Shire of Derby, West Kimberley Library Overview

Shire of Derby / West Kimberley Library - local studies collection

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Muddy Waters

Named after the Earl of Derby, the town has a rich colonial history as the first regional and administrative centre, supporting the sheep and cattle stations of the west Kimberley. Keeper of this history is the Derby library and its Local History Collection which is a trove that includes thousands of photographs, archived newspapers and a variety of books that visitors are welcome to view on demand. Like the namesake of one of the Derby tabloids, the Boab Babbler, the West Kimberley Library is the place to find out what’s been happening in the region. Providing a sanctuary from the Kimberley heat, the library also exhibits many of the acquisitions from the Kimberley Art Award, an integral part of Derby’s annual Boab Festival.

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Address:

Clarendon Street
Derby WA 6728
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9191 0900

Email:

libmanager@sdwk.wa.gov.au

Opening Hours

Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri 9.30am - 12pm; Thurs 1 - 5pm; Sat 10am – 12pm

Nyikina language materials

Nyikina—a language of the river country

Nyikina is one of the main languages of the West Kimberley region, particularly around the lower end of the mighty Fitzroy River. It is spoken by more people than Warrwa, which is the language group...

Sheep loose in the main street of Derby

Sheep on the run

Few may remember that it was sheep, not cattle, that were brought to the rich pastures along the Fitzroy River in the 1880s. Since that time Derby has been the regional centre and port for the west...

Tracker 'Larry' medal and photograph

Valued skills

Larry Kunamarra, a Bunuba man, once ran with Jandamarra and his gang through the Napier and Wunaanim-Miliwudi Ranges. After finally being shot and captured, Larry, like Jandamarra, became a valued...

City of Karratha Art Collection

Pilbara artists and much more

Located in the Red Earth Arts Precinct a state-of-the-art performance and art centre that was built in 2018, the City of Karratha’s impressive art collection comprises many of the acquisitive prize...

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...

Argyle Homestead Museum

Kings in Grass Castles

Stone by stone, the Argyle Homestead was moved from its original site,now under the waters of the ‘top dam’ on the Ord River, to its current home on the edge of Lake Argyle. It was the former home of...

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...