Top Towns for 2022: Kununurra is an outback gem you won’t forget

Leah McLennan Leah McLennan
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Head to Kununurra for its great outdoors, to camp under the stars and to engage in its rich Aboriginal culture, and you’ll see why it appears as no. 34 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns.

Find the complete list of the Top 50 Aussie Towns here.

I didn’t want to holiday in Kununurra. I was only going to the East Kimberley town to get groceries on the way to El Questro, a 283,000-hectare slice of majestic Kimberley wilderness.

Then we had car problems. “How dreadful, we’re stuck," my partner said. But up popped the Saturday farmers’ markets with homemade mango ice cream, a fiery sunset atop Kelly’s Knob, and award-winning rums, whiskeys and gins at the Hoochery Distillery. I was hooked.

The Hoochery Distillery Cafe
Visiting the Hoochery Distillery Cafe is a must. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

To think we could have missed this speck on the map, home to about 5300 folks and what feels like as many waterholes, local characters, and stars lighting up the night sky.

Since that first unplanned encounter, Kununurra’s serenity and rugged beauty has lured me back. And not just for a short stopover en route to the famous 660-kilometre Gibb River Road trip between Wyndham and Derby.

Woman standing in front of barrels at The Hoochery Distillery Cafe
The Hoochery Distillery is the oldest operating legal still in WA. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

I recently checked into Kununurra’s fanciest digs, Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments. On another trip I opted for a wallet-friendly sleepover at Discovery Parks – Lake Kununurra and my all-time favourite stay was at Lake Argyle Resort, home to villas with spectacular lake views and possibly the best caravan park pool in the country.

My Kununurra bucket list for first-time visitors is too long to detail here. But the top three experiences are: flying in a Cessna over the town’s agricultural plains, onto the (now closed) Argyle Diamond Mine and over the otherworldly Bungle Bungle Range; cruising along 55 kilometres of the Ord River with Triple J Tours to spot crocs, ospreys and white-bellied sea eagles; and experiencing Miriwoong Country with an Indigenous guide from Waringarri Aboriginal Arts.

Established in the late 1970s, Waringarri Aboriginal Arts was WA’s first wholly Indigenous-owned art centre. Today, its gallery supports more than 100 painters, boab nut engravers and wood carvers, and its tours take visitors through the stunning sandstone gorges of Mirima National Park.

Mirima National Park local Indigenous guide
Explore Mirima National Park with a local Indigenous guide. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

For art lovers, this experience alone could be reason enough to visit. For folks who can’t handle the heat, you’ll need to visit in the coldest month, July, which has an average daytime temperature of about 30° Celsius.

Over the dry season, tourists and farm workers push the population to about 10,000, so make sure to book ahead. Culture fiends should catch the Ord Valley Muster, featuring 30 music, foodie and arty events over nine days (from 19 May until 27 May in 2023).

But want to know a local secret? The best time of year to visit is the wet season (from around December to April) when waterfalls are raging, the skies are on fire and there are only a few hardy visitors in town.

Looking out over the Ord River with a boat on it.
Take in the beauty of the Ord River. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Leah McLennan
Leah McLennan is a freelance writer based in Darwin. She was a journalist in Sydney for over a decade and counts her time as travel editor for Australian Associated Press as one of the highlights of her career. From exploring remote campsites in the Top End with her family, to seeking out new art galleries in faraway cities, she’ll grab an adventurous or arty travel experience within her reach.
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Australia’s second-oldest wine region is also one of its best, but you may not have heard of it

(Image: Tourism Western Australia)

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
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    A 25-minute drive from Perth is all you need to be amongst generations of grape growers. 

    You might not know Swan Valley, but the vines here twist through almost 200 years of history. Today, plump grapes are still plucked, pressed by juice-stained hands and fermented into wine – a journey led by the same families who will pour it into your glass. And with that first taste, you’ve unknowingly become part of a generations-old tradition. 

    So, sit back and take a sip of a crisp white under that sun-speckled pergola and listen to the warbling of magpies – here’s what makes the Swan Valley so special. 

    Western Australia’s oldest wine region 

    Mandoon Estate bathed in the warm glow of sunset.
    Sip your way through Swan Valley’s rich wine heritage. (Image: Tourism WA)

    In 1829, the very year Europeans settled in Perth, the first vines were planted in the Swan Valley. Later, Croatian and Italian migrants blended their southern European winemaking traditions into the local viticulture, a combination that works so well in the Mediterranean climate here. 

    The result today is crisp, tropical Verdelho, dark, fruity Shiraz and plenty of Chenin Blanc – a third of the country’s Chenin Blanc is crushed here. 

    So where to start uncorking? Mandoon Estate has an Aboriginal art gallery and a sculpture trail, where you can taste an Indigenous food platter of smoked crocodile and emu sausages. 

    For a taste of the valley’s Italian heritage, head to Pinelli Estate Winery. Or, for something indulgent – and a little unusual, considering the inland location – RiverBank Estate Winery serves lobster straight from tanks, paired with that Chenin Blanc. 

    If you prefer something stronger in your glass, Talijancich Wines knows a thing or two about fortified drops: try its aged tawny, Muscat and liqueur Verdelho. 

    Sensational dining 

    A beautifully presented dish paired with champagne.
    Pair great food with a scenic winery setting. (Image: Tourism Caversham)

    The Swan Valley follows that great Australian wine-country tradition, with everything from unfussily fantastic pub meals and beer gardens to unexpected fine dining at cellar doors. 

    Start at Edgecombe Winery, which does brunch as well as drops. Their brioche French toast with raspberry and rhubarb coulis, poached pear and roasted pistachios will taste best when you’re perched at a table outside. Don’t forget to explore their orchard and wetland afterwards. 

    Pick up a box of freshly baked macarons from Maison Saint-Honoré (bien sûr) before heading to Valley Social for a North American barbecue-inspired feed. Chow down on beef brisket burnt ends and wash them down with a hemp-infused craft beer. 

    Baskerville Tavern is brewing beer again in the former Feral Brewpub. Order their Monday special – a classic chicken parmi – and try Slumdog Brewing’s regular range, including a tart blueberry sour made with fresh and freeze-dried berries. In winter, it’s time for their seasonal seven-malt stout, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee and caramel. 

    An unbeatable visitor’s centre

    In Guildford is the Swan Valley Visitor Centre in a restored 1866 courthouse. Its award-winning staff know everything about anything happening in the Swan Valley. Pick their brains (and pick up a free map) before setting off. But, check out the centre’s Welcome to Country mural by local Whadjuk artist Chloe Caylon first. 

    Scenic drives 

    Use that handy Visitor Centre map to get a bit of everything on the Swan Valley’s 32-kilometre scenic loop, which connects over 150 attractions. Think roadside produce stalls, art galleries and historic buildings. Just remember to organise that designated driver if you’re extra keen on the vineyard stops. 

    Other drops 

    If the thought of wine makes your temples pulse, there are plenty of other tipples to tickle your fancy. Txoko Brewing in Baskerville takes its name from a Basque gathering place for cooking, drinking and socialising. Work through its rotating beers and plates of Spanish croquettes and sardines, then settle on the grass while the kids let off steam in the playground. 

    AmberChes Spirits Distillery uses locally sourced botanicals and fruit to make saltbush gin, lemon myrtle gin and Gincello, a twist on limoncello. Try its award-winning sloe gin, which was named Australia’s best at the 2025 Gin Guide Awards. Better yet, have a go at making your own in a hands-on gin-blending and distilling class among the vines. 

    Historic architecture and an arts scene 

    Traditional art celebrating First Nations culture.
    Explore the stories behind the Swan Valley. (Image: Tourism WA)

    Next: Guildford. It is one of WA’s earliest colonial settlements – but the history here goes back much further. The Whadjuk Noongar people are the land’s Traditional Custodians, whose Dreaming tells of the Wagyl serpent creating the gum tree-lined Swan River. Today, Guildford’s original town layout remains largely unchanged. Follow one of four heritage walks past 19th-century buildings, galleries and James Street’s antique shops. 

    Take home pantry staples 

    The display counter at Margaret River Chocolate Company.
    Treat yourself to a chocolate-filled detour. (Image: Tourism WA)

    Sometimes the little stops are just as good as the big hitters. Pull over at Margaret River Chocolate Company for free tastings of white, milk and dark chocolate. Then stop by Harvey Cheese Swan Valley for Lemon Myrtle Ash Brie or St Duke’s Red. End at The House of Honey, where you can sample local honey and get buzzy on honey ice cream pancakes. 

    Nature and wildlife 

    A close-up of a koala in its natural habitat.
    Add a little wildlife adventure. (Image: Tourism WA)

    If the kids have had enough of winery lawns, save the bottles for later and head to Caversham Wildlife Park. Here, you can hand-feed kangaroos and meet koalas and wombats. Catch working sheepdogs and sheep-shearing demonstrations at the Farm Show. Elsewhere in Whiteman Park, hop aboard a vintage train or tram, or cool off in the splash pool. 

    Finish at Bells Rapids, where fuchsia grevillea, crimson bottlebrush and yellow wattles bloom each spring. 

    Start planning your culinary escape at swanvalley.com.au.