Wyndham History and Museum Collection

Sitting at the confluence of five rivers on the Cambridge Gulf, lies the old town of Wyndham, the most northerly port of Western Australia. After the great cattle treks by Nat Buchanan and the Duracks, from Queensland to the East Kimberley in 1883-84, Wyndham became the trading port for a fledgling beef industry. When gold was discovered in Halls Creek, prospectors of all kinds arrived on foot to make the trek south. Supplies were shipped to Wyndham and then transported out to the interior. ‘Afghan’ cameleers, with their teams of camels, became the main method of sustaining the supply chain. Chinese migrants often ran the town’s general stores. Later, the meatworks sustained the town, but its blood effluent outlet attracted crocs … BIG ones! Situated in the town’s old courthouse, the Wyndham Museum tells the hard truths of these stories with honesty, clarity and humour. Other stories cover the lost German aviators, WW2 bombings and the other trials in the area's tempestuous history. The Museum does not shy away from hard truths about the inhuman treatment of the Aboriginal people in the early days of settlement. Generous to the core, the Centre welcomes visitors at any time. If no one is in attendance the key is available from the police station across the road.