Kimberley cruise on APT’s Caledonian Sky a shore thing
One of Australia’s biggest tour operators has pulled off a cruising coup in the midst of the pandemic.
How refreshing it is when Mother Nature informs an itinerary. In the Kimberley, days at sea are dictated by sun, moon and sea. Sunrise, low tide, high noon, high tide and sunset define my nine-night voyage from Broome to Wyndham aboard Caledonian Sky.
Both the navigation officer and leader of the 10-person expedition team devise plans around the region’s extreme tides, which can range up to 12m. For example, Adele Island, a feeding and breeding ground for whales and birds, must be visited at high tide (2.44pm on Saturday). On Sunday, a speedboat is booked for the perfect time to thread through the gap of the Horizontal Falls. And on Monday, the crew knows when Montgomery Reef emerges from the ocean, like an optical illusion. Low tide is 10.09am, giving us three hours to witness this phenomenon.
Timing is everything with travelling these days. With borders closed to most states, our cruise could only be joined by passengers in Western Australia. Meanwhile, the ship has had its own race against the clock. Since April 2020, Caledonian Sky had been waiting off the coast of Manila, banned from Australia because the ship is registered in the Bahamas. Never mind that it’s operated by Melbourne-based APT, the foreign-flagged vessel had to find another way back home.
Previously co-owned with a British cruise line, Caledonian Sky was bought outright by APT in a bid to keep it in Australia. Passenger capacity was cut from 114 to 99 to comply with pandemic restrictions and, after months of negotiations, the federal government finally allowed the ship’s re-entry. Before the season was permitted to proceed, licences and approvals from the state government also had to be obtained to conduct the cruises within WA.
So, in May, after more than a year stuck overseas, the small ship embarked on a two-week journey to Cairns, where it spent a further fortnight in quarantine. But there was yet another hoop to jump through as a new rule required that locals be employed in service and hospitality roles. APT scrambled to recruit 30 more crew members. But days before its first cruise in June, the line was forced to cancel due to a shortage of qualified Australians.
Managing director Chris Hall says the recruitment process was one of the hardest parts of resuming cruising.
“Unfortunately, there are a limited number of Australian workers who have (appropriate) experience and we have had to conduct training in both maritime safety, which is a prerequisite accreditation to hold by law, and specific hospitality training,” he says.
The new team was ready for the next departure, which set sail as scheduled. However, two more cruises were cancelled in June and July following lockdowns in eastern states.
By August, it was hard to believe my cruise would actually happen. But here we are, 62 pleasantly surprised passengers, mostly from Perth. Everyone has been required to show a negative PCR test result and, in our Covid-free bubble, we board the ship. In his welcome speech, Captain Peter Martin implores guests to treat the expedition as a form of meditation. “Do you have it in you to stop everything else and just listen to the Kimberley?” he asks.
And so we do our best to connect to country, as Indigenous people have done for many thousands of years. Dinner on the open-air deck is a beginner’s way to appreciate the serene surrounds.
When I wake unexpectedly early at 4am next day, I sit on my cabin’s balcony to gaze at the stars until the sun’s golden rays peep over the horizon and the warmth of the land touches me as I inhale the salty breeze. Our first stop demonstrates whose territory this is, as we split into groups of eight to take Zodiac rides around Adele Island.
Immediately, inquisitive seabirds swoop for a closer look at us as we share the turquoise water with green turtles, huge stingrays and a tiger shark. Hundreds of brown boobies, frigate birds and cormorants cause many passengers to draw comparisons with the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.
The next day is headlined by the Horizontal Waterfalls in busy Talbot Bay. Our speedboat driver declares his intention to “drive it like I stole it”, before blasting off through the gorge’s narrow opening, which swirls and foams like whitewater rapids. At a tight 10m wide, the second gap is too dangerous, he says, as we might not make it back against the tremendous torrent.
Most passengers sign up for a scenic flight to Mitchell Falls (Punamii-Uunpuu) and a chance to cool off in a rock pool. The helicopter picks us up from a beach along the Hunter River for a 20-minute whirl with the doors off. Although the flow is less powerful than during the wet season, it’s an impressive four-tiered cascade to view from the air.
The rest of our week is punctuated with short walks to significant sites. At Freshwater Cove, we meet traditional custodians who welcome us to a Wandjina place renowned for its rock art. They tell us about the dating process by archaeologists, which proves this area has seen 50,000 years of continuous occupation.
On Jar Island, we view Gwion Gwion art, formerly known as Bradshaw art. These distinctive ochre paintings depict elongated figures adorned with bracelets, bags and headdresses. Our guide points out other drawings of animals and possibly sightings of early white explorers.
Remnants of more recent history are found largely intact in remote locations. We see a boab tree bearing an inscription carved in 1820 by the carpenter on Lieutenant Phillip Parker King’s voyage charting the Kimberley coast. At Vansittart Bay, we inspect the wreck of a modified DC3, which crash-landed in World War II.
Montgomery Reef is an underrated natural marvel. Twice a day, the tide falls so rapidly that the reef appears to rise from the ocean. As the water streams down the glittering walls, it transforms into hundreds of waterfalls and creates deep channels through the middle. As our Zodiac rafts across this aquatic valley, we lose count of the marine life revealed in the receding water. It makes up for the dry King George Falls, which we promptly dub a “waterfallen”.
The river compensates with our best wildlife-spotting of the voyage. Snubfin dolphins, dugongs and crocodiles swim around us and along the rocky edge, where the salt sprays billion-year-old sandstone and the landscape looks like honeycomb.
APT’s signature experience is a concert in a cave, performed by two crew who sing and play guitar on a ledge. It’s a farewell party to remember. On the last day, I meet a passenger who’s been confined to his cabin (with meals and bottles of wine delivered) after reporting a chest infection.
Although everyone tested negative before boarding, cruise lines must follow the protocol of isolation for anyone who develops Covid-like symptoms. The biggest risk in the Kimberley used to be crocs. In 2021, it’s coughs and snap lockdowns.
More to the story
Caledonian Sky strikes a balance between a yacht-like, 90m-long ship and an expedition vessel equipped with Zodiac excursion boats. At full capacity, 75 crew look after 99 guests, a ratio usually associated with the most luxurious cruises.
Ship nerds might remember its former name, Renaissance VI, one of eight Renaissance Cruises vessels operating in the 1990s. Refurbished in 2018, Caledonian Sky has retained much of its original decor, with polished timber panelling and shiny brass trimmings adding to its nautical charm.
If dining on deck, chefs cook meals fresh to order, while crew serve buffet dishes at breakfast and lunch. Tables in the indoor restaurant, also used for the captain’s welcome and farewell dinners, are offered as alternatives for more privacy or protection from the weather.
Aside from the two 34sq m Owner’s Corner Suites on Promenade Deck, cabin sizes range from 20sq m to 26sq m, most with balconies or large windows, although a few in the standard category on the lowest deck have portholes. All are airconditioned and well-appointed with a king bed, walk-in wardrobe, sofa and chairs, TV, mini-fridge, secure safe, desk, dressing table and marble ensuite stocked with toiletries.
As most activities take place on shore or by excursion boat, shipboard leisure facilities are understandably limited and there’s no pool. A small gym and hair salon have been temporarily closed.
The Sky Deck is a breezy spot for a cold beer, wine or cocktail of the day (all included in fares), and the adjacent Panorama Lounge is particularly popular at sunset. Daily presentations, afternoon tea and evening entertainment take place in the main lounge and most nights a pianist or acoustic duo plays until the last passengers retire.
In the know
A 10-day Grand Kimberley Coast cruise in either direction between Broome and Darwin, available through April-September 2022 and in a 2023 season, starts at $11,995 a person twin-share (includes current discount offer), covering meals, drinks, excursions and transfers. Check the APT website for dates and availability of east coast, Tasmania, Great Australian Bight and WA sailings this year and next. WA’s southwest coast will be highlighted in February and March with three departures from Fremantle to Margaret River, Albany, Fitzgerald River National Park, Esperance and Cape Le Grand National Park, plus the opportunity to walk part of the Cape to Cape Track.
Louise Goldsbury was a guest of APT.
