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11 March 2010
Kimberley Expedition Cruise
11 Days/10 Nights
Gateway: Darwin - Broome*
£2578
Valid: until 30 Sept 2009
Contact us for departure dates.
A 10-night exploration voyage to the Kimberley has so many highlights, it's hard to know where to begin. Your expedition cruise begins from either Darwin - the capital city of The Northern Territory, or Broome - famous for its beauty and cultured pearls. Both are unique frontier centres and are the gateways to the magnificent Kimberley wilderness.
Experienced, highly informative Expedition Leaders and Guest Lecturers will supervise the expedition itinerary maximising the experiences offered on our shore excursions. Sensitive arrangements are also made allowing guests to absorb the cultural remnants of one of the world's most ancient people, the Australian Aborigine.
A specially designed excursion vessel allows you to explore the gorges of the Mitchell, King George, Prince Regent and Hunter Rivers. For the more adventurous, optional helicopter flights to the Mitchell Plateau are also available. The abundance of bird life and native wildlife including the salt-water crocodile make every moment of the expedition unique. The hundreds of islands in The Buccaneer Archipelago, the tidal phenomena at Montgomery Reef and the extraordinary horizontal waterfalls near Talbot Bay ...The Kimberley has it all.
Day 1: Depart Darwin
10:00am: Board Coral Princess for an 11.00am departure. Today we cross the Cambridge Gulf and sail into Western Australian waters. This evening enjoy the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party.
Day 2: King George River
At approximately noon we arrive at King George River and with the Explorer, our specially designed excursion vessel explores the scenic gorges and views the mighty King George waterfalls. Visit Tranquil Bay for beach walking and exploration.
Day 3: Biggie Island
This morning we visit the sea bird rookeries on Low Rocks. If time permits we make a stop at Cape Voltaire for a swim and beach exploration. This afternoon we visit the amazing aboriginal rock art gallery on Bigge Island.
Day 4: Prince Frederick Harbour
Cruising into Prince Frederick Harbour we anchor at Naturalist Island. Here we have helicopters available for optional scenic flights to the Surveyor and Mitchell Falls on the Mitchell Plateau and enjoy exploration of the surrounding area and enjoy a swim in the fresh water pools. This evening we enjoy a beach BBQ at sunset.
Day 5: Careening Bay
Careening Bay: Our lecturers lead us to the site of a large boab tree with the inscription "HMC Mermaid - 1820" still clearly visible. This afternoon we cruise into the very scenic Prince Regent Basin.
Day 6: Prince Regent River & Kings Cascades
With the Explorer we cruise the Prince Regent River and visit Kings Cascades, an unusual and picturesque waterfall cascading over terraced rock formations. We also visit Camp Creek for a picnic lunch and the opportunity to swim in fresh water ponds.
Day 7: Kuri Bay
Today we cruise through Kuri Bay home of the south sea pearl industry. We go ashore at Raft Point and visit a secluded and very interesting aboriginal rock art gallery. We also take the Explorer up one of the many river systems to the waterfalls and a fresh water swim. We may also plan an exploration stop at one of the many islands.
Day 8: Buccaneer Archipelago
The Buccaneer Archipelago consists of more than 800 islands and this area experiences over 10 metre tidal ranges, one of the largest in the world. Here our landings and activities are planned around the tides - a way of life in the Kimberley region. Our plans include reef walks and marine life study on Montgomery Reef and a visit to Talbot Bay and the amazing Horizontal Waterfalls.
Day 9: King Sound
Cruising through King Sound, witness the effects of the iron ore mining operations on Koolan and Cockatoo Islands. If time permits we may visit Cockatoo Island. We visit Crocodile Creek and enjoy exploration, and fresh water swimming.
Day 10: Lacapedes Is
Cruising through Yampi Sound we visit the Lacepede Islands. These islands are situated well off shore and are known for the turtle nestings and booby and frigate bird colonies. This evening we enjoy the Captain's Farewell Cocktail Party.
Day 11: Arrive Broome
08.00 am arrival into Broome.
This itinerary is an indication of the reef, islands and coastal areas we visit. While every effort will be made to follow this itinerary we do reserve the right to vary this itinerary to make allowances for weather and tidal conditions and any other event that may affect the operation of the vessel.
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