One of the world’s last true wilderness areas, the Kimberley region is overwhelming in its beauty. It's a place where you can take a slow camel ride along a white sandy beach at sunset, or speed through Australia’s only horizontal waterfalls in red-kissed gorges. A sacred place where Aboriginal culture and history are inextricably bound with the land and water. The stories they can tell you, and the knowledge they can share. It’s a place where you can dine under a million stars, soar over ancient mountain ranges and swim in crystal clear oceans. It’s unforgettable, our place. Once you see it, you’ll wish it was yours, too.
Lake Argyle, East Kimberley
1. Step into a sacred gallery
Explore ancient art of epic importance. Ngajarli (deep gorge), within the rugged Murujuga National Park, is home to one of the world’s largest collections of petroglyphs. Art engraved into rocks dating back at least 47,000 years depicts people and animals, including the long-extinct Tasmanian tiger. Follow in the footsteps of traditional owners as Ngurrangga Tours share a rich past so indelibly entwined with the present.
2. Discover hidden gems
Azure ocean sparkles all around the Willie Creek Pearls boat, hinting at the coveted treasure below. The Australian South Sea Pearl is admired the world over for its lustre, colour and size, and Willie Creek farms some of the whitest and most lustrous. Cruising over azurewaters, you'll see oysters suspended in natural beauty, waiting to surrender their bounty. Watch a fascinating live harvest as you get a masterclass in pearl farming.
Willie Creek Pearl Farm, Broome
3. Worship in wonder
The songs of ancestors ring out in Gija to the rhythm of traditional tapping sticks, as you stand, spine tingling, in one of nature's finest amphitheatres. Bec Sampi, of Kingfisher Tours, welcomes you to Cathedral Gorge in full voice. Deep within the Bungle Bungle Range at Purnululu National Park, this ethereal amphitheater also offers cool respite before winding past striped beehive-like domes, another natural buzz in this awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cathedral Gorge, Purnululu National Park
4. Cruise into twilight
Watch archer fish take watery potshots at outstretched hands and wallaroos bound across the shore as twilight twinkles bewitchingly over Lake Argyle. The craggy red outline of Carr Boyd Range lure you towards glistening blue waters, luring you in for a dip. Soak up the sunset with drinks and canapes as Lake Argyle Cruises navigate the 90 islands and inlets that make the southern hemisphere’s biggest man-made lake a haven for all things bright and beautiful.
5. Picnic in perfection
Picture this: You and other guests aboard the luxe vessel True North are whisked away by helicopter to the top of a lush waterfall in the wild. Are you dreaming? Water thunders down Melaleuca Falls as you soak in a billabong, the heady scent of barbecue wafting through the air. Devour freshly caught seafood and sip chilled wine, the sense of occasion overwhelmingly surreal. Outback luxury at its most extraordinary.
True North at King Cascade
6. Ride the Horizontal Falls
Feel the full force of nature as your jet boat whizzes through a narrow gap on surging ocean tides. An exhilarating ride through astonishing wilderness of rippled reds and brilliant blues. Millions of litres push through two ancient limestone ‘fingers’ in the McLarty Ranges, as tides as high as 10 metres ebb and flow, creating the Horizontal Falls / Garaanngaddim.
7. Soak up the wild
Is there a more blissfully romantic bath for two than the one atop of Chamberlain Gorge? The Chamberlain Suite is El Questro Homestead’s most luxurious, making the most of truly jaw-dropping surroundings. After a of day horse riding or hiking to hidden waterfalls and hot springs, revive those aching muscles with a decadent bath as another unforgettable day draws to a close, the setting sun basking red and purple-tinged cliffs in golden light.
8. Follow the tides
Feel the spirit of the Tide Drifters with an Aboriginal guide, as you hop across secluded islands and beautiful beaches in the spectacular Buccaneer Archipelago, from Bardi to Jawi country, with Ooolin Sunday Island Tours. Navigate whirlpools between Joolom and Jayirru and learn how the surging tides were used to hunt and fish with Jawi woman Rosannna Angus. Discover Goodngarngoon, the place of running water, and experience a connection thousands of years in the making.
9. Light up your soul
The tropical air is warm, the tunes are cool and the views across the Indian Ocean simply breathtaking. Send a message of gratitude to the universe. As darkness descends, cast a floating lantern into the rippling water and watch hundreds of lights bob along in a glorious dance of reflection. Part of the 10-day annual Shinju Matsuri (Festival of the Pearl), this illuminating experience will fill your soul.
Shinju Matsuri, Broome
10. Shoot for the moon
As the sun slowly sinks on another day in paradise, something truly magical is rising in its wake. The distinctive sounds of the didgeridoo float through the Mangrove Hotel overlooking Roebuck Bay, heralding the arrival of an incredible spectacle. The Staircase to the Moon arises atfull Moon between March and October, moonlight snaking over the bay’s exposed mudflats, creating the illusion of golden steps to the lunar surface.
Staircase to the Moon, Broome
Published September 2022.
