Exploration Quest

A broad, sheltered inlet on the northern Kimberley coast, surrounded by towering sandstone escarpments. Fed by rivers and fringed with mangrove-lined creeks, the harbour is known for dramatic tidal movements, rich with wildlife including crocodiles, turtles, and birdlife.  The harbour is a gateway to the Hunter & Roe Rivers and ancient Indigenous rock art. It’s one of the Kimberley’s most iconic and picturesque anchorages.

A remote, island-studded inlet on the northern Kimberley coast. Renowned for its rugged, untouched beauty, the sound forms part of a vast maze of red sandstone cliffs, turquoise channels, tidal reefs, and secluded bays that characterise this wild coastline. The landscape shifts dramatically with the tides, revealing sandbanks, hidden coves, and intricate reef systems. Offering a sense of deep wilderness: quiet anchorages, opportunities for fishing and access to Indigenous rock art sites and geological formations that speak to the region’s ancient history.

From Lacrosse Island in the north to Wyndham and beyond in the south stretches the huge tide-dominated estuary known as Cambridge Gulf. It was first charted by Phillip Parker King in 1819 and functions as the shipping channel for the port of Wyndham. We usually cruise through overnight on our voyages.

As the region’s largest town, founded in the heyday of pearling, Broome’s multicultural heritage runs deep. This is the place that inspired the music of the Pigram Brothers and Jimmy Chi’s Bran Nue Dae and Corrugation Road. Enjoy magnificent Cable Beach, ride on a camel or watch the Staircase to the Moon over glittering Roebuck Bay. If you visit in August, Opera under the Stars and Race Round are options, while September’s highlight is the Shinju Matsuri Festival.

Often referred to as the “Thousand Islands”, though many are mere rocks, the name celebrates the explorer and erstwhile pirate William Dampier. Englishman Dampier visited the area in 1688. One of the attractions of the area is the remarkable Silica Beach, where we sometimes swim on high tide. Its sand is blindingly white and as fine as caster sugar.

Talbot Bay is home to one of the icons of the Kimberley coast, the spectacular Horizontal Waterfalls. These twin narrow gaps in a corner of the bay separate a series of double bays. Extreme tidal whirlpools develop around the gaps, making for a thrilling dinghy ride. Take a tender and head in for an up-close and exhilarating ride through this natural phenomenon.

Twin narrow gaps in a corner of Talbot Bay separate a series of double bays. Extreme tidal whirlpools develop around the gaps, making for a thrilling dinghy ride. Further east, Cyclone Creek displays geological marvels including cliffs of pressure-folded rock, fault-lines and a wall of conglomerate.

On the eastern shore of Doubtful Bay, a vast area of mangrove-lined creeks surrounds a conical hill. Behind here, Ruby Falls plunges into a narrow gorge, above which are a string of beautiful billabongs, ideal for a swim. Red Cone Creek is noted for its mud crabs and fishing.

Named by John Lort Stokes RN of HMS Beagle in 1838 due to his uncertainty as to whether or not the bay led to the Glenelg River, which had just been found by George Grey travelling overland. This area has many scenic and fishing attractions.

Covering an astounding 280 square kilometres, this reef seems to miraculously rise out of the sea – such is the size of its tides. Draining seawater pours continuously over the reef edge, particularly along the spectacular reef channel. Turtles, schools of surgeon-fish and reef egrets abound. Marine biologist Barry Wilson theorises that the reef has grown on top of a drowned sandstone mesa, making it truly one of a kind.

A beautiful estuary noted for its dramatic sandstone cliffs, home to a rare endemic Grevillea with silver leaves. Near the tidal limit is a lush rainforest, full of ferns and butterflies.

With an impressive 80 metre drop, ‘Cathedral Falls’ boasts an amphitheatre of vertical cliffs surrounding a circular plunge-pool. Accessible only on spring tides by dinghy, through a narrow corridor of mangroves.

This iconic waterfall is renowned for its beautiful stepped terraces, graced with delicate grasses and lush ferns. It was named after Lieutenant Phillip Parker King RN, who sketched the site in 1820. Tragedy struck in 1987 when a young American woman, Ginger Meadows, was taken by a crocodile at the base of the falls. Much safer swimming in crystal-clear pools lies upstream of the Cascade.

This was the scene of a disastrous agricultural settlement in 1864-1865, based on Merino sheep. Stone ruins and an island cemetery can still be seen. Delicious rock oysters abound. Opposite is Augustus Island, which at 17,950 hectares, is the largest island on the Kimberley coast.

This is a major tributary of the Prince Regent River, flowing in on its southern bank. Above tidal rapids, accessible by dinghy, weeping paperbark trees line tranquil billabongs. An energetic walk leads to a spectacular waterfall with a natural swimming pool.

This spectacular estuary in the NE corner of Prince Frederick Harbour features huge cliffs, rainforests and mangroves. Our anchorage in magnificent Porosus Creek serves as the turnaround point for 7 day voyages, where guests arrive or depart by helicopter from Mitchell Plateau. PLEASE NOTE: NOT VISITED ON 14 DAY VOYAGES BROOME TO WYNDHAM OR VICE VERSA.