By Jean – the next part of our adventure was a cruise up the Kimberly Coast.
After finishing the Tanami we ventured into Halls Creek to have a quick look around before spending 2 days at Larrawa Station Stay about halfway between Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing. A highlight of our drive that day was to see our first Boab trees and to stop at some really old ones.
That afternoon it started to rain, and we were worried about getting to our planned campsite at the Telegraph pools on the Fitzroy River. The road in was muddy but firm, and we carefully picked a camp spot on higher ground in case the river rose and to be away from the crocodiles. We didn’t see any crocs.
We had a few days in Broome and a 5.00 am bus pick up, a two-and-a-half-hour bus trip took us to Derby where we were taken by tender to our cruise boat. The early start was necessary for us to get out of the bay and over the sandbar before low tide.
After two days of overcast skies, some rain and strong winds, the weather turned to blue skies and calm waters, and we were able to enjoy fully the magnificent blue waters, the colours of the rugged cliffs, white beaches and magnificent sunrises and sunsets. We explored many of the creeks and gorges, and highlights included Montgomery reef, Horizontal Falls, and Kings Cascades on the Price Reget River. There were opportunities to walk along pristine beaches, swim, and explore the history of some of the islands.
The wildlife was amazing; we saw crocodiles, turtles, dolphins, several different types of sharks, fish, and a large variety of bird life. We had one afternoon of whale watching. The cruise ended with passengers being picked up on the beach by helicopter and taken for a scenic flight over Mitchell Falls, before being transferred to a light plane for the light back to Broome. The flight back to Broome took us over the Horizontal Falls with the pilot doing several passes over them. One final highlight was seeing two whales just off Cale Beach, and we flew in low to land at the Broome Airport.