WA District Court – Kununurra Courthouse List Today

The District Court sitting at Kununurra Courthouse is the intermediate criminal trial court serving the East Kimberley, one of the most remote justice regions in Australia. Located roughly 3,200 kilometres from Perth, this courtroom hears serious indictable matters that sit above the Magistrates Court but below the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Because Kununurra is a circuit location rather than a permanent District Court registry, a District Court judge travels from Perth to hear listed trials, sentences and arraignments during scheduled sitting weeks. If you are searching the daily WA district court listings for a matter set down at Kununurra, this page explains how the court works, what appears on the cause list, and how to confirm your hearing before you attend.

Kununurra Courthouse is located at 94 Coolibah Drive, Kununurra WA 6743, and can be contacted on (08) 9166 7100. The building was completed in 2014 as a $43 million project funded through the State Government's Royalties for Regions program, and it was designed to serve the growing East Kimberley population for at least the next 25 years. The courthouse includes both a magistrate's courtroom and a dedicated jury courtroom, along with mediation and trial-conference facilities and a remote witness room that allows vulnerable witnesses and children to give evidence without entering the main courtroom. These facilities are what make it possible for the District Court to run full jury trials on circuit in a regional centre.

What the District Court at Kununurra Does

The District Court of Western Australia was established on 1 April 1970 under the District Court Act 1969 (WA), created to relieve pressure on the Magistrates Court and the Supreme Court as the state's population grew. It sits as the intermediate court in the Western Australian court hierarchy, and Kununurra is one of twelve country registries and circuit locations, alongside Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Busselton, Carnarvon, Derby, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha and South Hedland. The current Chief Judge is Julie Anne Wager, who has led the Court since 2 May 2020.

In its criminal jurisdiction, the District Court hears serious, indictable offences that carry maximum penalties of up to 25 years imprisonment. In its civil jurisdiction, it determines claims of up to $750,000 and has unlimited jurisdiction in claims for damages for personal injury. The Court also hears appeals from the Magistrates Court, while appeals from the District Court are directed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia. This places it squarely in the middle of the pathway that a serious matter follows from first mention through to trial and, if needed, appeal.

Types of Matters Heard on the Kununurra Circuit

At Kununurra, the District Court deals with the more serious end of the criminal spectrum. Typical matters listed on the District Court cause list at this location include:

• Serious assaults, including grievous bodily harm and aggravated assault charges
• Sexual offences, which frequently proceed to trial with a jury
• Serious fraud, commercial theft and burglary offences
• Drug offences, including possession with intent to sell or supply and cultivation matters
• Arraignments, where an accused person formally enters a plea
• Sentencing hearings, often conducted after a plea or a finding of guilt
• Trial listing hearings and sentence mention lists, which schedule matters for a future sitting

The Kununurra Courthouse also functions as a District Court registry for the commencement of civil actions, even though most contested civil trials are ultimately heard in Perth. Where a matter involves a person under 18, the courthouse can sit as the Children's Court for summary criminal matters, with more complex care and protection matters transferred into the Perth Children's Court list.

How Circuit Sittings Work

Unlike the Magistrates Court, which generally has a magistrate sitting at Kununurra on a full-time basis, the District Court does not maintain a resident judge in the East Kimberley. Instead, a judge travels to Kununurra on circuit for defined sitting periods across the year. During these weeks, the judge works through the trial, arraignment and sentencing lists that have accumulated since the previous circuit. Kununurra is grouped with Broome and Derby for trial listing hearing and sentence mention purposes, which is why practitioners often track sittings across all three Kimberley centres together.

This circuit model has real practical consequences. Because sitting weeks are limited, matters can be listed some months ahead, and the timing of a trial often depends on when the next Kununurra circuit is scheduled. Note that the Court has periodically updated its criminal sittings arrangements for remote and regional Western Australia, and some regional circuits elsewhere in the state have been suspended or revised. For this reason, always confirm the current circuit dates rather than relying on a previous year's schedule.

Appearing by Video and Audio Link

Kununurra Courthouse is equipped with video and audio facilities, and in simpler sentencing matters lawyers frequently appear by audio link rather than travelling to the East Kimberley in person. In contested trials, however, it is usually necessary for legal representatives and witnesses to attend the courthouse. If you are self-represented, you should make yourself known to court staff on arrival and then wait for your name to be called on the list.

How to Find the Kununurra District Court List

Daily court listings for all Western Australian courts, including District Court circuit sittings at Kununurra, are published through the official eCourts Portal of Western Australia. The cause list details the matters before the court each day, the judge presiding, and the courtroom in which each matter will be heard. Lists can change at short notice to suit the needs of the day, so the version published the afternoon before is not always identical to the final list on the morning of the hearing.

The official eCourts portal requires you to select the court type, then the location, then the date, navigating through several steps before the list appears. Court Lists Australia presents the same public listings in a single, browsable directory, grouping Supreme, District, Magistrates, Family, Coroners and State Administrative Tribunal matters together so you can reach the relevant Kununurra list in fewer clicks. To protect privacy while upholding the open-justice principle, individual names in these listings are partially masked, and no login or payment is required to view them.

Reading the Cause List

Court lists use a consistent set of terms. Understanding them helps you locate your matter quickly:

• Mention — a short procedural appearance where the matter is reviewed and a future date is set
• Arraignment — the stage at which the accused formally enters a plea of guilty or not guilty
• Trial with Jury — a contested hearing before a jury, common for serious indictable matters at Kununurra
• Sentencing — the hearing at which a penalty is determined after a plea or finding of guilt
• Committal — a Magistrates Court step that decides whether a serious matter proceeds to the District or Supreme Court

Entries commonly show the case reference, the courtroom, and a scheduled or "not before" time. A "not before 3:00 PM" notation, for example, means the matter will not be called earlier than that time but may be called later depending on how the day runs.

Kununurra in the Kimberley Justice Network

Kununurra sits within a wider network of Kimberley and regional courts, and matters frequently move between them. The same building operates as the Kununurra Magistrates Court for summary offences, traffic matters, bail applications and committals, which is where most serious charges begin before being committed upward. Nearby, the District Court also sits on circuit at the Broome District Court, which forms part of the same trial-listing grouping as Kununurra and Derby. For matters further down the coast, the Geraldton District Court handles the Mid West region on a similar circuit basis.

If you are trying to identify which court your matter belongs to, a useful starting point is the level of the offence. Summary and less serious matters remain in the Magistrates Court; serious indictable matters are committed to the District Court; and the most serious offences, such as murder, proceed to the Supreme Court. You can browse every Western Australian court in one place through the WA court lists directory, which links each Magistrates, District and Supreme Court registry with live case counts.

Practical Information for Attending

The courthouse is located in the heart of Kununurra town centre, near key local services. Street parking is available nearby, though it can be limited, and there is no local bus service, so most visitors arrive by car or taxi. The building provides wheelchair access and other accessibility support; visitors who need assistance should contact the registry in advance on (08) 9166 7100. Arrive early to allow time for security screening, dress neatly and conservatively, and bring your court documents so you can confirm your courtroom and time on arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Kununurra District Court located?

The District Court sits at Kununurra Courthouse, 94 Coolibah Drive, Kununurra WA 6743, in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The registry can be reached on (08) 9166 7100.

Does the District Court have a permanent judge in Kununurra?

No. Kununurra is a circuit location, so a District Court judge travels from Perth to hear listed matters during scheduled sitting periods. Between circuits, the Magistrates Court continues to operate at the same courthouse.

What kinds of cases does the District Court hear at Kununurra?

It hears serious indictable criminal matters such as serious and sexual assaults, serious fraud, burglary and drug offences, including full jury trials, arraignments and sentencing. It also acts as a registry for commencing District Court civil actions.

How do I find today's Kununurra District Court list?

Daily lists are published through the eCourts Portal of Western Australia and can also be viewed in the aggregated WA court lists directory. Because lists change during the day, always confirm your matter against the current list and your own court documents.

What is the difference between the District Court and Magistrates Court at Kununurra?

The Magistrates Court handles summary offences, traffic matters, bail and committals, while the District Court hears the more serious indictable matters and appeals from the Magistrates Court. Both operate from the same Kununurra Courthouse building.

Can I appear by video or phone?

In simpler sentencing matters, lawyers often appear by audio link, and the courthouse has video and remote witness facilities. Contested trials generally require attendance in person. Check your listing or contact the registry to confirm the arrangement for your matter.