New Australian cruise ship, converted from a luxury yacht, ready to sail

True North and Coral Expeditions ran cruises in the Kimberley before most knew where the Kimberley was, with True North’s fishing charter business there going back as far as the 1980s.

The Paspaley Pearl.

Their guests had those distinctive blue waters, orange cliffs, astonishing tides and wondrous natural phenomena pretty much to themselves, when it came to commercial operators, for many years.

The sundeck.

But in recent times, small-ship cruising has taken hold in the Kimberley. Though the conditions in and remoteness of the region along the north-east and north of Western Australia dictate the ships be on the smaller size, the likes of Ponant and Silversea are now deploying relatively larger vessels carrying upwards of 150 passengers into the region.

All the comforts: The guest lounge.

Almost 30 years after Coral Expeditions launched its modified submarine chaser, Coral Princess, in the waters where the Indian Ocean meets the Timor Sea, a famous Kimberley name is seeking to recapture the spirit of truly small-vessel adventure in one of the world’s great wildernesses.

The pearl company Paspaley, one of the Kimberley’s best-known family businesses, has launched Paspaley Pearl, a former motor yacht modified to become a 30-guest luxury cruise vessel.

Jacuzzi on deck.

The yacht, previously called Island Escape and operated by New Zealand’s collapsed Island Escape Cruises, was initially bought to be a collaboration between Paspaley and Ponant.

It had been scheduled to set sail in January 2025, but Ponant announced its departure from the project in late 2024. Paspaley chose to proceed alone – albeit delayed.

Guest stateroom.

Paspaley says the Kimberley Coast has 68 anchorages, only 10 of which are accessible for vessels larger than 60 metres. Paspaley Pearl’s dimensions, 53.5 metres in length, make her nimble and capable of venturing to lesser-known spots. And of course, her Kimberley explorations will include stops at Paspaley’s operational pearl farms.

She’ll also cruise into other areas, including Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia. Sailings start from July 31.

See pearlexpeditions.com