The Kimberley coast with Kimberley Quest II
A big thank you to Landi Bradshaw @landibradshawphotography for this informative blog post! You can check out Landi’s instagram by clicking here and her website by clicking here.
All photos and captions by Landi.
As always, be CROCWISE and read signs and check with a local person before going in or near the water.
“I hope you enjoy this visual story of the Kimberley Quest cruise. We visited so many amazing locations on the coast in saltwater country, almost too many to count (or remember!). I loved all of them and would love to go back one day to see more. I could have spent a very, very long amount of time at the King George Falls. I loved travelling up the rivers in the tenders, and exploring secret springs and waterfalls. This is what makes my heart happy. If you are thinking about exploring the Kimberley but are a bit unsure, please just do.
Huge thanks to each and every one of the legendary team from Kimberley Quest! Keep following along with The Kimberley Australia. I am loving being an ambassador and the team do an awesome job!”
King George River
One of the first places we were lucky enough to visit was hidden in the cliffs of the King George River. Cruising along the river, taken aback by the beauty of the sheer gorge walls, we turned the small tender into a secret location. This is my cousin Kelly who was working on the cruise, the look on her face is exactly as mine was behind the camera.
Berkeley River
We swam in crystal clear turquoise green pools flowing beautifully from a crevice further up where a waterfall thundered down. The rain started to fall and the others re-boarded the tenders to head back to the cruise ship. I climbed up into the perfect cave for shelter and sat here for the next hour or so, feeling so at home and happy. It was a big call as this was a spot we visited only on day 2, however I said this was going to be my favourite of the trip – and 14 days later, it still was! (This was not an easy choice though).
King George Falls
The King George Falls, the King George Falls… the King George Falls! What can I say… as much as this insanely incredible place is talked about and built up, it definitely does not take away from the feeling you experience when witnessing it in real life. If anything, my expectations were totally exceeded.
King George River
This would have to be one of my absolute favourite shots from the trip. Sunrise – hot, steamy, wild, remote, land of the giants, special, powerful, serene. Looking down over the King George River and seeing the Kimberley Quest dwarfed by the size of the cliff walls just made me feel so thankful and lucky to be able to experience this magical place.
A new day’s adventure
This image I hope conveys a sense of anticipation for what the day has in store. This day could have been fishing, hiking, exploring, climbing, swimming, watching – or maybe even all of the above?
Kimberley Waterfalls
Waterfalls galore! It was hard to choose which waterfall photos to share as we visited so many beautiful spots. These falls go by a few different names, will keep it on the down-low for now 😉 The hike into these falls certainly made the swim at the end worth it. The wind coming off the falls was so refreshing, and once again, the water incredibly clear and perfect for a dip.
Boab trees and remote beaches
Is this a photoshopped image of a perfect boab on a perfect white sandy beach with perfect weather and perfect crystal blue water? Nope! It’s just one of the thousands of remote locations along the north Kimberley coastline and islands. It’s almost hard to comprehend how many spots like this one in the region there are to explore.
Indigenous rock art
The Kimberley region is rich with ancient aboriginal culture and stories. There are thousands of rock art sites each with their own meaning and story. Some of the sites date back thousands of years. It’s an incredible part of our country and history to experience. Pictured in this photo is my mum who was lucky enough to join me on this trip, taking in the moment at one of the many rock art sites we visited.
Landi lands a Queenfish!
This is me! With one of the many many many catches we had on board the tenders. This is a decent sized queenie at the mouth of a well-known Kimberley river that runs to the north coast. If you were stranded out here there is no way you could go hungry. (Also I would like to add that I reeled in a huuuge GT not long before this, which I nearly snapped my wrist trying to get it to the boat! No photos as my camera had the wrong lens, however my mum filmed the whole thing. This is not a tall tale, true honest!)
Kimberley sunsets
The sunsets… ohhh the sunsets. Each one so different yet stunning in their own way. We sat out on the front deck, back deck, middle back deck, dining hall through the windows, or getting ready for dinner looking out our room window. As the sky glowed with colour – starting from rich oranges, to bright pinks, then on to strong then subtle purples, fading out until last light and night fell. Just magic.
Rocks and remote beaches
So many peculiar rock formations line the Kimberley coastline. This was just one of many that we were able to visit. This is the entrance to a cave that ran quite far in behind me.
Prince Regent National Park
Prince Regent National Park included cruising down the wild and remote Prince Regent River (my mum’s favourite of the trip). Then eventually coming in to the King Cascade. There is a well known story you may have heard of an American woman, Ginger Meadows, who was taken by a saltwater croc at the bottom of the falls (as a result of swimming in prime saltie territory I should add). This isn’t to scare you. I promise, it’s just worth mentioning to show how truly wild this place is. You’re probably thinking ‘what does this have to do with this photo?’ This place, on the other hand, is a climb to the top of the falls where there are endless clear freshwater pools and waterfalls. My cousin, her partner Matt, my mum and I raced to the back of the main pool to follow the endless line of pools to cool off in, take a dip, sit under waterfalls (perfect for natural shoulder massages) and explore.
Kimberley caves
Caves can give off a sense of eeriness or calm. This cave was calm. Somewhere that you could spend all day in, just watching the ocean from the opening and the sun and shadows roll on by.
Sunset in the Buccaneer Archipelago
We watched the sun setting from an island in the middle of the archipelago. The temperature had dropped quite a few degrees, the sea breeze was well and truly in. Looking out over the ocean gave you a clear perspective of the vastness of the ocean out here and how we were just a tiny speck, observing everything around us. This boab tree seemed to be doing the same. It chose to grow in this spot with the perfect vantage point to watch over its beautiful surroundings.
Sand island near Montgomery Reef
In the last few days of the cruise (as if our minds hadn’t been blown enough), I went up in a helicopter to view the Montgomery Reef. The sand formations that revealed themselves as the tide subsided were stunning. This one formed the shape and textures of a leaf – simple and so perfect.
Montgomery Reef
Montgomery Reef… I won’t go into details explaining this natural phenomenon, so if you haven’t heard of it give it a google. Can’t even think of a caption for this place… I think the photo speaks for itself. Mind-blowing.
Find even more about the Kimberley coastline, we have a whole chapter dedicated to it in our book 100 Things To See In The Kimberley. Grab your copy and get free postage using the code FREESHIP.
