes. Popular fishing spots include Ivanhoe Crossing, The Diversion Dam, Buttons Crossing, and various locations along the Dunham and Ord Rivers.