North West

Spectacular Natural Landscapes, Fascinating Human Stories

Welcome to the home of red dirt, endless skies, rich history, and misnamed towns (it is jasper you’ll find in Marble Bar, not smooth white stone). Life this far north was like nowhere else on Earth, with a hitch-hiking dog, headdresses made of bark, and – curiously – Britain’s first atomic weapon.

A bizarre atmosphere to fathom, but a normal day for those who lived here. A group of people that included drovers, pearlers, cameleers, and members of a near 50-piece, classical, Aboriginal orchestra at the Derby leprosarium.

Ready to dive in and learn their stories?

If you are looking for more information about all the Kimberley Aboriginal art centres, have a look at this map, drs art trail map, to get you started.

Neil Baker Shell Collection

Shells galore

This extraordinary shell collection is one of the largest in Australia. Collected over the last 70 years by fisherman and boat builder Neil Baker, the shells come from all over Australia and the...

Wangka Maya Aboriginal Language Centre

Keeping language strong

Servicing over 30 language groups of the Pilbara, Wangka Maya was the first Aboriginal language centre in the north. Established in 1987, elders committed to preserving their language, culture and...

Comet Gold Mine and Tourist Centre

Plenty of gold still here

Gold fever hit Marble Bar in the 1890s but the rocky hills and alluvial creeks hold much more that gold. Situated 9 kilometres from Marble Bar, adjacent to the old Comet gold mine, this gem of a...

Kimberley Language Resource Centre

Keeping language strong in the Kimberley

The Kimberley Language Resource Centre (KLRC) is the peak regional languages organisation of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Incorporated in 1985 as an independent, Aboriginal corporation...

Town of Port Hedland - South Hedland Public Library Overview

South Hedland Library - local studies collection

A community space – a space for community

A young girl, cast in bronze, sitting on a wooden bench reading her book, welcomes visitors to the South Hedland library. In the ‘new’ town of South Hedland, the library quietly weaves together the...

Marble Bar Museum & Visitors Centre Overview

Marble Bar Museum and Visitors Centre

Warm and welcome

So says the sign as you enter Marble Bar — one of the early gold mining towns in the northwest, named by a prospector who mistakenly thought the seam of jasper quartz around the nearby pool was marble...

Martumili Artists

Art of the Eastern Pilbara

Martumili is the home of western desert artists – a vibrant hub for Martu artists from six remote desert communities scattered across the Western, Great Sandy, Sandy and Gibson deserts. These artists...

Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency

‘We do art and tell the story.’

Bringing desert and river artists together, Mangkaja has been the base for people such as Butcher Cherrel, Daisy Andrews, Tommy May, Mervyn Street, Sonia Kurrarra, Cory Surprise, John Prince Siddon...