The islands
Drowned hills.
M.c.c.1999 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GeorgeAdur — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phil Whitehouse from London, United Kingdom — CC BY 2.0 · Phil Whitehouse from London, United Kingdom — CC BY 2.0 · Phil Whitehouse from London, United Kingdom — CC BY 2.0
Lake Argyle is Western Australia's largest and Australia's second largest man-made freshwater reservoir by volume, in the East Kimberley near the town of Kununurra, about 61 km from it in a straight line. It is part of the Ord River irrigation scheme and flooded large parts of the Kimberley Plateau. The dam was completed in 1971 and opened the next year; its wall is 335 metres long and 98 metres high. In 1990 the lake was listed as a protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention. Many islands, the tops of drowned hills, are scattered across the lake, ringed by red and brown sandstone ranges, so from above it looks like a maze of blue water and red land. Birds and rock wallabies live on and around it. You can view it from a lookout near the dam or take a boat cruise by day or at sunset. The dry season from May to September is best; summers are very hot, so bring water and a hat.
Drowned hills.
By boat.
On the rocks.
East Kimberley, near Kununurra, Western Australia
May to September.
Ask locally about safety.