Cairns To Broome

A friendly city, loved by residents and popular with tourists. More than just a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns offers plenty to do.

Willis Island is the only permanently inhabited island in the Coral Sea Islands Territory,It is the southernmost of the Willis Islets, a group of three islands which with their associated sandy cays stretch in a NNE to SSW line for about 12

The Lizard Island National Park consists of six islands some 33 kilometers off Cape Flattery and 93 kilometers northeast of Cooktown, of which Lizard Island is the largest. This is the only continental group of islands found near the outer barrier reef and Lizard has a height of 359 meters. Acacia and eucalypt, grassland as well as mangroves contrast with sparkling blue waters and rich reefs surrounding the island. View less Watson’s Bay on Lizard Island’s northwestern side has a beautiful beach and easy access to snorkel areas, as well as the possibility to start on trails leading to the top of the island and Cooks Look or to Mangrove Beach on the south side for views of the lagoon and surrounding reefs. Before Captain Cook came on the Endeavour exploring Australia’s east coast in 1770 and stepping ashore on Lizard Island to gain a bird’s-eye view of the reefs, the Dingaal Aboriginal people had used the island for ceremonial purposes and to collect shellfish, while later European and Asian visitors were looking for sea cucumbers. The name of the island goes back to Captain Cook remarking on the amount of yellow-spotted monitors seen ashore. Slightly more than 100 species of birds have been recorded, for some of which the neighboring Seabird Islets, Osprey, South and Palfrey are important. There is an airstrip with the northernmost resort on the Great Barrier Reef at the northwestern end and a world-renowned tropical marine research station at the southwestern side.

Little Boydong Island is located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of northern Queensland, Australia.

28 kilometers off the coast of mainland Australia in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Mornington Island is the largest of the North Wellesley Islands. Twenty two islands make up the Mornington Shire Council with the only township, Gununa, on Mornington. The islands and surrounding seas have been traditionally used by the Lardil, Yangkaal, Kaiadilt and Gangalidda peoples before Matthew Flinders anchored the HMS Investigator off Sweers Island (South Wellesley) in 1802 and named several islands, including Mornington. View less All islands in the Wellesley groups were declared ‘Aboriginal Reserves’ in 1905 and a mission was eventually started on Mornington in 1914 when some 400 Lardil were believed to live on the island. Over the years Aboriginal groups from other neighboring islands were brought to live on Mornington. Although the mission originally tried to (re)educate and convert Aboriginal children and kept them in isolated dormitories, eventually the mission supported a cultural revival and the communities’ goal of self-management and recognition of Aboriginal land tenure. Today the Mornington Island dancers and the acclaimed artwork that has been produced in the last couple of years show the rich Aboriginal culture. The unique natural environment with swamp flats and windswept beaches with sea oaks and mangroves is also an important marine area for turtles, endangered dugongs and an abundant underwater marine life –it is considered one of the best fishing destinations in Australia. … Despite having opened the island, permission to visit must still be sought from Mornington Shire Council six weeks prior to any intended visit.

Anindilyakwa people were brought to Groote Eylandt on a series of song lines some eight thousand years ago according to Aboriginal history. Although the island and area had thereby long been used by Aborigines, Groote Eylandt was seen and received its current name in the early 17th century when Dutch explorers entered the Gulf of Carpentaria (named after the then Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in 1623). View less It was Abel Tasman who in 1644 gave the quite indicative name of “Large Island”, not knowing that it was and is one of Australia’s largest islands. Groote Eylandt is part of the East Arnhem Region in the Northern Territories and has three townships. In 1921 the Church Missionary Society (CMS) started an Anglican mission at Emerald River which was moved northward in 1943 and is now known as Angurugu. Most clans living on the western side of the island had moved to Angurugu by 1950. On the northeastern side Umbakumba, a second indigenous community, was started in 1938. Additionally there are a number of family based outstations across the island. Today there are some 1,600 Anindilyakwa living on Groote Island. In the 1960s mining for manganese was permitted on the island, which now produces 10% of the world’s manganese supply. Many Aborigines have found work with the mine, but Alyangula, a third township north of Angurugu, was started primarily for the non-native mining company workers. The Groote Eylandt archipelago was declared an Indigenous Protected Area in 2006. Apart from the cultural importance of song lines and sacred sites, the marine environment supports unspoiled reef systems with abundant marine life. Considering the remoteness –and until recently limited access to the area- the Groote Eylandt archipelago possesses a unique ecosystem. The island shows extensive lateritic plains, rugged sandstone plateaus and hills in the central and southern part with large dune fields and sand plains in coastal areas, yet still has 4% of the Northern Territories rainforest. The area is considered of international importance for turtles and supports the densest nesting area of marine turtles in the Northern territory. One of the islets supports more than 1% of the world’s Roseate Terns.

Elcho Island, known as Galiwinku by the indigenous Yolngu, is the largest of the Wessel Islands in Northeast Arnhem Land. The main settlement on the island’s southwestern side had started during WWII as a refuge from possible bombings of an air force base on nearby Milingimbi Island, some 70 km away. Banthula is one of the homelands on Elcho Island’s northwestern side facing the Arafura Sea. It was founded in 1979 when the Australian government encouraged the indigenous population to return to lands they had used before contact with the western world and to establish small settlements, the so-called homelands or outstations. Banthula is some 300 meters inland from Refuge Bay’s 7 kilometer long sandy shore. Some 40 Aborigines live in Banthula, almost 2% of Elcho Island’s population. The school closest to the Banthula children is some 12 km away at Gawa –it actually is one of Australia’s most remote schools. The area around Banthula has dry rain forest and an extensive mangrove growth is found around a creek at the northern end of the beach and bay. Green turtles, flatback turtles, hawksbill turtles, and Olive Ridley turtles, as well as dugong and Australian snubfin dolphins have all been recorded in and around Refuge Bay and Bridled Terns have been found nesting.

Wyndham is a small settlement with the spirit of a Kimberley outback township. It was established in 1886 with the Halls Creek gold rush and sits on the Cambridge Gulf where several rivers converge. Today Wyndham has a population of roughly 900 people and operates largely as a port exporting cattle, servicing the mining industry and hosting a few small ships. For these vessels Wyndham is a gateway to the breathtaking Bungle Bungle mountain range and the nearby Ord River. View less The Bungle Bungle Mountains in Purnululu National Park are now a World Heritage Site. In excess of 350 million years have shaped geological formations of giant orange and black striped domes rising out of the ground into a landscape unlike any other. Known to the local Aboriginal people for thousands of years, the Bungles were only discovered by the outside world in the mid-1980s. Conversely, cruising the peaceful and tree-lined Ord River is a chance to look for freshwater crocodiles, fruit bats, short-eared rock wallabies and a variety of birds, including Mangrove Herons and Mangrove Gerygones. Please note: All destinations on voyages in the Kimberley region, and the order in which they are visited, are subject to tidal variations and weather conditions.

The King George Falls is one of the Kimberley’s most magnificent natural wonders. At 80 meters (260 feet), the thundering spectacle of twin cascades are among the highest in Australia. The river weaves through an amazing landscape of near vertical red rock formations and a parade of wildlife — carnivorous saltwater crocodiles and amazing birdlife, including giant raptors and the Brahminy Kite.

The Hunter River is home to an immense mangrove system surrounded by soaring red sandstone cliffs. Narrow mangrove channels shelter numerous bird species, mudskippers, fiddler crabs and the infamous saltwater crocodile; the most aggressive crocodile species known to man. Naturalist Island at the mouth of the river has a stunning stretch of sandy beach that makes a perfect landing site for small helicopters that can pick up visitors wishing to explore some of the Kimberley’s vast interior. View less The highlight inland is the famous Mitchell Falls where four tiers of waterfalls plunge into deep pools that flow out into the mighty Mitchell River. The headwaters of the falls are cool and a dip in the fresh water is a welcome reprieve from the heat of the heartland.

Set off the coast of Western Australia, the Buccaneer Archipelago is one of the Kimberley’s finest secrets. The Archipelago, 50 k2 (19 sq mi), is made up of around 800 islands and protect the mainland from the huge 12 metre tides and astonishing speed of the Yampi (or, in traditional Aborigine, “Yampee”) Sound. The speed and power of the water many not make for pleasant bathing, but do however result in fantastic natural phenomena. One fine example is the horizontal reversible waterfall in Talbot Bay. The tidal pull is responsible for the “reversible” nature of the falls, however, this also hides narrow gaps between the islands, making for treacherous sailing conditions. Isolated graves of sailors and divers are testimony to the danger. William Dampier sighted the Archipelago in 1688 but it would not be until 1821 that the Archipelago would become known as Buccaneer (a term coined by Captain Phillip Parker King) "in commemoration of William Dampier’s visit to this part of the coast ". Commander John Lort Stokes also noted the area in his 1838 record. Enterprising individuals were initially attracted to the Buccaneer Archipelago in the 1800s due to the superior pearling as well as the rich iron ore deposits. Pearling conducted by luggers in the 1880s was concentrated in Cygnet Bay, Cascade Bay, Cone Bay and Strickland Bay. More recently, mining operators established open-cut mines on Koolan Island on the east side of the Sound. Some of the richest iron ore in the world is extracted here to this day.

Gateway to the oldest and most elusive of all Australia’s nine regions, Broome is where your Kimberley adventure begins. The ancient landscape has long held travellers spellbound: The Kimberley is three time larger than England but has a population of just 35,000, is over 65,000 years old and is home to 2,000 km of coastline. Almost impenetrable, incredibly remote, the red baked earth, prolific wildlife, majestic canyons and swimming holes are the stuff of Australian wilderness dreams. English explorer William Dampier was the first explorer to set foot in Broome in 1668. However, the land had long been used as a trading route between east and west Kimberley for Aboriginal families. These semi-nomadic tribes respected strict unwritten rules regarding ownership of the land. The Yawuru people remain the Native Title holders for the township of Broome to this day. Broome itself has over 84 Aboriginal communities affiliated to it, 78 of which are considered remote. The city grew from its nascent pearling industry of the late 19th century. Pearl diving was dangerous in the waters surrounding Broome and for many years divers were limited to Aboriginal slaves, skin divers who faced cyclones, sharks, crocodiles, ear and chest infections in order to bring up as many pearl shells as possible for their masters. Natural pearls were rare and extremely valuable, and when found, were placed in a locked box. At the peak of its industry, around 1914, Broome was responsible for 80% of the world’s pearl trade.