A remote Aboriginal community that has been shut to tourists for three years due to fears over the threat of COVID-19 has finally opened up to the outside world.
Western Australia's northernmost settlement, Kalumburu, home to about 400 people, on the north Kimberley coast, has been a popular place for tourists to stop when they visit the Mitchell Plateau and Honeymoon Beach.
Like other Indigenous communities across the state it closed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and, after extensive community debate, leaders decided to keep the community shut to non-exempt visitors in 2021 and 2022.
While tourists were told to stay away, residents still travelled regularly to the larger hubs of Derby and Kununurra to get supplies and visit family, prompting some to question the effectiveness of the strict measures meant to protect the vulnerable.
Community leaders held talks in recent weeks and decided they were ready to return to pre-pandemic arrangements.
Building region's arts profile
Kira Kiro Arts studio coordinator Christopher Hardwick said local Indigenous artists were thrilled to once again show their works to tourists, who had started trickling into the gallery.
"The biggest benefit I see is that greater connectivity to the outside world," he said.
"Watching the faces of the artists and the joy and the pride they have in presenting their culture and art to people from the outside."
He said the artists had still made revenue during the closure by selling their paintings at Waringarri Aboriginal Arts in Kununurra.
Mr Hardwick said the return of face-face sales would help build the profile of the region's distinctive artwork already displayed at galleries and exhibitions across Australia.
"Because our art is so intimately connected with culture, it's more the sharing of the culture, through the art, that's important to the artist," Mr Hardwick said.
"It's all done with ochre — we don't use any other paints here at all.
"[It's] very much of an ancient process of repainting and renewing, as it was done for centuries in the caves and the rock art in the area."
Popular camping ground back in business
About 30 kilometres north of Kalumburu, preparations were underway at Honeymoon Bay camping ground to welcome back visitors for the first time since the pandemic began.
Manager Joy Davey said it was "huge" for the family-run tourism destination.
"We're on the other side of remote — even when we could get people here, we couldn't get people here because they had to pass through closed communities," she said.
"Having everything open, it's that phrase 'everything's back to normal'.
"We can just freely get things done and start making an income and building the community back up."
Mrs Davey said there was already strong interest from travellers planning to visit.
"Word will get out pretty quick," she said.
"Based on the phone calls, which have just been non-stop, we're going to be pretty busy."
Visitors to boost economy
Kalumburu Aboriginal Corporation director Matthew Waina said the closure had been hard for the community which relies heavily on economic revenue on tourists.
"It was pretty tough. We didn't get enough money," he said.
The community has long grappled with high rates of unemployment.
The Kwini man said the return of visitors would generate income through a community-owned store and accommodation.
"We're all happy. We're excited about tourists coming back in again. It's good to have them again for the store," he said.
"We'll take tours around and show them painting sites and certain areas they haven't been through. Tell them stories."
Visitors can only drive into Kalumburu during the dry season, because yearly monsoon storms cause significant damage to the only road in.
Wyndham East Kimberley Shire confirmed to the ABC that a recent grade had made the road passable, but tourists were still urged to exercise caution.
The council had not yet resolved bureaucratic delays approving Commonwealth and State disaster funds to undertake more substantial works on the vital outback link.
