Lake Argyle is one of those places that makes you recalibrate your sense of scale. Created by the Ord River Dam, it’s one of Australia’s largest reservoirs — so large it has its own weather system and wave patterns on windy days. From the campground on the eastern shore, you look out over an expanse of water that extends to the horizon, surrounded by the ancient red rock of the Carr Boyd Ranges. In the late afternoon, the whole scene turns from rust-red to deep orange, and then the stars come out over water and country that feels genuinely enormous.
The campground is run by the Lake Argyle Tourist Village — the sealed access road from Kununurra makes it accessible to caravans and campervans of all sizes, and the facilities are accordingly solid: powered sites, hot showers, a pool, and a kiosk. It sits right on the lake shore, and the swimming area in designated sections is permitted — Lake Argyle is one of the few large water bodies in the Kimberley where you can actually get in, as saltwater crocs are absent (it’s inland; freshwater crocs are present but pose little threat to adults who don’t handle or provoke them).
The Lake Argyle sunset cruise is the main event, and it fully deserves its reputation. Boats head out onto the lake as the light fades, with cold drinks and the kind of silence you can only find this far from anything. Book directly through the tourist village when you book your site; they sell out in peak season (June–August).
Kununurra is 70km back on the highway — Woolworths, IGA, full services, hospital. Combine Lake Argyle with El Questro (further east) or the Bungle Bungles (south via the Great Northern Highway) for a proper East Kimberley loop.