Height
5 meters
Year Built
1995
Address
Clarendon Street, Derby, WA 6728
The Lowdown
The Big Boab in Derby celebrates one of Australia's most remarkable trees - the boab, found only in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. This distinctive sculpture captures the boab's famous swollen trunk and bare, branch-like roots that give it the appearance of being planted upside down. Boab trees can live for over 1,500 years and have deep cultural significance to the Indigenous peoples of the Kimberley, who used them for water storage, shelter, and as markers across the landscape. Derby's famous Prison Boab - a hollow tree used to hold prisoners in the 1890s - is a major tourist attraction, and the Big Boab sculpture celebrates the town's connection to these ancient survivors.
Did you know?
"Derby's Prison Boab is 14 meters in circumference"
History
The Big Boab was erected in 1995 to celebrate Derby's connection to the famous boab trees of the Kimberley. The Prison Boab, 7km from town, is a massive hollow tree that was used to hold Indigenous prisoners in chains during the 1890s - a dark chapter of history now acknowledged. Boab trees are related to African and Madagascan baobabs, and scientists believe the seeds may have floated across the Indian Ocean millions of years ago.
More Fun Facts
- •Boab trees can live over 1,500 years
- •The hollow trunks can hold thousands of litres of water
- •Derby's Prison Boab is 14 meters in circumference
- •Boabs lose their leaves in the dry season, making them look dead
- •Aboriginal people used boab fruits (called 'gourdas') as food and water containers
Visiting Tips
- 💡Visit the famous Prison Boab tree 7km south of Derby
- 💡Derby is the gateway to the Gibb River Road - WA's great outback drive
- 💡Take a boat to see boabs along the tidal shoreline at high tide
- 💡Book accommodation ahead in dry season - Derby gets busy
- 💡The Derby jetty offers spectacular tides - up to 11.8 meter range!
Opening Hours
The Big Boab can be viewed at any time.
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