Hanover Bay to Broome July 2014, by Fiona
Lloyd and I left Perth on a cold rainy July morning for the two hour flight to Broome.
After loading up with fresh food to resupply FatBlueSky, the next day we drove two hours to Derby. Already we were appreciating the beautiful warm weather, dramatic change in the landscape and spectacular sunsets.
Our adventure started when we took off the next morning in a small KAS helicopter from Derby for another two hour flight. The view from the air was incredible, with the massive tidal influence on the rivers on display. One third of the way into our journey we landed on a boulder in the middle of nowhere where the pilot had a secret fuel stash under a big rock. Next stop was the white sandy beach at Hanover Bay selected by Colin and crew as a good landing spot. The pilot, Guy, had never been there but had the coordinates and was as excited as us to be going to a new place. Our first view of the stunning turquoise waters of the Kimberley was breathtaking but nothing could surpass the feeling when we flew over a mountain range and there below us was FatBlueSky with four enthusiastic people waving madly. Guy buzzed the boat then landed on the beach and Col, Nic, Mon and Paul arrived in a flash with cold champagne to greet us. Soon Guy took off with Mon and Paul and we were out on the boat being introduced to Kimberley cruising life with a lunch of sashimi prepared from a Mackerel that Paul had caught earlier in the day and fresh bread baked by Colin. The wonderful welcome we received counterbalanced a slightly shocked feeling that we had just been dropped into one of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet.
The next few days were spent exploring the Prince Regent River. We stopped overnight in Purulba creek anchored next to a stunning rock face that our voices echoed off. These acoustics encouraged Colin to get out his bagpipes and play a couple of tunes. A crocodile that had swum up to the boat and then sidled over to the rocky wall to keep an eye on us politely kept out of sight after this performance.
We woke up to a rainy day for our trip up to King Cascade. The navigation was tricky with lots of sandbars and islands and we were happy to see the charter boat, Reef Prince, come up behind us and then show us their usual track. Arriving at the waterfall with plenty of warnings about the infamous fatal crocodile attack in 1987 on a pretty American model, we were happy to take the advice of crew from the Reef Prince about the best track to climb up to a freshwater swimming hole above the falls. Fortunately we had the place to ourselves because the rain made it too hazardous for the elderly guests on the charter boat to climb up. The sun came out on cue and we had a lovely climb and swim, being mindful to get back to the boat before the tide hampered our mooring to a small tree, and to negotiate the sandbanks back down the river.
St. George Basin provided another overnight stop on our way to High Bluff. The tide provided fun whirlpools to negotiate and pushed the boat along at near 11 knots at times. This speed was surpassed the next day going through Roger’s Straight at up to 12 knots before we went past the beautiful Tengarra Bay. We sailed past Kuri Bay and past one of the only other private yachts that we saw on our trip, a single handed bloke sailing a catamaran. That day we saw a turtle, dolphins and our first glimpse of a whale. As we entered Sampson Inlet a sting ray jumped out of the water and did a backflip through the air. We shared Sampson Inlet with a large private motor yacht Anya and after the crew were astounded at Lloyd and Nic’s inability to catch a fish, they shared a spare snapper with us.
The next morning Col and Nic went off to pull some fresh oysters off the rocks and brought back a few tasty morsels. Lloyd and I went exploring in the dingy up through a stunning gorge to a small sandy beach, looking for the ubiquitous freshwater pool and waterfall that lay beyond. Some fresh looking crocodile prints and tail swish marks on the sandy beach, combined with an outgoing tide, made us cautious so we stayed in the dingy and rowed it into a beautiful rock pond full of fish, fed by a small but noisy waterfall. Mindful of the story of another couple a few years earlier who had their dingy chomped by a croc and were stranded for several days, we beat a hasty retreat in the tinny, back down the shady gorge, to the safety of FatBlueSky.
Col and Nic caught a snapper in lower Sampson Inlet and we spent one of many evenings looking at the amazing night sky.
A night in Deception Bay was followed by a day visiting the remarkable Langgi which must be viewed at low tide and is like snorkelling through interesting rock formations without the water. The living molluscs are still clinging to the rocks waiting for the water to flow back in every few hours. More whales seen today but only a few compared to what lay ahead. Lloyd was keen to put up the asymmetric spinnaker for our sail into Raft Point and it gave the 106 guests on National Geographic Orion something to photograph while they were being transported to the beach in 10 Zodiacs for a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony and a hike up to see the famous Rock Art. It was also a talking point for one of their crew who was a yachtie and had recently sailed his catamaran across the Pacific.
Horizontal Waterfall was our next overnight stop. Nic needed to fly back to Perth for family reasons so she booked on a seaplane to Broome. There was a thriving business with several seaplanes flying guests in and out throughout the day and even an overnight hotel. Lloyd and I took the high speed tour through the waterfalls. It was a thrilling ride and a unique tidal phenomenon that was an amplified version of what we had already experienced with the massive Kimberley tides.
Dugong Bay brought us our second close encounter with a croc. Our timing was a bit out so we found ourselves exploring a mangrove lined gorge which was only about 5 metres wide at a less than ideal low tide. Cautiously, not wanting to spend too long there, Lloyd had turned around to motor out, only for Colin to notice a 5 metre Croc eyeing us off while blocking the exit. Thankfully he sank below the surface and Lloyd hooned it out of there while we hung on very tight. Our Kimberley cruising guide published in 2007 does mention a large resident croc and we are happy to confirm he is still there!
Silvergull Creek was another interesting stop. We went up river to meet the new residents Mal and Shel who have taken over from Phil and Marion who had lived there for 16 years. Marion had sadly died after a long illness, only 3 weeks before but had left the creek about a year earlier. Mal and Shel gave us a guided tour of the establishment including a freshwater spring and tank for swimming, vegie gardens, tobacco plants, a BBQ area for yachties, and even a tourist shop for guests from the charter boats. They get about 3,000 visitors per year and are very welcoming. Mal and Shel recommended our next few stops that were highlights of the highlights: Crocodile Creek and Silica Beach.
We arrived at Crocodile Creek at 8 am in order to navigate the sandbars that would prevent our entry at low tide. We found the deep pool right up next to a water fall and tied the bow to a rock and the stern to a ladder up to a freshwater pool. This was definitely paradise but we remained wary of dipping into the temptingly beautiful pool. 106 Orion guests in black Zodiacs to the rescue! The crew from the Orion tossed their guests into the pool for us and not one of them was eaten by a croc. They also told us they had not seen a croc there all season and they visit every couple of weeks. As soon as they left, a tedious process involving getting all the oldies back down that ladder, we had the place to ourselves again. We enjoyed a relaxing swim, climbed up the waterfall to another pool and even did our clothes washing in the freshwater pool.
That evening I caught my first fish, a sea mullet. It was delicious. After champagne and star gazing we dozed off to sleep to the sound of our own private waterfall just metres from the back of the boat.
Another early morning to catch the high tide and we were off to Coppermine Creek. Here we were escorted into the creek by 3 playful dolphins who frolicked in our bow-wave for ages. Once anchored, Col and Lloyd went off in the dinghy for some fishing. They weren’t gone long when they came speeding back. Alas, no fish caught, but they had got ‘slightly’ stuck on a mud bank while being distracted watching a large croc sliding into the water 100 metres away. Some maneuvering with the outboard motor and all was good again. Soon after a large private fishing boat ‘Southern Image’ came motoring past with 2 families including young kids on board. When told about the croc, the skipper asked hopefully if he ate children. Perhaps multiple kids on a boat in a remote region can take its toll.
Silica Beach at the top end of Hidden Island was our next stop. Lovely white squeaky sand. Then the trip across the top of King Sound. With 20-25kts from the south east it was one of the few times we got to sail without the motor running. As we approached Cape Leveque the strong winds running against the fast tidal currents created regions of flat water right up against 2 metre high breaking waves. Lloyd had great fun negotiating the tricky conditions. After the weeks in the Kimberley arriving at Cape Leveque felt like getting back to civilisation, mobile phone reception and a Cafe!
On the trip down to Beagle Bay we saw numerous whale pods, mostly just splashing on the horizon as they breached. On approach to the bay we came across 3 whales right on our course. Over about half an hour the whales entertained us with breaching, rolling, and fin and tail slapping before they headed off to deeper waters. Beagle Bay also provided our only, brief encounter with a Dugong.
With Broome and fresh food beckoning we put in a couple of longish days with a stop over at Cape Baskerville. Observing different whale pods from close up and a far over 3 days was magical. Just after sunset, on our 19th day on-board, we approached Gauntheame Point. Fresh Barracuda caught that day provided a fitting meal to end our remarkable Kimberley adventure. Many thanks to Col and Nic for doing all the hard yards to make this possible.
Lloyd and I left Perth on a cold rainy July morning for the two hour flight to Broome.
After loading up with fresh food to resupply FatBlueSky, the next day we drove two hours to Derby. Already we were appreciating the beautiful warm weather, dramatic change in the landscape and spectacular sunsets.
Our adventure started when we took off the next morning in a small KAS helicopter from Derby for another two hour flight. The view from the air was incredible, with the massive tidal influence on the rivers on display. One third of the way into our journey we landed on a boulder in the middle of nowhere where the pilot had a secret fuel stash under a big rock. Next stop was the white sandy beach at Hanover Bay selected by Colin and crew as a good landing spot. The pilot, Guy, had never been there but had the coordinates and was as excited as us to be going to a new place. Our first view of the stunning turquoise waters of the Kimberley was breathtaking but nothing could surpass the feeling when we flew over a mountain range and there below us was FatBlueSky with four enthusiastic people waving madly. Guy buzzed the boat then landed on the beach and Col, Nic, Mon and Paul arrived in a flash with cold champagne to greet us. Soon Guy took off with Mon and Paul and we were out on the boat being introduced to Kimberley cruising life with a lunch of sashimi prepared from a Mackerel that Paul had caught earlier in the day and fresh bread baked by Colin. The wonderful welcome we received counterbalanced a slightly shocked feeling that we had just been dropped into one of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet.
The next few days were spent exploring the Prince Regent River. We stopped overnight in Purulba creek anchored next to a stunning rock face that our voices echoed off. These acoustics encouraged Colin to get out his bagpipes and play a couple of tunes. A crocodile that had swum up to the boat and then sidled over to the rocky wall to keep an eye on us politely kept out of sight after this performance.
We woke up to a rainy day for our trip up to King Cascade. The navigation was tricky with lots of sandbars and islands and we were happy to see the charter boat, Reef Prince, come up behind us and then show us their usual track. Arriving at the waterfall with plenty of warnings about the infamous fatal crocodile attack in 1987 on a pretty American model, we were happy to take the advice of crew from the Reef Prince about the best track to climb up to a freshwater swimming hole above the falls. Fortunately we had the place to ourselves because the rain made it too hazardous for the elderly guests on the charter boat to climb up. The sun came out on cue and we had a lovely climb and swim, being mindful to get back to the boat before the tide hampered our mooring to a small tree, and to negotiate the sandbanks back down the river.
St. George Basin provided another overnight stop on our way to High Bluff. The tide provided fun whirlpools to negotiate and pushed the boat along at near 11 knots at times. This speed was surpassed the next day going through Roger’s Straight at up to 12 knots before we went past the beautiful Tengarra Bay. We sailed past Kuri Bay and past one of the only other private yachts that we saw on our trip, a single handed bloke sailing a catamaran. That day we saw a turtle, dolphins and our first glimpse of a whale. As we entered Sampson Inlet a sting ray jumped out of the water and did a backflip through the air. We shared Sampson Inlet with a large private motor yacht Anya and after the crew were astounded at Lloyd and Nic’s inability to catch a fish, they shared a spare snapper with us.
The next morning Col and Nic went off to pull some fresh oysters off the rocks and brought back a few tasty morsels. Lloyd and I went exploring in the dingy up through a stunning gorge to a small sandy beach, looking for the ubiquitous freshwater pool and waterfall that lay beyond. Some fresh looking crocodile prints and tail swish marks on the sandy beach, combined with an outgoing tide, made us cautious so we stayed in the dingy and rowed it into a beautiful rock pond full of fish, fed by a small but noisy waterfall. Mindful of the story of another couple a few years earlier who had their dingy chomped by a croc and were stranded for several days, we beat a hasty retreat in the tinny, back down the shady gorge, to the safety of FatBlueSky.
Col and Nic caught a snapper in lower Sampson Inlet and we spent one of many evenings looking at the amazing night sky.
A night in Deception Bay was followed by a day visiting the remarkable Langgi which must be viewed at low tide and is like snorkelling through interesting rock formations without the water. The living molluscs are still clinging to the rocks waiting for the water to flow back in every few hours. More whales seen today but only a few compared to what lay ahead. Lloyd was keen to put up the asymmetric spinnaker for our sail into Raft Point and it gave the 106 guests on National Geographic Orion something to photograph while they were being transported to the beach in 10 Zodiacs for a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony and a hike up to see the famous Rock Art. It was also a talking point for one of their crew who was a yachtie and had recently sailed his catamaran across the Pacific.
Horizontal Waterfall was our next overnight stop. Nic needed to fly back to Perth for family reasons so she booked on a seaplane to Broome. There was a thriving business with several seaplanes flying guests in and out throughout the day and even an overnight hotel. Lloyd and I took the high speed tour through the waterfalls. It was a thrilling ride and a unique tidal phenomenon that was an amplified version of what we had already experienced with the massive Kimberley tides.
Dugong Bay brought us our second close encounter with a croc. Our timing was a bit out so we found ourselves exploring a mangrove lined gorge which was only about 5 metres wide at a less than ideal low tide. Cautiously, not wanting to spend too long there, Lloyd had turned around to motor out, only for Colin to notice a 5 metre Croc eyeing us off while blocking the exit. Thankfully he sank below the surface and Lloyd hooned it out of there while we hung on very tight. Our Kimberley cruising guide published in 2007 does mention a large resident croc and we are happy to confirm he is still there!
Silvergull Creek was another interesting stop. We went up river to meet the new residents Mal and Shel who have taken over from Phil and Marion who had lived there for 16 years. Marion had sadly died after a long illness, only 3 weeks before but had left the creek about a year earlier. Mal and Shel gave us a guided tour of the establishment including a freshwater spring and tank for swimming, vegie gardens, tobacco plants, a BBQ area for yachties, and even a tourist shop for guests from the charter boats. They get about 3,000 visitors per year and are very welcoming. Mal and Shel recommended our next few stops that were highlights of the highlights: Crocodile Creek and Silica Beach.
We arrived at Crocodile Creek at 8 am in order to navigate the sandbars that would prevent our entry at low tide. We found the deep pool right up next to a water fall and tied the bow to a rock and the stern to a ladder up to a freshwater pool. This was definitely paradise but we remained wary of dipping into the temptingly beautiful pool. 106 Orion guests in black Zodiacs to the rescue! The crew from the Orion tossed their guests into the pool for us and not one of them was eaten by a croc. They also told us they had not seen a croc there all season and they visit every couple of weeks. As soon as they left, a tedious process involving getting all the oldies back down that ladder, we had the place to ourselves again. We enjoyed a relaxing swim, climbed up the waterfall to another pool and even did our clothes washing in the freshwater pool.
That evening I caught my first fish, a sea mullet. It was delicious. After champagne and star gazing we dozed off to sleep to the sound of our own private waterfall just metres from the back of the boat.
Another early morning to catch the high tide and we were off to Coppermine Creek. Here we were escorted into the creek by 3 playful dolphins who frolicked in our bow-wave for ages. Once anchored, Col and Lloyd went off in the dinghy for some fishing. They weren’t gone long when they came speeding back. Alas, no fish caught, but they had got ‘slightly’ stuck on a mud bank while being distracted watching a large croc sliding into the water 100 metres away. Some maneuvering with the outboard motor and all was good again. Soon after a large private fishing boat ‘Southern Image’ came motoring past with 2 families including young kids on board. When told about the croc, the skipper asked hopefully if he ate children. Perhaps multiple kids on a boat in a remote region can take its toll.
Silica Beach at the top end of Hidden Island was our next stop. Lovely white squeaky sand. Then the trip across the top of King Sound. With 20-25kts from the south east it was one of the few times we got to sail without the motor running. As we approached Cape Leveque the strong winds running against the fast tidal currents created regions of flat water right up against 2 metre high breaking waves. Lloyd had great fun negotiating the tricky conditions. After the weeks in the Kimberley arriving at Cape Leveque felt like getting back to civilisation, mobile phone reception and a Cafe!
On the trip down to Beagle Bay we saw numerous whale pods, mostly just splashing on the horizon as they breached. On approach to the bay we came across 3 whales right on our course. Over about half an hour the whales entertained us with breaching, rolling, and fin and tail slapping before they headed off to deeper waters. Beagle Bay also provided our only, brief encounter with a Dugong.
With Broome and fresh food beckoning we put in a couple of longish days with a stop over at Cape Baskerville. Observing different whale pods from close up and a far over 3 days was magical. Just after sunset, on our 19th day on-board, we approached Gauntheame Point. Fresh Barracuda caught that day provided a fitting meal to end our remarkable Kimberley adventure. Many thanks to Col and Nic for doing all the hard yards to make this possible.
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