Kununurra
Kununurra is located on Miriwoong Country, renowned as the gateway to the spectacular East Kimberley region. It is a modern, friendly and vibrant town that screams adventure. With a growing population of around 7000 people, increasing during the dry (tourist) season, its demographic is largely young and Indigenous people. Kununurra is the link to popular tourist destinations such as El Questro Resort, the Gibb River Road, Lake Argyle and the Purnululu National Park. Broome and Darwin are drivable or a short one-hour flight away; Perth is 3.5 hours away by plane.
Established in 2011, the Kununurra RCSWA office is located in the centre of town, behind the Wunan Health & Well-Being Centre. Students have access to computers, photocopiers, library, and videoconferencing equipment.
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Accommodation
The RCSWA student house is located in a quiet street in Lakeside, a residential area close to the office, town centre and natural bushland. The house is a modern four-bedroom house, light and spacious with air conditioning in all rooms and wireless internet access. The main living area is an open-plan design with kitchen, lounge and dining. The garden is small, maintained by a gardener and has a BBQ for outdoor cooking.
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Transport
At the RCSWA residence there is a garage for two cars and ample parking outside the house. Kununurra has a limited taxi service.
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Health Services
The strength of the RCSWA program in Kununurra is the opportunity it gives to see a large number of patients. Students are encouraged to see patients every day and are sometimes the first person to assess them.
In town, the students are placed in general practice at The Wunan Health and Well-being Centre, and Kununurra District Hospital which provides emergency, inpatient, obstetric and primary health care services. Health care services including local District Medical Officers and Regional Visiting Specialists also provide health care services to remote Indigenous communities such as Warmun and Kalumburu, in addition to neighbouring towns including Halls Creek and Wyndham.
The Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service (OVAHS and local AMS) provides final year General Practice experience i.e., RGPP placements.
Specialists regularly visiting Kununurra cover the following disciplines: adult cardiology, audiology, dermatology, ENT, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, paediatric cardiology, psychiatry, renal and respiratory.
Primary health services on offer in Kununurra include aged care, ante and post-natal services, child health clinic, diabetic clinic, dietician, immunisation clinics, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, speech pathology, women's health clinics and palliative care. Psychiatric support is provided by North West Mental Health Team, OVAHS social support service, Boab Health Services and Kinway Relationship Counselling Education & Training Services.
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Extra Activities
RCSWA students can access the local leisure centre, a multi-purpose, community recreation facility, with a 25-metre swimming pool set in tropical surroundings. Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra offer facilities for boating and kayaking, and the rivers are great for fishing for the legendary barramundi. Water holes and some rivers (minus the saltwater crocodiles) are also popular to swim in when the water is flowing. Most Kununurra residents participate in sport, with a wide range of activities including football, tennis, squash, netball, archery, pistol shooting, dragon boat racing, yoga, pilates and hiking.
Festivals and events are held throughout the year in Kununurra, including the Lake Argyle Swim, the Kimberley Moon Experience/Festival, the Writers' Festival and the local agricultural show, horse races and rodeos.
To find out more about Kununurra, you can visit the following links:
I encourage students to approach patient care like a great book - take their story with all its twists and turns and arrive at the end of the book without skipping over or losing your page, or putting it down. The journey is just as important as the destination. The strength of MCs at the RCSWA is supporting, facilitating and travelling with students on this journey. Catherine Engelke
District Medical Officer, Kununurra (former Lead Medical Coordinator)
Staff Profiles
Medical Coordinator, Kununurra
Alice Fitzgerald
Alice is a GP obstetrician and ACRRM/RACGP Fellow. She completed her training in Kununurra and stayed on as part of the RCSWA. Catherine Engelke was one of Alice's inspirations to stay in the region and pursue her love of education by joining the School. Alice finds working rurally has many advantages, such as having diversity in the workplace and a sense of belonging in the community.
What I love about the RCSWA
I feel lucky to be part of a passionate group of educators who can show the next generation of doctors what a great life living and working in the country is.
Academic Services Officer, Kununurra
Mistie Purdy
Mistie supports students and Medical Coordinators in Kununurra to ensure they have a great Kimberley experience. She started with the school in 2019 and has called Kununurra home for more than 10 years.
What I love about the RCSWA
I love the people of RCSWA, our site, our team and our statewide colleagues. We support and encourage each other as a team and a family.
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