DiNo's Travels Around Australia - 2014/2015/16/17: Day 83

Derby, on King Sound, is not a large town but we searched out local places to visit which don't score too many touristy points.

First port of call was the Wharfinger's House Museum. A Wharfinger is a person who owns or has control of the wharf. The building is an example of prefabricated wooden buildings in late 20' to 30's, designed for tropical climates.

Nearby was the old woolstore. It became redundant when sheep ceased to be raised in the Kimberleys because of Noogoora Burr. The burrs contaminated the wool.

We took the road which said "Launching Ramp". It was a seemingly useless ramp because the mud was well up the concrete slab and miles way from the water, at what was a fairly low tide. We discovered the current ramp not 150m away, which was a much better proposition.

The Derby wharf has been reconstructed over the years. It can manage the extreme changes in tides in King Sound - up to 11m. In 1994 it was used to export lead and zinc concentrates from the Cadjebut mine at Fitzroy Crossing.

We photographed what we dubbed" Derby Beach", but there was only mud there. One doesn't swim at Derby because of the presence of saltwater crocodiles. However the water, a muddy brown, was none too inviting anyway.

The mural at the Centenary Pavilion near the wharf was made of 30,000 tiles and was laid by 370 children, who between them spent 700 hours at the task.

Derby's old gaol is in the main street and ironically or maybe logically, is beside the new and modern police station.

The Boab Prison Tree is estimated to be about 1500 years old and is of cultural significance to the local aborigines. That may have been more the case when it was used as a prison to hold aborigines who were abducted from their homes elsewhere and marched to Derby where they were forced to work in the pearl industry.

Myall's Bore is a remnant from about 1917. It is 120m long and can water 500 animals at one time. Water is now pumped into the trough by a windmill.