Cruises.com.au Blog

Words by Caroline Gladstone

After our rain and windswept expedition to Montgomery Reef, we arrived back at the ship like drowned rats, but laughing like school kids.well at least I was. It was a hot shower and then a hot cooked breakfast…I’ve got to say that was the first time I did breakfast twice on the ship!

Then was time to relax on the ship – lunch, etc – before the afternoon walk up a slight but rocky incline to see the famous Wandjina Aboriginal rock art.

Raft Point is a majestic red sandstone headland, said to be the most photographed spot in the Kimberley. It’s one of those landforms that you just can’t take enough pictures of.

Once again the passengers were divided into two groups – the ‘boabs’ and the’ grevilleas’ for our afternoon excursions, and yes people were hoping that they hadn’t morphed in boabs after all the fantastic food we’d been scoffing on the trip.

The day fined up and we zodiaced (a new verb) to the rocky beach landing. And there, right on the beach were two boab trees, a huge one on the left and a baby boab on the right. The thing to do is give the big boab a hug…a group hug as about four people can fit around its circumference.

Then the trek to the amazing rock art ‘gallery’ began. I’ve got to say it was a little difficult as the recent rain had made the rocks slippery and there was quite a bit of water flowing down our walking path. Plus I got stuck behind a slow walker (we went single file). Everyone on the Orion is helpful; the expedition guys help the passengers over big boulders and literally hold their hands when they need to, while passengers help each other out too.

We had heard a lot about the Wandjina art at a lecture called Spirits in Stone; the paintings of this mythical clan of Wandjina people are said to be thousands of years old, and are touched up or repainted every 40 years or so by members of certain Aboriginal tribes who are allowed to do so. The main painting is of the ‘devil god’; others represented spirits, fish and animals. The story of the Great Fish Chase, a kind of strange love triangle between a cod, another fish and a jealous guy, is also etched on stone. It was fascinating.

The trek back down the path again was slow going, but it gave me time to take plenty of pictures of the amazing sandstone and the water (from the recent rains) gushing over the tower cliffs.

Back on the ship the dark clouds subsided for a while and we had a brilliant sunset for a change…..so I snapped off many pictures of iconic Raft Point bathed in a soft pink light….magic.

This, our second last night on board, was celebrated with an outdoor Aussie barbecue. The food great, as usual, Aussie style barbecued chops, burgers, snags – all the favourites – and a dessert buffet that went on for ages.

But the rain came down on us towards the end of the dinner and we moved inside. For the first time on the cruise I managed to score a front row seat in the Leda Lounge to take in the Crew Show. There were 10 acts, showcasing the diversity of the crew’s talents from singers, dancers and even skit comedy. A lot of fun and our dancing boy Ricky (a barman who had got me up to dance on deck a few nights’ earlier) showed off his great style when executing some tricky dance moves with one of the girls on the reception desk.

Day 10: Thursday May 20, 2010.   Cape Leveque and The Lacepedes

Our last day on board started with clear skies and sun but by the time I had breakfast and climbed into the Zodiac to cruise over to the beach at Cape Leveque dark clouds were brewing.

We were all looking forward to Cape Leveque as this is the place where you can actually swim in the ocean. Swimming is out of bounds at every point along the way from Darwin to here, except of course in the rock pools, because those dreaded salt water crocodiles like to swim in the ocean and bays too. But apparently it’s a crocodile free zone from Cape Leveque onwards to the south. As we zoomed towards this long beach, spying a lighthouse on the point, the heavens opened and the rain came down. I wished I’d caught the early, 7.30am zodiac, as those early birds got the best of the weather. Nonetheless, I jumped off the zodiac and joined the others swimming off the beach. It was cool, and who cares about the rain. After a short swim and a quick stroll along part of the beach it was time to get back on the ship. Orion passengers are allowed to walk along and swim on one section of the long beach; the other section is Aboriginal land and a permit is needed to visit that area. It houses the award winning Kooljman Wilderness Retreat (open to all comers) where accommodation ranges from camping (about $16 a night) to the very upmarket safari-style tents ($250 a night); we could see the camp from the ship.

We had a few hours to kill in the afternoon before we arrived at the Lacepedes (a group of four islands about 30 km off the Dampier Peninsula), which are important breeding grounds for green turtles and several bird species include Brown Boobies, Lesser Frigatebirds and Lesser Terns.

I talked Mum into coming ashore as this would be our last expedition of the cruise. She had been a little nervous as the zodiacs were not going to be fitted with the padded seats and backrests and she’d have to sit on the edge of the vessel, known as the pontoon.  Anyway we boarded and after only a few hundred metres or so, I realised that this was a mistakes. It wasn’t rough at all, it’s just that Mum’s back is not the best and she needs a back rest at all times, otherwise it’s very uncomfortable and the pain kicks in. Anyway she endured the ride for several kilometres (longer than we thought because we went around the islands to avoid some rough water). By the time we landed on the beach, she was pooped. One of the helpful staff immediately sat her down on the esky, under an umbrella and looked after her. I wandered off with the others to check out the gorgeous baby Boobies.  Brown Boobies, by the way, are a large seabird of the gannet family. The partners mate for life we were told by our bird-loving guide, Mark. The babies, of which there were many snuggled into the sand next to their mums, are a gorgeous fluffy white. We wandered along, keeping our distance from their nests, as the frigatebirds swooped and dived overhead, riding the warm air thermals. We saw lots of birds – and cute chicks – but the green turtle and its babies were very elusive. Some saw turtles on the zodiac ride over, but not me.

As the tide was going out fast, Mike suggested we hot tail it back to our zodiacs so we wouldn’t get stuck on the mud. We had to about 50 metres or so out from the beach and some of us were sinking into the mud – one guy had to be lifted out and he lost one of his colourful orange Crocs (the shoes that is) in the process. I asked if Mum could sit on the zodiac floor and position her back against the sides for support and of course the Orion team said “yes” and put towels on the floor and virtually carried her aboard. The crew are fabulous and can’t do enough to help you.

That night we had a somewhat boring Disembarkation “lecture” – I tune out of those things, but people tend to get quite antsy about all the details. I suggest that Orion simply print out the details on a piece of paper in the most simplistic of terms….saving us a boring lecture.

Fortunately it wasn’t for too long and it was followed by a brilliant and very funny presentation. Two of the passengers, two live-wire women and best friends both called Jane, decided to put on a very clever – and hilarious – power point presentation highlighting their 10-day journey. The Janes, who I used to hang out with because they were lots of fun and very friendly, had been taking pictures for days, On the last day they virtually confined themselves to a stateroom – kicking their husbands out – as they put together their epic presentation. They had teed it up with the staff and borrowed the AV gear, but all the passengers were taken by surprise when they took to the stage and put on their performance. It mimicked the expedition style of the daily presentations that we’d been treated to by the expedition staff, while adding their  unique brand of humour and borrowing a little from the “Harry Butler in the Wild” school.  We all screamed with laughter and while it ran 15 minutes into the evening dinner time, not one person got up and left.

The Janes, who had gone on this cruise to celebrate their 5^0th birthdays, promise to send me the presentation by email someday soon.

The Janes and their lovely husbands – John and Eddy – had also booked a table for six on the outdoor deck and invited Mum and me to join them. All passengers can book a dinner on the open deck during cruise and are served meals from the main dining room menu. I ate the entire Serge Dansereau degustation menu. Fabulous food as usual.

The evening ended with a recap of the entire 10-day expedition, presented once again by expedition leader Mick Fogg.

Day 11:  Friday May 21, 2010. Broome. Pinctada Resort, Cable Beach.

The cruise is over but the holiday continues for many. We are staying one night at the new Pinctada Resort as are many of the passengers. A one-night stay is included  with the cruise and is one of the two perks offered to guests (the other was the flight over the Bungles) to compensate our short sojourn across the sea to Jaco Island.

The Pinctada, which the name of the pearl-bearing oyster, is owned by Marilynne Paspaley, of the famous pearl family.

Paspaley works closely with the Orion and during our cruise we were treated to a pearl talk, oyster opening and pearl grading presentation. When we disembarked in Broome, Paspaley also put on a champagne brunch in their retail showroom and several people bought trinkets. Unfortunately this champagne and canapé mid-morning event wasn’t well publicised by Orion and several people (including me) missed out. I don’t have the money for Paspaley pearls but it would have been nice to see the company’s range of lustrous gems.

We met Marilynne Paspaley at the resort the next day and Mum was thrilled. Marilynne was an actress on the popular ABC-TV drama, GP, several years ago and Mum was a fan. She was very pleasant and we chatted away. The Pinctada Resort is one of four hotels in her growing portfolio of accommodation; one of the others is McAlpine House, a former pearl master’s home in Broome, now offered as a luxury boutique retreat.

Pinctada Resort, which is not right on Cable Beach but a few hundred metres walk away, has a wonderful swimming pool, a meditation garden for quiet moments, a day spa with very stylish attached clothing boutique, a casual bistro and bar and a restaurant. I was in love with the two large wall hangings – one above the reception and the other in the day spa – each made from about 300 (or was that 3000) polished Pinctada oyster shell….truly beautiful.

After disembarking the ship, Mum and I shopped in Broome’s main downtown area buying two great little evening bags, had lunch, checked emails at the Global Gossip cafe and then took the Orion organised bus to the resort.

In the arvo I fell asleep by the pool and that night had dinner in the restaurant, choosing the Spice Trail degustation meal, designed by Melbourne chef Greg Malouf….it was lovely, but way too much.

Not to self:  stop eating!

Day 12: Saturday May 21, 2010. Broome to Sydney.

I was up early as I thought I’d go for a walk along Cable Beach, but once again the heaven’s opened and down came the rain. People kept saying it shouldn’t be raining in the Kimberley at this time of year….but hey it was. But it cleared up fairly quickly and we decided to head off to the Broome markets. The folk from the resort dropped us and several others at the markets (which are near the airport) and we managed to snap up some cheap and cheerful gifts for our family members back home.

Lots of trinkets made from pearl shell and little ornaments carved from the seed of the boab tree. The market has a great hippy feel – people offering reiki sessions, lots of massage oils, handmade soaps, good food and a busker or two. It was a great way to end our mother-and-daughter cruise.

We took the direct 4-hour flight home to Sydney, and it was as smooth as silk, getting home at around 8.30pm that night.

Postscript: There were 103 passengers on our cruise, out of a total of 106. Of those I noticed only 3 ‘singles’ – Mum and I, and another lady travelling with her friends, a couple. But I think a group of girlfriends or a couple of mates would have just as much fun and I don’t think singles should be turned off at all. The expeditions are great, there’s fishing trips for those who want it, helicopter rides, swims in rock pools and croc spotting to boot. As long as you have a sense of adventure and don’t mind being spoilt…then you’re the ideal passenger, or guest as they like to call us!