Across the Top of Australia

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Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 London to Perth, Australia.

   Fly by scheduled indirect flight.

2. 2

   Day 2 Perth.

   Arrive and transfer to our centrally located hotel for a two night stay. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax after your journey or explore the city independently.

3. 3

   Day 3 Perth.

   After breakfast in the hotel we enjoy a tour of Perth which will include a guided walk around Kings Park, perched on Mount Eliza. Absorb the impressive views of the city and the Swan River and see some of Western Australia's remarkable flora in the Botanical Gardens. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon before we meet tonight for our welcome dinner.

4. 4

   Day 4 Perth to Broome.

   After breakfast in the hotel we will transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to Broome. On arrival we transfer to the Coral Adventurer and sail this evening.

5. 5

   Day 5 Lacepede Islands.

   The Lacepede Islands are a protected class-A nature reserve and are significant as a seabird nesting rookery for brown boobies and roseate terns. Other species often sighted at the Lacepedes include Australian pelicans, frigatebirds, egrets and gulls. The four low-lying islands are also an important breeding and nesting habitat for green turtles. If weather and tide conditions are suitable, we will explore the lagoons using the Xplorer vessels and Zodiacs.

6. 6

   Day 6 Horizontal Falls & Buccaneer Archipelago.

   The Horizontal Falls are one of the Kimberley's biggest attractions and are a result of the 11 metre mammoth tides which the Kimberley is renowned for. Naturalist David Attenborough described the Horizontal Falls as ‘one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.' This natural phenomenon has been created as the ocean thunders through a narrow gorge in the McLarty Ranges. Water builds up on one side and is forcibly pushed through the bottleneck, creating a rushing horizontal waterfall of swiftly flowing seawater. Talbot Bay is at the heart of the Buccaneer Archipelago, where rocks on the 800 or so islands are estimated at over two billion years old. At Cyclone Creek, we will see evidence of massive geological forces in the impressive rock formations and will cruise through the Iron Islands, past Koolan Island, before enjoying sunset drinks at Nares Point.

7. 7

   Day 7 Doubtful Bay.

   Red Cone Creek flows gently downstream until it meets the small but impressive Ruby Falls which were named by local mariner Captain Chris Trucker after his daughter. Red Cone Creek is carved through rock formations stacked atop each other like building blocks. These rock walls are great for climbing and clambering over before reaching a series of freshwater swimming holes and waterfalls. Raft Point guards the entrance to sheltered Doubtful Bay, which harbours significant sites such as the ancient Wandjina rock art galleries. Doubtful Bay is the traditional country of the Worrora people who follow the Wandjina. Their stories, knowledge and culture have been recorded in stone for millennia.

8. 8

   Day 8 Montgomery Reef.

   Montgomery Reef is a biologically diverse area covering over 300 square kilometres and was named by Phillip Parker King. Twice daily, as the sea recedes in mammoth 11 metre tides, Montgomery Reef rises from the Indian Ocean in a cascade of rushing water revealing a flat-topped reef pockmarked with rock pools and rivulets. As the reef emerges, we will be able to get up close using the Xplorer vessels and Zodiacs to witness the spectacle as members of the expedition team share their knowledge on the formation of the reef and the myriad wildlife. Opportunistic birds take advantage of the emerging reef, feeding on marine life left exposed in rock pools. Turtles, dolphins, dugongs and sawfish too are also attracted to feeding opportunities as the ocean recedes. The ocean is awash in a swirl of eddies and whirlpools as the moon's gravitational force takes hold. Then, a few hours later the entire water-borne drama is reversed as the tide comes in and Montgomery Reef disappears below sea level.

9. 9

   Day 9 Prince Regent River & Careening Bay.

   King Cascade is a classically beautiful, terraced waterfall and is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the Kimberley. Falling from a considerable height and around 50 metre wide, water tumbles down a staggered terrace of Kimberley sandstone. Layer upon layer of ochre-hued and blackened rock sprouts grasses, mosses and ferns in a sort of lushly vegetated hanging garden. We will reach King Cascade after using the Xplorer tenders to cruise down the steep-sided Prince Regent River which is a remarkable anomaly as the river runs dead straight along a fault line. Lieutenant Phillip Parker King named nearby Careening Bay after he beached his leaking vessel HMC Mermaid to effect repairs. While stranded on this remote coastline for 17 days the ship's carpenter carved HMC Mermaid 1820 into the bottle-shaped trunk of a boab tree near the beach. Over 200 years later, the Mermaid Boab Tree has since split into two trunks and sports a mammoth girth of 12 metres. Significantly, the bulbous tree is listed on the National Register of Big Trees and the carpenter's careful inscription now stands almost as tall as a person.

10. 10

    Day 10 Prince Frederick Harbour & Bigge Island.

    Prince Frederick Harbour is one of the Kimberley's most spectacular locations at the southern end of York Sound. The harbour is dotted with islands lined with mangroves and monsoon rainforests, set against a backdrop of ochre-hued escarpment. White-bellied sea eagles and other birds of prey are often seen here, and at low tide, expansive mudflats reveal large populations of mudskippers and mangrove crabs. We will use the Xplorer tenders to cruise up Porosus Creek to view some striking rock formations. Bigge Island's indigenous name is Wuuyuru, and the Indigenous Group of the area is the Wunambal people.

11. 11

    Day 11 Mitchell Falls & Wollaston Bay.

    Tumbling down the Mitchell Plateau in a series of tiered waterfalls and emerald, green rock pools, the Mitchell Falls are the photogenic poster child for the Mitchell River National Park. Today there will be the opportunity to take a scenic helicopter flight (additional cost) to the multi-tiered Mitchell Falls where rock pools cascade down the escarpment and ancient rock art galleries are concealed in caves behind curtains of water. Mitchell River National Park is inhabited by significant numbers of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and bird species which are lured by a year-round water source. Sandstone terraces beside tiered rock pools make a terrific viewing platform from which to savour the serenity of this ancient landscape. An alternative option to Mitchell Falls is exploring the sandstone caves of Wollaston Bay or Wollaston Creek. This mass of weathered tunnels, arches and columns form a labyrinth-like maze and was once an Aboriginal midden. This evening we will enjoy watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean while indulging in a gourmet BBQ.

12. 12

    Day 12 Vansittart Bay.

    Vansittart Bay is home to many cultural and historically significant sites like the remarkable Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) Aboriginal rock art galleries estimated to be up to 20,000 years old. Jar Island is so-named after the pot shards found here, brought to the island by Makassan fishermen harvesting sea cucumbers (also known as trepang). Nearby, on the Anjo Peninsula lays the well-preserved wreckage of a US Airforce C-53 Skytrooper aircraft, the result of a pilot losing his bearings flying from Perth to Broome in 1942 and putting down on a salt pan near present-day Truscott Airbase.

13. 13

    Day 13 King George River & Falls.

    Fed by the King George River draining across the Gardner Plateau, the 80 metre tall King George Falls are the most impressive Kimberley waterfalls and the highest twin falls in Western Australia. Before reaching the mist-like spray rising from the base of King George Falls, we will cruise through steep-sided gorges carved by a flooded river system that carved a swathe through the Kimberley landscape 400 million years ago.

14. 14

    Day 14 Darwin to London.

    Disembark this morning and transfer to the airport for our scheduled indirect flight to London.

15. 15

    Day 15 London.

    Arrive today. Exploring Ashore: This voyage is expeditionary in nature, exploring remote regions only accessible by sea. The Captain and Expedition Team will make changes to the daily schedule when necessary based on weather and tidal conditions to maximise your experience. We will be at anchor on most days and will utilise the Zodiacs or Xplorer tenders to go ashore. Most walks are leisurely strolls along beaches, however, there are some more strenuous walks on offer. An alternative excursion will always be offered in place of higher impact walks and the Expedition Team will advise walking conditions and requirements prior to each excursion. There are very limited swimming options in the Kimberley and the saltwater regions are the home of large saltwater crocodiles and some freshwater holes flood with saltwater on high tides. The expedition team will offer swimming options if and when conditions and tides allow. If you have any queries pertaining to the use of Zodiacs or the level of fitness required for this voyage please do not hesitate to contact one of our experienced Travel Consultants.

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