Le Jacques Cartier – Kimberley Coastal Expedition

Arrive Broome, Embark Ship

Welcome to Broome, a former pearling port and an ideal stepping stone to your Kimberley Coast adventure. After your arrival on the stunning Indian Ocean coast, we will transfer you to your luxury explorer ship. Get to know your Expedition Team and APT Cruise Director at a welcome briefing before dinner.

Stay: 10 Nights, Le Laperouse or Le Jacques Cartier

Lacepede Islands, Buccaneer Archipelago

The Lacepede Islands are Western Australia’s most important breeding habitat for Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and have been named by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. Join your expedition team for a guided Zodiac tour to view the prolific wildlife. Later, your ship charts a course into the stunning Buccaneer Archipelago. Made up of more than 800 islands, and filled with stunning scenery and an incredible array of wildlife.

Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls

Today your ship cruises through to Talbot Bay, known for its massive 12-metre tides that create the unique Horizontal Falls. Subject to tidal conditions, board a Zodiac with your Expedition Team to view this natural phenomenon.

Explore Talbot Bay and Cyclone Creek. Accompanied by your Expedition Team Leader, you’ll weave nimbly past the dramatic folds of rock formations, keeping a look out for local wildlife.

Freshwater Cove, Montgomery Reef

At Freshwater Cove take a guided hike to visit an ancient Wandjina rock art site. The unique figures depicted are ritually repainted each year, but scientific estimates date the originals as far back as 5,000 years. Later, depart with your expedition team to discover Montgomery Reef by Zodiac. The reef ‘rises’ out of the ocean as tidal waters cascade into surrounding channels.

Prince Frederick Harbour, Hunter River, Mitchell Falls

You are transported to Prince Frederick Harbour today, which is home to towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves. With its extreme tides and pristine ecosystems, the harbour is rich in wildlife including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Keen birdwatchers should keep a careful eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles. Stepping out from the sleek comfort of your luxury expedition ship to your trusty Zodiac, it’s hard to believe you’re at Australia’s final frontier, this time to explore the Hunter River and Naturalists Island. As your day of discovery draws to a close, you might choose to set out on a thrilling helicopter flight to see the Mitchell Falls in all its splendour from above (flight at own expense).

Bigge Island

Approximately six kilometres from the mainland, Bigge Island is ripe for discovery today. It’s well known for its Indigenous rock art, created by the Wunambal people, and you’ll explore a network of caves throughout the island. Here, discover paintings that display fascinating examples of first-contact art and Wandjina figures.

You continue to cruise north along the Kimberley Coast towards your final destination, Darwin, bound for another encounter with ancient art.

Swift Bay

Explore this maze of islands, inlets and peninsulas, believed to have been named by explorer Lieutenant Phillip Parker King after novelist Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. Most significant here are extraordinary examples of Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art, estimated to have been created between 5,000 and 13,000 years ago. They can be seen in caves close to the water’s edge, mainly painted on rock overhangs.

Vansittart Bay, Jar Island

This morning join your Expedition Team on an intriguing discovery. Walk across salt flats to view the wreckage of a US Air Force DC3 which crash-landed near Vansittart Bay during World War II. Later, visit Jar Island and discover the island’s outstanding rock art gallery. During your exploration here, you’ll see more examples of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) paintings, dating back more than 20,000 years.

Koolama Bay, King George River And Falls

Anticipation builds as your Zodiac approaches King George Falls, which plunge 80 metres over a soaring sandstone cliff. Edge closer to this epic cascade and learn how it turns to a raging torrent during the monsoonal wet season.

Wake this morning as your ship cruises into Koolama Bay. Hear how this harbour was renamed following the Japanese bombing of the MV Koolama in 1942. Next, it’s onto the King George River. Join your Expedition Team and jump aboard a Zodiac to meander through the river’s gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs.

Day At Sea

Relax and ease into a full day at sea, enjoying the endless horizon. Perhaps take a swim in the onboard pool, pamper yourself in the wellness area, or head below deck to your luxury ship’s underwater observation area for a stunning window into marine life below the ocean’s surface.

Disembark Ship, Depart Darwin

Arriving into Darwin this morning means it’s time to say goodbye to your ship and to be transferred to the airport.