It’s mid-afternoon on a hot and humid Kununurra day as we sit expectantly at the Kimberley Grande hotel.
A bus pulls in and we are loaded on for the 50-minute drive to Wyndham. We glance at the collection of fellow passengers, then settle back for the ride– punctuated by bus driver Keith’s detailed commentary. After a quick stop at the Five Rivers Lookout, we arrive at the port.
Our luggage is unloaded and as we grab our bags a friendly crew member says hello and tells us not to worry about our bags – the crew will take care of them.
So begins 14 days of being spoilt by our 5 wonderful crew members on the spectacular Diversity III!
Watch the highlights video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/RNHMPgllttI
We sip champagne on the lower deck as Captain Cal gives us the safety and welcome spiel. Diversity III is an 82-foot luxury, air-conditioned catamaran with a draft of less than 2 metres and adorned in gleaming white fibreglass and blue marine carpet. It has three levels, plenty of outdoor space and caters to 12 passengers in six cabins – all airconditioned and with TVs and ensuites. The vessel produces 3500l of fresh water per day, it carries 11,000 litres of diesel and 750 litres of ULP. Diversity III has a crushing speed of 11 knots.
We steam on up the Cambridge Gulf towards the ocean as the sun sets. Dinner is served in the Dining Room as we all get acquainted and share wine and stories.
Later, 12 excited passengers bed down for the night, eagerly anticipating the first full day of exploring the Kimberley coast.
The next morning I woke early and climbed the stairs to the upper deck where I watched the sunrise over glassy, calm waters. We had anchored near the Berkley River, arriving only an hour or two before dawn. After breakfast we cruised into the Berkley River and motored leisurely under sunny skies upstream for 20 or 30 kilometres, surrounded by magnificent red cliffs on each side.
We anchored near the falls (the first of many) while the crew lowered the dinghies into the water in preparation for a trip to the cascading falls. Some of us stepped from the dinghies onto the base of the falls to experience a refreshing shower. Later that day we walked to a beautiful rock pool for a dip in the warm sunshine.
That evening we motored northwards to the mighty King George River in calm conditions under the light of the moon. After dinner, we were amazed when we peered into the moonlight to discover huge cliffs on either side of our boat as the skipper manoeuvred skillfully through the darkness to find a place to moor, not far from the awesome King George falls.
Next morning we stood at the bow as Diversity III motored cautiously towards the cascading falls. As the front metre of the boat went under the deluge, we were enveloped in a torrent – such an awesome experience! Being early April (just after the Wet Season) the falls were flowing with much volume and power – we shouted with excitement to be heard above the deafening roar.
The King George Falls are twin falls. We had been dunked under the lesser of the two. We then motored around to view the other waterfall – it was too immense and powerful to cruise under, but breathtakingly awesome to view. We then anchored and toured the area in the dinghies, visiting other gorges and waterfalls.
Later that day we boarded the dinghies and journeyed up a narrow side branch off the main river called King George’s Crack. It was only metres wide and heavily flanked on each side by towering cliffs. After leaving the dinghies, we rocked-hopped and waded upstream until the chasm narrowed even more. We then had to swim about 20 metres and climb up onto a higher rock platform where we were greeted by a cool and inviting plunge pool being fed by a small, but gushing waterfall.
Late that afternoon the crew were busy again. They’d set up a beach bonfire, complete with tables, chairs, food and drinks. But first, we all loaded into the 3 dinghies for a short cruise to Glycosmis Falls. Once again the view of another set of falls pounding down onto the river below was just awe-inspiring.
Once we’d viewed the falls (without getting wet!) we disembarked onto a lovely beach where we sipped champagne, had dinner and then shared our excitement of another spectacular day around a bonfire.
The next day we had our first of several barra fishing adventures. We worked hard in the near 40 degree heat in the mangroves of the Carson River north of Kalumbaru. I caught my first barra of the trip and they say the huge grin on my face was still there hours later during dinner!
In Vansittart Bay we visited the wreck of a DC3 aircraft that crashed in 1942 after overflying Broome in bad weather and running out of fuel. The occupants survived and were rescued several days later. Two of our crew gave a hilarious re-enactment from the cockpit of the wreck.
The following days featured several refreshing swims at beautiful beaches and visits to a number of indigenous rock art sites. On a barra fishing trip, we got caught in a storm. The heat of the day disappeared quite suddenly with the onset of an almost mysterious wind rushing up the water in between the cliffs. It was followed by rain – cold splashes of large drops with the clouds blocking the sun. It was quite an unusual experience zooming across the water in the dinghy back to the boat in the late afternoon with the Kimberley sun blocked by ominous clouds. That evening we marvelled at an amazing thunderstorm as lightning flashed and thunder boomed. We stood on the top deck and gaped at the sight.
The next morning we woke to the glorious Prince Regent River, watching the full moon set and the sun rise over glassy calm waters. We indulged in spot of barra fishing from the dinghies then a cruise to Kings Cascade where the skipper put the boat under the falls for a refreshing shower. We took an uphill scramble to swim in a pool above the falls. Day 10 on Diversity III – another day in paradise.
Montgomery Reef is an experience to behold. We anchored on glassy seas at high tide. As we motored along the reef, it rose magically out of the water in an amazing scene of rushing water. This was followed by sunset drinks on a beautiful sandbar that wasn’t there 2 hours previously.
The Horizontal Falls were astonishing. In Talbot Bay, a large body of water opens to the ocean via two narrow gorges. The nearest one is 20 metres wide and the upstream one is only 10 metres wide. Due to the huge and frequent tidal variations (tides of up to 10 metres, twice a day), a visible difference of several metres exists between the height of the water on either side of the narrow gorge creating a horizontal waterfall as thousands of litres of water flow each second to the shallower side. This creates waves, whirlpools and roaring currents that threaten to capsize any small craft attempting to pass through.
Kieran, our Guide, zoomed our small dinghy through the first “falls” in an exhilarating display of seamanship. It was both breathtaking and somewhat frightening as we bounced and buffeted our way through!
Before the 12 hour haul back to Broome, our last stop was the serene and beautiful Silica Beach. Here we all enjoyed a swim and then lunch, anchored only metres from the smooth white sand.
Unfortunately, after 14 magnificent days of being totally spoilt by the crew and experiencing amazing sights and fantastic adventures, we said goodbye to the wonderful Diversity III on a sunny morning in Roebuck Bay, Broome.
We had travelled 1200 nautical miles from Wyndham to Broome.
Memories of an absolute Bucket List experience will live forever in our minds.
Watch the highlights video: https://youtu.be/RNHMPgllttI
More from oldiewithacoldie
The author was a paying passenger on Diversity III and has no affiliation with Diversity Charters. The cruise was in April when the waterfalls were in full flow.
Kimberley Rock Art:
It is believed that man migrated to Australia between 50 and 100 thousand years ago, aided by lower sea-levels caused by an ice age. The north-west of Australia was probably settled by island-hopping from Indonesia using canoes.
The Kimberley’s rock art is amongst the world’s oldest – some thought to perhaps be 30,000 to 60,00 years old.
Wandjina is the Cloud or Rain Maker spirit associated with the north-west Kimberley in Western Australia. Wandjina images are painted on the rock galleries, marked in red and white ochre. The Wandjina images were traditionally repainted each decade to ensure the image was kept fresh. These images show heads and eyes, but no mouths – because they were all-powerful and didn’t require speech. Another theory suggests they depicted ancient astronauts wearing helmets. Wadjina art is believed to be up to 4,000 years old.
The Gwion Gwion (formerly Bradshaw) art is much older and may date up to 40,000 years or older. It represents a sophisticated cultural period. They are characterised by long slender bodies, often adorned by tasselled embellishments on arms, legs, head and hair. Joseph Bradshaw in 1891 described the facial profile of the figures “of a most pronounced aquiline type, quite different from any natives we have encountered”.
The central Kimberley Ngarinyin people suggested that the figures were painted by the mythical Guyon bird which made its wings bleed by scouring them on the rocks and using the blood to paint.
Montgomery Reef
Montgomery Reef is about 400 square kilometres in size and lies about 20 kilometres offshore between Camden Sound and Collier Bay. At high tide it is under water and not visible. If you anchor in Turtle Alley you will see the reef appear to rise from the ocean as the tides drops – this may only take an hour or two. The huge volume of water rushing off the exposed reef creates cascades and small vertical falls that can easily thrust a small dinghy around.
Barra Fishing in The Kimberley
The best Kimberley barra fishing is October to April. As the water temp drops in June/July they tend to go off the bite. A lot of people swear by using live bait – 8 to 12 cm mullet caught in cast nets. We fished lures exclusively (provided by the Boat) – we seemed to have lots of success on gold bombers. I took a few of my own lures and was really impressed with the two Zerek Live Mullet soft plastics I took (until I lost them!). I really recommend grabbing a dozen of these! Rob Gaden’s classic 120s also fish well.
Our crew favoured fishing one hour either side of low tide, but we also had success at other tides. You need to find smaller creeks and drains/gutters with mangroves/trees in the water offering structure. The action happens when you cast right on the structure, a metre off will not result in anything! It’s often a long patient process, casting and retrieving constantly while being bitten by March Flies and occasional sandflies. Rock bars and entrances where creeks flow into the main river are also good places to try. Our crew would get us to flog the water for 10 minutes and if nothing happened, then they would move the dinghy to another spot. We also caught Mangrove Jack, Fingermark Bream, Blue Nose Salmon and Trevally.
Don’t forget your Bushmans when on the dinghy.
Try these lures:
Zerek Live Mullet Soft Plastic Lure 5.5in – recommended!!
https://www.bcf.com.au/p/zerek-live-mullet-soft-plastic-lure-5.5in/M555462.html
Bomber 15A Heavy Duty Hard Body Lure 11.9cm Gold
https://www.bcf.com.au/p/bomber-15a-heavy-duty-hard-body-lure-11.9cm-gold/311379.html
Classic 120 Hard Body Lure
Videos at Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOb78jlryhs0FV3k73XblXw
