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77-533: Wyndham is the northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia , 3,315 kilometres (2,060 mi) northeast of Perth via the Great Northern Highway . It was established in 1886 to service a new goldfield at Halls Creek , and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a population of 941 as of the 2021 census . Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 54% of

154-518: A billiard room, a soda water factory, commission agencies, auctioneers and other businesses. Ships brought in at least five thousand miners, who headed off to the Halls Creek goldfields. During this boom there were times when up to 16 vessels were moored in Cambridge Gulf. However, by 1888, the gold rush at Halls Creek had ended and the fortunes of Wyndham declined. It became a tiny settlement serving

231-549: A campaign to protest a proposal to industrialise the James Price Point area of Broome. Woodside Energy , with the additional involvement of BHP and the Government of Australia , has sought to build a gas industrial complex, and those in opposition believe that such a development threatens the region. The campaign has received support from public figures such as John Butler , Clare Bowditch, Missy Higgins and former leader of

308-633: A daily basis. In addition to Australian English , post-contact languages spoken in the Kimberley include Aboriginal English , Kriol , Pidgin English and the Malay-based Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin (not spoken on a daily basis any more). At the federal level, the Kimberley is represented by the member for Durack . At state level, the Kimberley electorate takes in all of the region and its towns. The Kimberley region consists of

385-488: A diverse regional economy. Mining, construction, tourism, retail, agriculture, and pearling are major contributors to the region's economic output. The town of Broome has a flourishing pearling industry, which operates around the Kimberley coast. Some of the major farmers are Paspaley Pearls, Clipper Pearls, Broome Pearls and the Willie Creek Pearl Farm. One third of the world's annual production of diamonds

462-528: A large population of wildlife, and are a key habitat that allows tens of millions of migratory shorebirds to migrate from breeding sites in the northern hemisphere to non-breeding areas in the southern hemisphere. They are often of vital importance to migratory birds , as well as certain species of crabs , mollusks and fish . In the United Kingdom mudflats have been classified as a Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitat. The maintenance of mudflats

539-440: A much deeper significance. There is a complex performative aspect that goes hand-in-hand with the art that remains today. The re-touching/re-marking actions are considered a performance and act as a retelling of the story behind the art. The performance is a way for people to reconnect with the cultural significance behind the work itself and maintain the connection of person to place. This process highlights indigenous beliefs about

616-566: A party including commissioner of crown lands John Forrest on the Adelaide Steamship Company mail steamer SS Albany . Price selected Wyndham as the name for the new town, after Walter George Wyndham, the young stepson of the governor of Western Australia Sir Frederick Napier Broome . By late-1886, the town was booming and there were three hotels at the port, one of which was a two-storey building, and two taverns at Three Mile Camp, as well as stores, bootmakers' and butchers' shops,

693-739: A party of seven from the west coast at Beagle Bay to Katherine, Northern Territory . Forrest explored and named the Kimberley district, the Margaret and Ord rivers and the King Leopold Ranges (now the Wunaamin-Miliwundi Ranges ), and located well watered pastoral lands along the Fitzroy and Ord rivers. He subsequently set himself up as a land agent specialising in the Kimberley during a period to 1883 when over 21,000,000 hectares (51,000,000 acres) of land were taken up as pastoral leaseholds in

770-663: A small reconnaissance party in The Kimberley on 19 January 1944; they were investigating reports that the Allies were building large bases in the region. Four Japanese officers were on board a small fishing boat. They investigated the York Sound region for a day and a night before returning to Kupang in Timor on 20 January. After returning to Japan in February, the junior officer, who had commanded

847-524: Is a historic building that was constructed in 1960 on the foundations of the original school and road board buildings from 1894. The Hall was also an office and administration building for the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley and later a recreation space until it was converted into an art gallery in 1997. The hall became known as the Boab Art Gallery and showcased artworks by local and regional artists. The Hall

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924-777: Is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean , on the north by the Timor Sea , on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara , and on the east by the Northern Territory . The region was named in 1879 by government surveyor Alexander Forrest after Secretary of State for the Colonies John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley . The Kimberley was one of the earliest settled parts of Australia, with

1001-600: Is chiefly covered in open savanna woodland dominated by low bloodwood and boab trees ( Adansonia gregorii ) with Darwin stringybark and Darwin woollybutt eucalyptus in the wetter areas. The red sandy soil of the Dampier Peninsula in the south is known for its characteristic pindan wooded grassland, while in the more fertile areas like the Ord Valley , the trees are found in grasslands of Chrysopogon , Aristida , Dichanthium and Xerochloa (rice grass) in

1078-509: Is fairly evenly distributed, with only three towns having populations in excess of 2,000: Broome (12,766), Derby (3,261), and Kununurra (4,573). Approximately 40% of the region's population is of Aboriginal descent. The Kimberley has been noted as a region of great linguistic diversity, rivalled in Australia only by the Top End . Depending on the geographical boundaries of The Kimberley, and

1155-520: Is home to a distinctive mixture of wildlife, which has been thoroughly mapped and described by the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management . There are habitats similar to the Kimberley across the border in the Northern Territory , including the valleys of the Victoria and Daly Rivers but these have been less carefully studied. Much of the Kimberley

1232-515: Is important in preventing coastal erosion. However, mudflats worldwide are under threat from predicted sea level rises , land claims for development, dredging due to shipping purposes, and chemical pollution . In some parts of the world, such as East and South-East Asia, mudflats have been reclaimed for aquaculture , agriculture , and industrial development. For example, around the Yellow Sea region of East Asia, more than 65% of mudflats present in

1309-602: Is mined at the Argyle and the Ellendale diamond mines. Oil is extracted from the Blina oil field and natural gas is expected to be taken from offshore sources soon . Zinc and lead were mined at the Pillara and Cadjebut mines near Fitzroy Crossing, with nickel still being mined at Sallay Mallay near Halls Creek. Derby is the nearest export base for shipping these metals. Traditionally,

1386-478: Is named after the Kimberley region. The gorges of central Kimberley are known for their fossils and for their large colonies of bats, including Windjana , Tunnel Creek , and Geikie Gorges . Lake Argyle and other wetlands of the Ord and the Kimberley are important habitats while there are important populations of shorebirds in the Ord estuary, Eighty-mile Beach and Roebuck Bay , which has been described as "one of

1463-570: Is now leased to a community group to support the conservation of the Gouldian finch , a rare and endangered bird species that live in the mangroves near Wyndham. The hall is also a part of a heritage walk of Wyndham Port. Wyndham is also the home of the Big Crocodile , a wire and concrete statue of a crocodile around 18 metres (60 ft) long. For tourists, there are two hotels and a caravan park. The nearby Bastion lookout provides sweeping vistas of

1540-520: Is served by Wyndham Airport . The Wyndham Memorial Swimming Pool is a public swimming pool, opened on 5 November 1966 by Charles Court . The Ted Birch Memorial Youth and Recreation Centre is a multi-purpose, community recreation facility. The centre, originally the Wyndham Recreation Centre, was opened on 11 October 2003 by the shire president Barbara Johnson. The Centre was renamed on 29 May 2014 in honour of Pastor Edward "Ted" Birch, who

1617-459: Is so much steep land as to make much of the region difficult to traverse, especially during the wet season, when even sealed roads are often flooded. The coast is typically steep cliffs in the north but flatter in the south, all subject to high tides. The Kimberley has a tropical monsoon climate . The region receives about 90% of its rainfall during the short wet season, from November to April, when cyclones are common (especially around Broome) and

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1694-737: Is still visible today in the form of the Napier Range and the Ningbing Range . Some of the features are Tunnel Creek , Windjana Gorge and Geikie Gorge . This area is also known as the Kimberley Block physiographic province, of which it is part of the larger West Australian Shield division. This province contains the Wunaamin-Miliwundi Range , Durack Range , Leveque Rise , Browse Depression , and Londonderry Rise physiographic sections. In Bureau of Meteorology weather reports

1771-657: The Australian Greens , Bob Brown . On 5 October 2012, a concert was held at Federation Square in Melbourne , Australia, to raise awareness of the campaign; the protest event attracted approximately 6,000 people. On 24 February 2013, an estimated 20,000 people gathered for a charity concert in Fremantle , Western Australia to raise awareness and funds to help protect the Kimberley, with performances from Ball Park Music , Missy Higgins, and John Butler. The Kimberley region has

1848-853: The Marrngu languages (such as Karajarri and Nyangumarta , the Ngumpin languages (such as Walmajarri and Jaru ), the Yapa languages (such as Warlpiri ) and the Western Desert languages (including Wangkajunga and Kukatja ). Non-Pama-Nyungan languages spoken around the Kimberleys (but speakers of which today live within the Kimberley) include the Daly language Murrinh-Patha and Western Mirndi language Jaminjung . Presently, many indigenous languages are no longer spoken on

1925-601: The Nevanas affair and World War I , but the meatworks were completed in 1919 to a design by William Hardwick , who later became the Principal Architect of Western Australia . The meatworks were the mainstay of the town's economy until their closure in 1985; the town also supported the Air Beef Scheme , which ran from 1947 to 1965. Wyndham is on the eastern side of Cambridge Gulf , an inlet of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in

2002-828: The Prince Regent National Park and the Drysdale River National Park along with Gregory National Park and Keep River National Park across in the Northern Territory, which preserves similar habitats. (Keep River's nearest town is Kununurra in the Kimberley.) The Kimberley is a popular tourist destination, with areas such as the Bungle Bungle Range , the Gibb River Road , Lake Argyle , El Questro Station , Mornington Sanctuary , Horizontal Falls and Cape Leveque . The Gibb River Road and

2079-552: The Timor Sea . It is surrounded by the Durack , Pentecost and King rivers to the south, Forrest River to the west and Ord River to the north. Much of the land around Wyndham is inhospitable, and includes the Bastion Range and the mudflats of the Cambridge Gulf. The Bastion Range is the site of the 28-square-kilometre (11 sq mi) Wyndham Important Bird Area , identified as such by BirdLife International because it holds

2156-453: The Wandjinas and the meaning behind them. They are seen throughout the region at many different sites and are the most repainted rock art in Kimberley. This is due to the fact that indigenous groups believe in the power that Wandjina holds. Creation stories, migrational patterns, and clothing style of the figures emphasise their importance and integration into the sociocultural groups inhabiting

2233-419: The bowerbird . The sandstone gorges of north Kimberley are an important refuge for a particularly rich collection of endemic species including some that have disappeared from the flatter areas, including the purple-crowned fairywren, the endangered Gouldian finch and a large number of amphibians : flat-headed frog , cave-dwelling frog , magnificent tree frog , Derby toadlet , small toadlet , fat toadlet ,

2310-461: The local government areas of Broome , Derby-West Kimberley , Halls Creek and Wyndham-East Kimberley . The Kimberley region is extremely rich in art, mainly that of Indigenous rock art . Considering the area's size, it is no surprise that there are tens of thousands of rock art examples coming from a variety of different cultural groups within the region. The diversity of peoples has allowed for many different art styles to develop with some of

2387-485: The "North Kimberley Coast" is the WA border to Kuri Bay section of the coast, while the "West Kimberley Coast" is from Kuri Bay to Wallal Downs. Significant sections of the coastline between Broome and Wyndham have no means of road access, and boat or helicopter are the only means. Due to the isolation, a number of tourist operations on the coastline have been called "wilderness" locations. The rugged and varied sandstone landscape

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2464-562: The Kimberley and exported live. Wyndham features the last remaining meatworks in the Kimberley - there were formerly works at Broome and Derby but financial constraints have caused these to be closed. Barramundi are bred in Lake Argyle , and Broome features a fully equipped Aquaculture Park near the port; tenants include Paspaley Pearls and Broome TAFE . The Kimberley also has a thriving fishing industry. Some of Australia's most prominent indigenous artists and art centres are in or adjacent to

2541-460: The Kimberley region. Artists such as Paddy Bedford and Freddie Timms have an international profile, and there are a number of Aboriginal-owned and controlled art centres and companies that assist artists, arrange exhibitions and sell works. The art centres in the region are also organized through the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists. Issues have been raised regarding

2618-568: The Western Australian government announced the creation of the 7,062 square kilometre Camden Sound Marine Park with a further three to come. Visitors to the area should be aware that the area can be subject to controlled burns at any time of year. In September 2011, a fire burned five people, two severely, who had been competing in the Kimberley Ultramarathon, an endurance cross country footrace . The Wilderness Society has led

2695-500: The area was Phillip Parker King in 1819. He was instructed to find a river "likely to lead to an interior navigation into the great continent". He sailed into Cambridge Gulf, which he named after the Duke of Cambridge , and then sailed up a river which was subsequently named after him. Finding no fresh water on the mudflats, he departed. Wyndham was established on 14 April 1886, by government resident and warden Charles Danvers Price, who led

2772-441: The area. The Kimberley is an area of 423,517 square kilometres (163,521 sq mi), which is about three times the size of England , twice the size of Victoria , or just slightly smaller than California . The Kimberley consists of the ancient, steep-sided mountain ranges of northwestern Australia cut through with sandstone and limestone gorges and steep ridges, from which the extreme monsoonal climate has removed much of

2849-605: The best locations for preservation. The oldest category known as the Irregular Infill Animal or the Naturalistic period is responsible for the region's life-size animal depictions. A rock shelter in Kimberley's northeastern territory is home to a perfect example of this, a two-meter-long kangaroo painting on the ceiling. This case was extremely rare as archaeologist found remains of mud wasp nests that could be used for dating. These nests were located both below and on top of

2926-537: The central Kimberly plateau can drop below 0 °C (32 °F) during the dry season. The Aboriginal people of the Kimberley recognise six traditional seasons based on meteorological events, as well as on observations of flora and fauna. During the Devonian period, a barrier reef system formed before a subsequent drop in sea levels over the Kimberley. This reef system was similar to the Great Barrier Reef and

3003-412: The changes and persistence within the cultural and natural environment. The changing and expanding complexity of styles and techniques has caught the attention of many, paving the way for mass amounts of archaeological and anthropological research. Much of the artwork in the area has been gone over with similar or alternative methods to preserve the art, add to it, or enhance it. Rock shelters are some of

3080-404: The coolest month is June with an average maximum of 31.0 °C (87.8 °F). The annual average maximum temperature is 35.6 °C (96.1 °F), one of the highest in Australia. In 1946, Wyndham recorded 333 consecutive days of temperatures over 32 °C (90 °F). The wet season is very humid with the average dewpoint temperature at 3pm in February being 22.4 °C (72.3 °F). In

3157-399: The definition of what constitutes a " language " (as opposed to a " dialect "), about 50-60 Aboriginal languages were once spoken in this region. The vast majority of these do not belong to the family of Pama-Nyungan languages . Four endemic, primary language families are recognised within the core Kimberley region: Pama-Nyungan languages spoken in and around the Kimberley region include

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3234-521: The dry season, in August, it is 8.3 °C (46.9 °F). Large rain events do occur in Wyndham, such as on 4 March 1919 when 318 millimetres (12.5 in) of rain were recorded over a 24-hour period, followed by another 117 millimetres (4.6 in) the next day. There are two schools, Wyndham District High School (K-12) and St Joseph's Catholic School (K-7), one TAFE campus, and a daycare centre. Wyndham

3311-573: The early 1950s had been destroyed by the late 2000s. It is estimated that up to 16% of the world tidal flats have disappeared since the mid-1980s. Mudflat sediment deposits are focused into the intertidal zone which is composed of a barren zone and marshes. Within these areas are various ratios of sand and mud that make up the sedimentary layers. The associated growth of coastal sediment deposits can be attributed to rates of subsidence along with rates of deposition (example: silt transported via river) and changes in sea level. Barren zones extend from

3388-512: The eastern states in search of good pasture lands. After gold was discovered around Halls Creek , many other erstwhile European miners arrived rapidly. In the 1890s, the area was the site of an armed insurrection of indigenous people led by Jandamarra , a Bunuba warrior. During World War II , when Australia was among the nations at war with the Axis powers, the Japanese invaded the nation with only

3465-634: The economy depended on pastoral leases , with most of the region covered by the leases. More recently agriculture has been focused on the Ord River Irrigation Area near Kununurra . Irrigation was also trialled in the West Kimberley by way of the now defunct Camballin Irrigation Scheme . There are also fruit growers in Broome and in other areas in the West Kimberley. Beef cattle are grown in

3542-741: The exploitation of indigenous artists by businesses and individuals, including in the Kimberley, which were canvassed in an Australian Senate parliamentary committee report. Tourism is expected to remain one of the Kimberley region's major growth industries. Averaged across 2010, 2011, and 2012, there were 292,600 domestic and international visitors to the Kimberley annually. Grey, Sir George (1812–1898)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/grey-sir-george-2125/text2691 , published first in hardcopy 1966, accessed online 29 May 2024. Mudflat A recent global remote sensing analysis estimated that approximately 50% of

3619-405: The first humans landing about 65,000 years ago. They created a complex culture that developed over thousands of years. Yam ( Dioscorea hastifolia ) agriculture was developed, and rock art suggests that this was where some of the earliest boomerangs were invented. The worship of Wandjina deities was most common in this region, and a complex theology dealing with the transmigration of souls

3696-567: The global extent of tidal flats occurs within eight countries ( Indonesia , China , Australia , United States , Canada , India , Brazil , and Myanmar ) and that 44% of the world's tidal flats occur within Asia (56,051 km or 21,641 sq mi). A 2022 analysis of tidal wetland losses and gains estimates that global tidal flats experienced losses of 7,000 km (2,700 sq mi) between 1999 and 2019, which were largely offset by global gains of 6,700 km (2,600 sq mi) over

3773-421: The land and the position that native people have within that space. Identity plays a major role in understanding the rock art in the region. There are many different sectors within the Kimberley region that allow for a dispersal of cultural thought and expression unique to the group in their respected areas. This differentiation of style may have been socially necessary, but there was a unifying aspect in regard to

3850-429: The largest known population of endangered Gouldian finches . Wyndham experiences a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSh ), being a little too dry to be classified as a tropical savanna climate ( Aw ), with a wet season from late November to March and a dry season from April to early November. The hottest month is November with an average maximum temperature of 39.5 °C (103.1 °F), and

3927-401: The lowest portion of the intertidal zone to the marsh areas. Beginning in close proximity to the tidal bars, sand dominated layers are prominent and become increasingly muddy throughout the tidal channels. Common bedding types include laminated sand, ripple bedding, and bay mud. Bioturbation also has a strong presence in barren zones. Marshes contain an abundance of herbaceous plants while

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4004-581: The most floristically rich parts of Australia outside the Wet Tropics and southwestern WA. There are also areas of mangrove in river estuaries where the coast is flatter . In 1979, Beard identified four phytogeographic districts within the Northern Botanical Province: Animals found here include the huge saltwater crocodile and a rich variety of birds such as the channel-billed cuckoo , Pacific koel , purple-crowned fairywren and

4081-573: The most important stop-over areas for shorebirds in Australia and globally". Finally there are a number of rocky islands off the north coast that are home to seabirds and turtles . Little of the Kimberley has been subject to wholesale clearance other than particularly fertile parts of the Ord Valley (and areas of Kimberley-type habitat across in the Daly River basin in the Northern Territory) but

4158-449: The most widely known examples being Wandjina and Gwion Gwion . In addition to the variation in styles, there are almost equally diverse fabrication techniques. The earliest form of Kimberley rock art was hand stencils , but techniques such as engraving, painting, scratchwork, pecking, drawing, and later beeswax applique have also been used. In addition to the varying styles and techniques, there are united visual depictions that reflect

4235-400: The painting making them prime for determining an accurate age of the kangaroo art itself. They analysed samples from 6 of the nests and settled on a date between 17,500 years old and 17,100 years old, making the kangaroo rock art the oldest in Australia. Based on oral accounts from Aboriginal people in the region it has been confirmed that many of the works that have been re-touched maintain

4312-399: The party, suggested using 200 Japanese prison inmates to launch a guerrilla campaign in Australia. No superior adopted his suggestion, and the officer was posted to other duties. The 2011 estimated permanent population of The Kimberley was 34,794 but it rises dramatically during winter when it attracts a seasonal population. On Census night in 2011 (9 August), it was 50,113. The population

4389-542: The pastoral interests in the East Kimberley. By 1912, money had virtually disappeared from the Wyndham economy, and purchases were paid for using promissory notes known as "shinplasters". In 1942, during World War II, the town and its aerodrome were attacked on four occasions by Japanese aircraft. Wyndham's significance as a service centre was crucial for the construction of the Ord River Diversion Dam and

4466-498: The pastureland in the southern areas has been affected by 100 years of livestock grazing and other threats including introduced weeds (such as cocklebur , parkinsonia , bellyache bush and castor oil plant ), feral cats and changes to traditional Aboriginal fire regimes (the way grassland is burnt and allowed to renew). However, the remote sandstone areas to the north have valuable original habitats in good condition providing shelter for much wildlife. The largest protected areas are

4543-456: The population. Wyndham comprises two areas - the original town site at Wyndham Port situated on Cambridge Gulf , and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) by road to the south, the Three Mile area with the residential and shopping area for the port, also founded in 1886. Wyndham is part of the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley . Wyndham is within traditional Doolboong country. The first European to visit

4620-574: The region. In 1881, Philip Saunders and Adam Johns, in the face of great difficulties and dangers, found gold in various parts of the Kimberley. Early in 1881, the first five graziers, who called themselves the Murray Squatting Company, took up 49,000 hectares (120,000 acres) behind Beagle Bay and named it Yeeda Station . In 1883 they were the first men to shear sheep in the southern Kimberley. Additional Anglo-European settlement occurred in 1885, when ranchers drove cattle across Australia from

4697-524: The rivers flood. The annual rainfall is highest in the northwest, where Kalumburu and the Mitchell Plateau average 1,270 millimetres (50 in) per year, and lowest in the southeast where it is around 520 millimetres (20 in). In the dry season, from May to October, south easterly breezes bring sunny days and cool nights. Climate change since 1967 has led to large increases of as much as 250 millimetres (10 in) per year in annual rainfall over

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4774-520: The road into the Bungle Bungles can at times be accessed in a two-wheel drive car, although one can access many additional areas in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Other parks in the region include Geikie Gorge National Park , Mirima National Park , Mitchell River National Park , Point Coulomb National Park , Purnululu National Park , Tunnel Creek National Park , Windjana Gorge National Park and Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater National Park . In 2012

4851-548: The same time period. In the past tidal flats were considered unhealthy, economically unimportant areas and were often dredged and developed into agricultural land. Some mudflats can be extremely treacherous to walk on. For example, the mudflats surrounding Anchorage, Alaska , are made from fine glacial-silt which does not easily separate out its water, and, although seemingly solid, can quickly gel and become like quicksand when disturbed by stepping on it. Four people are known to have become stuck up to their waists and drowned when

4928-417: The schooner Lynher from Cape Town , South Africa. They reached Hanover Bay on 2 December 1837. The exploring party started inland on 19 January 1838. Leaders and men were totally inexperienced, their progress was delayed by flooded country, and they abandoned many stores along the way. The party was constantly split up although they had to contend with large numbers of hostile Aboriginals. On 11 February, Grey

5005-444: The sediment layers consist of thin sand and mud layers. Mudcracks are a common as well as wavy bedding planes. Marshes are also the origins of coal/peat layers because of the abundant decaying plant life. Salt pans can be distinguished in that they contain thinly laminated layers of clayey silt. The main source of the silt comes from rivers. Dried up mud along with wind erosion forms silt dunes. When flooding, rain or tides come in,

5082-464: The soil. The southern end of the Kimberley beyond the Dampier Peninsula is flatter with dry tropical grassland and is used for cattle ranching. In parts of the Kimberley, such as the valleys of the Ord and Fitzroy Rivers in the south, the soils are relatively usable cracking clays , whilst elsewhere they are lateritic Orthents . Although none of the mountains reach even 1,000 metres (3,281 ft), there

5159-424: The surrounding country, including the Durack , Pentecost , King , Forrest and Ord Rivers , which emerge into the Cambridge Gulf. The town has a museum in the old courthouse that is open to the public and run by the Wyndham Historical Society. Nearby Wyndham is the Boab Prison Tree . Jirrawun Arts was an Indigenous Australian art centre, established in 1998 in Kununurra before moving to Wyndham in 2006. It

5236-446: The tide came in, and many others are rescued from the Anchorage mudflats each year. On the Baltic Sea coast of Germany in places, mudflats are exposed not by tidal action, but by wind-action driving water away from the shallows into the sea. This kind of wind-affected mudflat is called Windwatt in German. Tidal flats, along with intertidal salt marshes and mangrove forests, are important ecosystems . They usually support

5313-446: The town of Kununurra in the early 1960s. With the rise of Kununurra as a larger population centre, the significance of Wyndham as a service centre had diminished by the 1980s. Wyndham has regained significance as the port for the region with new mines shipping ore from the port. In 1913, the Western Australian government started to construct the Wyndham Meatworks to restart the town's economy. The construction efforts were interrupted by

5390-507: The unconfirmed marbled toadlet , Mjoberg's toadlet , mole toadlet and stonemason's toadlet . Mammals that have declined especially in the flatlands include the bilby , northern quoll , pale field rat , golden-backed tree-rat , and golden bandicoot . Megabats such as the black flying foxes and little red flying foxes are common and perform important pollination and seed dispersal work for many species of native trees and shrubs. A species of endemic gecko , Gehyra kimberleyi ,

5467-417: The wetter valleys. The banks of the Ord , Fitzroy River and other rivers are home to a greater variety of vegetation, while in sheltered gorges of the high rainfall north there are patches of tropical dry broadleaf forest , called monsoon forests , deciduous vine forest or vine thicket in Australia, (often mistakenly which is called "dry rainforest"), which were unknown to science until 1965, and are one of

5544-583: The whole region. A 2007 study suggests Asian pollution may be a key contributory factor to this increased rainfall. In 1997 and 2000, the region received especially heavy rains, leading to record flooding of the Fitzroy and other rivers. The Kimberley is one of the hottest parts of Australia, with the average annual mean temperature around 27 °C (81 °F), and with mean maximum temperatures almost always above 30 °C (86 °F), even in July. The hottest part of

5621-606: The year is November before the rains break, when temperatures frequently reach above 37 °C (99 °F) on the coast and well over 40 °C (104 °F) inland. Mean minimum temperatures in July range from around 12 °C (54 °F) in the south to 16 °C (61 °F) along the coast, whilst in November and December they are generally around 26 °C (79 °F). Record high temperatures range from around 47 to 48 °C (117 to 118 °F), while record lows are around 2 to 3 °C (36 to 37 °F), although some parts of

5698-612: Was instrumental in helping establish a youth service in Wyndham. Peter Reid Memorial Hall is a community hall in Wyndham available for community events and private bookings. The hall, originally the Wyndham Hall, was built in 1982 and was later renamed the Peter Reid Memorial Hall in recognition of Peter Reid's service to the community by the Wyndham Lions Club , following his death in 1985. The Wyndham Port Shire Hall

5775-464: Was notable as the base for contemporary Indigenous Australian artists of the eastern Kimberley region , including Paddy Bedford and Freddie Timms . It closed in 2010. Their art was exhibited in exhibitions in Melbourne and elsewhere. The Wyndham area was a filming location for: Kimberley (Western Australia) The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia . It

5852-675: Was part of the local people's religious philosophy. During the 18th century, Dutch explorers named the region of Kimberley and nearby Darwin variations of Van Diemen's Land after the VOC governor-general Anthony van Diemen . This should not be confused with the more general and prolonged use of the same name for Tasmania . In 1837, with expedition support from the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain , Lieutenants George Grey and Franklin Lushington and 12 men sailed on

5929-633: Was speared and became critically ill but, after two weeks, continued the exploration. The party found and named the Gairdner River , the Glenelg River , the Stephen and Whately ranges and Mount Lyell before returning to Hanover Bay in April. There they were picked up by HMS  Beagle and Lynher and taken to Mauritius to recuperate. In 1879, Western Australian government surveyor Alexander Forrest led

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