It feels like a lifetime ago that I set off on my final zodiac expedition in the Kimberley.
But it was only four days ago that we travelled 14km up the King George River to see its famed falls. We set off just after dawn and the magic unfolded from the moment we reached the mouth of the river.
A short-eared rock wallaby appeared and bounced along the rocky shore. Then two dugongs popped up near our zodiac and flicked their tails at us. Incredible moment!
We lingered to watch them undulate off, before embarking on the long but spectacular zodiac ride to the 100-metre twin waterfalls of King George Falls, which are regarded to be one of Western Australia’s most astounding spectacles.
As we travelled up the river I became a little emotional about being surrounded by so much beauty and felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to experience the remote Kimberley region for a second time.
When we arrived at the dual waterfalls we watched them plunge over the soaring red sandstone cliffs into the tidal waters below. Then our guide nosed the zodiac under one of them and we took an invigorating freshwater shower at its base. So much laughter and so many photos followed. Here’s one of DD gasping as the water first hit him …
All too soon it was time journey back to the ship. It was a long time to spend perched on the side of zodiac, but the colours and textures of the gorge constantly changed with the light as we travelled, creating an ever-evolving scenery that was simply stunning.
While gazing in wonder at the 80-metre-high ancient Warton sandstone sides of the gorge as we whizzed along I thought to myself, I’ll be back!
In the afternoon I was very excited to win the Wildcard category of the cruise photo competition with my wildflower/crab spider pic …
That night we sat poolside for our last Kimberley sunset and dinner under the stars. It felt like years since we’d left Sydney, in a very good way.
My dreams were so peaceful up there – with no anxiety about deadlines or meetings, it was easy to slip back to sleep if I woke during the night.
Next morning we cruised back into Darwin Harbour. The humidity was so high that the waiters and crew kept slipping on the deck as we had our last breakfast aboard Le Soleal.
We disembarked the ship and hugged our friend Emily goodbye before she headed to the airport. Airfares from Darwin to Sydney were astronomical last Friday, so we decided to book a night in a hotel and still saved a fortune by flying the next day.
Then we went in search of a decent coffee … our top recommendation on the passenger survey was to add a barista to the crew and fresh milk to the galley.
After excellent caffeine from Coffee Man was procured, we sat in the lobby of our hotel while DD caught up on work.
At lunchtime we headed to one of Darwin’s top restaurants for a pre-birthday lunch for DD at Hanuman. (It’s actually DD’s birthday today – many happy returns!!)
Since 1992, Hanuman’s owner – Sri Lankan-born Chinese chef Jimmy Shu – has been serving dishes that fuse Thai, Tamil and Nonya flavours at his restaurants in Darwin and Alice Springs.
We tucked into a mixed entree, followed by a succulent prawn curry.
After another slog of work in the afternoon we jumped in an Uber to Darwin Sailing Club to drink ginger beer and share a stir-fry as the sun set. We watched Le Soleal cruise out of the harbour bound for Broome with a new load of passengers on board and wished we were among them.
As for the final day of our trip, well, it wasn’t without its dramas. But I’ll share those with you tomorrow.
Song of the day: Fleetwood Mac “Seven wonders”
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