The Kimberley
Located in the northwest of Australia, the Kimberley region encompasses an isolated and vast area of over
420, 000 km² in area. Its coast, which runs from the Northern Territory border at the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in a
southwesterly direction towards Broome and Roebuck Bay, is perhaps Australia's remotest and most pristine of coastlines.
The hinterland is sparsely populated and access roads are few.
The coastline is highly convoluted with numerous deep bays, gulfs and headlands and extensive areas of mudflat and mangrove. Offshore are countless islands — usually quoted at around 3,000 in number — the vast majority being small islets of less than 1 km² in size (a significant number of which are unnamed). Close to shore these include two major groups: The Bonaparte and Buccaneer Archipelagoes. Further from the shore, sitting near the edge of the continental shelf are the platform reefs of Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island, Scott and Seringapatam Reefs, the Rowley Shoals, and the important seabird breeding sites of islands such as Adele, Browse and the Lacepede Islands.
Flowing in to its waters are some of the largest rivers in Australia (in terms of volume) which during the wet season transport billions of tons of sediment eroded from the ancient sandstones of the interior in to the sea. This makes the coastal waters in this area extremely turbid — as evidenced by most of the images in this section. In addition to the high discharge rates of its rivers the coast is subjected to further stress in the shape of some of the worlds largest tidal ranges. Tidal variations of up to 11-12 m are common along much of the coastline. These two factors mean that the coastal areas are not conducive to coral growth. It is only far out from coast — such as at Rowley Shoals — can coral reefs begin to flourish.
The region has a tropical monsoon climate with well-defined dry and wet seasons. Most of the rainfall is received from November to April in the summer wet season when hot and humid conditions prevail. During this time the coast may be buffeted by severe tropical cyclones. From May to October air flowing from the Australian interior brings cooler drier weather.