The Kimberley, a remote and vast region in north-west Australia, is the focus of a new ABC documentary series. Filmed on cinema-grade cameras, the series captures the winding ochre gorges, coral sunsets, and crocodile-filled rivers of one of Earth’s last great tropical wetlands. The series follows the six seasons in the Nyikina calendar.
The Nyikina people are the traditional custodians of the Martuwarra, also known as the Fitzroy River. Actor and Nyikina man Mark Coles Smith, the series’ narrator and host, describes himself as deeply connected to the land. Director Nick Robinson and director of photography Jack Riley spent six months camping, rafting, and trekking through the region.
They worked alongside Indigenous rangers, traditional owners, and scientists to capture animal behavior and landscapes never before filmed. Some stories came unexpectedly. A planned shoot involving small carnivorous marsupials was derailed when cane toads arrived, likely devastating local populations.
Exploring Kimberley’s rich wilderness
Coles Smith takes viewers to the riverbanks of the Martuwarra. Kids splash and fish in green-mirrored waters as an elder sketches shapes in the earth for young children, and kangaroo tails cook on a fire.
One woman says, “That spiritual connection we have – with the river, the land, all these things – it heals you. You hear the birds, the river, and the calmness of it…your body is meditating.”
A man, tending smouldering flames with a shovel, explains, “You come up here and sit down, have a feed, go fishing, maybe catch a barramundi if you’re lucky; those things are really, really good for the heart, good for the mind, good for the spirit.”
Despite damage caused by European farming in the last 150 years, the Martuwarra is still one of the most pristine river systems on Earth. However, the series also documents the looming danger the Kimberley faces from mining, water extraction, and fracking.
In response, local leaders have formed the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, advocating for the river’s rights. Coles Smith says, “All of us have a cultural obligation to protect these waters for future generations. The river keeps us alive; we keep the river alive.
That’s the deal.”
The Kimberley airs from Tuesday 13 May at 8 pm on ABC.
