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Mitchell Falls is a very beautiful 4-tiered waterfall set deep in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. The cumulative height is roughly 80m making it the second tallest waterfall in the state (at least according to the literature). The stunning backdrop of the red escarpment lands of the Mitchell Plateau and the oasis-like qualities around the falls really makes this one stand out, and one of the big highlights of our time spent in WA.However, getting to the falls is not easy (see directions below). It either requires a multi-day 4wd adventure and hike/scramble or a very expensive aerial tour. As you can tell from the photos we've taken here, we cheated and chose the latter.
Directions: If you plan to visit the falls on your own, you'll need to hire a 4wd and take it along the Gibbs River Road towards the Kalumburu Road (you're looking at 240km west of Kununurra). Next, you'll have to drive north along the Kalumburu Road for 161km, where you'll see the turnoff leading towards Mitchell Falls. Follow this turnoff and park the car at Mertens Creek. You may encounter deep water crossings and sharp rocks along the way. Allow 2 days for the drive from Kununurra, where the Drysdale River House makes for a convenient overnight stop.From there, it's a 6.6km return scramble along the Punamii-Unpuu Trail. It will take you at least 3 hours due to the nature of the hike as it's easy to get lost despite the rock cairns, markings on rocks, and boot-worn sections of the track. When in doubt, use the creek as a guide. We saw at least two couples make it to the falls on their own so even despite all the hazards and warnings, it's reasonably doable. Just be aware that you'll need a fair degree of self-sufficiency in case something goes wrong (i.e. flat tire, engine breakdown, getting lost, etc.).
A viable alternative is to join a tour that lets someone else do the arduous driving and then provide guidance on the hiking part of the trail. Still yet another alternative (if you lack the time and are willing to shell out the money) is to cheat like we did and take an aerial tour. The one I recommend is the day-long Mitchell Falls Explorer (courtesy of SlingAir and HeliWorks WA), which flies you from Kununurra to a landing strip on the Mitchell Plateau. Then, a helicopter ride takes you to the top of the falls, where you can then walk the last 15 minutes of the Punamii-Unpuu Trail to the fabulous lookout of the multi-tiered falls (see photo at the top). But even that last 15 minutes requires a keen eye for following the route, which is overgrown in many spots and is quite easy to get sidetracked. The nice thing about the aerial tour is that they'll also fly you to see King George Falls. That kind of sealed the deal for us.
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Approaching the unsealed airstrip above the falls
Julie getting through the overgrown track to the main overlook
Julie having to negotiate a few obstacles on that last walk to the overlook
Closeup look at the upper tiers of Mitchell Falls on the way to the overlook
View of the falls along the Punamii-Unpuu Trail
Angled view of the upper tiers of the falls while heading back to the helipad
Last look at the uppermost tiers of the falls while on terra firma
Helicopter on the makeshift helipad above Mitchell Falls
Mitchell Falls with Big Mertens Falls as seen from the air
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TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.
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