Australia's Travellers Club

	Derby
	Derby was the first town settled in the Kimberley area and is where you will find the infamous Boab Prison Tree. This hollowed out tree has a girth of 14 metres and was used as an overnight lockup for prisoners before being taken into Derby. Some say the tree is over 1000 years old! Derby was set up to service the pastoral industry of the inland and the pearl shell industry of the Buccaneer Archipelago. Nowadays it's a regional administrative and supply centre to the surrounding areas. It's also known as the Gateway to the Gorges and is the major stop off point for people travelling on the Gibb River Road. Located at the base of the King Sound, Derby has the highest tide movements in Australia peaking at 11 metres! Any excursions out to sea need to be planned around these times, or you could be stuck on a mudflat or worse still, stuck in the middle of a fast rising tide! Derby's history includes the story of the Aboriginal outlaw Jandamara or Pigeon as he was known to the European's of the time. He was said to terrorise the area in the late 1800's and hid out at Tunnel Creek. It was near Tunnel Creek where he was finally tracked down and killed. In addition to the Boab Prison Tree, there's the Wharfinger's House Museum, Botanical Gardens, Royal Flying Doctor Base and School of the Air. Aboriginal Art and Design is also on show in town. © Travellers Club 1997-2005. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer . Privacy Statement. Licence #9TA1199. ABN 73 096 857 555 553-561 Wellington St, Perth Western Australia. Ph +61 (8) 9226 0660, Fax +61 (8) 9226 0661 Site designed by Travellers Club. Please email the Webmaster should you experience any difficulties.