Advertorial for APT Luxury Travel
Ute Junker
The outback is no place for beginners. Whether you are barrelling down red dirt roads or cruising the timeless coast where the 21st century feels a long way away, the best way to travel is with someone who knows the territory. APT Luxury Travel is at home in the outback, having guided guests through Australia’s most majestic wildernesses for 60 years. Their portfolio includes cruises as well as land tours, offering two luxurious ways to enjoy this unforgettable area.
The Seabourn Pursuit redefines small-ship cruising, ensuring an intimate, ultra-luxury experience for a maximum of only 264 guests. Indulge in culinary excellence with seven distinct dining venues, complemented by the convenience of 24-hour in-suite dining. All 132 generously-sized suites come with verandas, walk-in-wardrobes and separate showers and bathtubs, while a 23-strong expedition team is on hand to share insights into the area’s many wonders.
This is the APT advantage. Sign up for a 10-day small-ship Kimberley Coastal Expedition aboard the Seabourn Pursuit to see the outback in style, sipping champagne as the wonders of the Kimberley float past you.
Tidal shift
David Attenborough called it Australia’s most unusual natural attraction, and the Horizontal Falls is at the top of everyone’s Kimberley to-do list. Talbot Bay’s 12-metre tides lead to this striking phenomenon where seawater surges into a narrow gap between cliffs, creating a swell of up to four metres. The area’s original inhabitants were the first to observe the phenomenon. As the expedition team will explain, according to the lore of the original inhabitants, the rushing tide is caused by Woongudd, the rainbow serpent, squeezing his way between the cliffs.
A saltwater kingdom
One thing everyone agrees on: the remote beauty of Prince Frederick Harbour is the perfect setting for a day of authentic Kimberly exploration. This area, home to the towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves of the Hunter River and Porosus Creek, is truly alive with activity. With its extreme tides and pristine systems, the harbour and waterways are rich in wildlife, including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Keen birdwatchers can also keep an eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles along the way. Our advice: slow down, open your eyes, and let the sheer serenity of this spectacular ecosystem take hold of you.
Underwater wonderland
It doesn’t have the name recognition of the Great Barrier Reef but Ashmore Reef, covering almost 600 square km of the Timor Sea, is famous among scientists around the world. Ornithologists know it as a key breeding ground for seabirds, with more than 100,000 flocking here to breed every year, from white-tailed tropicbirds to great frigatebirds. The underwater diversity is even more extraordinary. Marine biologists have recorded more than 275 coral species and 750 fish species. The clear waters washing across the reef and its lagoons, the seagrass meadows and sandflats are also home to giant clams, turtles and even dugongs.
Ancient art
Unless you have been to the Kimberley before, you are unlikely to have ever seen anything like the rock art at Jar Island. The distinctive images here – known as Bradshaw or Gwion Gwion art – are utterly striking, depicting slim, sinuous figures with elaborate hair styles and costumes. First discovered 130 years ago, much about these paintings and who made them is a mystery – no pigment remains on the rock, which means they cannot be carbon dated. The first clues only emerged recently when scientists found a fossilised wasps’ nest partly obscuring one of the paintings which they were able to date to 20,000 years ago – meaning these paintings are among the oldest images on earth.
An amazing archipelago
Cruising along the Buccaneer Archipelago, where more than 1000 tiny islands appear to have been scattered across the sea like rose petals, is a delight. Each of the islands, their red sandstone set off by the turquoise waters that wash their shores, has its own mix of vegetation. Some have patches of rainforest or spinifex grass, others feature lush mangroves or stands of eucalypts. Remarkably, these islands were part of the mainland until severed by rising seas, and were once an important centre where Indonesian sailors would trade valued items such as spearheads and iron axes with the local Mayala and Dambeemangarddee people.
Worth falling for
Prepare yourself. If you want to see the King George Falls, you are in for something of a journey. The falls are hidden away at the end of a gorge, a 10km trip by Zodiac, but you will be mesmerised every step of the way by the beauty of this soaring sandstone gorge. The falls themselves, twin cascades plunging up to a 100-metre drop, are utterly striking. They are at their most powerful at the end of the wet season (March to May), when hundreds of gallons of water tumble over the edge every second. More than just a beauty spot, the falls also have a strong cultural significance; according to the local Balanggarra people, they represent the male and female Wunkurr (rainbow serpents).
Ready to explore the Kimberley coast? APT Luxury Travel’s 10-day small-ship Kimberley Coastal Expedition guarantees a seamless and unforgettable voyage. For more information, visit here.
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