Behind the scenes on board a luxury Kimberley expedition ship

Not many cruise ships allow passengers on the actual bridge while the voyage is in progress.  Or if they do, such a 'behind the scenes" tour might be quite costly in addition to your cruise fare.

Ocean Discoverer ( or Coral Discoverer as it is now known) is different.  You are allowed to inspect the bridge at your leisure, because this company has an "open bridge" approach. 

I enjoyed the freedom of seeing how the ship was handled on my visit to the bridge. Talk about "Star Trek on the high seas !' Vast array of  high tech navigation instruments, dials, knobs and computer screens all ensuring our safety through these dangerous waters.  Friendly, courteous crew.

On another occasion, along with fellow passengers, I ventured down into the engine room deep in the bowels of the vessel. An adventure in itself.  We all put on large industrial-style ear muffs, looking like aliens from another planet. 
Descended down into a hot, noisy area, resplendent with well tuned, throbbing motors, and impressive looking dials.  The ear muffs proved excellent protection as my eardrums wouldn't have survived without them.

Ancient rocks and strange drawings on Bigge Island.

Arose at the crack of a tropical dawn this morning.  Getting up early not one of my strong points. However we have an exciting day ahead, with "Bigge" Island on the itinerary. Bigge Island is rectangular in shape, about 22km long by 11km wide. A spectacular place with rugged terrain, rising to a high point of 143 metres at Savage Hill.

With Oceanic Discoverer anchored offshore, we landed at tranquil Wary Bay, a white sand beach with interesting rocks and imposing sandstone cliffs. Turtle tracks in the sand. The early morning start was definitely worth the effort.

 Our party found an amazing aboriginal art gallery in the cleft of a cliff.  A series of sandy caves in the overhang of the cliff-face revealed old drawings from ancient artists. The inscriptions proved to be different in subject matter compared to other locations we've visited.  I could make out what appeared to be an impression of an old sailing ship.

The old vessel in the rock painting appears to be a two masted pearling lugger, or possibly a whaling ship. Perhaps shipwreck survivors or sailors landed here centuries ago looking for water ? 

I trekked with the other passengers to the top of a nearby bluff. Magnificent views, the only sound to be heard, the clicking of countless cameras recording the scene. Definitely one of the highlights of our cruise as we enjoyed our "big" day out on Bigge Island.  

Exploring another deserted island in the Kimberleys.

Ship's log. At noon today on the Oceanic Discoverer, we had honey chicken and rice, followed by gourmet sandwiches and salad, fruit for dessert.  I mention this in case you think that by this stage of the voyage, we would all be eating bully beef and dry crackers, with rationing in progress.  Not the case. I stocked up.

After lunch, I boarded the landing craft again with our party. We set off on a choppy sea to another nearby island in Prince Frederick harbour.  The new mystery island, or rather "islet"  has no name like dozens of others in the vicinity. Made landfall on a very steep beach involving a scramble up to the top. 

Over to the left of the cove was a large overhanging rock. In exploratory mode,  I found a cleft in the rock face, just big enough to squeeze through sideways. Curious to see where it went, I debated whether to go ahead.  Phillip Parker King would have had no hesitation, but perhaps he would have been more adventurous, ( and thinner) than myself.

Finally accepted the challenge (  should have eaten less at lunch !) and managed to get through using a subtle sideways movement that would have done credit to Harry Houdini.  On the other side ( see above photo) was a beautiful sheltered grove of mangroves with pristine white sand and cool shade. A tranquil place indeed, and well worth the squeeze to get there.

On returning, I found other members of the party had found aboriginal drawings on the rocky outcrop. The artwork looked rather like a curious letter "C" with a pair of spectacles in the middle.
No doubt it has a symbolic meaning known to the original inhabitants of this island.

From curious crevices to ancient aboriginal art,  an excellent place to visit, and another memorable day visiting a deserted island offshore in the remote Kimberleys, Western Australia.

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.

Early morning reflections on a Kimberley cruise.

One of the best times on a Kimberley cruise is early morning on deck.  The rest of the world has not yet awoken.  There is a special satisfaction in strolling the upper deck whilst others are sleeping in. 
This is one of the simple highlights of cruising, taking in the soft tropical air before the heat of the day has commenced. 
At this hour of day, the emerging sun has a distinctive sparkle as another day begins.  I gazed at the far horizon, imagining that the early explorer Phillip Parker King may have perhaps felt the same way, centuries ago as he voyaged up this untamed coast.

A sudden movement on the starboard side caught my eye this morning as I was at the rail.  Looking down, I saw a large shape  surfacing.  On closer inspection I identified it as a large grey shark.  It had what appeared to be a very long tail.  We looked at each other for a moment, the shark seemingly surprised as I was at this unexpected encounter.

Then the creature vanished, off in search of an early breakfast I suppose.

But not before I took a quick photo to record this  strange dawn rendez-vous.  The idea of an early breakfast seemed a good one to me too, so I set off for the buffet, satisfied that I had seen an unusual inhabitant of the depths.  It would make a good story to tell my fellow passengers around the breakfast table. And the shark of course, would grow larger in my imagination as I recounted my sighting. .

The sensational stone warriors of Langgi Beach.

If ever there is a beach that is unlike no other, then that place in my opinion, would have to be Langgi Beach in the Kimberleys.   Simply spectacular statues, standing in stony silence.   Eerie, weird, bizarre, all adjectives that describe this remarkable cove.
These natural sandstone pillars are a sacred site for the Worora people. The aborigines believe that these formations are warriors killed in a Dreamtime battle.
It is easy to imagine how these eroded rocks could be taken for mythical beings, or long lost ancestors.   Well worth a visit on your Kimberley cruise holiday.

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 !

Extraordinary island - Ayers Rock of the sea in the Kimberleys.

 

 

The Kimberley is full of remarkable sights and this one is no exception to the rule.  The top picture shows Steep Island - Ayers Rock of the sea.  As you can see, it bears a marked resemblance to its more famous counterpart - Ayers Rock of the inland - Uluru.
After investigating Montgomery Reef, my cruise has now progressed to Doubtful Bay.  Steep Island is a distinguishing landmark in this tranquil spot.. The waters around Steep Island are excellent for barramundi fishing.  Don't be deceived by the tranquillity, because these are dangerous waters too, with sharks and crocs in abundance.
Today, our cruise party divided up into two groups.  The first went on a leisurely cruise around Steep Island to examine the geology and flora. Good luck to them.
I decided to go ashore with the other group at rocky Raft Point. Our aim is to check out some interesting aboriginal drawings at the top of a nearby hill. This will involve a boulder hopping scramble up a scrubby slope. More about this in next post.   

Mysterious Montgomery reef - now you see it, now you don't.

One of the highlights of my West Australian cruise on Oceanic Discoverer. A vast reef, appearing as if by magic out of the ocean on a falling tide, is a marvellous and most unexpected sight.

I'm sitting in an inflatable landing craft, about 20 km off the Central Kimberley coast.  As far as the eye can see, there is water cascading off an endless wall of rocky coral.  Due to extreme tides in this area, the reef literally "grows" in front of my eyes as water pours off in a thousand rivulets down a multitude of crevices.

 

In a few hours when the tide comes in, there will be no trace of any reef, no coral, no rocks. Just a vast expanse of ocean. The show will be over until Nature puts on an encore with the next falling tide.

This astonishing mass of rock is the largest inshore reef in Australia, being an incredible 80km long.  It covers an area of over 270 square kilometres. By comparison, this is roughly the same area as Taipei City in Taiwan, home to over two million people... Montgomery Reef, home to zero people.

Montgomery Reef was named after Andrew Montgomery. He was ship's surgeon on HMS Mermaid, captained by explorer Phillip Parker King in 1821.
Definitely worth seeing if you can get out here. The "full Monty" is an incredible spectacle to behold.

Stowaway discovered on Kimberley cruise

Ships Log, Oceanic Discoverer 0600 hours.  I was taking an early stroll on the promenade deck this morning.  To my great surprise, I discovered the ship had gained another passenger during the night, lounging on the deck railing. 
To my inexperienced eye, it looked like some form of tropical mantis.  All the more remarkable as we were about ten miles off the Kimberley coast. A long way for a mere arthropod to fly. No wonder he felt like a rest !
Later when I reviewed my photo of the hitch-hiking insect, it didn't appear to have the large eyes of a praying mantis. The ordinary garden mantis as you may know, has quite bulbous eyes, which go red at night, and pink during the day.
If you look closely at the second photo, you'll see Arthur ( for want of a better name) has two ET style eyes, very small.  Other suggestions as to what species he could be, include a goliath stick insect ( eurycnema goloioth) or even a Giant Phasmid ( diapherodes gigantea). If the latter is correct, Arthur is probably aptly named, as the male phasmid is a bit smaller than the female.
What do you think Arthur is ?  Could he be a new species perhaps ?  Would be interested to know, and any feedback appreciated.

First day at sea - is that a ghost ship off the port bow in the Kimberleys ?

It's sunset and the light is fading fast.  I'm standing on the deck of the ultra modern, hi tech Oceanic Discoverer. We have just left tropical Broome on the West Coast of Australia on a ten day cruise. Is it my imagination, or do I see a ghost ship off the port bow ?
Perhaps I had a welcome drink too many when boarding.  Yet I do recall that the famous explorer and adventurer Phillip Parker King travelled this way in 1821.  His vessel was the HMS Mermaid.  Only 18 metres in length, the brave captain and crew must have endured primitive conditions in their single masted rigged cutter.
Compare this with the OD, or Coral Discoverer as it is now known in 2015.  Equipped with every conceivable modern navigational device, it carries 72  passengers on four decks of luxury. An efficient crew of 25 are helping make our voyage as comfortable as possible.
In the next few days, we will follow in the steps of the intrepid Parker King. I'm looking forward to seeing the locations he discovered.