State: Western Sailing
Operator: Adventure Express
Minimum Price: AUD $ 6,990

Discover the heartland of Australia's northernmost unspoilt outback. The Kimberley is a truly unique experience and a 10 night expedition cruise allows you to uncover the exotic landscape from Darwin to Broome. A maximum of 72 passengers on board with the choice of King, Queen or Twin suites.

Day 1: Depart Darwin

10:00am: Board Oceanic Discoverer for an 11.00am departure. Today we cross the Cambridge Gulf and sail into Western Australian waters. This evening enjoy the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party.

Day 2: King George River

At approximately noon we arrive at King George River and with the Explorer, our specially designed excursion vessel explores the scenic gorges and views the mighty King George waterfalls. Visit Tranquil Bay for beach walking and exploration.

Day 3: Bigge Island

This morning we visit the sea bird rookeries on Low Rocks. If time permits we make a stop at Cape Voltaire for a swim and beach exploration. This afternoon we visit the amazing aboriginal rock art gallery on Bigge Island.

Day 4: Prince Frederick Harbour

Cruising into Prince Frederick Harbour we anchor at Naturalist Island. Here we have helicopters available for optional scenic flights to the Surveyor and Mitchell Falls on the Mitchell Plateau and enjoy exploration of the surrounding area and enjoy a swim in the fresh water pools. This evening we enjoy a beach BBQ at sunset.

Day 5: Careening Bay

Careening Bay: Our lecturers lead us to the site of a large boab tree with the inscription "HMC Mermaid - 1820" still clearly visible. This afternoon we cruise into the very scenic Prince Regent Basin.

Day 6: Prince Regent River - Kings Cascades

With the Explorer we cruise the Prince Regent River and visit Kings Cascades, an unusual and picturesque waterfall cascading over terraced rock formations. We also visit Camp Creek for a picnic lunch and the opportunity to swim in fresh water ponds.

Day 7: Kuri Bay

Today we cruise through Kuri Bay home of the south sea pearl industry. We go ashore at Raft Point and visit a secluded and very interesting aboriginal rock art gallery. We also take the Explorer up one of the many river systems to the waterfalls and a fresh water swim. We may also plan an exploration stop at one of the many islands.

Day 8: Buccaneer Archipelago

The Buccaneer Archipelago consists of more than 800 islands and this area experiences over 10 metre tidal ranges, one of the largest in the world. Here our landings and activities are planned around the tides - a way of life in the Kimberley region. Our plans include reef walks and marine life study on Montgomery Reef and a visit to Talbot Bay and the amazing Horizontal Waterfalls.

Day 9: King Sound

Cruising through King Sound, witness the effects of the iron ore mining operations on Koolan and Cockatoo Islands. If time permits we may visit Cockatoo Island. We visit Crocodile Creek and enjoy exploration, and fresh water swimming.

Day 10: Lacepede Islands

Cruising through Yampi Sound we visit the Lacepede Islands. These islands are situated well off shore and are known for the turtle nestings and booby and frigate bird colonies. This evening we enjoy the Captain's Farewell Cocktail Party.

Day 11: Broome

08.00 am arrival into Broome.

 

Please Note: This itinerary is an indication of the reef, islands and coastal areas we visit. While every effort will be made to follow this itinerary we do reserve the right to vary this itinerary to make allowances for weather and tidal conditions and any other event that may affect the operation of the vessel. Itinerary is available in reverse for the Broome to Darwin tour

 

ACCOMMODATION:

Onboard accommodation comprises 36 spacious modern staterooms. You can select from Bridge, Promenade or Main Deck staterooms offering a choice of twin through to junior king-size doubles. All staterooms have an ocean view, en-suite facilities, settee, large wardrobe, desk, luggage storage, individual air-conditioning control, and are serviced daily.

 

FACILITIES:

What you would expect of a much larger cruise ship:

 

• Large sundeck
• Spa Pool
• Internet booth
• Comprehensive reference library
• Phone and fax facilities
• Lecture lounge with large plasma screen
• Limited laundry facilities
• Two fully stocked cocktail bars
• Boutique and dive shop
• Air-conditioned public areas

Oceanic Discoverer carries the latest in safety and navigational equipment and is the only Australian passenger ship registered with full SOLAS compliance allowing opportunities to explore a multitude of international voyages.

 

DINING:

All meals during the cruise are included. Breakfast and lunch are served the Dining Room located on the Main Deck and are buffet-style while dinner is table d’hote. Coffee and tea is available 24 hours. Standard hours are breakfast from 7:00-8:30am, lunch at 12:30pm and dinner at 7:30pm however meal times may vary according to the day's activities. Meal times will be advised in the onboard daily bulletins.

 

WHATS INCLUDED

• Accommodation in spacious Air-conditioned Staterooms serviced daily
• All meals, morning and afternoon teas
• Post mixed soft drinks on board
• 24 hour tea/coffee station
• Services of expedition staff and guest lecturers including:
• Slide, film, powerpoint presentations
• Lectures and briefings
• Guided expedition touring and walks
• Use of comprehensive resource library and video resources
• Guided tours on our purpose built expedition vessel ‘Xplorer’
• Use of snorkeling equipment incl. mask, snorkels

 

RATES

 

Valid till14th September '07	Deck B	Deck A	Promenade B	Promenade A	Bridge Deck
Twin Share	6990	7190	7590	7890	8290
Sole Use	10,485	10,785	11,385	11,835	N/A

• Excludes: Pre and Post flights and transfers; personal items such as telephone, facsimile charges, laundry, bar charges, travel insurance.
• Optional Costs: (During Cruise) Helicopter Flights to Mitchell Falls approx. $450.00 per person.
• Rates shown are per person in Australian Dollars and include Australian GST at 10%

Notes:

Trip Duration: 11 days
Departs from: Darwin
Tour Ends: Broome
Departure Days:

• Friday

Departure Time: 11am
Return Days:

• Sunday

Return Time: 8am