A yacht charter in The Kimberley will transport you to a place of tranquil relaxation with a generous side helping of pioneering spirit. The rich earthen colours and stark landscapes are offset by abundant wildlife and a stunning coastline that has barely changed since the first human settlers arrived eons ago. If you're looking for pure escapism on your yacht charter, two weeks in The Kimberley is the answer.
Captain Duncan Smith of motor yacht MYSTIC TIDE has prepared a sample itinerary to give you a taster of this magnificent region.
Fly into Wyndham Airport to the far north of this vast region and following embarkation the yacht will set off for the Berkeley River to the west, where you will anchor for the night. Enjoy your first few hours on board taking in the magical surroundings and settling into the comfort of your luxury charter yacht, with sundowners on the aft deck and dinner the star-studded sky.
The Kimberley is known for its terrific sports fishing, so rise early and be the first on board to land the region’s famous barramundi. If fishing isn’t your thing, head ashore for a peaceful walk to a waterhole or the local waterfalls. After lunch, weigh anchor and sail to Koolama Bay, where the yacht will join the King George River system which includes its impressive 50-metre-high Twin Falls, Western Australia’s tallest waterfall. The night’s anchorage at Tranquil Bay will give you the feeling that you are the only people in the world, with nothing but the local wildlife for company. A trip ashore will reveal unique Australian species including rock wallabies, dingoes and birds such as the osprey and sea eagle.
It’s time to explore ashore along the King George River. Jump in the tender and make your way through the King George River system, on the lookout for a curious local manatee species, the dugong. Climb the rope tracks to the top of Twin Falls for a panoramic vista of this beautiful landscape and take a dip in the freshwater swimming hole. This is the perfect setting for your adventurous picnic lunch of fresh-picked rock oysters. In the evening, head out to the Curran Point sheltered anchorage at the mouth of the Drysdale River, where some stellar fishing awaits the following day.
The Drysdale River region is famous for two things: fantastic fishing and its protected resident “prehistoric” bearded dragon lizards. Spend the day out on the water hunting for dinner, or head ashore to take in the local wildlife and walk along a deserted beach, ending the day’s activities with a delicious sundowner cocktail and beach barbecue of fresh-caught fish. After dinner, head to the new anchorage of Vansittart Bay for the following day’s events.
Learn about The Kimberley’s indigenous cultures at the historical sites including the Bradshaw rock art and cave paintings at Gwion Gwion, which date back over 17,000 years. This is a great area for the kids to become intrepid explorers, with myriad coves across the bay ripe for a treasure hunt.
A short cruise west takes you to the mouth of the Mitchell River, where you can take to the skies on a helicopter tour of the Mitchell Plateau and surrounding area. Touch down at Surveyors Creek to cool off in the river before returning to the yacht and continuing on to Wary Bay of Bigge Island, Australia’s third largest island after the mainland and Tasmania. En route, head to the bow to keep watch for the pods of humpback whales known to migrate through the area between July and September. Once at anchor, you can head ashore in the tender to tour the local caves with indigenous Wandjina and Bradshaw art. The beaches are also known hatching grounds for sea turtles, as well as home to the cute echidna, dingo, rock wallaby, hermit crabs and crocodiles. Your captain will move the yacht to the sheltered waters of York Sound for a peaceful night’s rest.
This is the heartland of natural beauty in The Kimberley. Vertiginous terracotta cliffs create a dramatic coastline while lush green rainforest awaits for the adventurous explorers in your group. Don your hiking boots and head inland from the Hunter River system to Donkin’s Falls. Postcard-worthy Naturalist Island makes a perfect stop for an evening’s entertainment and barbecue ashore on the white-sand beach. The following day, head to Careening Bay to visit the historical, enormous boab tree, which stands at over 12.5 metres wide. Finish up the day with a cruise to the mouth of the Prince Regent River in the St George Basin, a deep landlocked harbour bounded by steep cliffs and mangroves.
Awake to the imposing views of Mount Trafalgar and Mount Waterloo, leading down to the mangroves that line the edge of the water. Take a tender ride through the Prince Regent River Biosphere Reserve, on the lookout for lazing crocodiles bobbing in the water on your way to the Kings Cascades waterfalls, followed by a picnic lunch at Camp Creek.
After an overnight cruise, you will enjoy breakfast overlooking Camden Sound, a known breeding area for humpback whales, as well as resident blue, pigmy and pilot whales, not to mention pods of bottlenose dolphins. A trip ashore to Sheep Island is a stark reminder of how tough this remote environment is, with relics of early camps and the grave of Mary Pascoe, the Kimberley’s first European settler to be buried in the region.
The nearby Montgomery Reef offers a great opportunity to swim with manta rays, turtles, dugong manatees and dozens of tropical fish. Spend the morning in the water and explore this beautiful underwater world that extends 400 square kilometres out to sea. After lunch, cruise to the beautiful and rugged Sale River for a tender ride with the rainforest meeting you at the river’s banks, or drop a fishing line into the water to try your luck at catching dinner enjoyed at anchor in Doubtful Bay.
Set off for Red Cone Falls in search of prize catches of golden snapper, mangrove jack, estuary cod and threadfin salmon. Mud-crabbing in the mangrove creeks will provide adventure and fun by the bucket-load, as long as the resident estuarine crocodiles don’t steal your winnings. Head to Raft Point via Steep Island, where after a somewhat challenging hike you will be rewarded by superb Wandjina-style rock art of the ‘Great Fish Chase’ legend.
Views of the mythical-looking Talbot Bay will greet you as you rise in the morning, with their dramatic horizontal waterfalls known as ‘The Gaps’. Head on a shopping spree to the Talbot Bay Pearl Farm, to pick up one of the beautiful locally-grown mementos before donning your swimsuit to have a dip at one of the local swimming holes like Crocodile Creek. On the last night of your yacht charter in The Kimberley, enjoy the magical unique atmosphere on the white-sand Silica Beach with a sundowner and fresh fish dinner.
Watch the sun rise over the seemingly endless 22-kilometre-long Cable Beach before you head for the quaint fishing town of Broome and disembark from your trip of a lifetime on a yacht charter in The Kimberley.
