This timeline is a selected list of events and locations of the development of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

DateEventLocationNotesc 120,000 BPWolfe Creek Crater formed by meteorite impact Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater National Park 17-25,000 BP Estimated age of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaws) rock art Roe Riverc 4000 BP Estimated age of Wandjina rock art North-West Kimberley 1688 William Dampier, first European to the region, sails along the coast Cape Leveque and King Sound 1699 William Dampier return journey, leaves after an altercation with Indigenous Australians after a man is killed c 1720 Visits of Makassan trepang fishermen begin Niiwalarra 1803 Nicolas Baudin sails along the coast charting Cape Bougainville Admiralty Gulf 1819 Philip Parker King sails along the coast in HMS Mermaid surveying the coastline Cambridge Gulf and King Sound 1820 HMS Mermaid grounded and repaired at Careening Cove, Coronation Island Coronation Island1837 Lieutenants George Grey and Franklin Lushington, and 12 men sailed on the schooner Lynher from Cape Town to Hanover Bay and explore inland Hanover Bay 1861 The giant North West pearl oyster the Pinctada maxima was discovered in Roebuck Bay by the crew of the Dolphin. Roebuck Bay and Eighty Mile Beach 1864 First white settlement made at Camden Harbour, soon abandoned Camden Sound 1865 La Grange expedition shoots dead several Aboriginal men in retaliation for deaths of three white men Lagrange Bay 1879 Alexander Forrest trekked across from the western coast to the Northern Territory. Forrest named the Kimberley district, Margaret River, Ord River and the King Leopold Ranges Kimberley 1879 Charles Harper suggested to the Legislative Council that Roebuck Bay be set up as a port for the pearling industry Roebuck Bay 1880 The Murray Squatting Company take up leases in the newly opened West Kimberley Yeeda 1881 The Kimberley Squatting Company take up the lease for Liveringa Station Liveringa 1881 First ships using pearl diving equipment arrive in Roebuck Bay, revolutionizing the pearling industry Roebuck Bay 1882 The Victorian Squatting Company take up leases on the Drysdale River Drysdale River Station 1883 The townsite of Derby is named and established with a Government resident Derby 1883 Townsite for Broome chosen by John Forrest, town proclaimed later the same year Broome 1883 Leases issued to the MacDonald and MacKenzie families for lands along the Fitzroy River Fossil Downs Station 1885 Construction of wooden jetty at Derby completed Derby 1885 Gold rush at Halls Creek following discovery by prospectors Charles Hall and John Slattery Halls Creek 1885 Gogo cattle station established by the Emanuel family Gogo Station 1886 Townsite of for Wyndham chosen by John Forrest Wyndham 1887 140 lives lost when pearling fleet hit by cyclone off Broome 1887 Lots at townsite for Halls Creek laid out Halls Creek 1887Apostolic Vicariate of Kimberley (later Catholic Diocese of Broome) established Broome1889 Broome connected to Java by telegraph cable landed at Cable Beach Cable Beach1890 Trappist monks establish Beagle Bay mission Beagle Bay 1891 Pastoralist Joseph Bradshaw discovers Gwion Gwion rock paintings Roe River1893 Michael and Patrick Durack establish Carlton Hill and Ivanhoe cattle stations Carlton Hill Station and Ivanhoe Station 1894 Townsite of Halls Creek gazetted Halls Creek 1894 Shootout between posse of white police and settlers and aboriginal band led by Jandamarra Windjana Gorge 1897 Jandamarra shot dead by tracker Micki Tunnel Creek 1900 Daisy Bates visits Beagle Bay and Broome and reports on conditions Broome, Beagle Bay 1908 Construction of wells along Canning Stock Route commences Halls Creek 1908 Benedictines establish Drysdale River Mission Kalumburu 1908 Irish Sisters of St John of God establish convent in Broome Broome 1910 Construction of wells along Canning Stock Route completed Wiluna 1913 Forrest River Mission re-established by Anglican Church, run by Ernest Gribble Oombulgurri1915 Several indigenous people killed in Mistake Creek massacre Mistake Creek, near Lake Argyle 1916 Sun Picture Gardens outdoor cinema opens Broome 1918 Beagle Bay church with pearl shell altar opened Beagle Bay1920 Broome race riots between Japanese and Indonesians, leaving 8 dead Broome1926 Punitive expedition kills unknown number of Aboriginal persons in Forrest River massacre Oombulgurri 1931 Fr Worms begins research on Yawuru language and culture Broome1932 Two German aviators rescued by aboriginal fishermen after forced landing on Kimberley coast Berkeley River1936 Derby Leprosarium opened, staffed by nuns led by Sr Mary Gertrude. Derby 1938 Australia's only order of aboriginal nuns founded Broome 1939 Isaac Steinberg arrives in Perth to promote Kimberley Plan to resettle Jewish refugees in northern Australia Perth 1942 Japanese planes attack Broome, killing at least 88 Broome 1943 Drysdale River mission bombed by Japanese, killing 6 Kalumburu 1944 Construction of Mungalalu Truscott Airbase completed Mungalalu Truscott Airbase 1945 Frank Lacy established Mount Elizabeth cattle station Mount Elizabeth Station 1949 Air Beef Scheme commences operation Glenroy Station 1949 Townsite of Halls Creek moved west after flooding and regazetted Halls Creek 1951 BHP commence mining Iron ore at Cockatoo Island Cockatoo Island 1957 Lease for Home Valley taken up by Harold MacNamara Home Valley Station 1959 Construction of barrages and 17-mile dam completed for Camballin Irrigation Scheme Camballin 1959 BHP commence mining Iron ore at Koolan Island Koolan Island 1959 Mary Durack's book Kings in Grass Castles tells the story of her grandfather Patrick Durack's overland trek from Queensland to the Kimberley 1960 Construction of Ord River Diversion dam commences Ord River 1961 Townsite for Kununurra is proclaimed Kununurra 1962 Air Beef Scheme operations cease Glenroy Station 1963 Construction of Ord River Diversion dam completed forming Lake Kununurra Lake Kununurra 1967 Nurse and aviator Robin Miller begins outback flights delivering polio vaccine 1969 Construction of Ord River main dam commences Ord River 1972 Construction of Ord River main dam completed forming Lake Argyle Lake Argyle 1975 Townsite of Fitzroy Crossing is gazetted, town has existed since the 1900s Fitzroy Crossing 1978 Kimberley Land Council formed Noonkanbah Station 1983 Construction of RAAF Curtin commences Derby 1983 Camballin Irrigation Scheme abandoned Camballin 1984 Pearl Coast Zoo opened as part of Lord Alistair McAlpine's tourist developments Broome 1985 Argyle diamond mine opens Lake Argyle 1987 Three murdered by the "Kimberley Killer" Joseph Schwab Pentecost River 1988 Construction of RAAF Curtin completed Derby New RAAF Base Opened Australian Aviation issue 46 September 1988 page 81990 Premiere of Jimmy Chi's musical Bran Nue Dae Perth 1993 BHP cease mining Iron ore at Koolan Island Koolan Island 1994 Broome campus of University of Notre Dame Australia opened Broome2000 Cyclone Rosita causes severe damage in Broome area Broome 2002 Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre closed after riots RAAF Curtin 2003 Miriuwung and Gajerrong native title claim recognised by Federal Court Kununurra 2003 Purnululu National Park declared a World Heritage Site Purnululu National Park 2006 Mining and processing commences at Coyote Gold Mine Coyote Gold Mine 2007 Mount Gibson Iron commence mining Iron ore at Koolan Island Koolan Island 2007 Filming of Baz Luhrmann movie Australia Kununurra 2008 Filming of Bran Nue Dae musical comedy-drama Broome, Djarindjin 2008 Documentary film Yajilarra portrays indigenous women's fight against violence in Fitzroy Crossing area Fitzroy Crossing 2011 Oombulgurri Community closed down after history of violence Oombulgurri2014 Mount Gibson Iron suspend mining Iron ore at Koolan Island Koolan Island 2017 Fitzroy Crossing woman June Oscar appointed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner 2019 WA Coroner reports on inquest into 13 aboriginal child deaths by hanging Perth 2020 Argyle diamond mine closes 2022 Cyclone Ellie causes record flooding Fitzroy River 2022 Multiple injuries in tour boat accident at Horizontal Falls Horizontal Falls

See also Goldfields-Esperance historical timeline Pilbara historical timeline Regions of Western Australia

References