Discover The Derby Boab Festival

The Derby Boab Festival is an annual celebration of the town, it's rich cultural history and the regions remote landscape. For more than 40 years the festival has successfully been held as a celebration and promotion for the township.

Derby is located in the Kimberley Region of North West, Western Australia and boasts a population of approximately 4500 people.

________________________________________________________

This annual community festival has a long and rich history in the Kimberley Region. For over 40 years Derby has celebrated their unique town and invited others to share in the festival. The Boab Festival is host to the longest running art prize in Western Australia. The Kimberley Art Prize is announced each year during the celebration.

Many artist and collectors come to the area and never leave disappointed. There is a massive collection of local and authentic indigenous art for sale at various events and galleries in the town.

2008 July 4 - 19 th

The 2008 festival will be held from 04/07 - 19/07/08 at various locations around the Derby township and the surrounding communities.

The festival is hosted right in the middle of the Australian winter and the local season, known as the dry season the weather in the region is very moderate. Compared to the Australia summer temperatures of 33 + degrees and 90% humidity that occur in Western Australia's Kimberley region, the dry season is far more tolerable for travellers to Derby.

* Marshall Art Competition is a competition highlight of the Boab Festival. The competition is a relative newcomer to the festival program and has proven to be a hit with locals and tourists.

* The Boab Festival Mardi Gras and Street Party is held on the lawns of the Derby Civic Centre. This party event features live music, plus the announcement of the Boab Quest winners. This celebration also has a market style theme where local and visiting stallholders offer items for sale. Families will enjoy a walk around the sideshows and thrill at the amusements

* The Kimberley Art Prize, sponsored by the local shire, is the longest running art prize in WA. Winners are announced at the Civic Centre. Art is also for sale and on exhibition until the __ July.

* The Great Kimberley Art Auction features works by many talented and respected local artists. If you enjoy art and collect pieces, then this is probably your best opportunity to acquire an authentic piece of traditional or contempory Derby art.

* The infamous and very dirty Mud Football, is good fun for all attending the Boab Festival. A Youth Concert will be held in the Park, where there is activities for the children and the big kids in the family.

Visit Derby Tourism Online for more about the town & this historical annual festival.

As you could see in the satellite images, Derby is surrounded by a large area of mud flats or marshes. In the dry season, the mud flats harden into a flat solid surface. During the Boab Festival, this surface becomes the canvas for a variety of creations by armature and established artists.

The community and visitors are encouraged to come and participate by creating a drawing on the marsh. Last years innaugrial event was a big hit with school groups, sportings clubs, families and tourists. For those that are not so artisitc, the small plane flights over the marsh and around the town to view the drawings from the air are highly recommended. I am told that the drawings are visible from the air for up to two weeks after the festival.

Below is a photo from the 2007 Marsh All Art competition and charity day.

The competition and charity fund raiser was added to the Boab Festival program just last year and as the newest addition I was intrigued to find out how to idea came about. After tracking down the 'brain child' of this unique idea, Rod Johnston of Caneflight Enterprises I was surprised at the story he told me.

This Derby business owner maintains that although he helps organise the event each year, he makes no claim to the original concept.

As a pilot who's business is located in Derby, Rod is very familiar with the local aerial landscape. One afternoon whilst flying back to base after a tour flight in June 0f 2007 he noticed what appeared to be a Barramundi drawn on the mud flats just on the outskirts of town. He was so impressed with the image and excited by the enthusiastic effort, he was determined to find out more.

The story goes that a group of local kids had gone off to play on the mud flats. As members of the Derby Moto-X Club the took their dirt bikes down to practice on the large open area. One of the parents supervising the day noticed that while the children were practicing on the dry mud flats, the pattern created by the bike tyres would make a perfect way of outlining a large scale image. Using markers, he made an outline for the chidren to trace over creating the fish Rod saw from the air that day. The idea grew from there and with community help and sponsorship by local business, the day became known as Marsh All Art at the Derby Boab Festival.

________________________________________________

I have asked Rod to try and find out the names of the children who inspired this festival event and plan on updating this hub with the details he provides. As the festival is such a landmark event in the history of Derby and the Kimberley Region, it would be nice to record the story for future generations.

________________________________________________

More Images From the 2007 Marsh All Art Day Are Below.

Derby and the Kimberley region is one of my personal favorite destinations. I spent a couple of years living in Broome just a short drive from Derby so I guess I do have a biased opinion : )

Visitors to Derby should visit Broome and it's famous Cable Beach. It's no secret....Australia has some of the best beaches in the world!

So if you have not been to visit us Down Under yet......what are you waiting for?

"Come and See The Real Thing"