ABC Kimberley

06/09/2026

There are concerns for a Myanmar foreign national taken off a cargo ship for medical treatment, who has not been seen for four days.

Wai Phyo Aung was taken from the bulk carrier MV HG Ravenna, near the port of Wyndham on Wednesday, to Kununurra Hospital after complaining of chest pain.

A WA Country Health spokesperson said he was seen by hospital staff and medically cleared for discharge the following day.

Mr Wai Phyo Aung left the hospital of his own accord and has not been seen since.

Mission to Seafarers Australia Regional Director Sue Dight says the disappearance is concerning.

"If he has tried to make it on his own...He may well be struggling significantly, because it is a remote part of the country, and getting out of Kununurra is not as easy as just stepping onto a plane, stepping onto a bus," she said.

WA police have referred enquiries to Australian Border Force.

Border Force has been contacted for comment.

05/09/2026

The letter D was delicious with healthy cook Trish Pepper creating date bliss balls and a date and walnut slice in the studio on Saturday morning. 😋

Simply blitz 200 grams each of dates, coconut, walnuts, and baked ginger for the sweet treat of bliss balls. The 'Chinese chews' slice features in a treasured recipe book gifted to Trish in the 1970s.

Disclaimer: One of these recipes is NOT healthy. 😀

Any ideas for 'E' ingredients for next month's Pepper it Up? 👇Post below.

Listen back here, scroll to 8.10am: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/kimberley-saturday-breakfast-sport/saturday-breakfast/107105288

05/09/2026

An eerie fog blanketed Broome this week, reducing visibility to 50 metres.

Traditional owners, the Yawuru people, and the weather bureau say this signals the ends of the tropical dry season.

A blanket of fog turns Broome's Cable Beach into an eerie landscape, signalling the changing of Yawuru seasons.

04/09/2026

Two people have been charged with multiple drug offences after police seized a bag of methamphetamine concealed in Kimberley bushland.

Bidyadanga officers stopped a car on the Broome Highway in Roebuck yesterday while conducting random breath testing.

Police said officers searched the car and a mobile phone, before locating a package containing about 168 grams of the illicit substance in bushland.

The 50-year-old man and 49-year-old woman, both from Mindarra, were charged with 10 offences in total including possessing a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply.

They are due to appear before Broome Magistrates Court today.

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04/09/2026

Motorists on the Gibb River Road are being asked to drive safely due to smoke from an active bush fire.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services says the uncontained blaze is burning on both sides of the unsealed road east and west of Dawn Creek.

However, they say there is no threat to lives or homes, and the road remains open.

DFES says the fire was deliberately lit and people with information on its cause should contact Crime Stoppers.

Sign up to the ABC Kimberley newsletter: https://ab.co/KimberleyNewsletter

04/09/2026

A Kimberley man has been found not guilty of ra**ng a woman in Halls Creek, following a majority jury verdict.

The 54-year-old man, who the ABC is not naming to protect the woman’s identity, pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual pe*******on without consent.

Earlier this week, prosecutor Gary Huggins told the Broome District Court the pair had been drinking at the woman's house in Halls Creek in October 2025, before the alleged offence.

Defence lawyer Sally Oliver argued both individuals were heavily intoxicated, and their memories of the event were impaired.

On Friday, a jury found the man not guilty.

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04/09/2026

What's making the news today? 📻🗞

📍Derby police have charged a 55-year-old woman with drug-related offences after a routine traffic stop in Derby on Wednesday.

📍Hancock Iron Ore says there have been job cuts at its Roy Hill mine after the company brought in a fleet of autonomous haul trucks.

📍People receiving Centrelink benefits in remote parts of the Kimberley now need to look for work or meet with service providers to keep receiving payments.

Read today's news briefing - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-04/kimberley-and-pilbara-local-news-briefing/107115040

03/09/2026

Broome-based drone photographer Matt Deakin has won the Australian Georgraphic Nature Photographer of the Year with 'Ethereal Encounter'.

The photo depicts a critically endangered green sawfish swimming with a green turtle in waters off a remote part of the Pilbara coast between Broome and Port Hedland.

Deakin said he spends around half the year with his camera and drone looking for marine life, and attributes the result to consistency.

"I was just flying the drone around looking for turtles and stingrays and this sawfish just presented itself in the shallow water," he said.

When he received his drone back on only 3%, he was shocked at the result.

"I was so excited with what I’d seen and I ran over to my partner….I was almost ecstatic and lost for words."

The competition attracted more than 2,100 entries from 501 photographers in 17 countries.

"It feels like a heroic image for the region," he said.

Congratulations Matt!

📸 Matt Deakin

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03/09/2026

Albany residents say "plague-level proportions" of rabbits are damaging a premier golf course and nearby farms.

One of Australia's worst invasive species, rabbits cause millions of dollars in damage to the environment and agriculture.

03/09/2026

Just one Australian resident responded when an abattoir took out advertisements seeking 60 skilled workers for its facility near Broome, according to Yougawalla Pastoral Company general manager Haydn Sale.

Plans to reopen a major West Australian abattoir are on ice after recent changes to visa processing priorities because it cannot attract local workers.