HA240811: Kimberley Explorer: Expedition Cruising Australia's Iconic Kimberley Coast

KIMBERLEY EXPLORER

on board HERITAGE ADVENTURER

11 - 21 August 2024

Day 1
Sunday 11^th August 2024
Darwin

Our Kimberley Explorer voyage began on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, where we assembled at the Fort Hill Cruise Terminal at Darwin Port, Australia’s northern gateway, and met our Expedition Team for the adventure ahead. Once we cleared port, we boarded our new home away from home Heritage Adventurer. After settling in and completing the mandatory lifeboat drill, we left the glimmering port of Darwin, making our way towards the Kimberley Coast.

We enjoyed casual conversations with the Expedition Team and fellow guests at the pool bar before the first of many delicious dinners.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 2
Monday 12^th August 2024
Koolama Bay

After a smooth overnight crossing of Bonaparte Gulf from Darwin to the Kimberley Coast, we started our day with a very informative introduction from our Expedition Leader Steve of what lay ahead over the next 10 days. This was followed by an excellent introduction from Tina to the cultural history, geology, birds and wildlife of the Kimberley.

Armed with this information, we set out in the Zodiacs into a stiff breeze, making our way across Koolama Bay into the quieter waters of the King George River. The flotilla of Zodiacs cruised slowly up the river gorge flanked by impressive, orange-coloured vertical cliffs of 1.8-billion-year-old ancient sandstone. We were truly in awe of these spectacular cliffs, often up to 80 metres high displaying many features, including perched angular blocks of sandstone sitting on top of, or trapped within, vertical chimneys and the honeycomb weathering, termed Tafoni, of the sandstone just above the waterline. The shallow banks of the river were flanked by impressive mangrove forests with intricate root networks. Many of us saw our first Saltwater Crocodile, stately Reef Egrets standing in the shallows, a turtle and a couple of dolphins. At the end of the gorge, we saw water still cascading down the twin waterfalls despite the long, hot dry spell. One of the day's highlights was undoubtedly seeing an Osprey dive close to one of our Zodiacs emerging from the water a large fish in its claws.

After a wonderful first day of Zodiac cruising, we returned to Heritage Adventurer just as the sun set in time for the Welcome Cocktails and Captain’s Welcome Dinner. Our Kimberley Explorer adventure had truly begun! © S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 3
Tuesday 13^th August 2024
Vansittart and Jar Island

We woke up to another beautiful day in the Kimberley Coast, this time at Vansittart Bay. Our morning Zodiac excursion took us to a sandy beach on Anjo Peninsula to visit the wrecked WWII Douglas C-53 Aircraft, which crash-landed onto the salt pan after running out of fuel during a mercy mission to evacuate four Dutch citizens from Java. The short walk across the salt pan provided evidence of Fiddler Crabs living in the sand and, to our surprise, fresh Echidna tracks in the sand dunes. The C-53, a military version of a DC-3 sat amongst a forest of Pandanus Trees, many of which had grown since the crash in 1942. Although the wings had snapped off on impact, the fuselage was remarkably intact. The pushed-in nose of the plane came to a halt against a Pandanus Tree, and much to our surprise, a large Boab tree (Adansonia gregorii) was found nearby.

The Boab tree had a swollen trunk, giving it a bottle-like shape. It is often known as the tree of life as it absorbs and stores water during the rainy season enabling it to produce nutrient-dense fruit in the dry season. Seeds of this remarkable tree, a native of Africa and Madagascar, seem to have found its way to Australia by ocean currents. On our way back to the beach, we saw green ant nests and termite mounds amongst the dry landscape.

After a relaxing lunch on board Heritage Adventurer, we hopped on the Zodiacs again, this time to another beautiful beach flanked by familiar sandstone monoliths on Jar Island, named after the broken earthenware pots, left by Indonesian Macassans. This island is also home to the ancient Aboriginal Gwion Gwion paintings dating back to at least 18,000 years. We were privileged to visit two sites with paintings featuring Tasselled figures, Bent Knees figures and others with Straight Parts, Fish, Snakes and an Echidna amongst the caves and rock formations. The best way to view some of the paintings was to lie on your back in the ‘dentist’s chair’ of sandstone boulders.

We walked back along the beach with its impressive array of coral and shell fragments before returning to Heritage Adventurer, in time for a stunning setting sun and delicious dinner.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 4
Wednesday 14^th August 2024
Swift Bay and Mitchell Falls

It was an early start set against a glorious sunrise for many as we prepared for the optional helicopter ride to Mitchell Plateau. The helicopter journey showcased impressive landscapes, but the highlight of the trip, in almost perfect weather conditions, was seeing Mitchell Falls, Rock-wallabies and having the opportunity to relax in the freshwater pools.

Others enjoyed a stunning Zodiac cruise from our anchorage near Katers Island through the islands of Swift Bay to the isolated sandy beach of Wollaston Bay. We explored the ancient rock art amongst the caves within the sandstone outcrops, just a short walk from the beach. The beach was surrounded by large boulders of sandstone, dislodged from the sandstone cliffs behind. The rock shelter set amongst the sandstone cliffs behind the beach displayed paintings of the Aboriginal Wandjina. It is understood locals came here in the evenings to tell their stories beneath the rock art, and the paintings we saw of the Wandjina had headdresses with large intricate patterns.

We all reconvened after lunch for a Zodiac cruise to Warrabii East, also in Swift Bay, to see additional impressive rock art. We enjoyed further images of figures with impressive headgear, a White Turtle and Crocodile, Bent Knee figures and a row of Oystercatchers.

Our final stop completed a wonderful day of Aboriginal art with Gwion Gwion paintings of Tasselled Figures, Bent Knee figures, a possible Boab tree and a whale. The paintings were beside an almost hidden large circular cave, outside of which there were many broken shells from a midden, indicating a long period of habitation. After a fantastic afternoon of exploration, we returned to Heritage Adventurer in beautiful evening light enjoying a golden sunset.

© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 5
Thursday 15^th August 2024
Prince Frederick Harbour/Hunter River/Porosus Creek

It was an action-packed start to the day with a stunning Zodiac cruise in calm seas and blue skies, making our way to explore the delights of Porosus Creek, named after Saltwater Crocodiles. We meandered slowly up the creek surrounded by the now familiar imposing sandstone cliffs. In contrast to earlier excursions on the Kimberley Coast, the landscape was more forested. The creek on either side had dense mangrove trees and mudflats. The mudflats were particularly interesting, with Orange-clawed Fiddler Crabs and numerous amphibious Mudskippers rolling, jumping and playing around. We saw a range of birds and Herons on the mudflats with a White-bellied Sea Eagle and an Osprey soaring above. The Osprey had a successful fishing trip and was observed returning to its nest on the sandstone cliffs to feed the chicks we had seen earlier in the day. We also had a couple of fantastic sightings of Saltwater Crocodiles resting in the shallows.

In the afternoon, we continued our exploration of Prince Frederick Harbour by Zodiac, making our way up narrow creeks bordered by mangroves. We saw Saltwater Crocodiles, with one floating in the main channel. The sandstone cliffs never ceased to impress, with massive boulders precariously placed on top of orange-coloured cliffs and boulders bridged across two pedestals, providing daylight underneath. One highlight was the visit to ‘Thor’s Hammer’, where a large sandstone block perched on a free-standing column of cemented angular sandstone fragments (breccia).

Some of our Zodiacs had the additional thrill of seeing a Humpback Whale breach 12 times in the bay! Just before docking the last Zodiac at Heritage Adventurer, a long pale-coloured sea snake swam past on the surface.

Once we were all back on board, we set off for our next planned excursion to Ashmore Reef while enjoying another fantastic dinner.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 6
Friday 16^th August 2024
Ashmore Reef

This morning, we headed to Ashmore Reef, near Indonesia, and Australia’s most remote marine park. A calm Timor Sea provided a great setting for breakfast on board, and we had an interesting discussion on how to take the best photographs of the stunning Kimberley scenery from our photographer Stephen Bradley.

Afterwards, we had a mandatory briefing on the safety procedures for our planned snorkelling activity on Ashmore Reef. Those who wished to participate were given fins, a mask and snorkel while others signed up for the Zodiac cruise option.

After lunch the snorkel group set out first and the conditions were exceptional. We were met by calm seas, excellent visibility and low tides resulting in a spectacular time observing some of the 225 reef-building coral species with many different coloured fish species darting in and out of the corals. The conditions were so good that those who chose the Zodiac option could see almost as much as the snorkelling group in the turquoise waters.

In contrast to the rest of Kimberley Coast, there was an abundance of birdlife circling overhead and over the reef islands including many species of tern, noddies and boobies. The boobies were particularly inquisitive and often posed for photographs on buoys un-phased by our presence. Overhead, the large frigatebirds circled waiting for the opportunity to harass a feeding boobie and steal their food, which was observed several times. We were able to get close to the white sandy beaches of West Island and see the vegetation on the island's spine, and the many birds circling overhead or resting on the beach.

After a wonderful day immersed in wildlife, we returned to Heritage Adventurer saying goodbye to Ashmore Reef as we sailed again towards the Kimberley Coast.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 7
Saturday 17^th August 2024
Bigge Island

Overnight Heritage Adventurer returned in calm seas to the Kimberley Coast, arriving off Bigge Island just after lunch. We had a leisurely morning on board with two excellent talks. David informed us of the geological history of the sandstone-dominated landscape and explained how the geology influenced the vegetation and wildlife of the region. Thijs then explained the incredibly high tidal range along the Kimberley Coast, and how it affected our Zodiac and landing operations.

After lunch, we were back in the Zodiacs for a short trip to a sandy beach landing at Wary Bay on Bigge Island. Bigge Island is the second largest island on the Kimberley Coast and is now predator-free. Although we didn't see any animals, tracks in the sand indicated Echidnas and Rock-wallabies, Quolls and turtles were also present with many large nesting turtle holes in the sand. The sandy beach was surrounded by the now familiar sandstone cliffs and eroded terraces, and the sand itself was dominated by broken coral fragments and shells derived from an offshore reef. We made a circular route trekking our way over the sandstone terraces and around large, weathered boulders to observe a sacred Aboriginal site, understood to be an initiation site for young adult males recognising manhood. The route brought us around a mangrove forest and back to the beach caves that contained Wandjina Art illustrating the father Kaiara retaining their bright red colour, Kaiara children and a vertically orientated crocodile - Wandjina being the creator of the land and controlling the weather. A second cave is believed to be contact rock art representing contact with the first Europeans, possibly Abel Tasman. There are five Wandjina/Kaiara images with several Serpents, Monjon, and men carrying water bags each with a pipe and boat paintings, one with rollocks, again signifying European visitors in the area.

After a fantastic day of exploration, we returned to the air-conditioned comforts of Heritage Adventurer to relax and enjoy a fabulous dinner with even better company.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 8
Sunday 18^th August 2024
Freshwater Cove and Montgomery Reef

Our Kimberley Explorer voyage featured another beautiful, hot day for a short Zodiac cruise to Freshwater Bay where members of the Wunambal Gaambera indigenous group live. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Raylani and Gideon with a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony, complete with a facial ochre mark for each guest to this land. On completion of the ceremony, we followed our guide Neil along a well-maintained track across the flat sandstone outcrop to the top of the hill as birds fluttered in the trees, some of the trees had recently been burnt as part of traditional practices to encourage new growth. From the hill, we climbed down a short slope to the cave to see the Wandjina Art. It was a fascinating experience to hear the local custodians of the land explain the stories behind the art and their culture of sharing. The cave was known as the Cyclone Cave and the paintings were very well preserved, as they have been repainted by the locals. There has been a recent archaeological survey which indicated the initial habitation under the overhang dated back 65,000 years. On returning to the beach, we visited the art centre and purchased local paintings and books or visited the freshwater spring on the beach.

Back on board Heritage Adventurer, we enjoyed the spectacular experience of a pod of 5-7 Humpback Whales coming close by, much to the delight of all.

After lunch, it was back in the Zodiacs heading to Montgomery Reef, the world's largest inshore reef, and the most significant geological marine environment in the Kimberley. As we made our way slowly up a channel within the reef, billions of tons of water cascaded down the side of the reef as the tide fell exposing the brown calcareous algae. Many seabirds, notably Egrets and Curlews, fished the shallows along the reef's edge, while Ospreys soared overhead waiting for their opportunity to pounce. Turtles swam and surfaced along the edges of the reef, with occasional glimpses of reef sharks and flying fish.

As we made our back towards Heritage Adventurer, we were treated to surprise sundowners at a secluded beach on a newly exposed sand bar, where our fabulous crew had prepared a drinks station for a refreshing glass of wine, beer or fruit juice to end a special day along the Kimberley Coast. After enjoying a drink in this stunning landscape, we returned to Heritage Adventurer for dinner and to unwind.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 9
Monday 19^th August 2024
Dugong and Talbot Bays/Horizontal Falls

Our day begun as we boarded the Zodiacs for an exploratory cruise around parts of Talbot and Dugong Bay during another beautiful calm and sunny morning. The landscape around Talbot Bay was very different to elsewhere along the Kimberley Coast. The usual flat-bedded sandstones had been deformed by faulting and folding which meant the rocks were often steeply inclined with numerous fractures, joints and faults. In some places the strata within the rocks were folded into large, curved shapes. During our cruise, we observed some Osprey nests, with more Ospreys soaring overhead. The landscape was also more heavily forested than previous days; many termite mounds were observed on the coast and the occasional red-flowering Kimberley Rose was there for all to see. Surprisingly, the calm waters of the bays were often disturbed by whirlpools and currents, due to the high tidal range in these enclosed bays or the movement of water around underwater rocks or reefs. Many of the bays were boarded by large mangrove trees where it was possible to cruise slowly through the trees listening to the bird song.

For those who did not wish to participate in the morning Zodiac cruise, Robyn gave a talk on board titled Flight into Hell about two German pilots who crash-landed in the Kimberley and survived with help from the local Aboriginal people.

In the afternoon we were back on the water again! This time heading for the iconic Horizontal Falls. We paid an initial visit to the falls when the tide was high to witness the whirlpools and currents as the water flowed through the narrow gorge flanked by high sandstone cliffs. As we waited for the tide to ebb, we explored the local bays as sea planes came and went from a floating base in one of the bays. The falling tide exposed the tidal mud flats in some bays, and we observed orange-coloured crabs and Mudskippers. Ospreys and their nests were again observed along with While-bellied Sea Eagles, Oystercatchers and egrets. To our surprise, for the very first time, a Rock-wallaby was spotted hopping up a rock ridge. At 1530 hours we returned to Horizontal Falls after a tidal fall of 7.5 metres. In contrast to our earlier visit, the whirlpools, stoppers, currents and turbulent water provided much entertainment as we circled near the falls before returning to Heritage Adventurer.

The wonderful hospitality staff provided a delicious BBQ out on the open Bistro on Deck 6 complete with live music and a full moon reflecting on the water. To our surprise Antony, the Hotel Manager, and staff sang Take Me Home Country Road and Sweet Caroline to the delight of everyone on board.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 10
Tuesday 20^th August 2024
Edeline Islands and Hidden Island

It was another stunning day on the Kimberley Coast, with the full moon still above the horizon. Our morning activity was an explorative Zodiac cruise to the Edeline Islands group, with a planned stop on a remote beach. The landscape here was very different to anything we had seen before. A thick siltstone was jam-packed with folded sedimentary layers, resulting in very steep smooth cliffs above the shoreline. We landed on two separate beaches to explore the rocks and see the spectacular weathered monoliths, which had eroded from the vertical siltstone slabs. An Osprey's nest was perched on top of one of the sea stacks. The slabs had also been used to mark the graves of what are believed to be 19th-century pearl divers who lost their lives diving off these islands, one dated 1891.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a Zodiac cruise to Silica Beach on Hidden Island. To our surprise, the hotel team had brought refreshments ashore to celebrate the approaching end of a wonderful expedition on the Kimberley Coast. The almost white silica sand was intriguing as it was made entirely of rounded quartz crystals with no coral or shelly components, and the sand squeaked as we walked across the surface due to the sand grains rubbing together. We enjoyed a very relaxing time on the beach and, for the first time, it was considered safe to wade and relax in the turquoise water. Our Expedition Team were on hand and maintained a lookout just in case there were any Saltwater Crocodiles in the area. It was a truly magical afternoon.

Afterwards, we returned to Heritage Adventurer for tomorrow’s disembarkation briefing by Kay, followed by a talk by Lou on the Kimberley as a Player in the Protection of our Planet. We joined Captain Jacek and his crew and Steve and the Expedition Team for a farewell Cocktail before enjoying the expedition slideshow from photographer Steve followed by the Captain's Farewell dinner. A fabulous way to end our Kimberley Explorer voyage.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions

Day 11
Wednesday 21^st August 2024
Broome

After an incredible celebration of our time in the Kimberley last night, we woke this morning to find Heritage Adventurer nearing the Port of Broome - a former wild frontier, now a relaxed tropical beach resort and gateway to the Kimberley. We enjoyed one more breakfast together before it was time to exchange details with fellow guests and disembark with our belongings alongside memories we will cherish for a lifetime.© S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions