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 !

 

  



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.

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.