THE KIMBERLEY WITH TRUE NORTH & BY PRIVATE PLANE

Arrive in beautiful Broome this afternoon and transfer to the iconic Cable Beach Club Resort, situated right on 22-kilometre long Cable Beach. Our afternoon is free to relax and enjoy the resort’s expansive gardens and excellent facilities, or just to take a stroll or a swim at the beach. We’ll convene as the sun goes down – a Broome sunset is never to be forgotten – at the resort‘s Sunset Bar. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a welcome dinner at Cicetti Club, a tapas restaurant with a Venetian twist.

After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll head off on a walking tour of the town, which will include the pearl luggers which hark back to Broome’s historic pearl industry days; Sun Pictures, the open-air cinema which dates to 1916; Chinatown, and a visit to the Short Street Gallery, which showcases contemporary Indigenous art. Lunch will be at Matsos Brewery. Then we’ll discover Gantheume Point, known for its dinosaur footprints, made here 125 million years ago, as well as its views of red rock outcrops and turquoise seas. We’ll also explore the moving Chinese Cemetery, with its more than 90 graves and funerary monuments – both a moving commemoration of the pearling days, and a testament to Broome’s multicultural nature. This evening, we can choose where to dine – perhaps at one of the resort’s many options, or at restaurants close by along Cable Beach.

This morning, we embark on one of two fascinating Your World Experiences. One option is to join Robert Dann for an insight into Broome’s unique cultural mix, including its ancient Indigenous culture. We learn of the region’s Aboriginal and pearling history, bush tucker, and tragic stories of the Stolen Generations. Alternatively, travel out of town to Willie Creek Pearl Farm, where we learn about the cultured pearl farming process and take a boat ride to view live oyster farms. At 5pm, we embark the True North, our home for the next seven nights. This luxury cruising yacht carries a maximum of only 36 guests, and is equipped with its own helicopter and six dedicated adventure boats. After a cocktail reception, we’ll dine as the ship leaves port for the overnight cruise to Yampi Sound.

We awake to the spectacular sight of the Kimberley and savour breakfast as we glide past Cockatoo and Koolan Islands, both of which have an iron-ore mining history. Then it’s on to a Kimberley icon, the Horizontal Falls. Riding on a True North tender, we experience the extraordinary power of the huge tide as it flows rapidly through two narrow gorges. At additional cost, we can opt to fly over the falls on our own helicopter. Later, we swim and take a walk on the squeaky white sands of Silica Beach, or choose to take one of the adventure boats to Whirlpool Pass, another powerful example of the Kimberley tides. The evening ends with a leisurely dinner and drinks as we cruise to Doubtful Bay.

First, we explore the Sale River, riding the tide on a classic river expedition. For keen anglers, the mouth of the Sale offers the first chance to land a burramundi – at an additional cost, we can take off on a heli-fishing adventure to a rarely visited spot. We savour lunch as 360 square kilometres as the tide recedes. The falling tide sees the waters cascade into surrounding channels, and turtles, dugongs, crocodiles and other sea creatures make for open water. It’s also a feast for seabirds who swoop on the reef’s bounty.

We enter another fishing haven, Prince Regent River. Here we can fish for the mangrove jack and fingermark bream. As we reach King Cascade, the captain will manoeuvre True North right under the falls, and then we have a chance to explore the region further, perhaps on a hike, a swim in a pristine billabong, or a diversion to the spectacular Amphitheatre waterfall.

Our explorations of the Kimberley’s fascinating rivers continues with a cruise on the Hunter River, known for its red cliffs set amid lush rainforest and a tangle of mangroves. Here is another perfect setting for fishing, mud crabbing and birdwatching. We take an exhilarating walk to the hidden Jackson Falls, with the option of a helicopter flight over this splendid landscape at additional cost. If time permits, we’ll enjoy a sundowner at Naturalist Island before we cruise overnight to Vansittart Bay.

Today we have an opportunity to see awe-inspiring Gwion Gwion art, also known as Bradshaws – ancient rock art that pre-dates most other examples of Indigenous culture and may date back as far as 12,000 years, among the world’s oldest-known paintings. Vansittart Bay is famed for its monster mackerel, so again the anglers among us will be busy. A highlight of our journey is today’s lunch at Eagle Falls, with the helicopter flying us to and from this memorable picnic spot. As well, the tenders will be busy exploring the local beaches and creeks before we make for Koolama Bay as we sleep.