However, getting to the falls is not easy. 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 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 continue the last 15 minutes of the Punamii-Unpuu Trail to the fabulous lookout of the multi-tiered falls.