RV FEATURE
Secret Pools, also known as Spring Creek.
If you’re a worry-wart like me when it comes
to travelling in areas known for scorching
temperatures and croc-filled water, you
might resort to sticking to public pools, or
cooling off under your shower, rather than
messing with nature.
During our months exploring the east
Kimberley region of Western Australia earlier
this year, it was quite dry thanks to a few
fairly uneventful wet seasons. But despite the
lack of rainfall, we managed to find a handful
of magical and seemingly untouched areas to
take a safe dip.
For a lot of travellers, Kununurra doesn’t
get half the credit it should. Many use it as
a ‘restocking’ destination. A place to simply
fuel-up – for both vehicles and people – before
moving on, and we were the same. But we
now see it as much more.
Once we realised there were so many
incredible places to swim and explore within
100km of Kununurra, we decided to base
ourselves there and explore the area. Even
if getting off the beaten track isn’t really
your style, you too can enjoy a lot of our
favourite places to escape the heat. Most
require minimal driving on unsealed roads
and provide waterfalls that will leave you in
awe of how such a tropical paradise can be
found among the otherwise barren, outback
landscapes of the region.
SECRET POOLS
Arguably our favourite spot in the region, and
located 30-odd kilometres from the heart
of Kununurra in a conservation park, these
‘secret pools’ are also known as Spring Creek.
With a little 4WDing required for clearance,
and a few rocky water crossings on the way
in, these tiered waterfalls will have you feeling
like you’ve stumbled into a different world.
If you’re fit, you can clamber up the first
waterfall to find more falls, along with a
handful of more pools to play around in.
Spring Creek is of Parry Creek Road. No
camping or overnight parking is allowed.
Look for the sign for the Ngamoowalem
Conservation area on the left, about 10km
past the turn-off to Buttons Crossing.
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