Enjoy the Hunter River and Prince Frederick Harbour by cruise ship. Photo / Supplied
Ponant’s 11-day voyage from Broome to Darwin takes guests right up close to some of the Kimberley’s most thrilling and remote scenery, writes Johanna Thornton.
The first thing I learn about the Kimberley is that it’s hot. The kind of hot where you contemplate wearing a hydration backpack and apply SPF 50 like body lotion. It turns out my wardrobe of “casual-cool cruise outfits” for swanning around Ponant’s luxury expedition ship Le Jacques Cartier is wildly inappropriate for the daily Zodiac rides that form the unforgettable 10-day itinerary. There’s a reason every other guest on the inaugural tender ride to an atoll in the Lacepede Islands is kitted out in specialist long sleeves, water shoes and legionnaire hats. Was I warned what to wear on these excursions to the Kimberley’s many natural wonders in the ship’s pre-cruise manual? Absolutely. Did I ignore it in favour of fashion? Naturally.
With what I’d generously describe as a “loose understanding” of Western Australia’s tropical monsoonal climate, it becomes clear that the “warm and stable temperatures” of the dry season (May to October) are only mild compared to the punishing wet season (November to April), when temperatures soar above 40C, tropical storms hit the coast, and the region becomes unsuitable for cruising.
The second thing I learn is that there is no chance of a cooling dip along the Kimberley. While this stretch of the Indian Ocean has some of the most beautiful water you will ever encounter, you can not swim in it. Why? (Australians, stop rolling your eyes now.) Because it’s rife with saltwater crocodiles, jellyfish, sharks and dictated by extreme tides and currents that make it unsafe, if not deadly, for swimming.
The third thing I learn (I’ll stop listing learnings after this, because they don’t end) is that an expedition cruise aboard Ponant’s luxury small ship Le Jacques Cartier barely touches land. Instead, it takes passengers where larger ships can’t, delivering them right up close to waterfalls, gorges and mangrove forests, with guests organised into small expedition groups for the duration of the cruise. Where guests are welcomed on the land, it’s in collaboration with traditional and Aboriginal-owned tour groups, such as Wijingarra Tours at the stunning Freshwater Cove, where we view ancient rock galleries and have ochre streaked on our faces in a traditional welcoming ceremony.
Ponant’s expedition cruises feature a team of expert guides and naturalists, each with an area of expertise, from geology to crocodiles, to accompany guests on every adventure, and provide lectures and recaps of the day’s encounters in the ship’s theatre. It’s a cruise of contrasts, with ultimate luxury onboard in the form of elegant cabins and plentiful French food and wine, and authentic and thrilling discoveries off-ship.
Back on board the sun-soaked Zodiac en route to the Lacepede Islands, our guides Zach and Ali encourage us to keep our eyes peeled for any movement below the surface. Wildlife encounters are at the heart of a Ponant expedition, and guests are urged to stay alert, with guides always ready to steer in for a closer look. As we motor away from the ship towards the shoreline, it’s the birds that appear first. The four remote islands that make up the Lacepedes provide some of Western Australia’s most vital habitats for seabirds and are a breeding colony for brown boobies, which swoop and soar above us, their white bellies flashing. We spot roseate terns, sooty oystercatchers and a cluster of Australian pelicans gathered on the sand as if to greet us.
Nearby on a steep dune are the distinctive tracks of green turtles. We’re told these low-lying islands are also key breeding grounds for hard-shelled creatures and we’re lucky enough to see a handful of them as they swim to the surface for a breath. We see schools of fish, the grey murky shape of a hammerhead shark as it swims under the boat’s bow, and an eagle ray leaps out of the water.
I’m buzzing to spot a saltwater crocodile, but as our Zodiac skims through a swirling channel between the islands and into a glassy lagoon, it’s hard to imagine any real danger lurking here. Waves break off a mid-tide sandbank and we joke to Zach that it looks like a perfect surf spot. Surely you’d be fine out here on a surfboard?
Later on board the ship, scrolling through the expedition team’s professional photos, one image stops me cold. Among the shots of boobies and green turtles, there it is: a saltwater crocodile – a big one – its spiny back breaking the surface like a cluster of jagged rocks, its green eyes focused. Just behind it are two Zodiacs full of unaware guests, happily scanning the sea for wildlife. Okay, so definitely no swimming, except for in Le Jacques Cartier’s infinity pool.
To visit Collier Bay is to learn a lesson in tides. The tidal range in the Kimberley can peak at 14m and the landscape is scarred with a visible black high-tide line. In this majestic place, huge volumes of water fill the many nooks and crannies of the coastline, and take their sweet time to drain away, creating unique tidal phenomena that form Ponant’s expedition itinerary.
Montgomery Reef is one of the Kimberley’s most spectacular sights. The vast, flat-topped reef appears to rise dramatically from the ocean with the turning of the tide. Covering more than 300sq km, it lies about 20km offshore between Doubtful Bay and Collier Bay, which guests onboard Le Jacques Cartier witness on day two. Our guide, Brett, explains that as the huge tide drops, seawater trapped atop the reef begins to cascade down its sides, creating the appearance of waterfalls in the middle of the ocean.
The effect is surreal: streams of white water pouring down what looks like a submerged island, revealing coral and a mosaic of marine life. Birds circle overhead, including eastern reef egrets and ospreys, while below we spot turtles, rays and sharks.
It’s low tide at Porosus Creek in the Hunter River and today the water is a dense, silty green, muddied at its banks by the many creatures who call it home. This impressive waterway, which is surrounded by a thick mangrove forest, is our best bet for spotting an estuarine crocodile on the cruise. It’s even named after them (Crocodylus porosus). As we motor along the estuary, it’s the mudskippers we see first. An amphibious fish, they spend much of their time outside the water on the river’s banks, wriggling and jumping to attract a mate.
It’s quite the show, and briefly distracts us from the crocodile, perfectly camouflaged by the mud but visible because of its blinking green eye. Before we can get too excited, another crocodile’s jagged spikes break the waterline as it trawls the bank for food. I turn to our naturalist for the day, Jess. “Are we not prey, peering over this small inflatable boat in our bright orange life jackets, cameras out?” She says it’s rare for a crocodile to approach the Zodiacs, which are designed to manoeuvre even with one or more sections punctured by a croc’s powerful jaws. Brilliant.
It’s this unlikely pairing – the thrill of crocodiles circling the boat, and the promise of a five-course dinner waiting onboard – that makes this feel like true expedition cruising. Equal parts adrenaline and Aperol. And thankfully, no punctures today.
Ponant’s 10-night “Australia’s Iconic Kimberley” cruise travels from Darwin to Broome.
The writer travelled courtesy of Ponant, Qantas and Virgin Australia.