Australia's North West: Broome's Cable Beach, the Kimberley and Red-Dirt Wilderness

Broome (2,200 km north of Perth; direct flights from most capitals) is the accessible, town-based entry point: heritage streetscapes, the world-famous staircase-to-the-moon, pearling culture and a relaxed dry-season resort atmosphere. The Kimberley is for those who want a genuine wilderness journey — self-sufficient 4WD travel, remote gorges, Mitchell Falls and the otherworldly stone towers of Purnululu. Start with your destination below.

Broome and the Kimberley are often paired on a map but experienced differently on the ground. Broome is a genuine town with hotels, restaurants, tours and a beach culture that draws visitors who want comfort and beauty in equal measure — Cable Beach at sunset, with camel-riders silhouetted against the Indian Ocean, is one of Australia's most-photographed scenes for good reason.

The Kimberley is something else: a wilderness roughly the size of Germany with fewer than 50,000 permanent residents. El Questro's gorges, the Gibb River Road's station stays, Mitchell Falls' four-tier drop and the UNESCO-listed sandstone towers of Purnululu (the Bungle Bungles) require planning, a reliable 4WD, and a comfort level with distances between services that don't exist in the south. Pick your depth and start below.