Families determined to get to school, despite heavy rainfall in WA's Kimberley

Heavy rainfall in WA's Kimberley sees students go to extra lengths to get to schoolBy Dunja KaragicJBy Jess BakerBy Vanessa MillsABC KimberleyTopic:Weather Forecasts3m ago3 minutes agoWed 18 Feb 2026 at 6:54amBlue Bush floodway on the Great Northern Highway reopened on Wednesday morning. (Supplied: Dave Corstorphan)In short: The Great Northern Highway has reopened after a week of heavy rain and flooding.Some students in remote areas had to make alternative arrangements to get to school, including by helicopter.What's next? The Bureau of Meterology says more wet weather is expected across the West Kimberley, Sandy Desert and De Grey catchment. abc.net.au/news/broome-water-kimberley-heavy-rainfall-hard-school/106359220Link copiedShareShare articleA remote traveller has described an almost two-day stake-out waiting for floodwaters to recede in WA's far north, while some families have had to make alternative arrangements to get to school. It comes after a week of heavy rain lashed the Kimberley region, leading to minor flooding and road closures. The Blue Bush floodway on the Great Northern Highway, east of Fitzroy Crossing, reopened on Wednesday morning with motorists warned to be cautious of water over roads. Waiting it out Traveller Dave Corstorphan narrowly avoided flooding in the Northern Territory but had to wait at Blue Bush crossing on his way to Marble Bar with his son and two dogs."I'm used to it, I've got my camper set up well," he said."I carry a fridge, a freezer in the back of the canopy, plus all my provisions and having internet, satellite internet as well these days makes a big, big difference."He said the flooding gave him time to catch up on university assignments and chat to locals, while his dogs had a 'good run'. Loading..."We pulled out the camp chairs and basically sat and just waited," he said."You learn to just wait the time, bit of reading, bit of relaxing, put the kettle on and have a cuppa, not much else you can do."Mr Corstorphan said the rain had brought the countryside to 'life', with the wildlife keeping them occupied on their wait. Mr Corstorphan says he spent the time catching up on his studies. (Supplied: Dave Corstorphan)"The birdlife is phenomenal, lots of brolgas, a couple of jabirus standing on the roadway," he said."It's absolutely beautiful at this time of year."While Mr Corstorphan said the flooding enabled them to slow down, other travellers were not so patient. "There was one fellow … [he used] a makeshift snorkel to get across in his old Triton," he said.Determined to get to school Jimbalakudunj Community resident Shaina Nargoodah-Chungulla said her children had to walk 10 minutes to the community's front gate through water to board their two-hour bus journey to school. "We're just keeping an eye because sometimes [the creek] goes right up, sometimes to the gate and we have to call our brother or nephew to wait on the other side to pick the kids up," she said.Families make their way across a wet road, inaccessible by school bus, to get to school. (Supplied: Johnny Nargoodah)While the rain impacted their routine, Ms Nargoodah-Chungulla said spirits were high. "They get happy to go to school," she said.Meanwhile further west on the outskirts of Broome, owner of Kilto Station Jack Burton said he had to fly his grandson to school, with the rain impacting their access road. Loading..."Our access road is washed out so now we have no access into the station until we get some dry weather," he said."The higher country is still dry but all of our lower country is absolutely saturated some of it is a metre or so deep."We can't get in or out by vehicle at the moment."In Broome there has been more than 400mm of rain recorded this month, with over half of that having fallen since Monday. In 2025, the month of February received 112mm of rain.The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch for parts of the region, with heavy rainfall and localised flooding expected over the coming days across the West Kimberley, Sandy Desert and De Grey catchment. Posted 3m ago3 minutes agoWed 18 Feb 2026 at 6:54amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionTop StoriesAustralian with ISIS links in Syria temporarily blocked from coming homeTopic:Foreign Affairs