Kununurra Western Australia | |||||||||
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Coordinates | 15°46′25″S 128°44′19″E / 15.77361°S 128.73861°E | ||||||||
Population | 4,515 (UCL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
Established | 1961 | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 6743 | ||||||||
Elevation | 47 m (154 ft) | ||||||||
Area | 2,172.5 km2 (838.8 sq mi) | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
LGA(s) | Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Kimberley | ||||||||
Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||
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Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. It is located on the traditional lands of the Miriwoong, an Aboriginal Australian people.
Kununurra is the largest town in Western Australia north of Broome, with the closest town being Wyndham, 100 kilometres (62 mi) away. Kununurra is 3,040 kilometres (1,889 mi) from Perth via the Great Northern Highway.
The town is situated among the scenic hills and ranges of the far north-east Kimberley region, having an abundance of fresh water, conserved by the Ord River Diversion dam and the main Ord River Dam.
The tropical agriculture crops grown in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) have changed over the years. Tourism and mining have also become important to the local economy.