Kununurra, Western Australia

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Kununurra
Western Australia

Location of Kununurra in Western Australia (red)

Population:

5485

Established:

1960s

Postcode:

6743

Elevation:

47 m (154 ft)

Location:

3214 km (1997 mi) from Perth
834 km (518 mi) from Darwin

LGA:

Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley

State District:

Kimberley

Federal Division:

Kalgoorlie

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
35.1 °C ^{95 °F}	21.6 °C ^{71 °F}	790.7 mm ^{31.1 in}

Kununurra in summer from Hidden Valley National Park lookout

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"^[1]. 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 Airport

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. It was voted the second best town to live in Australia for outdoor adventure by Outdoor Australia magazine in the March/April 2007 edition^{[citation needed]}.

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.

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.

Key farm activities including the growing of melons, mangoes 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.

[edit] References

^ Gunanurang: (Kununurra) big river. Department of Environment and Conservation. East Perth, W.A. : Waters and Rivers Commission. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.