Is that a mermaid I see upon a tree ? Kimberley cruise expedition notes.

 I am still following in the steps of Phillip Parker King on this cruise. We have reached picturesque Careening Bay, part of  Prince Regent National Park in the Kimberleys.

Parker King "parked" here back in 1821, when he discovered a crack in the hull of his ship HMS Mermaid. It was, and still is, a good spot to take time out to relax and recuperate.

 King was grateful for the chance to plug his leak here, and still found time to carve the name of his ship on a handy tree. You can still see this beautifully hand-lettered piece of graffiti today.  The memory of HMS Mermaid lives on, centuries later. 

Nowadays park authorities have put in a handy boardwalk, plus background information signs by the boab.   My own opinion ?  A most attractive bay to visit in the middle of nowhere, and historically speaking, "boabsolutely brilliant"

Magnificent aboriginal art adorns a cool cave atop a distant Kimberley peak.

Art galleries are always interesting places, but take it from me, this one really rocks ! With other members of our cruise, I climbed up a short but steep hill from Raft Point in the Kimberleys.
On our way up, we puffed and panted along a rocky trail past boab trees and great views of Steep Island out in the bay.

The climb was worth the effort in the tropical heat, because a cool shady rock overhang awaited us.
We sat in respectful silence as our guest lecturer told us about these ancient inscriptions.
As you can see in the above photo, the cave ceiling and walls are adorned with some excellent examples of Wandjina aboriginal art.

 These particular ones are known as Bradshaw paintings. They are powerfully drawn in earthy colours, and make a very impressive display. Bradshaw was the name of an early pastoralist who discovered these fine works of art back in the early 1800's.

The cave also had some other visitors, including a rock python wedged in a back cavity, and a large hornets nest just above where I was sitting.  This all added to the excitement of our trek !