THE KIMBERLEY
Sitting atop most Australians’ bucket list, the Kimberley is a true once-in-a-lifetime experience.
An awe-inspiring outback experience
Gazing through my porthole window is like looking at a framed photograph. It’s 5am, and I’ve been gently woken by the warm, dawn light reflecting off enormous, red cliffs on the other side of the glass. Islands rise from the flat ocean, their craggy surfaces throwing shadows that hint at the passage of time they’ve silently observed. An estimated 1.8 billion years have sculpted these imperfect sandstone forms, though you could almost believe they have been created by the hands of giants. For once, I’m grateful to be up at this hour. Australia’s remarkable Kimberley Coast is one of the world’s last true wilderness areas, and unlike anywhere else on the planet. No matter how many times you edge the vast continent’s northern crust and its thousands of confetti-like islands, the wonder emanating from its ancient, sunbaked environment persists.
It’s a place that is at once raw, powerful and energizing, and yet also calming. Somehow, its remoteness and scale doesn’t intimidate, it invigorates. There’s soul-stirring beauty in the harsh, yet soft ocher landforms, lapped as they are by water that ranges from cornflower blue to silky navy. The largest tropical tides in the world sweep in and out each day, creating constant movement, but there are still flickers that catch the eye: the flipper slap of a whale, the ripples of a flying fish or the gasping head of a sea turtle. Maybe even the noiseless mudslide of a crocodile.
Visiting this region on a cruise expedition is easily one of the most desired travel experiences in Australia, if not the number-one pick. Traditionally, these barely chartered waters have been explored by longer cruises covering the 1000 nautical miles between the Western Australia outposts of Broome and Wyndham. But a new trend for snapshot cruising is emerging, still taking in many of the key sites, while making this farflung destination more accessible. Kimberley cruising is typified by small vessels – anywhere from 12 to 200 people board the boats that offer a range of five-star interpretations, from the barefoot luxury of communal breakfasts and beachside bonfires, to the more upmarket style of pre-dinner deck drinks and canapés. While standards are high across the board – think air-conditioned en suite cabins, high staff-to-guest ratios, laundry service and culinary flair – the rugged setting dictates a refreshing lack of formality.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Kimberley is the absence of human touch. There are no buildings, no development and no trash. Mental pollution evaporates too; removed from everyday life, we use our smartphones only for taking photos, soaking up the peace this rare occasion brings. And while most cruise ships cover similar itineraries, seeing another is a rarity, allowing you to feel like the entire region, if not the world, is all yours.
BUCCANEER AND BONAPARTE ARCHIPELAGOS
The Kimberley is home to one of the highest concentrations of islands in the world. Cruising past the red rocks of Cape Leveque, islands are scattered
“There’s a soul-stirring beauty in the harsh yet soft ocher landforms, lapped by water.”
as thick as the Milky Way. Some harbor galleries of rock art, painted by Indigenous hands tens of thousands of years ago. Others are edged with beaches so white you feel grateful for the invention of sunglasses. Bigge Island has both. Padding up the sand to take shade in a karst system, I meet a giant wandjina spirit, its painted white form and saucerlike eyes staring back at me. Another island hides contorted rock formations, the so-called stone warriors on Langgi Beach that reach more than 26 feet tall. A sense of sacredness is palpable as I run my hands over the time-sculpted folds and holes of their surface.
HORIZONTAL FALLS AND TALBOT BAY
If anyone on the boat is yet to appreciate the power of the Kimberley’s tidal system, our visit to the Horizontal Falls removes any doubt. The water flow carries such force, it creates flat cascades that froth through gaps in parallel sandstone ranges. The ranges have been gradually eroded as colossal amounts of water push through in one direction, and then turn to retreat. Bumping through the narrow gaps in a jet boat, we’re jerked about as the hull hits boils and whirlpools, the thrill akin to a theme park ride – only this is nature. The folded rock formations surrounding the falls are just as astounding. Unfathomable natural forces have warped the geology, with sedimentary strata tilted sideways by as much as 85 degrees. Rock folds occurred some one billion years ago, with faded orange formations crumpled, bent and twisted like cardboard.
MITCHELL FALLS
There are advantages to cruising at the start of the season, in the humid climes of March and April. In the months prior, during the wet season, most of the region’s 55 inches of annual rainfall soaks the land. As the water culminates in streams and rivers, it peels off cliff edges, creating dramatic waterfalls and plumes of vapor. The Mitchell Falls are one of the most breathtaking examples. We chopper over the Mitchell River National Park, pools of water glinting like mirrors as we cross the verdant landscape. It’s a hike to the lookout, but the sight of the four-tiered falls is well worth it.
MONTGOMERY REEF
The first thing that strikes me about this enormous, mesa-like reef is the sound. We’re zooming through a channel as the fleeing tide draws tons of bubbling water away, the white noise drowning out the motor. Slowly, terraced edges emerge, making Australia’s largest inshore reef look as though it’s rising from the ocean. The churning never stops: as soon as the tide is out, it starts coming back in again, gradually hiding the reef from view. It’s a waterfall like no other. Montgomery covers an immense area of about 154 square miles. Green sea turtles love the reef’s seaweed; we spot dozens in the glass-clear water.
“A sense of sacredness is palpable as I run my hand over thetime-sculpted folds and holes of their surface.”
KING GEORGE FALLS
The journey to these twin cascades is as astounding as the destination. Over millennia, a once great waterway has cut a serpentine route through rock curtains that rise higher with every curve. They act as a rusty red frame to the 260-foot-tall falls that flow down like Rapunzel’s hair. As we approach, we see the rock behind has been stained black, further offsetting the white fizz. Soon, water droplets prick my skin, and as the vessel nudges ever closer, I stretch out my arms to embrace it. In no time I’m wet to the skin – as we all are, grinning like fools and screeching like children.