Hotels in Kununurra, Australia

A little about Kununurra...

Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern side of the Kimberley Region approximately 37 kilometres from the Northern Territory. With 5,485 inhabitants, many of whom are Indigenous Australians, it is the largest town in Western Australia north of Broome. It is 3040 kilometres from Perth by road.

Kununurra comes from the English pronunciation of Gunanurang in the Miriwoong language meaning "Big River". 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 initiated.

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.

Kununurra has a Celebrity Tree Park with many trees planted by famous people including Rolf Harris, and more recently Baz Luhrmann, after the majority of filming for his upcoming film Australia was filmed just outside of Kununurra. The town has many local attractions, including waterfalls, gorges and ranges.

Key farm activities including the growing of melons, mangœs and until recently, sugar cane. There is also a thriving tourism industry with most tourist operators capitalising on the scenery of the Ord River, Lake Argyle, Diversion Dam and other local locations, including the relatively nearby Bungle Bungles.

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 Ivanhœ Crossing, The Diversion Dam, Buttons Crossing, and various locations along the Dunham and Ord Rivers.

Kununurra District High School comprises a primary school and high school teaching up to year 10, and up to year 12 via distance education. It also has a number of additional smaller schools including St Joseph's primary school and the Barramundi School. It has a local hospital, dentist and leisure centre including a 25m pool.