Kimberley (region)

Kimberley (region), region in the northwestern part of the state of Western Australia, Australia, near the state's border with the Northern Territory. The Kimberley extends for about 800 km (about 500 mi) along the Timor Sea from the Fitzroy River in the south to the Ord River in the north, and for about 600 km (about 375 mi) inland. The terrain is a deeply dissected dome-shaped structure of sandstone, fossil reefs, and volcanic rocks. Mount Hann (853 m/ 2,800 ft) is the region's highest point and the source of its main rivers, including the Drysdale. The Kimberley tilts toward the northwest. Its rugged coast is drowned, giving rise to deep inlets and archipelagos. The region has a monsoon climate, with annual rainfall varying from less than 400 mm (less than 15 in) in the southeast to about 1,400 mm (about 55 in) along the coast.

The Kimberley is sparsely populated because of its inhospitable terrain and climate, although Aboriginal Australians have long inhabited the area. Towns include Derby, Kununurra, and Wyndham. Europeans began to explore the inland of the Kimberley in the 1820s. Since then the grazing of beef cattle has been a significant economic activity in the region. Roads built to transport cattle have increased access for tourists to such spectacular sights as the Geikie and Windjana gorges. The Ord River Dam, completed in 1972, provides irrigation for agriculture in the region (see Ord River Scheme). The Kimberley was named for John Wodehouse, the 1st earl of Kimberley, a British colonial secretary during the 1870s and 1880s.