The Kimberley, Cruising the Australian Outback

One of the most exciting and unusual trips I have ever done was a visit to Western Australia and one which few Americans explore. Being an Australian expert, I have visited most of the country, leading groups and done many itineraries. The region known simply as the Kimberley takes it evocative name from the most imposing landmark, an ancient mountain range visible from the rugged sea coast. I have won the Opal Award nine times, for a Travel Advisor who wrote the best itineraries. The highest honor given by the Australian Tourism Commission.

Covering more than 400,000 square kilometers (and area three times larger than England) is in North West Australia yet home to just 30,000 people. It is a place universally acknowledged as one of the world’s last and possibly the most beautiful wilderness areas.

The Kimberley yields images to fill the frames of a lifetime. It is a place of magnificent vistas created by towering rock ridges, silent secluded gorges, wide savannah plains and plunging waterfalls which defy both nature and belief. This is a land steeped in ancient Aboriginal culture and the legends of the pioneering past. Travel ashore to view the world’s oldest know indigenous art, the mysterious Bradshaw Paintings and soak up the history of early explorers such as Phillip Parker King who first charted this spectacular coastline almost 200 years ago. This remote outback is a unique experience.

I went on a ten night expedition cruise on the Coral Princess, a small ship with just 24 cabins, out of Darwin in the Northern Territory to Broome in Western Australia sailing the Timor Sea and the Indian Ocean. You can combine this with another 11 day Cape York and Arnhem Land cruise which is another exciting adventure if you want to see the very tip of the country. You sail the Arafura Sea, the Gulf of Carpentaria, thru the Torres Strait into the Coral Sea from the Northern Territory into Queensland.

I flew into Darwin a few days early, so I could tour Kakadu National Park and then take a day trip out to the Tiwi Islands by helicopter. This is where the aboriginal people have white painted faces, and the customs are very different from other parts of the outback.

You shouldn’t go into this region in the wet season. It is impossible to get around, the temperature can be 120 degrees and the rains are like a monsoon. I always plan my itineraries between May and September.

You won’t see another cruise ship; it is definitely off the beaten track. You cruise thru the Buccaneer Archipelago, home to over 800 islands. In Talbot Bay, the region’s 12 meter (40 ft.) tides create an amazing spectacle, the unique Horizontal Falls described by legendary British Naturalist Sir David Attenborough as one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Board the zodiacs for an exhilarating ride through the falls. I am a birder, and loved going through the Lacepede islands which are known for turtle nesting and booby and frigate bird colonies.

This is a casual trip. Boots for hiking, large brimmed hat, shorts or slacks, and of course, swim suits. I would take a pair of sand shoes for the beaches, and I always travel with a couple of pairs of sunglasses.

If you break or lose yours, then you are up a creek since there is nowhere to replace them. I’ve done so many of these off the beaten track trips that I have an excellent list of medical supplies which I never go without.

In Broome, go on the Willy Creek Pearl Tour. Wonderful pearl farm at smashing prices. Sit on the beach at sunset and watch for the “green” flash, which is rare elsewhere in the world.

This company does a wonderful job of taking you to out of the way places and has cruises to Papua New Guinea, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, and New Zealand.

Maureen Jones

Maureen Jones is president of All Horizons Travel at 160 Main Street. Members of her staff are experts in business travel, cruises, and all types of leisure.

picture courtesy of leisure martini