Skip to content
Voykit
Back to Derby

In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.

Include in the print. Unchecked sections stay on screen, dimmed, and drop out of the PDF.

Voykit pocket guide · Australia

Derby

Stop one night en route Broome–Darwin or for the Boab Prison Tree and Mowanjum art; skip as a standalone destination — no beach, no swimming.

Derby is a small Kimberley service town on King Sound, 220 km east of Broome, known for a 1,500-year-old hollow boab and the Mowanjum Aboriginal art centre. The sea is turbid mud flats with a 12 m tidal range, so there is no swimming or snorkelling. Most travellers use it as a one-night break on the long Highway 1 run, or as a fishing and birdwatching base in the dry season.

Aberdeen, New South W…AdaminabyAdelaide RiverAdelaideAireys InletAirlie BeachAlbanyAlbury-WodongaAlice SpringsApollo BayAraratArdrossanArkaroolaArmidaleDerby1,000 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Australia
Best months
Apr–Oct (dry season)
Avoid
Nov–Mar (wet season: heat, humidity, road closures)
Stay
1 night

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
AUD
Money
Currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including public transport in the big cities; some small cafes are card-only.
Daily spend
Budget A$90–140 excl. bed · Mid A$140–220 excl. bed · High A$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Telstra has the widest outback coverage; Optus and Vodafone (TPG) are cheaper and fine in cities and along highways.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 000 · From mobiles 112 · Derby Health Campus 08 9193 1100
Plugs
Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Angled two- or three-pin Type I, shared with NZ, Fiji and China; sockets have their own switch — turn it on.
Tipping
Cafés and casual meals: Nothing; a tip jar is optional.; Restaurants: Not expected; 10% for very good service in a nice restaurant if you wish.; Taxi / rideshare: Round up or nothing.; Tours and guides: Optional; A$10–20 for a great day guide.; Surcharges: Weekend and public-holiday surcharges of 10–15% are legal if shown on the menu.
Water
Tap water is safe in cities and towns; in remote places use signed drinking taps. Carry plenty on any outback drive or walk.
Toilets
Free public toilets in parks, beaches, shopping centres and petrol stations (servos); the National Public Toilet Map app lists them.

What things cost

ItemPrice
CoffeeA$5–7
Counter meal (pub or bistro)A$25–40
Fuel, per litreA$1.90–2.20
Motel double room, per nightA$140–220
Caravan park powered site, per nightA$45–70
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekA$20–40

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

DRB · Derby Airport
About 10 km (6.2 mi) south of town; Aviair flies from Broome about three days a week (check current schedule).

Typical fares

Derby → Broome by road
about 220 km (137 mi), 2 h drive
Aviair Derby → Broome
about three flights a week, short hop (check schedule and fare)
Taxi in town
metered; expect a wait
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

The town centre, visitor centre and jetty road are walkable, but everything else needs a vehicle. A taxi service operates in town; expect a wait. Fuel is available 24 hours on Loch Street.

See and do

Known for

  • Boab Prison Tree
  • Mowanjum Culture Centre
  • Derby Jetty and King Sound tides
  • Barramundi and mud crab fishing

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Boab Prison Tree and Mowanjum Culture CentreDrive: boab at the town entrance, Mowanjum on the Gibb River RoadHalf a day
Derby JettyWalk or short drive from the town centre1–2 h
Gibb River Road toward Wyndham4WD only, gravel with river fordsMulti-day
BroomeDrive Highway 1, about 220 km (137 mi)About 2 h

Sleep

Loch Street and town centre
Walk to the visitor centre, bus stop, shops and jetty road; motels and the caravan park cluster here.
East side (Sutherland St)
Dumbara Burru caravan park; quieter, needs a vehicle to reach town.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Thank youThank you
Where is the visitor centre?Where is the visitor centre?
Is it safe to walk out on the mud flats?Is it safe to walk out on the mud flats?

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake or 'G'day' / 'How are you going?'; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; long answers to 'how are you'
  • Rounds: Buy your round ('shout') when drinking in a group; avoid: Leaving before your shout
  • Queues: Queue patiently; sitting in the front seat of a taxi when alone is common; avoid: Pushing in — it is noticed
  • Country: Listen to Welcomes and Acknowledgements; use local place names when offered; avoid: Touching artefacts or photographing ceremonies without permission
  • Beach: Swim between the flags; respect lifesavers' instructions; avoid: Swimming at unpatrolled beaches alone
  • Humour: Expect teasing and understatement; laugh along; avoid: Taking dry sarcasm literally or boasting
  • Walking and driving: Keep left on footpaths and escalators; wave thanks to drivers who let you in; avoid: Stopping on the road to photograph kangaroos

Scams and watch-outs

  • Tides here reach about 12 m: mud flats flood fast, so check tide times before walking out.
  • The wet season (Nov–Mar) brings extreme heat and can close unsealed roads, including the Gibb River Road.
  • Mobile coverage is patchy 4G in town and often absent on the approach highways; download offline maps.
  • No beach swimming: the water is turbid and the mud flats are dangerous under a rising tide.

Derby is a small, quiet town and generally safe for visitors. The real risks are environmental: extreme heat, fast-flooding mud flats under a 12 m tide, and long remote drives with patchy phone signal.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Derby yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Boab Prison Tree
  • Mowanjum Culture Centre
  • Derby Jetty and King Sound tides
  • Barramundi and mud crab fishing

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Derby

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

No embassies in Derby; consulates and embassies are in Perth or Canberra.

Tap water is safe to drink. Carry more water than you think you need.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/derby-western-australia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.