RV TRAVEL
The road to Kalumburu .
Kalumburu is the most northern settlement in Western Australia and was home to several Aboriginal groups for thousands of years . In recent years , other groups have moved in . This corner of Australia was one of the main points of entry for our first inhabitants and evidence of this , along with evidence of trading with Europeans , is highlighted in the rock art scattered throughout the north Kimberley , especially the Bradshaw paintings .
In 1905 , a Catholic mission was set up at Pago , but in 1932 it was relocated to where Kalumburu is today as there was a more reliable water source . In Pago , you can still visit the crumbling ruins but need permission from in town to go on country . You can wander around the new stone mission and beautiful grounds today , and if you are lucky , the museum may be open .
There ' s no shortage of corrugations in this neck of the woods .
Originally Kalumburu was called the Drysdale River Mission and it played a strategic role in World War II activities . Unfortunately , in 1943 the Japanese found this location and bombed the airfield and mission , killing six people . Later , the airstrip was moved further north-west , to the Anjo Peninsula . Remnants of the bombed aircraft can still be found today north of town . Planes are broken in half and gear is scattered through the bush . Finally , in 1954 , a road path was surveyed and cut in to allow access to the town in the dry season .
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