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. .

Climbing to the top of remote Iron Island, West Kimberleys.

Ships log - Day Two.   Made good progress today up the Yampi Sound, and into the area of iron ore mining operations.   Passed Cockatoo Island, then dry and dusty Koolan Island.  These rocky outcrops seem to be mainly Precambrian quartzite sandstone, and their redeeming feature is that there are some marvellous rock formations to view.
Made landfall on isolated Iron Island, uninhabited, but with a pleasant sandy beach.  I climbed a low ridge after we landed, a relatively easy scramble up a rocky track. The views from the tussocky ridge were worthwhile climbing up for, and the rest of the landing party from the boat soon followed me up.
No snakes to be seen, nor much wildlife.
 Probably not the best place to be marooned for any length of time because I didn't see any fresh water, or for that matter, MacDonalds.