Darwin to Fremantle (Perth) Cruise

Day 1 - Darwin, Australia

Arrive: Thu 08 August 2024 / Depart: Thu 08 August 2024 at 17:00

"Australia's capital of the north is a uniquely tropical city, and a historically isolated outpost of this vast, diverse country. Reaching up towards the equator, a full 2,000 miles from Sydney and Melbourne, the city was named in honour of Charles Darwin by the British settlers who established a frontier outpost here. With a unique history, beautiful islands nearby, and a palette of sizzling Pacific flavours, colourful Darwin is an enchanting and exotic Australian destination. Crocodiles patrol the jungled waterways and tropical rainforests around Australia's gateway to the Top End. Explore via airboat to look down on the veiny waterways of the mist-laced Kakadu National Park. The sounds of chattering birdlife and the gentle splash of fountains and waterfalls will fill your ears in George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. Soak it all in, before kicking back and relaxing with a picnic and a crackling barbecue. The sunshine and famous tropical pink sunsets mean many visitors naturally gravitate to the city's soft sands to relax at spots like pretty Mindil Beach, as evening approaches. The adjoining market is filled with souvenirs and crafts stands and is the perfect great place to enjoy some fiery Asian flavours. Stroll the stalls, grab some food, and crack open an ice-frosted beer as the sunset show begins. It may be remote, but Darwin found itself on the front line during the Pacific War, as the Japanese air force unloaded their bombs onto the city in 1942. This relaxed unassuming city has a deeply resilient backbone, however, and you can explore the museums to learn more of the war's impact on Darwin, as well as the devastating effects of one of Australia's worst natural disasters, Cyclone Tracy in 1973."

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Wyndham, Western Australia

Arrive: Sat 10 August 2024 at 06:30 / Depart: Sat 10 August 2024 at 18:00

Wyndham is a small settlement with the spirit of a Kimberley outback township. It was established in 1886 with the Halls Creek gold rush and sits on the Cambridge Gulf where several rivers converge. Today Wyndham has a population of roughly 900 people and operates largely as a port exporting cattle, servicing the mining industry and hosting a few small ships. For these vessels Wyndham is a gateway to the breathtaking Bungle Bungle mountain range and the nearby Ord River. View less The Bungle Bungle Mountains in Purnululu National Park are now a World Heritage Site. In excess of 350 million years have shaped geological formations of giant orange and black striped domes rising out of the ground into a landscape unlike any other. Known to the local Aboriginal people for thousands of years, the Bungles were only discovered by the outside world in the mid-1980s. Conversely, cruising the peaceful and tree-lined Ord River is a chance to look for freshwater crocodiles, fruit bats, short-eared rock wallabies and a variety of birds, including Mangrove Herons and Mangrove Gerygones. Please note: All destinations on voyages in the Kimberley region, and the order in which they are visited, are subject to tidal variations and weather conditions.

Day 4 - Koolama Bay, Western Australia

Arrive: Sun 11 August 2024 at 06:00 / Depart: Sun 11 August 2024 at 17:00

Koolama Bay is found at the mouth of the King George River. Named after the ship that had been beached here after a Japanese aerial attack during World War II, Koolama Bay is the starting point for a Zodiac cruise to reach the King George Falls, one of the Kimberley’s most magnificent natural wonders. At 260 feet (80 m), the twin cascades are among the highest in Australia.

Day 5 - Swift Bay

Day 6 - Ashmore Reef

Arrive: Tue 13 August 2024 at 08:45 / Depart: Tue 13 August 2024 at 17:30

The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an uninhabited external territory of Australia consisting of four low-lying tropical islands in two separate reefs, and the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea generated by the islands

Day 7 - Hunter River, Western Australia

Arrive: Wed 14 August 2024 / Depart: Wed 14 August 2024

The Hunter River is home to an immense mangrove system surrounded by soaring red sandstone cliffs. Narrow mangrove channels shelter numerous bird species, mudskippers, fiddler crabs and the infamous saltwater crocodile; the most aggressive crocodile species known to man. Naturalist Island at the mouth of the river has a stunning stretch of sandy beach that makes a perfect landing site for small helicopters that can pick up visitors wishing to explore some of the Kimberley’s vast interior. View less The highlight inland is the famous Mitchell Falls where four tiers of waterfalls plunge into deep pools that flow out into the mighty Mitchell River. The headwaters of the falls are cool and a dip in the fresh water is a welcome reprieve from the heat of the heartland.

Day 8 - Raft Point

Arrive: Thu 15 August 2024 at 06:00 / Depart: Thu 15 August 2024 at 08:30

At the southern end of Doubtful Bay and just south of Steep Island, Raft Point is a low headland that is home to indigenous Wandjina paintings. A hike through abundant Kimberley Flora including the iconic boab tree will head towards the top of Raft Point. There one can enjoy spectacular views of the bay in the shade of the overhanging cliff, which is home to the Wandjina Spirit. Many large and ancient wall paintings of Dreamtime stories and images representing daily aboriginal life can be seen.

Day 8 - Montgomery Reef, Western Australia

Arrive: Thu 15 August 2024 at 10:15 / Depart: Thu 15 August 2024 at 14:00

Montgomery Reef, which is some 300 square kilometres in size, can show an amazing tidal change of up to 4 metres. When the tide drops, the reef seems to rise out of the water. At low tide a river is exposed that allows access to an amazing semi-submerged world. When the tide continues to ebb, Zodiacs will be used to make the way to the edge of the reef where one is surrounded by cascading waterfalls up to 3 metres high.

Day 9 - Talbot Bay/Horizontal Waterfalls, WA

Arrive: Fri 16 August 2024 at 06:00 / Depart: Fri 16 August 2024 at 18:30

Talbot Bay is famous for the Horizontal Falls which have been described as “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world“. The region’s tides of close to 36 feet create an amazing spectacle when the water tries to enter or leave Poulton Creek through two very narrow openings located one behind the other in the McLarty Ranges. Water builds up faster on one side than it can flow through the gaps, leaving or entering depending on the tide.

Day 10 - Adele Island, New Zealand

Arrive: Sat 17 August 2024 at 06:30 / Depart: Sat 17 August 2024 at 17:30

Adele Island is an island located in the Indian Ocean approximately 104 kilometres North of Ardyaloon off the Kimberley coast in Western Australia

Day 11 - Lacepede Islands

Arrive: Sun 18 August 2024 at 06:30 / Depart: Sun 18 August 2024 at 17:30

The Lacepede Islands, sometimes referred to simply as the Lacepedes, are a group of four islands lying off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia.

Day 12 - Rowley Shoals

Arrive: Mon 19 August 2024 at 06:30 / Depart: Mon 19 August 2024 at 12:00

Some 300 kilometers northwest of Broome, the Rowley Shoals consists of the three reefs Imperieuse, Clerke and Mermaid. The first two reefs form the Rowley Shoals Marine Park and have sandy cays that will still be visible at high tide. Bedwell Island, a small sandy cay inside Clerke Reef, is home to one of Western Australia’s two colonies of Red-tailed Tropicbirds. Other birds nesting on the island are Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, White-bellied Sea-Eagles, Eastern Reef-Egrets and terns. View less The Mermaid Reef Commonwealth Marine Reserve is slightly further northeast and is the closest to land.

Day 13 - Montebello Islands , Australia

Arrive: Tue 20 August 2024 at 08:30 / Depart: Tue 20 August 2024 at 18:30

Day 14 - North Muiron Island

Day 15 - Cape Peron, Shark Bay

Day 16 - Abrolhos Islands, Australia

Arrive: Fri 23 August 2024

Three island groups make up the Houtman Abrolhos Islands. The Wallabi, Easter and Pelsaert groups stretch across 100 kilometers from north to south with a total of 122 islands. Named Houtman after the Dutch captain who first described them in 1619, the Portuguese word “Abrolhos” refers to the reefs and dangers they posed to unsuspecting seafarers –sometimes taken to mean “open your eyes”. The Houtman Abrolhos are known for cray fishing and pearling activities, as well as for their bird and marine life. The islands and their surrounding reef communities form one of Western Australia’s unique marine areas of tropical and temperate sea life.

Day 17 - Abrolhos Islands, Australia

Depart: Sat 24 August 2024 at 12:30

Three island groups make up the Houtman Abrolhos Islands. The Wallabi, Easter and Pelsaert groups stretch across 100 kilometers from north to south with a total of 122 islands. Named Houtman after the Dutch captain who first described them in 1619, the Portuguese word “Abrolhos” refers to the reefs and dangers they posed to unsuspecting seafarers –sometimes taken to mean “open your eyes”. The Houtman Abrolhos are known for cray fishing and pearling activities, as well as for their bird and marine life. The islands and their surrounding reef communities form one of Western Australia’s unique marine areas of tropical and temperate sea life.

Day 18 - Fremantle

Arrive: Sun 25 August 2024 at 07:30 / Depart: Sun 25 August 2024

Once known as the gateway to Australia, Fremantle is the port for the capital of Western Australia, Perth. Covering almost one third of the landmass, or one million square miles, Western Australia (W.A.) is the largest of the Australian states. While the new, metropolitan capital is home to more than one million people, Fremantle has a population of just over 24,000. Due to Perth's continuing growth, it is no longer possible to tell exactly where Fremantle ends and Perth begins.