Post by greysrigging on Dec 11, 2021 7:23:48 GMT -5
Derby is one of your genuine Kimberley coastal hellholes....low elevation, insufferably hot and humid for about 8 months of the year, although the heat is moderated somewhat by the proximity to the Indian Ocean. Its thousands of kilometers from anywhere of substance/importance, being 1734klm south west of Darwin and 2365klm north of Perth. At least Broome ( 220klm west ) has pristine Indian Ocean beaches, Derby has mangroves and mudflats, thanks to the biggest tides in the Continent, 12m ( 40' )
I've always thought the place is ya quintessential outback shithole in the middle of woop woop.
Back in the day it was the go to town to take some R&R when we were working on the construction of the Cadjebut lead/silver/zinc near Fitzroy Crossing....an 800klm round trip just to get on the piss for a Saturday night, maybe pull a backpacker Eurotrash chick.... never worked out that way for me, haha.
Derby has the real deal 'wild west' Aussie version colonial history, with gold being discovered and a 'rush' to the Halls Creek region on the mid 1880's coinciding with the take up of cattle station runs throughout the Kimberley district. Hard times, hard pioneers with active Indigenous resistance well into the 20th century.
Derby was the Port for the cattle and mining industries. The Japs bombed the town during WW2. There has been some recent developements in the town in the modern era with iron ore mining on some off shore islands ( Cockatoo Island and Koolan Island ) and oil and gas discoveries off the Kimberley coast.
Some pics from my last visit
The infamous Derby prision Boab Tree.... the late 19th century Kimberley police used to chain up blackfellas and hold them inside this tree on the outskirts of Derby, before appearing before a Magistrate.
The Derby Wharf/Jetty.
Biggest tidal range in Australia...12m ( 40' )
Coastal plains approaching Derby.
The old Derby Jetty
Climate
Derby has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), with a short, highly variable wet season lasting from late December to March. The wet season features hot, humid days and nights and erratic downpours. In some years there may be no wet season at all, as occurred in 1923–24 and in 1951–52, but in other years, such as 1999–2000, more than the average annual rainfall has fallen in a month. Derby can be affected by severe tropical cyclones. The dry season lasts from April to November and features very little rain, warm to hot daytime temperatures, and mild to cool nights. Extremes of temperature range from 47.8 °C (118.0 °F) on 17 November 1968 to 5.0 °C (41.0 °F) on 21 July 1965, while the wettest month on record was January 1917, when 803.6 millimetres (31.64 in) of rain fell, including the wettest day, 7 January 1917, when 418.3 millimetres (16.47 in) was recorded.
I've always thought the place is ya quintessential outback shithole in the middle of woop woop.
Back in the day it was the go to town to take some R&R when we were working on the construction of the Cadjebut lead/silver/zinc near Fitzroy Crossing....an 800klm round trip just to get on the piss for a Saturday night, maybe pull a backpacker Eurotrash chick.... never worked out that way for me, haha.
Derby has the real deal 'wild west' Aussie version colonial history, with gold being discovered and a 'rush' to the Halls Creek region on the mid 1880's coinciding with the take up of cattle station runs throughout the Kimberley district. Hard times, hard pioneers with active Indigenous resistance well into the 20th century.
Derby was the Port for the cattle and mining industries. The Japs bombed the town during WW2. There has been some recent developements in the town in the modern era with iron ore mining on some off shore islands ( Cockatoo Island and Koolan Island ) and oil and gas discoveries off the Kimberley coast.
Some pics from my last visit
The infamous Derby prision Boab Tree.... the late 19th century Kimberley police used to chain up blackfellas and hold them inside this tree on the outskirts of Derby, before appearing before a Magistrate.
The Derby Wharf/Jetty.
Biggest tidal range in Australia...12m ( 40' )
Coastal plains approaching Derby.
The old Derby Jetty
Climate
Derby has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), with a short, highly variable wet season lasting from late December to March. The wet season features hot, humid days and nights and erratic downpours. In some years there may be no wet season at all, as occurred in 1923–24 and in 1951–52, but in other years, such as 1999–2000, more than the average annual rainfall has fallen in a month. Derby can be affected by severe tropical cyclones. The dry season lasts from April to November and features very little rain, warm to hot daytime temperatures, and mild to cool nights. Extremes of temperature range from 47.8 °C (118.0 °F) on 17 November 1968 to 5.0 °C (41.0 °F) on 21 July 1965, while the wettest month on record was January 1917, when 803.6 millimetres (31.64 in) of rain fell, including the wettest day, 7 January 1917, when 418.3 millimetres (16.47 in) was recorded.
