Kimberley cruise, Western Australia, Part 4

 Hi all, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

So here we are now at the final part of sharing with you our Kimberley Cruise in June. I wouldn't normally have so many posts for only 9 days, but it was such an AMAZING trip I just had to share with you. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you. If you missed any of the previous posts you can catch up with them here - please click on the links. 

If you need a translator button it is over there on the right hand side. 

Kimberley cruise intro

Kimberley cruise - Part 1 - meet the crew, take a look around the boat, dramatic coastlines, swimming holes, waterfalls, wonderful food, Horizontal Falls, Montgomery Reef, crocodiles, sunsets

Kimberley cruise - Part 2 - King Cascades, Amphitheatre Falls, flying foxes, dinners, Rothsay Waters, Gwion Gwion aboriginal rock art, Wandjina aboriginal rock art 

Kimberley cruise - Part 3 - fishing, crabbing, oystering, throw net, Sheep Island, Mermaid Tree, Pebbles & Bam Bam rock hole, honeyeater nest

I can't thank enough Diversity Charters, the five crew of Diversity III and our ten fellow passengers for making our holiday so memorable and everything we had hoped for. Diversity Charters actually have 2 boats - Diversity II and Diversity III. Diversity II is slightly smaller. Both sleep 12 and all rooms have en-suites. The rooms were beautifully fitted out and we were looked after so well. Diversity III also has more entertaining/eating/relaxing areas. 

Our last full day of our cruise was a relaxing day spent in and around Prince Frederick Harbour. Those who wanted an early morning fish went out in the tenders, followed by a cooked breakfast - smoked salmon and egg on pancake. All our meals had been restaurant quality and so delicious - thanks chef Sam! Sam is on his way to live in Spain with his partner. We wish the both of them well for the future. 

After breakfast we went over to rock Art Island to see some Wandjina aboriginal art: Kimberley cruise Part 2 and then the guys had a go at throw net fishing. And after lunch some more fishing, where I finally caught a fish! Kimberley cruise Part 3. Could this really be our last day already? 

For our last night we were treated to a bonfire on the beach of Naturalist Island with bubbly, Sashimi, steak, barramundi and salad. And music supplied by our resident musicians from York, Western Australia - fellow passengers Ron and Tim. Thanks guys. 

You might like to know that the bon-fire was set below the high tide mark, so when the tide came in that night all remnants of the fire would be washed away. 

Photos were taken and we talked about the wonderful times, sites and adventures we had experienced.  Below you can see crew Tommy, Skipper Mark, Crew Adam, and Hostess Lecette. And our new friends - our wonderful fellow passengers from all over Australia. 

As the fire died down and the sun set on our last night, it was with some sadness we returned to the boat. 

Next day was sadly goodbye. Diversity had flown the next group of passengers in from Broome that morning, and landed on the beach in helicopters. We were taken to the shore in the tenders and climbed into the helicopters. We had never been in a helicopter before and I really hoped we were going in the bigger helicopter, but no, we were assigned to the smaller helicopter. Below is me getting into the helicopter - do you really want me to get in there? - where's its mummy? 

I was so nervous, and felt so vulnerable in that tiny helicopter, and so I didn't really enjoy the flight, and yet small planes don't bother me. The views however were amazing. 

Most of these pictures were taken by my husband. The towering waterfalls in the images below are the Mitchell Falls. They fall a total height of 80 metres (262 feet). 

The falls are an iconic Kimberley landmark and a place of spiritual significance to the Wunambal Gaambera aboriginal people who know the falls as Punamii-unpuu.

To reach the falls on foot there is a 4-wheel-drive unsealed track north of the Gibb River Road. The 172km Mitchell Plateau track is unsealed, narrow, and can have steep inclines and river crossings, necessitating a high-clearance 4WD. Allow 2-3 hours each way. Here is a link to an excellent Kimberley guide - www.Kimberley Australia. Their blog post about the Mitchell Plateau track shows many photos of the drive in. 

From the Mitchell Falls campground there is a 4-6 hour moderately difficult 4.5km each way trek to the falls. As well as camping, there is a lodge and you can hire a helicopter for the trip to or from the falls. Swimming is not permitted below the falls due to crocodiles. Be well prepared for the trek, and you need to be reasonable fit, be careful of the cliff edges and advise someone where you are going. 

As I doubt we would ever walk to the falls, the helicopter ride over the falls was a bonus. We had previously taken a small plane flight over the Mitchell Plateau from Drysdale Station in 2016 when we drove the Gibb River Road. 

About 45 minutes later we landed at a bush air-strip for the light plane flight back to Broome - about 2 hours. Time for one last photo with our travel group.

It was wonderful seeing the Kimberley from the air on our way back to Broome. We were amazed with the detail we captured through the window with a mobile phone! 

I love the fingers of the creeks stretching inland through the mangrove lined rocky creek lines. 

Below is Mangrove Island in the Barlee Impediment where we went mud crabbing amongst the mangroves - Kimberley Cruise - Part 3

Mudflats 

Below are the Horizontal Falls - Kimberley Cruise - Part 1. You can see the gap where the boats go through. There is a pontoon where sea planes arrive with visitors. 

Before we knew it we were back in Broome. Goodbyes and hugs to the wonderful group we had shared the last nine days with and then back on the bus to our hotel for 1 night. The next day we flew back to Perth, then back home, and the wind-down and getting back into reality of everyday life after an incredible adventure.

A huge heartfelt thankyou to Diversity Charters and the wonderful crew of Diversity III 

Lastly thankyou to our friends who cruised on Diversity III in 2023 and recommended them to us and where full of their adventures when they returned.

 

I thoroughly recommend a small boat cruise across the top of the Kimberley. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Talking About It Tuesdays @ Slices of Life

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

H20 Thursday

Gma's Photo Generic Thursday Linkup

Sky Watch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy, be kind, and be with people who make you smile. 

Kimberley cruise, Western Australia - Part 3

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are dong well. As I sit here on a freezing cold wet day in the south west of Western Australia, I think about our recent Kimberley 9 day cruise on Diversity III and wish I was back there in the warmth and sun with the wonderful group of people we met. So I look at my photos, and try to absorb the warmth, and bring to you Part 3 of my blogs about our amazing bucket-list cruise with Diversity Charters. 

If you missed Part 1 and 2 and the Intro - you can catch up with them below here - In these posts I have brought you sunrises and sunsets, boat trips up creeks, walks to swimming holes, thundering waterfalls, ancient aboriginal rock art and fabulous food. 

Intro - back from a cruise in the Kimberley

Kimberley cruise, Part 1

Kimberley cruise, Part 2

On each day of the cruise we were offered a walk, a swim and a fish. So if you are up to it today I bring you fishing, history, and another delightful swimming hole.

Good morning! - the view from our cabin window. Glorious. 

Setting off in the tenders for the day's adventures from Diversity III

Where and when we fish was dependant on the incoming or outgoing tides. Unfortunately our tender didn't catch anything of significance on the afternoon you see below - other than 3 fish for crab bait tomorrow. We flicked our lines into the rock outcrops along the shoreline - being careful not to let it sink as the hook might get caught on the rocks. Flicking, winding in, flicking, winding in. Moving onto another spot for another flick. 

Those trees on the edge in the photo below are mangroves. As the tide rises, the trunks of the mangroves are covered by the water. 

One morning we went crabbing for mangrove mud crabs - found in the mangroves and tidal creeks. 

Crabbing trips need to be planned around tidal changes, with crabs most active during the incoming tide, when rising water encourages them to forage. The baited crab drop nets were dropped in around the mangroves and tied to trees. Then we went back 20-30 minutes later, and pulled the nets. We also used a landing net under the crab net as often crabs cling to the bottom of the nets and may drop off. We worked in pairs, with Adam our deckie, assisting us. That's me in the floral hat with my partner Marie in the patterned shirt. 

I think you could easily get lost in this labyrinth of tidal mangrove creeks. 

See those claws? You don't want to stick your hand anywhere near them - as they can take your finger off. 

It was a very successful crabbing exhibition, and we had chilli crab for lunch the next day. Most of the meat is in the big claws, and you need a hammer or strong nut cracker to get into them. It is rather tricky and messy! 

Below are a couple of pics from another fishing day with Adam - my husband caught a Coral trout and a Queenfish. This day we went trolling for pelagic fish ie - barramundi. You throw out the line with a lure, then the boat moves quietly along, the lure mimicking the movement of a fish. 

My husband also got up very early 3 mornings to go fishing before breakfast and caught blue nosed salmon, estuary cod, fingermark bream, and catfish. He was happy with that - however no Barramundi for him unfortunately! I preferred to stay in bed and read my book or sit on the back deck and chat to others who had opted not to go fishing.  That is a Coral Trout in the photo below. 

Here are some pics from our last fishing afternoon. My husband caught Fingermark bream, estuary cod, honeycomb cod, stripy snapper and I caught a stripy snapper (Spanish flag) and a Mangrove Jack. In the pic you can see my husband with a Fingermark bream and me with a Mangrove jack. Finally I caught a fish! Thank you skipper Mark! Unfortunately not many action photos! All the activity was trying to get the fish into the boat before they jumped off the hook!

Another day the guys had a lesson in how to throw a net off the beach to catch bait. I guess the girls could have had a go, but we were content to slosh in the shallows. Don't go out deep Skipper Mark warned - there might be crocodiles! 

We also went oystering off rocks on a beach at Augustus Island. You need a chisel and a hammer. I did eat one off the rocks, but didn't like it - even with a drip of lemon juice over it. At least I can say I tried them. We piled them into an esky with ice to take back to the boat. 

We had the oysters for entree that evening - oysters Kilpatrick and battered oysters. I liked the battered oysters. 

We also learnt some European history. 

We visited Sheep Island and learnt about the failed 1864 Camden settlement where 200 settlers and their families, mainly from Victoria, tried to raise sheep in the harsh Kimberley environment. Arriving in the heat and humidity of December 1864 was probably the worst time to arrive. They transported 4,500 sheep and 36 horses on 3 ships from southern Australia, but lack of freshwater, unsuitable terrain, a harsh climate and trouble with indigenous people, lead to many of the sheep perishing and the settlers eventually abandoned the settlement in October 1865.

The remaining sheep were left at nearby Sheep Island. All that remains today is the headstone of Mary Jane Pascoe who died as a result of childbirth - her child dying a few days later. There are also 6 unmarked graves. A cache at the back of the Boab tree has information about the doomed settlement. There is also more information at: Diving WA Shipwrecks-Camden

In the images below you can see the boab tree, Mary's grave, and Camden land opposite Sheep Island. 

We also motored into Careening Bay located in the Prince Regent Nature Reserve (a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve)  and visited the Mermaid Tree to learn the history of British Lieutenant  Phillip Parker King who careened his ship, The Mermaid, which was leaking badly, here on 30 September 1820. Repairs took 10 days. This was Kings third voyage of exploration along the Australian coastline.

There are information boards at the site where you can learn more. King was recognized as one of Britain's leading hydrographers and in February 1824 was made a fellow of the Royal Society. You can learn more about King here - Australian Dictionary of Biography

The boab tree you see in the photos below has been engraved with the name Mermaid and the date. King had been instructed by the British Secretary of the State of the Colonies to "leave some evidence which cannot be mistaken of your having landed". In the photo below you can see crewman Tommy telling us about King, and the engraved boab tree. 

Want to know more about boabs? They have been scattered through my posts in the past, like here - The-boab-tree-adansonia-gregorii

I didn't have much opportunity for taking wildflower photos during our trip, but here is one of the wild Hibiscus varieties near the Mermaid Tree. 

I promised you another lovely swimming hole. This is one Diversity crew found just recently. Our group decided to name it Pebbles and Bam Bam. It was an easy walk in, shady trees and a shallow pool for a sit in and absorb thesurroundings.  It was exploring places like this that really made our shore 

excursions special. 

Our skipper Mark found some rock paintings on the cliff wall above the pool.

We found these interesting birds nests - which we researched later and found them to be Bar-Breasted Honeyeater nests. They form a hanging nest with twigs, bark etc, with a small entrance. The nests are typically suspended over water, which these were.  

You can find out more here at: www.graemechapman.com

The coastal cliffs are dramatic and seemingly impenetrable. The black shore-line

you see here is covered at high tide. 

A walk back over the sand to the tenders as the sun drops over the horizon after 

another fabulous day exploring with Diversity III

That's it from me today. Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed Part 3 of my Kimberley cruise adventure. I'll be back next time with a farewell bonfire on the beach and views from the helicopter flight over the Mitchell Plateau, and views from the small plane flight back to Broome. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Talking About It Tuesdays @ Slices of Life

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Gma's Photo Generic Thursday Linkup

Sky Watch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy, be kind, and be with people who make you smile. 

Kimberley Cruise, Western Australia - Part 2

The rugged cliffs rose from the water like the walls of a fortress. Block upon block towering above us. The walls seemingly impenetrable. Plants clung impossibly to the cliffs, their roots burrowing deep into insignificant gaps between the rocks. Somewhere up high a hawk screeched - the sound echoing off the walls of the gorge. 

What must the first European visitors have felt when they first saw these walls. But the aboriginal people who had lived here for thousands of years knew their secrets. The creek lines, the fish living in the protection of the mangroves, where to find shelter and what food could be foraged. Their drawings etched onto the rocks tell their story and are still visible after thousands of years. 

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. Today I take you back to the Kimberley in far north-west Western Australia. This is Part 2 of my 9 day Kimberley cruise on the 82 foot (25 metre) catamaran - Diversity III with Diversity Charters.  If you missed Part 1, where I showed you around the boat, delicious breakfasts and lunches, some of the waterholes we visited, and the iconic Horizontal Falls and the Montgomery Reef, you can catch up with it here - Part 1 Kimberley Cruise

This week I am going to take you to two huge cascading waterfalls, and look at some of the ancient aboriginal rock art we saw. Here is a view from our window - 

After delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast we cruised up the Prince Regent River to Maamboolbadda - King Cascades - located in the 633,825 hectare Prince Regent National Park, which is an important conservation area containing half of the known bird and animal species in the Kimberley as well as more than 500 plant species.

The Prince Regent River has the distinction of being one of Western Australia’s straightest rivers, flowing through a fault line known as the Prince Regent lineament. From its source in the Caroline Range in the south east, the river runs for 106 kilometres, often between near-vertical 50 metre high cliffs.

Really this photo doesn't do the river justice. You can see another 2 tour boats in the river - to the right is the entrance into the King Cascades. So isolated, you can only reach the Prince Regent National Park by boat. 

King Cascades is a spectacular terraced waterfall approximately 50 metres (164 feet) high.  It is a pity there is not a boat in this photo so you can see how high it is. 

Explorer Phillip Parker King gave the waterfall his own name after visiting in 1820 aboard his ship the Mermaid. For the Traditional Owners of the land—the Wunambal Gaambera people— this sacred place is known as Maamboolbadda.  The indigenous name means “place of the Kingfisher,” a reference to the ancestral Kingfisher who they believed created the falls in the Dreamtime. 

The tide was right for us to motor in Diversity III down the narrow gorge to the King Cascades waterfall. Standing on the front of the boat the falls gradually came into view - the water thundering down the plant lined terraces. Fed by a permanent spring it is one of the few waterfalls that flows in the dry season. 

 

Skipper Mark took the boat right up to the rock face and we all had what was known as the waterfall dump. Invigorating! You can see this in the photo below from Diversity Charters. Click on the link to read more and see a video of King Cascades from - Diversity Charters

After the dunking some of the more adventurous of our group climbed to the top of the King Cascades for a swim in the freshwater pool - you can't swim in the river around here or anywhere along the coast due to the dangerous salt water crocodiles. There was a tragic death at King Cascades in 1987. The death was certainly on our mind when we visited. 

Here is a crocodile we saw on another day - we didn't see any at King Cascades - however you don't know what lays beneath the surface .....

Below you can see some of the climb up the side of King Cascades - photos taken by husband, and a boat from another cruise with people climbing up the rock face. 

Once you climb to the top there is a beautiful freshwater pool where you can swim. Although I didn't do the big climb up to this pool, there were other pools I visited for a swim with the group. In this part of the country you need to climb up away from the river to swim. I shared some last post - Kimberley cruise part 1

While the intrepid 6 climbed to the top of the King Cascades for a swim the other 6 of us went in one of the tenders with skipper Mark to a lovely little fern grotto near the Cascades. I was very happy with my choice. 

Then all back to the boat and we went further up the river to Amphitheatre waterfall off a small tributary of the Prince Regent River. So called because this 30 metre (98 foot) towering waterfall tumbles down a circular rock wall. Truly beautiful - and probably my favourite of all the waterfalls we saw. 

On the way out Skipper Mark took us to see a colony of fruit bats - flying foxes - hanging in the trees nearby - what a racket! 

Flying foxes are an iconic Kimberley species. Also known as fruit bats, they are the largest of all bats. They are extremely social animals and a fruit bat colony can easily number in the thousands. You’ll likely see them at dusk as they take to the sky in search of ripe fruits and nectar, playing a crucial role in the ecosystem by pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds. From my research these could be - Black Flying-fox (Pteropus alecto).

From here we travelled out of the river to Rothsay Waters where we anchored for the night. 

Here is a sample of the restaurant quality three course evening meals we had - 

Day 7 - How about a bit of a spin up the river after lunch - 

We travelled up Rothsay Waters in the tenders to see some aboriginal rock art believed to be over 12,000 years old - around 10,000 BC. It is truly amazing that the art has survived this long in the harsh Kimberley climate. 

Previously known as Bradshaws, this art has since been renamed Gwion Gwion. (Joseph Bradshaw is thought to be the first European to see this type of art in the late 1800s) Unfortunately you can't see it very well in the image below, but if you go to the links you can see clearer samples. It humbling knowing we were standing where painters had stood thousands of years before us. 

According to Aboriginal legend, a long-beaked bird, known as Gwion Gwion, would peck at the rock faces to catch insects, and its blood, dripping from its beak, would create the images. www.artslookup - Kimberley Rock Art - Gwion Gwion    

Gwion Gwion art is believed to be the oldest figurative art in the world - depicting very graceful figures adorned with headdresses, arm and waist decorations. The art we saw they believed depicted ceremony. The Gwion Gwion art seems to be typically found on vertical rock faces. 

The remote coastline of north western Australia was probably the first landing site for man on the Australian continent, as groups crossed by boat from Timor around 60,000 years ago. It is thought that the Kimberley region is host to Australia’s oldest known rock paintings, at least 17,300 years old.

There are many websites detailing aboriginal art and carbon dating. This link takes you to a site depicting and explaining aboriginal art - Bradshawfoundation.com/australia/gallery

And with thanks to www.aboriginal-bark-paintings.com/kimberley-rock-art/ - this image depicting various Kimberley Art 

Here is a link to an extensive study using wasp nest to date Gwion Gwon art in the Kimberley - abc.net.au/news/science  On one of our nights on Diversity III we were shown an interesting video explaining this. 

More about Gwion Gwion art - www.creativespirits.info

Another day we were taken to see Wandjina Art (1,800 BC) under a low rock overhang near a small beach. Wandjina art is thought to depict rain spirits.  To aboriginal Australians in the Kimberley, the "Wandjina" is the supreme Creator and a symbol of fertility and rainfall. Wanjina paintings feature halo-like headdresses (depicting differing storms) over mouthless faces that have large round eyes on either side of an oval-shaped nose.  www.artslookup-Kimberley-wandjina   We were told that the Wandjina figures have no mouths as it would give them too much power. 

Looking at Wandjina art under a low overhang. You must not touch it as you could damage the art. 

On other days some of our party saw other aboriginal art under overhangs on cliff faces near some of the fresh water pools we visited. 

After another wonderful full day exploring with Diversity III we had sunset drinks on the foredeck before dinner and watched the sun slip into the ocean. 

Before being lulled to sleep by the soft slap of water against the hull and the gentle rocking of the boat. 

That's it from me today. I hope you have enjoyed Part 2 of our Kimberley cruise adventure with on Diversity III with Diversity Charters. 

If you missed last weeks Part 2 of our cruise you can go back to it here- Kimberley cruise part 1

Next time I will be back with a beautiful easy to walk a swimming hole with the delightful name of Pebbles & Bam Bam, more nature, some European history, and fishing, mud crabbing and oystering. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 

   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Talking About It Tuesdays @ Slices of Life

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu

H2O Thursday
Thankful Thursday 

Nature Thursday

Gma's Thursday Generic Photo linkup

Sky Watch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy, be kind, and be with people who make you smile.