Mimbi Caves Campground has completed an expansion, allowing more travellers to access one of the Kimberley’s most treasured cultural attractions.
To say Mimbi Caves Campground has hit the location jackpot would be a gross understatement. And at just $22 a night, you’re getting a lot more than your money’s worth.
Tucked away in a remote corner of Western Australia’s expansive Kimberley region, southeast of Fitzroy Crossing, the accommodation sits right on the doorstep of the archaeologically and culturally significant Mimbi Caves, part of an ancient Devonian reef. From here, Girloorloo Tours lead visitors between towering Karst cliffs into a bewitching cave system filled with marine fossils, ancient rock paintings and stalagmites – all enriched by Dreaming stories and traditional Aboriginal knowledge.
The Mimbi Caves are one of the Kimberley’s most sought-after cultural attractions, and the Gooniyandi people have shared a strong connection with the caves and surrounding lands for thousands of years. Natural light enters the system through holes in the cave roof, illuminating spectacular draping speleothems (active growing limestone), shawls and flowstones – some with sparkling crystals.
The campground’s upgrades
Mimbi Caves Campground now offers 35 campsites. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
First opened in 2017, Mimbi Caves Campground is 100 per cent Indigenous owned and operated. It is part of WA’s Camping with Custodians program – an initiative that develops high-quality camping accommodation that allows guests to connect with Aboriginal Country and people, and supports local communities.
The secluded campground has just completed an exciting upgrade with the addition of 14 new campsites, bringing the total number of sites to 35. This will allow more guests to enjoy the naturally stunning and spiritually significant Mimbi Cave system, which dates back an unfathomable 350 million years.
“These upgrades will enable more visitors to experience the unique culture, stories and Country that have drawn people here for generations," says WA’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Punch.
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The campground has a new camp kitchen. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Enjoy sunrises and sunsets overlooking stunning karst cliffs. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
“Projects like Mimbi … showcase the Kimberley to the world while empowering Traditional Owners to share their stories, culture and Country on their own terms," adds Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna.
The revamp also includes a shiny new camp kitchen and bathroom block, as well as an onsite sewerage treatment system, affording guests greater comfort and higher quality facilities.
How to visit Mimbi Caves
Light from above illuminates incredible limestone formations in Mimbi Caves. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Access to the Mimbi Caves requires joining an Aboriginal-led tour run with Girloorloo Tours (you do not need to be staying at the campground to join the tour).
The two-hour tour begins with a walk between stunning cliffs while your guide shares traditional knowledge of bush medicine, tucker and native flora and wildlife. After a quick torch check, you’ll be guided through the entrance of the caves into a fascinating world of fossils, sedimentary limestone structures and rock paintings that reveal unique connections between the caves and local people.
The tour starts with a walk through dramatic cliffs. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
The entrance to Mimbi Caves. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
Settle in by the campfire for songs, culture and community spirit. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)
You will listen to ancient Dreaming stories and have the chance to enjoy traditional Billie Tea and damper made using native seeds, with music played around the campfire. After the tour, take a refreshing dip in one of the many permanent freshwater pools near the caves and campsite.
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How much does visiting Mimbi Caves cost?
Girloorloo Tours’ Mimbi Caves tour costs $90 for adults and $45 for children. The tour lasts two hours.
Mimbi Caves Campground’s nightly rates are as follows:
Adults: $22 ($20 for pensioners)
Children 5-15 years: $7
Family rates: $54 (family of four) or $50 (family of three), additional $5 per child 5-15 years
Groups: $16 per person
The details
Address:Mimbi Caves, Mt Pierre Station, 90km east of Fitzroy Crossing, Kimberley, WA
Campground and tour open dates: 1 April to 30 September
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Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or hunting down Sydney's cosiest cafes.
With unhurried mornings, long, sun-filled afternoons, evenings shaped around sunset, this iconic beach offers an all-day experience (and it’s about to get even better).
As the sun slowly rises over the languid waves and fine sand of Broome’s Cable Beach, the morning colours shift from rich apricot to pale gold and frosty pearl. Remnants of life reveal themselves in the subtle shadows – crab claw marks, towel impressions, footprints. Life here is unhurried, but don’t be fooled. This town is continually shifting like the desert dunes that surround it.
And with a $75 million upgrade – offering easier and more inclusive access for people of all abilities – it’s getting even better.
Discover the Cable Beach redevelopment.
The addition of comfortable and welcoming spaces has begun (and will continue). This means visitors will be able to spend longer enjoying this beautiful environment, while knowing that the upgrade will create a more environmentally protected setting that preserves the natural character visitors come for. Come sunset, soak it in all the better thanks to the already improved foreshore areas, made for lingering while the light changes. And for the kids, a new splash park and accessible dry playground will make it easy to while away the hours.
Think you know what a day at this beach is like? Think again.
Morning colours
Cable Beach comes alive after sunrise. (Credit: Tourism WA)
As the sun colours the sky, Cable Beach shows signs of life (and not just the aquatic kind). Locals and visitors alike float in the cool water as it laps the shore, landlubbers explore the coast on foot, runners pace and beachside yoga classes bring quiet movement to the day.
When the sky is blue and the sun is firmly in position, head down to the well-known Cable Beach House for a long, slow breakfast overlooking the ocean. Think fresh tropical fruit, eggs cooked your way and strong coffee in the warm morning breeze.
Afternoon adventures
Join a camel train at sunset. (Credit: C J Maddock)
When you’re ready to explore, carve a path along the Minyirr Park Trail – a gentle 1.5-2km track through coastal bushland with spectacular views of the dunes. Refuel at the nearby Spinifex Brewery for lunch with its low-key, outdoor beer garden. There’s even an outdoor playground if you’re travelling with young humans.
Walk off your lazy lunch by watching (or joining) one of the beach soccer or volleyball games, or even try Silent Beats Broome – a silent walking disco through the dunes. Or book a spot on the famous camel trains, watching the sun drop below the horizon along the way. They’re a constant reminder of the fascinating history, landscape and cultural mix in this part of the country.
Evening degustation
Stop into the Cable Beach Club. (Credit: Tourism WA)
As the day closes, watch the world-famous Cable Beach sunset from the appropriately named Sunset Grill at Cable Beach Club. This open-air terraced dining spot overlooking the beach is the kind of place where the view takes centre stage.
While you sip on a lychee, lime & lemonade mocktail or a local beer, enjoy the bustle of life and nature outside as the day comes to an end.
For dinner, nab a table at the Bali Hai Cafe, where they offer pan-fried crispy barramundi, Abrolhos Island scallops and deep-sea snow crab. When you’re ready for bed, check in to Pinctada Hotel Broome – a lush, tropical resort with palm-dotted gardens and a large, lagoon-style pool to cool off in.
Beyond the beach
Beyond the wide, open beach and never-ending sky of Cable Beach, there are many more reasons to visit North West Australia. These are just a few.
Unmatched experiences
Join Shinju Matsuri Festival’s popular Long Table Dinner. (Credit: Tourism WA)
Engage with the history of the land and its people on an Indigenous cultural tour exploring everything from the local wildlife to the tastes of bush tucker. To understand the importance of pearling to this town, take a tour of Chinatown, or head outside of town to the live pearl harvests at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, one of Australia’s oldest pearl farms.
Learn why Japanese pearlers were central to Broome’s pearling success and visit the largest Japanese cemetery in Australia, where 900 Japanese pearlers were buried – a testament to the risks and rewards of this dangerous profession.
And book ahead every spring for when communal tables, freshly cooked local fare and festoon lighting fill the beach for the extremely popular Long Table Dinner on Cable Beach. It’s a highlight of the Shinju Matsuri Festival, along with the Floating Lanterns Matsuri, where you can personalise a lantern and gently release it into the sea to honour those you love.
Dining discoveries
Settle in for Matso’s famous ginger or mango beer. (Credit: Tourism WA)
Further your culinary adventure at the laid-back Sunday Sesh at Matso’s Broome Brewery. Chow down on smoked crocodile or Aussie barramundi while kicking back to a local DJ as the heat of the day fades.
For more tunes, the beautiful outdoor Bay Club at the Mangrove Hotel is a great choice for dinner with live music, DJs or an event that stretches on into the early hours. Still hungry? Pop by Johnny Sausage for Italian-influenced meals paired with impeccable wines.
Natural beauties
Experience the striking colours of Gantheaume Point. (Credit: Tourism WA)
Avoid the crowds and head to Town Beach for a quieter vantage point to see the phenomenal Staircase to the Moon – a natural illusion where the rising full moon is reflected on the tidal flats, creating a shimmering ‘staircase’ stretching up to the sky.
Just south of Cable Beach are the deep red cliffs and dramatic ocean views of Gantheaume Point, where 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints can be seen, revealed at low tide. Or head to Roebuck Bay to visit the internationally significant wetlands, where vast tidal flats are home to shorebirds and coastal fauna.
Between October and March, watch turtles nesting and hatchlings emerge from the sand. You’ll be holding your breath as they make their way down to the shoreline, ready to start their life in one of Australia’s most beautiful landscapes.
