Kimberley Islamic Association Inc.

History of Muslims in the Kimberley

Muslims have been in the Kimberley region since the late 1800s. In Broome and other coastal Kimberley towns, the booming pearling industry attracted divers and crew from Southeast Asia, especially from Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi, Timor) and the Malay Archipelago, many of whom were Muslim. Farther inland, Afghan camel drivers “cameleers” arrived after the 1880s gold rush to carry supplies between port town of Wyndham and the Halls Creek goldfields. These cameleers were Muslim and critical to opening up transport routes in the harsh Kimberley interior. Today Broome still has a Muslim Cemetery with graves of Malay pearlers from that era. In Wyndham the heritage listed Afghan Cemetery recognise the vital role of these Afghan-Muslim teams in early Kimberley development.

Early Muslim settlers did not live in isolation; they often built close relationships with local Aboriginal people. Heritage experts note that the cameleers “interacted well with Aboriginal people,” and that many Indigenous families in the Wyndham area are descended from those unions. Likewise, among the Malay pearl divers and other Asian migrants, intermarriage with Aboriginal women was common. Scholars and local histories report that Malay Muslim divers married into Chinese and Indigenous families around Broome and Derby, so that today many Kimberley Aboriginal people have Malay-Muslim surnames and heritage. This blending of cultures endures: for example, some families still cook Southeast Asian-style curries and keep Muslim names even if Islam is no longer strictly observed. These shared histories meant that Aboriginal and Muslim traditions often mixed, for instance, Broome once had a small mosque, had joint community gatherings like yearly Hari Raya (Eid Al Fitr) celebrations, and local cemeteries include adjacent Muslim and Aboriginal sections.

The legacy of this Aboriginal–Muslim heritage remains visible in Kimberley communities. In Broome today, the Muslim Cemetery marks the Malay divers of old. In Wyndham, the Afghan Cemetery with its simple mounds recalls the Afghan men who died on the road and shows the early Muslim burial customs in the region. Although early mosques have disappeared, the memory of those shared spiritual spaces endures. Local heritage trails and museum like the Broome Historical Society, highlight the interwoven stories of Yawuru people, pearling divers and cameleers. In short, Kimberley history is remembered today as a tapestry in which Muslim and Aboriginal lives have long been linked in work, family and worship.

In recent years the Kimberley Muslim community has become more formally organised. In Derby and elsewhere local families have begun to re-establish spaces for worship and community life. For instance, as of 2022 the Derby Muslim community formed an association and began fundraising to build a town mosque, having even gained shire approval for the project. Similarly, early in 2025 the Kimberley Islamic Association was founded in Broome to represent Muslims across the region. These groups now hold regular Friday prayers, Ramadan iftars and community events throughout the Kimberley. In this way the modern Kimberley Muslim community both honours its historic roots and looks forward: while small by population, it is growing its community structures to serve residents in Broome, Derby, Kununurra and beyond.