SPIRIT OF THE KIMBERLEY

Your expedition begins in Darwin, the tropical capital of Australia’s Northern Territory and a melting pot of over 50 cultures. After boarding Le Soléal in the early evening, settle in as the ship slips out of the harbour and sets course along the Kimberley coast.

One of the Kimberley’s most breathtaking natural spectacles. Zodiac expeditions carry you deep into an 80-metre-high sandstone gorge, its ancient walls shifting through ochre, rust and gold as the light moves across them. The journey culminates at the King George Twin Falls, the highest single-drop falls in the entire Kimberley, thundering into the canyon below.

An early morning landing on Jar Island reveals one of the most significant rock art sites in the world. The Gwion Gwion galleries here are believed to be over 30,000 years old, representing the oldest detailed depictions of human figures on earth. A guided walk past extraordinary rock formations brings these ancient images up close.

A remote and largely unvisited atoll in the Timor Sea, Ashmore Reef is one of Australia’s most biodiverse marine environments. Home to sea turtles, reef fish, migratory seabirds and a remarkable array of coral, this technical stop offers a rare glimpse of an ecosystem almost entirely untouched by human activity.

Named after the 1820 voyage of HMS Mermaid, whose crew spent ten days repairing their leaking vessel on these sands. The ship’s carpenter carved the vessel’s name and year into a boab tree that still stands today, now three metres wide and National Heritage listed, a quiet monument to an era of extraordinary exploration.

A full day in the Bonaparte Archipelago, named by explorer Phillip Parker King after Jonathan Swift. Deeply fractured sandstone shelters line the T-shaped bay, their walls covered in Wandjina and Gwion Gwion rock art. Guided walks lead through multiple galleries in one of the Kimberley’s most atmospherically remote settings.

An early start for one of the expedition’s most immersive experiences. Le Soléal anchors at the mouth of the Hunter River as the sun rises over the sandstone escarpment known as Kampamantiya, more than 200 metres high before giving way to the world’s most pristine mangrove forests. Zodiac expeditions wind through 18 species of mangrove while naturalist guides scan the banks for saltwater crocodiles and rare birdlife. Optional helicopter flights to Mitchell Falls are available from the beach.

An early morning exploration of one of the Kimberley’s most dramatic tidal landscapes. Tidal ranges here exceed 14 metres, among the largest on earth, creating the extraordinary phenomena that define this region. Montgomery Reef, the world’s largest inshore reef, rises from the sea as the tide retreats, cascading water off its edges in rivers and mini-waterfalls.

A second full day in the extraordinary landscapes of Collier Bay. Head to Talbot Bay for the Horizontal Falls, described by Sir David Attenborough as one of the greatest natural wonders of the world, where massive tidal forces push water through narrow gorges in the McLarty Range at extraordinary speed. Ancient Wandjina rock art galleries lie hidden in caves and grottos throughout the bay.

A fitting finale to the expedition. The Lacepede Islands are Western Australia’s most important breeding habitat for Green Turtles and home to one of the world’s largest colonies of Brown Boobies. Guided Zodiac tours weave through nesting seabirds and turtle-filled waters. Landings are not permitted, preserving one of the last truly undisturbed ecosystems on the Australian coastline.

Le Soléal arrives in Darwin in the early morning and the expedition concludes in Australia’s most distinctive capital city. Darwin is unlike any other Australian city, shaped by Japanese bombing in 1942 and by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve 1974, and its multicultural frontier character sits just 800 kilometres south of the Indonesian islands in a way that feels genuinely closer to Southeast Asia than to Sydney. Disembark this morning and ask your Cruiseabout specialist about extending your Darwin stay. The Defence of Darwin Experience, the Adelaide River jumping crocodile cruise and the Mindil Beach Sunset Market are all worth the time before your flights home. For those travelling solo, the free solo supplements available on selected Ponant Kimberley voyages can be confirmed with your Cruiseabout specialist when booking.