Kimberley Magic: Alice to Oombi

You leave Alice Springs on the Tanami Track, a long run of red sand and spinifex heading north-west into Western Australia. The country stays wide and quiet for days. Wolfe Creek Crater rises out of the plain, then the striped domes of the Bungle Bungles, where you spend two nights in Purnululu National Park. At Lake Argyle the day ends on the water, on a sunset cruise across the inland sea.

From there the tracks narrow. The Old Karunjie Track brings you to the Pentecost River crossing beneath the Cockburn Ranges, with nights at Home Valley and Ellenbrae stations along the way.

The Oombi Track

The heart of the journey is around 400 km on the Oombi Track, through Balanggarra Country, with a Traditional Owner leading the way. This is slow, physical driving – rock crawls, large boulders and deep water crossings – with ancient art beside the track and quiet water to fish when the engines are off.

Further on come King George Falls and, by way of the Kalumburu Road, Mitchell Falls. A section of the Gibb River Road carries you back to Kununurra, and a farewell dinner at the Kimberley Grande.

How it works

This is a tag-along tour in your own vehicle. Tony, a full-time guide and 4WD instructor, leads in a Land Cruiser carrying recovery gear, Starlink and a Garmin inReach, guiding the group by radio and stepping in personally on the hardest sections. Groups are limited to eight vehicles, with no trailers and no children under 16.

The price is per vehicle for up to two people, and joining at Kununurra costs less. Camping fees, national park fees and Aboriginal land permits are arranged for you, as are your first night in Alice Springs and your last in Kununurra. Fuel, food and camping gear are yours to bring.

Is it for you?

The operator rates the Oombi Track as difficult and extremely rough, and fitness and stamina matter as much as the vehicle. You need a high-clearance 4WD with low range, heavy-duty suspension with spare shocks, six LT-rated tyres, an 800 km fuel range and 50 to 80 litres of water, plus a mechanic’s sign-off before you leave. The reward is about as far into the Australian wilderness as a car can take you.