Luxury Kimberley Cruise and The Ghan Expedition

CRUISE HIGHLIGHTS AND INCLUSIONS

• Incredible Kimberley experiences in 16 destinations between Broome and Darwin
• Locally inspired dining – a total of 29 meals and a wide range of onboard beverages
• The services of an APT cruise director and expert 12-member expedition team
• 10 nights aboard the luxury small expedition ship, Le Laperouse in a Deluxe Stateroom (upgrades available)
• Daily excursions on Zodiac vessels
• View the incredible natural phenomenon Horizontal Falls
• Join your expedition team to explore Montgomery Reef by Zodiac
• Step ashore on Bigge Island and discover Indigenous rock art created by the Wunambal people
• Experience the natural wonder of King George Falls aboard a Zodiac
• 2 nights post-cruise 

 RAIL HIGHLIGHTS AND INCLUSIONS

• 4 days / 3 nights aboard The Ghan in a Gold Twin Cabin
• All-inclusive meals, fine wines, and beverages
• A regionally-inspired menu paired with a selection of local wines
• Off Train Experiences in Katherine, Alice Springs, and Coober Pedy
• Evening Off Train Experience in Manguri
• A spectacular dinner under the stars at the historic Telegraph Station, Alice Springs
• Explore Nitmiluk Gorge’s powerful natural wonders and rich Indigenous culture
• Venture into the underground opal mining town of Coober Pedy

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive Broome, Embark Ship
Welcome to Broome, a former pearling port and an ideal stepping stone to your Kimberley Coast adventure. After your arrival on the stunning Indian Ocean coast, we will transfer you to your luxury ship, Le Laperouse. Get to know your expedition team and APT cruise director at a welcome briefing before dinner.
Stay: 10 Nights, Le Laperouse

Day 2: Adele Island, Buccaneer Archipelago
Wake to the promise of adventure at sea as the Buccaneer Archipelago sprawls out before you with its more than 800 islands, Le Laperouse charts a course for Adele Island, an important location for breeding seabirds including the lesser frigatebird and the brown booby. Led by your Expedition Team Leader, you’ll board a Zodiac and skim across the turquoise waters of Adele Reef to your island destination. The reef is bursting with coral and marine life, such as reef sharks and stingrays. Later, back aboard, cocoon yourself in Le Laperouse’s refined setting and watch the amber glow of a Kimberley sunset before dinner this evening.

Day 3: Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls
Signature Experience: Today your ship cruises through to Talbot Bay, known for its massive 12-metre tides that create the unique Horizontal Falls. Subject to tidal conditions, board a zodiac with your Expedition Team to view this natural phenomenon.

Explore Talbot Bay and Cyclone Creek. Accompanied by your Expedition Team Leader, you’ll weave nimbly past the dramatic folds of rock formations, keeping a look out for local wildlife.

Day 4: Raft Point, Montgomery Reef
Signature Experience: Depart with your expedition team to discover Montgomery Reef by Zodiac. The reef ‘rises’ out of the ocean as the tidal waters cascade rapidly down into the surrounding channels. By Zodiac you’ll get up close to see this natural phenomenon for yourself.

Step onto dry land at Raft Point to visit an ancient Wandjina rock art site. The unique figures depicted in these artworks are ritually repainted each year, but scientific estimates date the originals as far back as 5,000 years. You’ll be joined by a local Indigenous guide when available.

Day 5: Prince Frederick Harbour, Hunter River, Mitchell Falls
You are transported to Prince Frederick Harbour today, which is home to towering red cliffs and tangled mangroves. With its extreme tides and pristine ecosystems, the harbour is rich in wildlife including mudskippers and saltwater crocodiles. Keen birdwatchers should keep a careful eye out for kingfishers, egrets, herons and white-bellied sea eagles. Stepping out from the sleek comfort of Le Laperouse to your trusty Zodiac, it’s hard to believe you’re at Australia’s final frontier, this time to explore the Hunter River and Naturalist Island. As your day of discovery draws to a close, you might choose to set out on a thrilling helicopter flight to see the Mitchell Falls in all its splendour from above (flight at own expense).

Day 6: Bigge Island
Signature Experience: Approximately six kilometres from the mainland, Bigge Island is ripe for discovery today. It’s well known for its Indigenous rock art, created by the Wunambal people, and you’ll explore a network of caves throughout the island. Here, discover paintings that display fascinating examples of first-contact art and Wandjina figures.

You continue to cruise north along the Kimberley Coast towards your final destination, Darwin, bound for another encounter with ancient art.

Day 7: Swift Bay
Explore this maze of islands, inlets and peninsulas, believed to have been named by explorer Lieutenant Phillip Parker King after novelist Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. Most significant here are extraordinary examples of Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) rock art, estimated to have been created between 5,000 and 13,000 years ago. They can be seen in caves close to the water’s edge, mainly painted on rock overhangs.

Day 8: Vansittart Bay, Jar Island
This morning join your Expedition Team on an intriguing discovery. Walk across salt flats to view the wreckage of a US Air Force DC3 which crash-landed near Vansittart Bay during World War II. Later, visit Jar Island and discover the island’s outstanding rock art gallery. During your exploration here, you’ll see more examples of Gwion Gwion (Bradshaw) paintings, dating back more than 20,000 years.

Day 9: Koolama Bay, King George River and Falls
Signature Experience: Anticipation builds as your Zodiac approaches King George Falls, which plunge 80 metres over a soaring sandstone cliff. Edge closer to this epic cascade and learn how it turns to a raging torrent during the monsoonal wet season.

Wake this morning as your ship cruises into Koolama Bay. Hear how this harbour was renamed following the Japanese bombing of the MV Koolama in 1942. Next, it’s onto the King George River. Join your expedition team and jump aboard a Zodiac to meander through the river’s gorge system, passing mangrove-fringed coves and sheer red cliffs.

Day 10: Day at Sea
Relax and ease into a full day at sea, enjoying the endless horizon. Perhaps take a swim in the onboard pool, pamper yourself in the wellness area, or head below deck to Le Laperouse’s underwater observation area for a stunning window into marine life below the ocean’s surface.

Day 11: Disembark Ship, Depart Darwin
Arriving into Darwin this morning means it’s time to say goodbye to your ship. Check into your hotel for a 2 night stay in Darwin with a bit of well-deserved leisure time. 

Day 12: Darwin
Spend your day at leisure 

Day 13: Darwin
Your journey aboard The Ghan begins with a morning departure from Darwin. Once you’re settled into your private cabin, mingle with fellow travellers or sample the exceptional food, wine, and service onboard.  When it’s time for lunch, savour the regionally-inspired menu accompanied by a selection of all-inclusive wines and beverages, before an early afternoon arrival at the Top End township of Katherine. Take a relaxing cruise through Nitmiluk Gorge’s ancient natural wonders and exploring the region’s rich Indigenous culture. Enjoy dinner as the sun sets over the outback, then back in your cabin you’ll find your bed turned down. Fall asleep as the train rolls soothingly onwards.

Day 14: Alice Springs
After your first night on The Ghan, you’ll be greeted by a morning view of the spectacular Red Centre. A full day of excursions awaits you in the outback town of Alice Springs. An optional upgrade is a scenic flight to Uluru, returning in time to meet the rest of your fellow guests at a spectacular barbeque dinner under a million stars at the historic Alice Springs Telegraph Station.

Day 15: Manguri & Coober Pedy
From your morning stop at the outback outpost of Manguri, you’ll venture into the weird and wonderful opal mining township of Coober Pedy, where more than half of the residents live underground. Here, you’ll enjoy a day of discovery, and a gourmet lunch in the most unique of locations: underground. Dinner is served back on the train where you can enjoy a nightcap as your journey continues.

Day 16: Adelaide
From your cabin window this morning you’ll see a dramatic change in landscape, as the rich ochre tones of the outback make way for the green fields of South Australia. Enjoy a leisurely brunch as you pass through the majestic Flinders Ranges and prepare for your mid-morning arrival into Adelaide, completing one of the world’s great travel experiences.