Aboard the Kimberley Quest
In April 2019 I was very privileged to join a 14-day cruise with Kimberley Quest from Wyndham to Broome, following the remote Kimberley coastline.
One of the first places we were lucky enough to visit, was hidden in the cliffs of the King George River. Cruising along the river, taken aback by the beauty of the sheer gorge walls - we turned the small tender into a secret location. This is my cousin Kelly who was working on the cruise, the look on her face is exactly as mine was behind the camera.
We swam in the crystal clear turquoise-green pools, flowing beautifully from a crevice further up where a waterfall thundered down. The rain started to fall, and the others reboarded the tenders to head back to the cruise ship. I climbed up into the perfect cave for shelter and sat here for the next hour or so... feeling so at home and happy. It was a big call as this was a spot we visited only on day 2, however, I said this was going to be my favourite of the trip - and 14 days later, it still was (not an easy choice though)!
The King George Falls, the King George Falls... the King George Falls! What can I say... as much as this insanely incredible place is talked about and built up, it definitely does not take away from the feeling you experience when witnessing it in real life. If anything, my expectations were totally exceeded.
This would have to be one of my absolute favourite shots from the trip. Sunrise, hot, steamy, wild, remote, land of the giants, special, powerful and serene. Looking down over the King George River and seeing the Kimberley Quest dwarfed by the size of the cliff walls, just made me feel so thankful and lucky to be able to experience this magical place.
This image I hope conveys a sense of anticipation for what the day had in store. This day could have been fishing, hiking, exploring, climbing, swimming, watching - or maybe even all of the above?
Waterfalls galore! It was hard to choose which waterfall photos to share, we visited so many beautiful spots. These falls go by a few different names, will keep it on the down-low for now ;). The hike into these falls certainly made the swim at the end worth it. The wind coming off the falls was so refreshing, and once again - the water incredibly clear and perfect for a dip.
Is this a photoshopped image of a perfect boab on a perfect white sandy beach with perfect weather and perfect crystal blue water? Nope! It's just one of the thousands of remote locations along the north Kimberley coastline islands. It's almost hard to comprehend how many spots like this one in the region, there are to explore.
The Kimberley region is rich with ancient aboriginal culture and stories. There are thousands of rock art sites each with their own meaning and story. Some of the sites date back to tens of thousands of years ago, it's an incredible part of our country and history to experience. Pictured in this photo is my mum, which I was lucky enough she was able to join me on this trip, taking a moment at one of the many rock art sites we visited.
This is me! With one of the many many catches we had on board the tenders. This is a decent-sized queenie caught at the mouth of a well-known Kimberley river that runs to the north coast. If you were stranded out here, there is no way you could go hungry! I would also like to add that I reeled in a huuuge GT not long before this, which I nearly snapped my wrist trying to get onto the boat! No photos were taken as my camera had the wrong lens, however, my mum filmed the whole thing. This is not a tall tale, true honest!
So many peculiar rock formations line the coastline, this was just one of many that we were able to visit. This is the entrance to a cave that ran quite far in behind me.
Caves can give off a sense of eeriness or calm. This cave was calm. Somewhere that you could spend all day in just watching the ocean at the opening and the sun and shadows roll on by.
Whilst in Prince Regent National Park we cruised down the wild and remote Prince Regent River (my mum's favourite time of the trip). Then eventually came into King Cascades. There is a well-known story you may have heard of; An American model – Ginger Meadows – who was taken by a saltwater crocodile at the bottom of the falls (as a result of swimming in prime saltie territory). This isn't to scare you I promise, it's just worth mentioning to show how truly wild this place is, and we are visitors in a world dominated by Mother Nature and her creatures. You're probably thinking what does this have to do with this photo? This place is a little more remote, it is a climb to the top of the falls where there is endless clear freshwater pools and waterfalls. My cousin, her partner Matt, my mum and I raced to the back of the main pool, to follow the endless line of pools to cool off it, take a dip, sit under waterfalls (perfect for natural shoulder massages) and explore.
We watched the sun setting from an island in the middle of the archipelago. The temperature had dropped quite a few degrees, the sea breeze was well and truly in. Looking out over the ocean gave you a clear perspective of the vastness of the ocean out here and how we were just a tiny speck, observing everything around us. This boab tree seemed to be doing the same. It chose to grow in this spot with the perfect vantage point to watch over its beautiful surroundings.
The sunsets... ohhh the sunsets. Each one so different yet stunning in their own way. We sat out on the front deck, back deck, middle back deck – all decks! While sitting in the dining hall looking through the windows or getting ready for dinner looking out our room window – sunsets. As the sky glowed with colour – starting from rich oranges to bright pinks, then on to strong then subtle purples, fading out until last light and night fell. Just magic.
In the last few days of the cruise (as if our minds hadn't been blown away enough), I went up in a helicopter to view the Montgomery Reef. The sand formations that revealed themselves as the tide subsided were stunning. This one formed the shape and textures of a leaf - simple and so perfect.
Montgomery Reef... I won't go into details explaining this natural phenomenon, so if you haven't heard of it give it a google. Can't even think of a caption for this place... I think the photo speaks for itself. Mind-blowing.
I hope you enjoyed this visual story of my cruise experience. We visited so many amazing locations on the coast in saltwater country, almost too many to count (or remember!). I loved all of them and would love to go back one day to see more. However, I have definitely confirmed that I am a freshwater girl. I could have spent a very, very, very long amount of time at King George Falls, loved travelling up the rivers in the tenders, and exploring secret springs and waterfalls. This is what makes my heart happy.
Huge thanks to Scotty Connell from Kimberley Spirit for this once in a lifetime opportunity, also to each and every one of the legendary team from Kimberley Quest!
Landscape prints from this trip can be found on my online Print Store.
Check out Kimberley Quest here:
And, I am very proud to be an ambassador for The Kimberley Australia, you can find them here:
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of future posts, new prints and offers.