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

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...

Namarali at Rest, by Donny Woolagoodja

Namarali, the great wandjina

Namarali is one of the greatest and most powerful Wandjinas of the Worrorra people, characterised by a halo of several lines and a shell pendant on his chest. The feared Wandjina, who enforces the law...

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...

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...

Kununurra Museum

Kununurra stories

For a town that was only gazetted in 1961, the Kununurra Museum has amassed an amazing amount of information, objects and stories about the town and the history of the surrounding region. From 2,000...

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...

Wyndham History and Museum Collection

Not forgotten – the story of Wyndham

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...