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 1

 Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well in these troubled times. A few weeks ago my husband and I took time out of life to take our bucket-list cruise with Diversity Charters along the far north western Kimberley coast in Western Australia. I posted an intro last week, and over the next couple of weeks I hope to share more.  With all the diverse experiences we had, the cruise company is well named - Diversity. Here is Part 1 - sit back and enjoy.

The Kimberley coast is remote, dramatic, wild and ruggedly beautiful as I hope you will see over the next couple of posts. The coastline is so remote and inaccessible you can only see it from a boat or from the air. Of course our indigenous Australians have lived in the Kimberleys for over 40,000 years as documented in their rock art - more about that later. 

Having explored the Kimberleys a few times by road, a cruise along the Kimberley coast has been on our bucket-list for many years, and I could hardly believe the time had finally arrived. This cruise was recommended to us by our friends who traveled on Diversity III in 2023 - and it certainly lived up to their recommendation.

This is the dry season in the Kimberley so we were looking forward to warm days after coming from winter in the south west. 

This photo below is along one of the rivers. Rocky cliffs tower up with plants clinging to crevasses, and the water line is flanked by mangroves. 

Overnight stay in Broome - If you are flying in from elsewhere, as we were from Perth, I suggest an overnight stay in Broome before embarking on the cruise. You don't want to risk a travel delay at the last minute. There are many accommodation options in Broome but we chose the Kimberley Sands Resort at Cable Beach as they had a small discount for Diversity Charters passengers. 

From the resort you can walk down to the iconic Cable Beach - although for us the hot walk was a bit of a shock to the system after coming from winter down south - take your bathers and have a swim or grab something cold at Cable Beach.  

A nearby option for breakfast or lunch is the Zoo Keepers Cafe - it seemed to be a very popular happening place, and certainly lived up to the recommendations on Facebook. You can eat at the hotel or walk to the Divers Tavern for dinner where they have an extensive menu. 

Here are a few pics from around the Kimberley Sands Resort - the beach scene is Cable Beach. 

Another look at the map I shared last week showing our route over the 9 days. Starting at Broome down in the left hand corner we travelled north-north/east. The coastline is characterised by high rocky cliffs, bays, rivers, mangroves, creek-lines, gorges, and many islands. 

Diversity Charters pick you up from your hotel. Our first glimpse of our fellow passengers was on the mid afternoon short bus ride from our hotel to Gantheaume Point  beach where we were taken by tender boat to our home for the next 9 days - Diversity III - a 82-foot (25 metre) catamaran.  

It seemed like hundreds of vehicles had taken over the beach. On previous trips to Broome we had seen boats like this off the beach and now it was our turn to board one and sail away! So excited! 

We met our crew - who proved from the start of the cruise to be amazing, friendly, considerate, and helpful in every way - Skipper Mark, Crew Adam and Hostess Lecette, Chef Sam, and Crew Tom. We were treated as individuals, and all our needs were met - we only had to ask and it was done. On the rocky walk trails to the swimming holes, and getting on and off the tenders, they were always there with a helping hand to make sure we were safe. We couldn't have asked for a more friendly and attentive crew. They looked after us exceptionally well. Lecette was the hostess with the mostess and the food prepared by Sam was delicious. Thankyou! 

Clockwise from top left - Skipper Mark, crew Adam, hostess Lecette, chef Sam, crew Tom

As we cruised away from Broome we sat on the upper deck enjoying a welcome bubbly and snacks (see pic below), and met our 10 fellow passengers with whom we were to spend the next 9 days. We were very happy to find they all seemed to be very friendly, similar to us and around our age. As we chatted while the sun set we felt we were going to be sharing the cruise with a lovely group of people - so important when you are with a small group who you have never met before. 

All the bedrooms on Diversity III have Queen beds, en-suites, Tv, internet connected and are very comfortable. And adding to the casual feel, bare feet is the norm onboard! 

Above you can see our bedroom - The Mermaid room. Below is a little look around the boat - clockwise from left to right - indoor dining area, Diversity III, indoor lounge area, upper sun deck dining area, back deck dining area, the wheel house - so many computer screens and no wheel in sight - just a joy stick!  

Each night we had a map talk where we were shown where we had been that day, and where we were going the next day and a board is put up with the day's itinerary. 

Good morning! 

Breakfasts were alternatively either cooked or help yourself continental style (cereal, fresh fruit, yoghurt, salami, avocado, cheese, tomato, toast, juice, tea, coffee) on the back deck dining area. All dietary needs are catered for - just ask the chef. 

And the rugged coastal landscapes - the pictures should speak for themselves - we had requested a right hand side room so we could see the coast from our room - but who wants to sit in a cabin when there are landscapes like this passing by. 

Raft Point

Each day of the cruise on Diversity III we were offered a walk, a swim, and a fish - or you can just relax - it is up to you. Many activities are dependant on the height of the tides. 

The Kimberley region experiences some of the largest tides in the world, with tidal ranges reaching up to 11 metres. These dramatic tides are a daily occurrence and significantly impact the coastal environment and local life. 

Daily swims are at freshwater swimming holes and waterfalls after travelling up creeks in the tender boats. You have to walk along rocky paths to higher levels - out of reach of the salt-water crocodiles. So you need to have a reasonable level of fitness and agility, which is something you need to consider when booking a cruise. One of our group had had two hip replacements, and after consulting with the skipper, she chose which water holes she was going to visit. 

Our first swim was at Crocodile Creek for a refreshing swim in a little freshwater pool, not difficult to get to and a great introduction to the swimming holes. No crocodiles - well not that day anyway....

Other swimming holes included - left to right below - Sapphire Falls, Ruby Falls, Cals Crack, Butterfly Gorge, and the delightfully named Pebbles and Bam Bam - a new "discovery" for the crew.

Cal's Crack pool

Going into Ruby Falls

Going into Cals Crack

Back on the boat after your explorations you are ready for lunch - served on the back lower deck or the top sundeck - depending on the wind. Lunches were generally a light refreshing chicken, prawns, fish or pasta salad and one day we had fresh caught mangrove crabs. Thankyou chef Sam for your delicious meals. 

Top sun deck

One of the most anticipated locations on a Kimberley cruise is the Horizontal Falls, a natural phenomenon where the fast moving tidal current squeezes through two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range, pushing the water, rapid-like, rushing through the twin gaps, producing what is a horizontal waterfall. The twice a day Kimberley tide shift of over 10 metres ensures the water flows in two different directions each day. 

The Western Australian Government has made the decision to not allow passage through the Horizontal Falls after March 2028, due to several factors including tourist safety, cultural and natural significance.  

You can see in the image below the water going through the narrower gap - we went through the first wider gap. The dark band on the bottom of the cliffs indicates the height to which the tide rises. I was so glad we were there at a lower tide. 

This for me was something that I feared doing - as there had been an accident a few years ago in the narrower gap of the Horizontal Falls, and I had been in a boating accident 30 years ago which still affects me mentally today in rough water. 

We wore life jackets, the tender boats are very stable and the crew very experienced, however I still didn't feel comfortable. I talked to Skipper Mark about it the night before, and on the day he made sure I wanted to go ahead before we went through. The photo below taken by Marie from Queensland proves that I did. I am in the pink clinging onto my husband sitting in front of me. When I look at the photos now I wonder what all the fuss was about. It looked worse from water level - but the brain does conspire against you sometimes. Everyone was so supportive of me. Thankyou. 

Here are some more photos from the Horizontal Falls. The aerial photo below shows the two gaps of the Horizontal Falls from the air, which we took on our flight back to Broome. Really quite an amazing natural phenomenon. 

After the thrill of the Horizontal Falls we did a nice little cruise up Cyclone Creek, so called because boats can shelter there during a cyclone. With the towering red rocks and the flowering yellow wattle on the rocky slopes, it was very beautiful.

Another amazing natural phenomenon is Montgomery Reef. Situated between Camden Sound and Collier Bay, and covering around 300 square kilometres, it is the world's largest inshore reef. Montgomery Reef is transformed by the huge Kimberley tides. When the tide falls, the coral reef appears to rise from the ocean in a torrent of cascading water. During low tide the water level can drop by as much as 10 metres (33 feet) - and at high tide it is completely covered by water and out of view. Read more at Earth Observatory.nasa.gov

Sea birds come to forage on the reef as the tide falls.

Reef Heron

The marine park is home to six species of threatened marine turtles, humpback dolphins, dugongs, saltwater crocodiles, several sawfish species, and is the Southern Hemisphere’s most important humpback whale nursery. From: Western Australia.com

 

We were treated to bubbles and snacks as the tenders cruised up between the reef in the tenders.

What about the crocodiles? - yes we saw crocodiles in some of the creeks we travelled up in the tenders. These are salt water crocodiles. The Estuarine - salt water crocodile - crocodylus porosus - commonly known as salties - have an evolution going back 200 million years. Growing up to 7 metres in length, despite its name saltwater crocodiles also live in freshwater rivers and pools many kilometres inland. These guys are extremely dangerous - you don't want to mess with them. This is why we walked over the rocks up to the swimming holes, and didn't swim in the creeks and ocean. But you still need to be on the lookout. They can be under the water and you don't see them. 

Sunning on the rocks

And what about those stunning sunsets after another full day aboard Diversity III 

That's it from me today. Next week I will be back with more from Diversity III - astounding waterfalls, fishing, mud crabbing, oystering, European history, indigenous art and more. 

I hope you have enjoyed Part 1 of my Kimberley Cruise blog. Have you been on a cruise? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

To find out more about Diversity cruises and how to book your bucket-list adventure please click here - Diversity Charters

The highlighted links in my blog also take you to more information.

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

Through My 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

SkyWatch 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.