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Sunday, 1 August 2010

Orion Expedition Cruises - ‘’ICE CREAMS ARE SERVED AS THE CROCS CIRCLE IN THE DISTANCE – SURREAL!’’





Orion Expedition Cruises

‘’ICE CREAMS ARE SERVED AS THE CROCS CIRCLE IN THE DISTANCE – SURREAL!’’ 


Day 1 – Embarkation, Darwin, Australia
Upon arrival we are kindly met by the crew and served orange juice (welcome in the Darwin heat). Luggage is taken care of and I am introduced to Melvin my lovely cabin steward, leaving me free to explore my new home for the 10 day voyage.
Whilst Deck 3 is mainly for guest accommodation, Deck 4 features a mixture of guest accommodation, the Atrium area (with reception, shop and health spa) and the bar. At the back of the ship on Deck 4 is the al fresco dining space, used for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The top Deck of the ship features a fabulous observation lounge, a fully equipped lecture theatre, a small gym, and an outside deck area for relaxing, sunbathing and enjoying the whirlpool.
First impression is VERY good, with plenty of space and lots of smiling friendly faces. My Junior Suite is spacious and relaxing with lots of wardrobe space (thank goodness!), an extremely comfortable queen size bed and a marble bathroom with a large shower. I have all the mod cons I need from iPod decking station to flat screen TV and DVD player.
We have our introduction in the Leda lounge - this is where all the main expedition presentations will take place - it has a very comfortable, casual feel and we are greeted with glass of champagne. Darrin Bennett was our chief expedition leader on this trip – an expert in the Kimberley Region of Australia – and other qualified experts also making up the expedition team. After the mandatory drill there’s more champagne on the sun deck and we wave goodbye to Darwin as the sunsets – a beautiful sight. We meet the Captain and his crew; the Captain is a fantastic German character with a fabulous sense of humour - I think we’re in for a good trip.
Straight away onboard Orion you get the feeling of a very sociable and relaxed atmosphere and by the time dinner is served in the Constellation Restaurant everyone is chattering away to each other. We officially meet Clinton who is in charge of the restaurant dining arrangements (and I will discover throughout the cruise just how fantastic he is) and he has arranged for us to be seated with a wonderful Australian couple, and instantly a friendship is forged.
For dinner you can either choose to eat in the more formal restaurant or dine outside under the stars in the Delphinus Cafe, either with others or at a table for two. The menu is designed by Serge Dansereau who owns Sydney’s Bathers Pavilion.
The guests are predominantly Australian, with some Americans and British to give an international feel. There is also a real mixture of ages and interests. Some are onboard for complete relaxation; some have been purely inspired by the incredible Rock Art; others for the whale and shark watching opportunities; and all have chosen Orion for the authentic experience, a mixture of the wildlife, scenery, exploration and sensational onboard service and amenities.




Days 2 & 3 – Days at sea - days to learn and relax
At 9.30am we have the briefing of the 10 zodiacs on board, I can feel the buzz of excitement in the room - this is what it’s going to be all about on board Orion and we get an insight as to what lies ahead.
There is plenty to occupy us this afternoon - we decide to head to the lecture theatre for Harry’s (expedition team) presentation on the Wanjina Aboriginal Rock Art. All the Orion Expedition Crew have such extensive knowledge and their passion is infectious - they are such a huge part of what makes this cruise so special.
We later head to the lecture theatre for Darrin Bennett’s talk on the Bradshaw Rock Art. This presentation is fascinating as we learn that the Bradshaw Art possibly dates back to over 50,000 years, quite incredible and there is debate as to where this art originates. Darrin shows us how the Kimberly region would have looked thousands of years ago, making it accessible for Indonesian tribes searching for food. This is an ongoing mystery and I’m looking forward to discovering this vast land even more now.
The rest of the day is spent mainly eating relaxing and catching different lectures throughout the day with either the expedition team or the guest speaker Professor Skinner a geologist specialist from Yale University. You don’t have to attend these, though most seem to as it’s generally full - we’ve all come onboard Orion to learn and explore.


Day 4 - The Bungle Bungle's
We are in Wyndham today, the northernmost town in Western Australia, and the gateway to the Kimberley region. It is surrounded by spectacular landforms, rivers and wetlands. The actual shire of Wyndham covers 121,000 square kilometres, making it almost twice the size of Tasmania, with a population of around 7,300 people. Close by to the Wyndham port is the town of Kununurra (about an hour inland), a green oasis thanks to the wetlands, and the largest man-made lake in Australia – Lake Argyle.
10.30am we disembark for our adventure! Most people have chosen to do the complimentary Bungle Bungle flight. They split the guests into 2 different departures which is great as it actually gives you the opportunity to travel overland and catch a glimpse of some real Aussie Out-Back Towns, and have a great packed lunch provided by the ship. We catch our flight from the town of Kununurra with Alligator Airways.
The Bungle Bungle Range spreads over 45,000 hectares, and became famous after a 1982 documentary was shown on Australian television. Just 5 years later National Park status was granted, and in 2003 the Purnululu National Park was granted World Heritage Site status for its outstanding geological value, and exceptional natural beauty.
The famous Bungle Bungle ranges are a series of tall sandstone towers formed by a series of prolonged erosion over many millions of years. The skin of the towers has a striped appearance, layers of orange and grey (looking like Tiger skin). Thanks to the rainy season, the area is great for bird watching, with over 130 species.

The best way to see the true splendour of the Ranges is by plane, and it is one of the highlights of the whole trip. The flight is nearly 2 hours with plenty to see as we fly over the biggest man-made lake in Aus – Lake Argyle, which holds 10,763,000 mega litres - which makes it around 23 times larger than Sydney harbour. It is actually so large that it has been classified an Inland Sea – and the view from our plane is spectacular. We also pass over 2 pastoral cattle stations, one of which is called Texas Downs Station - just a small farm only 163,500 hectars with 10,000 cattle!!!
6.45pm we have our evening presentation in the Leda Lounge. I have to say that the expedition leaders have a great way of running through the day’s events with photo’s and humour and although this is our first really action packed day, I realize that this is a major part of the trip. Tonight is the Seafood Banquet no less, so we all eat outside under the stars of the Southern Hemisphere – tucking into tasty lobster and king prawns – life doesn’t get any better than this!


Day 5 - King George Falls
Last night in the Leda Lounge Darrin gave us various zodiac options to choose between so that all guests get the choice of their daytime experience…everything from a grand hike to the top of the waterfalls or a full morning exploring the King George River by Zodiac to a more sedate river trip, and even a helicopter ride. This way, guests get to create the experience that is right for them.
I have breakfast surrounded by the majesty of Koolama Bay, with the mighty King George River and the twin falls at the end of the deep sandstone gorge. We boarded the Zodiacs and made our way across a slightly choppy Koolama Bay to the mouth of the King George River. As our flotilla of Zodiacs snaked its way along the river, we saw the stunning beauty of the gorge and the natural colours of the sandstone, exposed by the erosion taking place. As we journeyed upriver, we observed osprey nests, brahminy kites, brown falcons and eastern reef egrets. The sandstone canyon was spectacular and we took a plethora of pictures that we knew would not do the scenery justice. Close to the edge of the river and the falls, we saw great examples of ‘honeycomb erosion’ where water whipped up by the wind has dried within the sandstone structure, dislodging particles one at a time.
We set off listening to our expedition leader recap from the previous night the tales of Koolama Ship that was bombed in War World II as we pass the beach where it was breached, and the inlay where the munity took place and the amazing journey that the survivors took across this barren land with Aboriginal Guides. After our walk today I can only imagine with little water and food what a struggle for survival this must have been.
To reach the King George falls it takes nearly 2 hours along the river, but what amazing scenery, it is truly breathtaking. The King George Falls are the highest single-drop falls in the Kimberley at 83m or 260ft. The spectacular gorges display varying degrees of sandstone weathering. Red rock formations that have been eroded over the years emerge from the water toppled precariously on top of one another - they remind me of a giant Jenga game and this instability is what makes them look even more beautiful. We meet our first crocodile after just a few minutes, his jaw is wide open in an aggressive stance so we keep well back. What amazing creatures.
As per Darrin’s advice the previous evening the hike to the top of the King George Falls is fairly steep in places and sensible footwear is needed, but everyone really enjoys themselves. In parts the climb is quite tough, but we take it steady and there is quite a sense of community as we all chat and help each other in the places that are difficult.
When you reach the top it is really rewarding. We trek a little further over the first waterfall to the second, to several inviting fresh water pools – a great chance to really cool off and enjoy the spectacular views. After some quality time relaxing in the sun and taking beautiful shots of the gorge it’s time to head back down.
Once we are all safely in our zodiacs we head to the falls and waiting around the corner is Clinton our Maitre’d with champagne and canapés - a magical surprise.
We head back along the King George River back home to Orion, a lovely time to sit back again and enjoy the surroundings and reflect on what has been an excellent day.


Day 6 - Vansittart Bay and Jar Island
Vansittart Bay is a small remote bay that is well known in Australia as being the Truscott Air Base that was operational during the Second World War.
So a reasonably early start, about 7.30 after being fed and watered of course…! This is a wet landing today which means that your feet are going to get wet.
It’s great fun getting on and off the zodiacs and there are always plenty of staff ready to help. Once we reach the beach, they are waiting with sunscreen for any of those that forgot, and refreshing cold drinks. It is these small little details that count. We have a gentle hike over a dry salt lake – quite amazing - and our expedition leaders are constantly pointing out wildlife and fauna, including catching crabs.
We trek through the bush and find settled amongst the trees a World War II C-53 bomber airplane that crash landed here in Feb 1942. We really enjoyed looking round this wreckage and listening to the story of how it came to an end in the outback. It is still in fairly decent shape considering that it crashed all of those years ago, and the stories told onboard and today really bring the tale to life.
This is just a short trip and we soon find ourselves back on the zodiacs heading back home…
After a hearty lunch, the ship moves across the Bay and we are ready to explore Jar Island. It was so named because an early team of explorers found a load of clay jars on the island. These are believed to have been left behind by the Macassans in search of sea cucumbers.
The reason we are visiting Jar Island is quite different – we are here for the famous Gwion Gwion or Bradshaw Rock Art. According to legend the art was created by birds, pecking the rocks until their beaks bled, and then creating the art using their tail feathers. The bird responsible is the Gwion – giving the art its name. The alternative name for the art is Bradshaw, after the first European to discover and name the art.


Day 7 - Hunter River
Anchor drops at 6.00am and today is all about the wildlife on the Hunter River. Hunter River National Park is one of the newest National Park's in the Kimberley, with some of the most beautiful scenery in the whole region. The Mitchell River carves gorges and waterfalls along the margins of the Mitchell Plateau creating real photographic opportunities.
Small areas of rainforest grow along the river, and is home to plenty of wildlife - 50 species of mammal, 220 bird species, and 86 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, including the saltwater crocodile.
Today has to be one of my highlights, this part of the Kimberley appears more lush and the reflection of the red rock and greenery in the water is sublime. We are out in the zodiacs for at least 3 hours again in pairs…you feel like you have the whole river to yourselves.
The day starts with a pod of dolphins to wish us on our way, we’ve been on our journey less than 15 mins when we came across a hammerhead shark in the shallow waters - perhaps the beaches don’t look quite so inviting now!
It’s not been long before we see lots of crocodiles in the mud banks, either basing in the sun or waiting in the shallows for their pray. Harry our guide is fantastic at spotting wildlife and explaining our surroundings; we see an array of fish from toad fish to mud creatures, brightly coloured crabs and flying fish!
We get right into the heart of the river through channels of mud banks surrounded by mangroves. Harry takes us to where an Osprey has her nest, we also see a White Bellied Eagle and plenty more birds. On the way back we spot Clinton and the entertainment crew on the horizon, as we arrive ice creams are served as the crocs circle in the distance – surreal! Again Orion anticipates just what we need as the temperatures start to soar.

As we arrive back some of our party dash back to their rooms for a quick freshen up as they are heading off on the optional helicopter tour to the Mitchell Falls. This is an additional cost and is very popular with several departures throughout the day. I’m not surprised the Mitchell Falls look amazing, they are horizontal spring waterfalls that can only really be best viewed from the air, they are quite far inland and their lucky passengers will be dropped off and they can either decide to take a scenic 50 min walk or laze in the cooling fresh water pools, all finished off with an Orion picnic.


Day 8 – Montgomery Reef
5.30am the alarm goes off, but I am excited about today as the expedition crew have done another excellent job at whetting our appetites, plus the sunrise out of my junior suite picture window is amazing. We disembark at 6.15 am just time to crab a coffee and a Danish pastry!
Today has a slightly different feel as all the guest are out on the zodiacs at the same time as you, as you only get to experience Montgomery Reef at certain tide times. It’s lovely watching all the activity of the zodiacs in the water in the early dawn. It’s not long before we reach the reef - there is not much to see and I’m ever so slightly perplexed as to why we have been taken here, but I’m confident that Orion will surpass my expectations again and I’m not disappointed.
At first it just looks like brown coral
emerging from the water, however as we cruise alongside the reef we watch the spectacle unfold as the tide starts to fall dramatically, this creates almost a horizontal waterfall effect. An abundance of sea life begins to appear on the surface and birds swarm in for their breakfast. Essentially, Montgomery Reef is one of the places where there is such a big difference between high tide and low tide, that as the sea level falls (and quickly), areas of reef are suddenly exposed. Such is the difference in level that what looked like open sea initially, suddenly turns into a large reef 'island'.
At high tide Orion could travel across the reef as it’s more than 5 metres deep. Now as we watch this display by Mother Nature the reef continues to rise, almost making you believe you’re looking at a river made for white water rafting! We’ve been watching mouth and eyes wide open for well over an hour now and the reef is nearly 3 metres high – incredible. Also if that isn’t enough there is plenty going on in the water - from scores of fish to turtles that keep popping their heads above the water – you have to be quick to get a photo! Can you believe that this reef stretches for 20 square miles, and is not a named national park, but is protected. It should be one of the wonders of the world! As we travel back to the ship out of nowhere a sand bank island has emerged. We approach and see the Orion flag planted on the sand bank and on arrival hot chocolate is served – perfect!
As we head back we are in for a real magical surprise; a humpback whale has crosses our path. All Zodiacs are radioed and we all head to get a good view of this amazing beauty and it soon has a large audience, all gasping and clapping at its acrobatic display. The Captain promised we would see Whales this time of year as it’s their breading season, one of the zodiac party is very lucky as the Whale literally emerges right by the side of them, if only they hadn’t all been so shocked and been a little quicker they could have reached out and touched her! I’m pleased to say that this is the first of many encounters with these beautiful creatures. Eventually it’s time to head back and a late brunch is waiting on the sun-deck!
The Captain has advised that all the lights on the ship will be going off after 9.30pm so a perfect time to star gaze. If you have never had the opportunity to gaze at the southern hemisphere with no urban lights to distract your eyes then you are missing a real treat. You can clearly see the Milky Way and Neptune shines brightly like a star. It’s turning out to be a perfect night and we indulge in some well earned cocktails, and we settle down in the Galaxy Lounge (a small viewing lounge/bar on the top deck), with the entertainment team leading a sing-a-long with all the old classics.


Day 9 - Cape Verde & The Lacepedes
As it’s our last day onboard Orion, we are looking forward to a nice and relaxing one, however the Captain makes an unusual announcement at 7.00am, as he advises us that there are two whales along the side of the ship. I open my curtains to be treated to two humpback whales just outside my window, they are truly magnificent - they play for a while then dive right under the ship – AMAZING, it actually brought tears to my eyes, what a beautiful way to wake up to the day.
After breakfast we head to Cape Verde beach. This beach is gorgeous and stretches for miles; we are not far from Broome now and I remember from my previous travels how beautiful this coastline is. What a fantastic way to end this superb trip, swimming in the sea and walking in the surf picking up shells. It’s really nice to have a relaxing last day - again Orion are one step ahead in predicting our thoughts and needs. After lunch we spend the afternoon up on deck whale watching and catching those precious last rays of sunshine before we start our journey homeward.

Day 10 – Disembark
It takes us ages to get off the ship because we are saying our sad farewells to what has become our close family over the past 10 days. The Orion experience produces a close bond amongst fellow travellers as we share the sense of adventure, of discovery and of a complete immersion in the destinations, history and wildlife that we have interacted with so wholly.
Orion is a beautiful ship that allows you to relax in luxury and comfort, with great dining, service and facilities. The crew onboard are fantastic at sharing their knowledge, expertise and friendliness, helping bring the whole experience to life.
But it is the destinations that are the true stars. These incredible landscapes, this fabulous interaction with sea and bird life, and simply the chance to leave behind the crowds and modern life, and to explore places that lie off the beaten track from normal holidays, normal life and other cruises. It is an eye-opening experience. An unforgettable one. Orion explores a 'path less travelled' and we are honoured that they have taken us with them.

 

Natalie Read’s journal aboard Orion Expedition Cruises Kimberley voyage