An eerie encounter on picturesque Jar Island.

In the southern part of Van Sittart Bay, nestles tiny Jar Island.   A fantastic place to visit, with some secluded white sand coves, and bizarre rocky cliffs.  We made landfall at one such cove on our cruise.  Some very interesting Bradshaw aboriginal paintings here.

I wandered off to beachcomb, and take in the scenery, as it was a fascinating place. Whilst strolling down  to the other end of the beach, I became separated briefly from the main party who were still examining the aboriginal drawings.

It was an idyllic scene, a typically warm tropical Kimberley day.  Suddenly I had a sense that I was not alone.  You know that feeling you get - hard to describe - when you feel that someone or something is watching you. Very odd.
I turned around, and looked at the nearest cliff.  To my great astonishment, a giant face peered at me.
Soon realised it was a natural formation, eroded over the centuries into the surface of the sandstone rock.  Can you too, see this rather sad looking rocky figure in my photograph ?  As I am a cartoonist by profession, I felt it merited a small sketch. This is also shown here.

Sunset dinner on Veranda beach, Kimberleys.

 

Picture a deserted beach, fine white sand. Add chairs, champagne, good food and a Kimberley sunset. There you have the recipe for a magical cruise experience. Just mix together, and don't stir for an hour or two.

 

I'm sitting on a deck chair on remote Veranda Beach, waiting for our five star dinner to begin. The sun is making its final fiery descent down to a golden Indian ocean out to the West.   I am uncertain as to whether you will find the term "Veranda" beach on any map.  However it seems appropriate, as a veranda is surely a place to relax and contemplate. This we are doing with great enjoyment as you can imagine ! 

It has been a memorable cruise on Oceanic Discoverer. A mixture of exploring remote places, but being pampered at the same time.  I could get used to this.   But there are more surprises in store for us yet, before we get to our final port of Darwin.  Keep tuned !

 

  



Spooky caves on Winyalkan island.

Ships Log.  After leaving Bigge Island, we have now reached Winyalkan Island.
Latitude: -14.553299903 Longitude: 125.427902221.   Thank you Google maps.

I must admit, there are some remarkable rock formations on these remote islands off the Kimberley Coast.  Winyalkan - about 190 hectares in area - is no exception.   Landed on another steep beach, and explored some intriguing narrow caves in the cliff.  Extraordinary rocks and a large balancing boulder (above picture) near the entrance.

 Once inside the caves, it was single file only. In length, just a few metres, but distinctly spooky.
Torches at the ready, we wondered what lurked in these eerie stone corridors..... On close inspection, I noticed some assorted lichens on the walls. If you have a 'liking" for lichens, then this is the spot for you.  Also to be noted on this expedition,  a solitary bat hung down from the ceiling of one chamber. 

As for buried pirate treasure, we were out of luck.  Phew ! It was good to emerge into bright sunshine again outside.  And another highlight today - an osprey with a penthouse view atop a rock across the bay.

Ashore on an unnamed island in Prince Frederick Harbour.

Another day, more untouched places where no-one seems to go.  Take today for instance.   Early morning, a leisurely cruise in the landing craft,up remote Porosus Creek in the Prince Frederick Harbour region.

You may wonder, like I did about the origin of Prince Frederick.  Could he be related to the present Prince Frederik of Denmark ? Not in this case. This Kimberley Frederick ( with a "c" )  was a blue blooded Engish royal, born 1750. He was a grandchild of George II and youngest brother of George III.

This is an area of majestic escarpments, eerie mangroves and curious crocodiles prowling the estuaries. Towering cliffs that must have not changed in centuries.

 Later, returned to our cruise ship for morning tea of hot chocolate and cakes.  Then it was all aboard the Xplorer landing craft again to head for an unnamed, uninhabited, and untouched island nearby.
We landed on a large sloping beach comprised of crushed coral.  No sign of anyone having been here before.  Our naturalist guide ( Jamie) gave us an interesting talk on the island fauna and flora.

The island in my opinion deserved a name  as the cartographers obviously hadn't got around to choosing one.  But what to call it ?  I considered "Rocky outcrop 435" as a possibility.  Even perhaps name it after myself, as it would be an honour to have an island in the name of  blogger Alan.J.Benge.

I mentioned this fact to our guide, but he said that there could be problems with native title, and it was a somewhat complex process naming an island.  It helped if you were first on the scene about two hundred years ago.

Time went quickly on AJB island.  Scrambling over large rocks, discovering curlew nests ( with eggs intact), and paddling ( carefully, eye out for crocs ) in the clear shallow water.  Cute bits of red coral on the beach.  A memorable place just because of its isolation.  It was great to have the opportunity to land here.