Cruises in the Kimberley, Western Australia

EDIT TEXT NEEDED

With an area of 17,190 hectares, this is the second largest island of the Kimberley coast. Its landscape of shattered King Leopold sandstone is populated by Australia’s smallest rock wallaby, the monjon. The best-known Wunambal rock art site at Wary Bay depicts Sea Wanjinas (Gayaras), images of sailing ships and even figures rowing a boat.

From Lacrosse Island in the north to Wyndham and beyond in the south stretches the huge tide-dominated estuary known as Cambridge Gulf. It was first charted by Phillip Parker King in 1819 and functions as the shipping channel for the port of Wyndham. We usually cruise through overnight on our voyages.

Despite the name, this creek has a favoured swimming place – a beautiful natural pool above a waterfall. The scenic approach passes quartzite cliffs and slate-like outcrops of Wotjulum porphyry.

The port of Wyndham is both the starting and ending point for 14 day voyages between Wyndham and Broome or vice versa. Exporting live cattle, nickel and iron ore has helped revive the town’s fortunes in recent years. From the Five Rivers Lookout, high above the port on The Bastion, there are sweeping views west across the vast salt flats.

As the region’s largest town, founded in the heyday of pearling, Broome’s multicultural heritage runs deep. This is the place that inspired the music of the Pigram Brothers and Jimmy Chi’s Bran Nue Dae and Corrugation Road. Enjoy magnificent Cable Beach, ride on a camel or watch the Staircase to the Moon over glittering Roebuck Bay. If you visit in August, Opera under the Stars and Race Round are options, while September’s highlight is the Shinju Matsuri Festival.

Located at the northern tip of the Dampier Peninsula and flanked by magnificent beaches, the headland is best known for its lighthouse and Bardi-owned Kooljaman resort. With a setting sun, the blood-red cliffs provide a stunning background for breaching humpback whales.

Set in the pristine waters of Cygnet Bay, this was the first Australian owned and run South Sea pearl farm. While still a working farm, Cygnet Bay has also expanded into a unique accommodation and touring destination for visitors to the Kimberley. As the only fully operational pearl farm open to the public, Cygnet Bay offers a fascinating insight into the process of pearl production.

Often referred to as the “Thousand Islands”, though many are mere rocks, the name celebrates the explorer and erstwhile pirate William Dampier. Englishman Dampier visited the area in 1688. One of the attractions of the area is the remarkable Silica Beach, where we sometimes swim on high tide. Its sand is blindingly white and as fine as caster sugar.

Talbot Bay is home to one of the icons of the Kimberley coast, the spectacular Horizontal Waterfalls. These twin narrow gaps in a corner of the bay separate a series of double bays. Extreme tidal whirlpools develop around the gaps, making for a thrilling dinghy ride. Take a tender and head in for an up-close and exhilarating ride through this natural phenomenon.

Koolan Island functions as a major mine, exporting high grade iron ore (haematite) in bulk carriers from its wharf to China. The mine was originally begun by BHP in 1965, creating a colossal pit extending below sea level.

Strickland Bay contains examples of the great features that make the Kimberley so special – including rivers, mangroves, reefs, beaches, and a number of islands.

It has great fishing and some fascinating historical sites from the early days of the pearling industry. Pearling in the 1880s was conducted by luggers amd was heavily concentrated in this area. There are 15 isolated graves of of early pearl divers in the Strickland Bay area. Cultured pearl farms are now located in this area.

Operated by BHP as the area’s first iron ore mine (1951-1984), it later functioned and failed as a resort operated by entrepreneur Alan Bond. The mine site is currently owned by Pluton Resources, but is approaching economic closure.

East of the Horizontal Falls, Cyclone Creek displays geological marvels. Join a scenic excursion up the back of Cyclone Creek to marvel at these amazing rock formations.

Twin narrow gaps in a corner of Talbot Bay separate a series of double bays. Extreme tidal whirlpools develop around the gaps, making for a thrilling dinghy ride. Further east, Cyclone Creek displays geological marvels including cliffs of pressure-folded rock, fault-lines and a wall of conglomerate.

East of the Horizontal Falls, Cyclone Creek displays geological marvels. Join a scenic excursion up the back of Cyclone Creek to marvel at these amazing rock formations.

In reality, Secure Bay is two bays, connected by a narrow scenic passage with a spectacular tide-race and whirlpool. The inner bay features a stark black hillside of dolerite boulders with spinifex ‘stripes’, as well as vast areas of mangrove habitat.

At sixty kilometres in length, Walcott Inlet is fed by the Calder, Charnley and Isdell Rivers. Only the beautiful Isdell Gorge is accessible to dinghies on spring tides. Yule Entrance, at the mouth of the inlet, has one of the most formidable tidal whirlpools on the planet.

Traversed en route to Raft Point and Montgomery Reef, our track typically passes the Kingfisher Islands in the centre of the Bay. The Kingfisher Islands are noted for their pink-hued cliffs, stone barrier beaches and fishing opportunities.

On the eastern shore of Doubtful Bay, a vast area of mangrove-lined creeks surrounds a conical hill. Behind here, Ruby Falls plunges into a narrow gorge, above which are a string of beautiful billabongs, ideal for a swim. Red Cone Creek is noted for its mud crabs and fishing.

Named by John Lort Stokes RN of HMS Beagle in 1838 due to his uncertainty as to whether or not the bay led to the Glenelg River, which had just been found by George Grey travelling overland. This area has many scenic and fishing attractions.

Covering an astounding 280 square kilometres, this reef seems to miraculously rise out of the sea – such is the size of its tides. Draining seawater pours continuously over the reef edge, particularly along the spectacular reef channel. Turtles, schools of surgeon-fish and reef egrets abound. Marine biologist Barry Wilson theorises that the reef has grown on top of a drowned sandstone mesa, making it truly one of a kind.

The scenic sandstone and basalt islands of Brunswick Bay include the remote seabird colony of Booby Island. This area is also a good spot for pelagic fishing.

Heywood and Champagny Islands offer spectacular crystal clear beaches for relaxing. Walk on a deserted beach then enjoy a refreshing swim in the sensational waters.

You can also visit an historic secret radar base from World War II, which is a truly fascinating heritage site.

A beautiful estuary noted for its dramatic sandstone cliffs, home to a rare endemic Grevillea with silver leaves. Near the tidal limit is a lush rainforest, full of ferns and butterflies.

Once the largest pearl farm in the world, this remote settlement is now abandoned. It was here in the 1950s that the first South Sea cultured pearls were produced by Pearls Pty Ltd, laying the foundation of a multi-million dollar industry.

Lending its name to WA’s newest marine park, this area is the principal focus for breeding humpback whales. WA has the world’s largest population. These leviathans arrive in June, typically calving in July-August, before making their way back to Antarctic waters.

Bounded by a long rainforest escarpment on its western side, this area is noted for its strong tides. The whole area, including Gibson Creek, is well-regarded by fishermen.

Visit Barlee Impediment on our Kimberley Cruises

Swamps along the river’s upper reaches provide an important breeding area for saltwater crocodiles. This area was a personal favourite of the late Malcolm Douglas. The Glenelg River has a near-legendary status among barramundi fishermen.

With an impressive 80 metre drop, ‘Cathedral Falls’ boasts an amphitheatre of vertical cliffs surrounding a circular plunge-pool. Accessible only on spring tides by dinghy, through a narrow corridor of mangroves.

This iconic waterfall is renowned for its beautiful stepped terraces, graced with delicate grasses and lush ferns. It was named after Lieutenant Phillip Parker King RN, who sketched the site in 1820. Tragedy struck in 1987 when a young American woman, Ginger Meadows, was taken by a crocodile at the base of the falls. Much safer swimming in crystal-clear pools lies upstream of the Cascade.

This was the scene of a disastrous agricultural settlement in 1864-1865, based on Merino sheep. Stone ruins and an island cemetery can still be seen. Delicious rock oysters abound. Opposite is Augustus Island, which at 17,950 hectares, is the largest island on the Kimberley coast.

This is a major tributary of the Prince Regent River, flowing in on its southern bank. Above tidal rapids, accessible by dinghy, weeping paperbark trees line tranquil billabongs. An energetic walk leads to a spectacular waterfall with a natural swimming pool.

By dinghy on spring tides, it is possible to view the spectacular gorge of the Roe River upstream to its confluence with the Moran River. This was the spot reached by Joseph Bradshaw in his epic horseback trek from Wyndham in 1891. The Roe estuary is famed for its many large crocodiles, birdlife and excellent fishing. PLEASE NOTE: NOT VISITED ON 14 DAY VOYAGES BROOME TO WYNDHAM OR VICE VERSA.

Following a fault-line trending southeast, the 104 km river runs remarkably straight, giving it a unique character. Keep an eye out for rare snubfin dolphins, which live in the estuary. Almost the whole catchment is conserved in the Prince Regent National Park: one of the great wilderness areas of Australia.

The Kimberley’s magnificent ‘inland sea’ is studded with scenic islands. The Basin supports the largest area of mangrove habitat in the southern hemisphere. Spitfire Creek and the Southern Arms are renowned for barra fishing.

At 391 metres, this is a stunning sandstone mesa, which dominates the landscape with its dramatic silhouette. Below adjacent Mt Waterloo lies Marigui, where Joseph Bradshaw and Aeneas Gunn attempted to run sheep during the 1890s.

A cruise down Rothsay Water offers an opportunity to fish under the majesty of Mt Trafalgar.  Also home to two distinctive types of rock art known as Wandjina and Gwion Gwion styles, these two different types of rock art have very different characteristics.

Rothsay Water offers the chance to view both of these styles of ancient rock art with a tender excursion to explore the area’s many examples of artwork.

Growing behind a sandy beach is an ancient boab tree with ‘HMC Mermaid 1820’ etched deeply into its twin trunks. The carving commemorates 16 days of hull and rudder repairs undertaken on the naval cutter commanded by Phillip Parker King, while charting the Kimberley coast. Groves of endemic cycads occur at the southern end of the beach.

Iconic, multi-tiered waterfall, located west of Mitchell Plateau Airstrip. It is Punamii-unpuu to the Wunambal people, who revere the place as the home of Creator Snakes or Wunggurr. Enjoy excellent views of the Falls on your helicopter flight to or from Mitchell Plateau Airstrip.

This spectacular estuary in the NE corner of Prince Frederick Harbour features huge cliffs, rainforests and mangroves. Our anchorage in magnificent Porosus Creek serves as the turnaround point for 7 day voyages, where guests arrive or depart by helicopter from Mitchell Plateau. PLEASE NOTE: NOT VISITED ON 14 DAY VOYAGES BROOME TO WYNDHAM OR VICE VERSA.

The Mitchell Plateau is a transfer point for our Northern cruises. You will either fly in from Broome before being transferred to the Kimberley Quest II via a scenic helicopter flight over Mitchell Falls; or land at Mitchell Plateau after farewelling the Kimberley Quest II and enjoying your spectacular scenic Mitchell Falls flight, before catching a flight back to Broome.

Named for the author of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, this T-shaped inlet is home to a number of magnificent galleries of Wunambal rock art – including Sea Wanjinas (Gayaras), as well as ancient Gwion (Bradshaw) panels.

Named as recently as 1921, this was the last major Kimberley waterway to be located by surveyors. The funnel-shaped estuary is strewn with rocks and sandbanks, requiring skilful navigation. An excellent area for mud crabs, barramundi and bird-watching.

The long Voltaire Peninsula separates Montague Sound from Admiralty Gulf. The Cape itself is a remarkable headland of columnar basalt, which contrasts strikingly with surrounding cliffs of sandstone. There are exciting opportunities for pelagic fishing in this area.

This is a group of steep-sided volcanic islands with lush rainforests, located in Admiralty Gulf. Surrounding waters support an extensive pearl farm and a heritage-listed shipwreck, visible only at spring tides. Nearby on the mainland are several idyllic swimming spots as well as easily-accessed rock art sites.

Separating Admiralty Gulf from Vansittart Bay, Bougainville Peninsula is noted for its dense rain-forested slopes, plateau-capped hills and numerous long inlets. There is excellent pelagic fishing off the cliffs and headlands.

A Mecca for rock art enthusiasts, locations such as Jar Island, Rocky Cove and Jalandal are justly famed for their fine examples of Gwion and Wanjina style panels. Less well-known is the area’s interesting heritage of Makassan campsites, used for centuries by Indonesian fishermen collecting and processing sea cucumbers (also known as trepang or beche-de-mer).

Behind a salt-pan lie the poignant remains of a US Army Air Corps Dakota, victim of a forced landing during World War II. The crew, flying from Perth to Broome, made a simple navigation error which nearly cost them their lives.

Napier Broome Bay is home to historic Indonesian trepang site, which gives an insight into the lives of the early Macassan fisherman, who came down to north of Australia in search of trepang – also know as bêch-de-mer , or more commonly, sea cucumber. This site stems back to the first early contact between Aboriginal tribes and the Indonesian fisherman.

It is also a great location to fish the inlets and estuaries of Barra and Mangrove Jack and try your luck at mud-crabbing.

The third-longest river in the Kimberley is entered over shallow sandbars. Its wide estuary features a maze of channels cutting through mangrove islands, which form a delta. The area is excellent for bird-watching, barra fishing and beach-walking. Impressive tidal rapids in a low sandstone gorge can be reached after a long dinghy ride.

Marking the junction of the Indian Ocean with the Timor Sea, passage past here is sometimes rough. Stewart Island, lying off the Cape, is the most northerly point of Western Australia.

Named for a native plant in the citrus family, these are actually twin waterfalls at the head of a shallow bay. Nearby sandstone cliffs feature examples of Gwion style rock art.

Fringed by formidable sandstone cliffs on either side, this bay commemorates the State Ship Koolama beached here in 1942, after attack by Japanese floatplanes. The long sand-spit beach at the back of the bay disguises the entrance to the King George River.

One of the most spectacular gorges in Australia, rimmed by dizzying cliffs, terminates in twin 80 metre high waterfalls. Arguably, the ultimate anchorage! Enjoy a refreshing shower on the bow, marvel at the cappuchino foam, swim in a fault-line crevice or fish for barra below East Arm Falls.

On the southern side of Koolama Bay lies this shallow inlet with a small freshwater creek and waterfall. Behind the beach and a strip of mangroves is where the survivors of the Koolama camped, before undertaking a difficult overland trek to Pago Mission.

These two sites are associated with the German aviators Bertram and Klaussman. In 1932, the pair were blown off course in their seaplane Atlantis and endured starvation in the wilderness, before being found and rescued by Gwini Aborigines after 40 days.

From Lacrosse Island in the north to Wyndham and beyond in the south stretches the huge tide-dominated estuary known as Cambridge Gulf. It was first charted by Phillip Parker King in 1819 and functions as the shipping channel for the port of Wyndham. We usually cruise through overnight on our voyages.

Hidden behind Reveley Island and a maze of sandbanks, the entrance cannot be navigated on every tide. The long, sublimely beautiful gorge has numerous side waterfalls such as Casuarina Falls and Amphitheatre Falls. Angel Falls on the eastern bank at 100 metres is the highest falls on the Kimberley coast. Fish at the rock-bar, spot a nabarlek (rock wallaby) or enjoy a refreshing swim.

100 km by scenic road from Wyndham, Kununurra is the largest town in the East Kimberley. Built to service the Ord River Irrigation project in the 1960s, horticultural enterprises dominate – notably sandalwood, bananas, mangoes, melons and chia seed. Visit Lake Argyle or enjoy a cruise along the Ord River.